Soft or hard rubber?

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Hi everyone, sorry for the noob question. I’ve seen youtube videos saying hard rubbers are better for forehand and i personally use a hard (5.5) rubber for my forehand too. However, i see someone people on reviews as well as this forum using soft rubbers for their forehand. Why is that? Doesn’t soft rubber has a limit on spin?
 
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In TT everything’s relative to your level. Your preference is also by definition not an objective.

Often softer rubbers are used at the stage where you’re still seeking to develop your technique. To get a feel for the ball, the contact at impact. As people proceed, they might start to seek a higher pressure envelope.

Everything’s relative, everythings a tradeoff. Given an equally frictive surface, it will be easier to transfer power (both in velocity and rotation) to the ball, more relative yield in low impact strokes. (Which has its downsides, as well: more bouncy and spin-sensitