Which rubbers?

Hi all,

I am beginner, but i like to use and test or try many blades, and have so far with three blades i have as one is a main one, so i want to buy more.

I saw that DHS Hurricane Long 5 Light blade, from two different sites i get confused about which one is the truth, and then is this blade really worthy? It says shorter handle, is that bad or not suitable for adults? And is it really larger head size or only same as Long 5 original? So overall comparing it to other long 5 blades, is it really worth it before i order one?

And then after i decide if to buy this blade above, it will come the main most important question, which rubbers to buy for both FH and BH??? Not expensive rubbers i hope

RunawayAtLarge said:

I just had a look at all the things you have mentioned, and the rubbers you have mentioned on your profile too... but aren't they like... well, quite expensive? If you're a beginner, I wouldn't say you needed expensive gear like the ones you are listing unless you have money to burn. You'll find that rubbers and blades will depend on your play style.

I started off playing as a beginner with a premade DHS bat, and then as I figured out what style I liked to play, I started looking to custom blades and rubbers. But that was later on down the line, rather than as a beginner. Kids in China pick up cheap and cheerful stuff when beginning and concentrate on technique in training first.

I would have thought you'd be better off just picking something which is cheap and cheerful, see what your playstyle is, what you prefer to do, and then think again about gear.

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I don't know what to say really.

That racket in my profile is an old one, it was my favorite, before i buy HL5 X which became my best and favorite, and because i was playing with that Hao3 for years the rubber became dead, so i replaced them, one i kept T05 on FH, but backhand i went with Rakza7 soft which is an amazing rubber.

With HL5X i used the old rubbers i bought and never used which are Tenergy 80, also great rubbers, and i think i had also BTFY Zhang Jike blue dragon with Tenergy rubbers i can't remember but i think they are also Tenergy [05 or 05FX] which i sold to a friend and she liked it, the rubbers are dead, so i can't keep buying this Tenergy rubbers for all blades i am buying and forever, so wanted something less expensive but good enough either for FH or BH.

I also do have one backup racket which is Butterfly Primorac EX, it is almost OFF, i consider it as all round actually, and i was using some rubbers on that i can't remember the old ones really, but i replaced it to a used DHS Hurricane 3 i bought from a coach on FH, i don't know which version, it has orange sponge, and for backhand i went with Yasaka Rakza 7 soft again, and the racket became like my first or second favorite racket next to me HL5X, it is better control than HL5X because HL5X is fast blade and the rubbers are faster, Rakza 7 soft rubber is able me to minimize the damage from opponents who love to keep doing spins or some loops, i am not good with their higher levels, but i managed to beat some of my level and all below me level.

So i feel like if i buy a new blade which i don't know yet could be HL5L then i don't want to make it that so fast like my HL5X or even Hao III, i liked HL5 blade and DHS in general, i might buy HL5 regular one anyway, but i wanted to try that Light version if it has something different beside the handle, and thus i don't want just to go and buy Tenergy rubbers again and spend that much, i liked that DHS H3 rubber on my PrimoracEX but i can't tell which version, it was cut and without original box/case, in saw from one site an offer for H3 NEO Provincial orange sponge, i don't care about how genuine or fake it as much i cane how its performance compared to the one i have, and i had an old friend who said that DHS rubbers are designed and suited for DHS blades, i want to believe that.

I am a beginner means i am not trained, my playstyle is vary, i am more as an offensive player, but sometimes i tend to do defensive style, not good at it, but i give it a try, that is why i have another two slower blades one of them is a defensive blade [Butterfly Defence III], with pips rubbers, i took off one of them and replaced it to Anti Power from Yasaka, and i can't play with both, i do damage to opponents sure, but it damage my style as well, and good players are just figured out how to make it even difficult for me to use those slow blades, i might buy another blade for defence and put a pips rubber, i will go with no sponge as the one i have is with sponge and long pimples, and i see many defensive players are playing with short or whatever pips without sponge anyway, but i still like offensive style, without training due to my life situations and other reasons my offensive style isn't good enough against good defensive players or high level trained offensive players, i was thinking that HL5L maybe can put me on track of having some kind of balance, not so fast as HL5X/Hao3 and not so slow as defence rackets, and better control than my PrimoracEX, i can keep FH with fast blade, but BH i better stay with a bit softer one or better to say with a rubber less sensitive to spins whatsoever.

Ahma said:

Go with Tibhar Samsonov Alpha blade + 2 Aurus sound 1.9mm 👍🏻

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Ok, but why? Why those in particular?

Also i forgot to mention that i also have a Chinese cheap blade i think YinHe N11 as my first ever assembled blade with cheap YinHe rubbers [something of 9000 model], but i wasn't happy with it, i thought it was great the first time, but i improved since 2015 then it became like a rubbish racket, and i bought Butterfly Jun Mizutani normal one as replacement which was better and nice than this Chinese, and i also used Butterfly rubbers [05/05FX] with it before i gave it up after more rackets i bought in the road, so i spent a lot before buying many blades and rubbers including tenergy.

And yesterday evening i went to a previous club i was a member in and i was watching, someone high level skilled player who is also buying so so many rackets was using another racket than he has before, i asked him to see, and i saw that he was using Dignics on both, black was with Dignics 09C and red was with Dignics i don't know maybe 05, i asked to test it, i don't remember which blade, but it was amazing with that black rubber, and the red one wasn't bad but i felt it is less favorable than Dignics 09C, but we all know how much is Dignics anyway compared to Tenergy itself, if i have to risk and buy that Dignics it means for 1-2 years i will never buy more rubbers then, and sounds like this will be my last racket [if i don't think about another defence racket], but i can't tell as long i keep playing and having fun, i have another hobbies too that i spend for and for my life, if no hobbies and i have better situations i can keep buying expensive BTFY rubbers, but not anymore maybe.

Gozo said:

The general consensus is that DHS Long 5 blade is not for beginner. It is a 5 ply wood + 2 carbon layer, hence it may be too fast for beginner. There are many blades that are more suitable for beginners.

If you have Long 5 in your mind as your future blade, it would be better to start with DHS G7 as your first blade ( this is recommended by a YT coach that I heard from ). You may or may not believe him, it is up to you.

However, my post here is not to tell you to use or not to use Long 5, as that is your personal decision, however, my objective here is to tell you about my personal experience using Long 5.

I bought this blade about a week or fortnight ago; after Ma Long won his second Olympic gold. Call it impulse purchase to commensurate his win. Thereafter I have been looping it away nicely, and by golly, it is an awesome blade for me. It is so nice to loop with this blade. The handle is just perfect. It is soooooooo ergonomic. Fits snugly on my hand. Loving my new found darling. It also has a very nice sweet spot. Overall I really love the looping feeling from this blade.

FYI, I am using Fastarc G1 on my FH and Donic Baracuda on my BH.

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I don't know what to say here, but i can try to answer as the following:

I already have DHS Long 5 X version, not the regular Long 5, and honestly speaking, it is an amazing great blade, i tried several blade before it, most of them were just good enough but not that amazing to make me settled, then by my luck i found in one site about DHS Hao III at very lower price or offer, i didn't think twice and decided to give it a try, and yes, i got that blade at low rice, and that blade became that time my top best great blade, it helped me to improve my style mainly offensive side, but i was only playing for fun.

One day i visited a coach who was interested in my Butterfly Jun Mizutani ALC blade, and he trained me only two times or two hours [actually two hours and half an hour], and during that time i told him about my plan for buying Long 5 X blade that i saw online and i thought maybe it is an upgrade for Long 5, for me it doesn't matter as i am only playing for fun, so i ordered and told the coach to assemble it for me with my old rubbers i kept unused, Butterfly Tenergy 80, then i started to play with that racket and i got used to it more and more and it became like my weapon, i forgot about my Hao III racket so far, but try to have more rackets to widen my style and also to have backups for myself or if i will play with others and they don't have any racket, and also if i practice a lot with anyone then i try to keep my best favorite racket for less use so i can use it more for games than practice, so i kept my Hao III and i was trying also Zhang Jike sometimes but the rubbers are dead so i didn't use it much until i sold it to the friend lady i keep playing with her a lot.

Now i saw that DHS Long 5 Light version, and i was thinking that maybe that will be another amazing blade i will like from DHS, it could be better than my Long 5 , or same which i doubt it will be, or less than Long 5 X but better than Hao III, so it cane be my second best blade and i can use that for practice, i also changed the rubber on my other blade, Butterfly Primorac EX and now it became an amazing blade to my style, so now i have three nice racket i can choose anytime for games/training/practice, and wanted to add that Long 5 light to see where it fits, then maybe i let one old blade i have go, you know, if i didn't buy that Hao III and Long 5 then i will never know about better blades that i like to have and use, need to gamble for that another blade, and i will make it as my last buy then i won't buy any new blade even if they make more blades in future either from DHS of Long series or another brands, but i am still not sure if i should buy this Long 5 Light, in another threads it sounds it is for young players who need smaller handle maybe, but i don't know if it is designed for only young and not adults, i like the handle of DSH very very much, that is why i like Hao III and Long 5 X blades the most.

So, if i decided to buy that blade later, then i must find rubbers good enough to match, i don't want to spend too much for Tenergies again, but if there is no another better choices i might just stay with Tenergy, i used and tested different rubbers, some suit in my hand and some not, for example that used DHS Hurricane III i am using now on Primorac EX turns to be excellent, so maybe this rubber any version can be a perfect match for new DHS blade, also i tested one person racket which he has Dignics in both sides but different models, i liked 09C one more, but a very short one time test can't tell everything, i had before Tibhar MP-X on Carbonado 190 which is damaged and i felt like it is not that consistent as Tenergy, but maybe that is in the past where i wasn't improved a bit, also tested FX-P of one coach i know, not bad, and he is playing beautifully with it, he is skilled and great coach so he can play nice with any, but i have to decide on either cheaper rubbers good enough or i shouldn't save and go with only best rubbers even expensive.

brokenball said:

Are these still available?

They are very good blades. I have two but I think Tibhar stopped making them. The Samsonov Alphas were less than half price of the TB ALC. I think I bought mine for $55 US but that was over 10 years ago.
I like Rakza 7 2.0mm and 1,8mm on mine.

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I prefer to buy Tibhar rubbers, but blades i feel like the only brands i will always choose first will be those: DHS, Butterfly, Nittaku, Stiga.

I use Rakza 7 soft on two blades, amazing rubber really.

igorponger said:

STUOR trade-brand famous for being the world*s best clones of BTF blades at 25--35 USD a piece
-- Tamca 5000
-- Harimoto ALC
-- Viscaria
-- Mizutaney Arilate etc. etc.
China mainland Niania table tennis factory is the source, they keeps their own retail outlet on AliEpress.

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Good ones, just not interested in those now.

Ahma said:

I suggested it because its good for beginners.

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Ok, will give it a try, thank you

Michael Zhuang said:

You should buy some rubbers on Aliexpress. very affordable and reliable.Â

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I did buy cheap rubbers from eBay in the past, didn't try Aliexpress for sports thing yet except a short maybe, i use it for my another hobbies.

burhanayan said:

My 2 cents;

I don't know you but I saw many people here that said they were intermediate, but actually beginner with a few months of experience. If you are beginner-beginner, those equipments are definitely not for you. Of course you can do whatever you want. If you are a humble-beginner, have the technique but not enough experience (1-2 years of proper training), that equipments are still not for you.

By the way, those fast carbon blades are not even common in intermediate level. People in Germany start using them mostly when they reach 1600 TTR.

At those level, you should be winning mostly by consistency, not by overpowering shots. Because beginner level has bad footwork. If you shoot too fast and next ball comes so fast that the footwork is not enough anymore. To be more consistent you need 5 ply allwood blade with a good feeling. You will develop better technique with relatively slower playing pace.

Lastly, if you are gonna use Chinese tacky rubbers, please don't use more than OFF- blade. And stay away from too quick or too stiff blades like Viscaria for a few years. Besides, what you ask is faster than that...

Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk

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Then maybe i underestimate myself, bu i call myself a beginner because any trained player is easily or even hardly can win me and i can't do anything in return more than just lessen the damage, they don't shoot any better or stronger or faster shots than me really, but their consistency, i have experience, but i can say that they trained correct while i didn't train before, so i keep depending on my experience and my recently improvement or luck or their mistakes i try to force them for, but still i am not that consistent to beat them regularly.

Bottom line is, if you bring me any beginner-beginner i will wiped him the floor easily, if you bring me humble-beginner i still can wipe him but he might find very slightly chances to bey me because i go softer or going under practice mode with him, if you bring intermediate level say in my country that will be like a duel or almost we will be close in level, any higher than that or say well trained and i am finished.

I play with this Long 5 X nicely, i won't say i do all shot mistakes or all my strokes are bad, but those are only effective on those who aren't good enough eve if they have best beginner rackets, but i don't know how can i determine my level based on what exactly, if based on those pro Chinese European or ranked then i am 10000% beginner, if i compare to those in my country then maybe i am not that beginner, and maybe when i said i am beginner then people assume that i don't know how to play or placement or position or footwork or anything, well, i prefer to say i am beginner and playing nicely than saying i am advanced higher level and my play style is all crap.

And there is something i need to add, when i play with wood or what you call a beginner type of blades my play is never getting better or my shots are more precise, in fact it made me even worse or like i go down levels, while when i play with better rackets or blades including my Long 5 X or even Hao III my style is better and more precise, it is just i am not trained to make more consistent or much better control or let's say to be more offensive in positive way and can attack back correct, i do mistakes against top players more than they do it to me, no matter which blade i play with, i have a wood defensive blade that can do damage to others because of pimple, but most likely i win 1-2 games by luck or surprise and then they figure out how to put me in trouble.

In fact i feel that the most damage i do for myself is coming from the rubbers and not from blades, because i tested 3 same exact blades but have different rubber, i could never play them all the same, maybe closer, but one is getting better and the other aren't that much, so i guess that the type of rubber is also important, i mean what will happen is i put very slow rubber on very fast blade, say long pips on Long 5 or Viscaria for example?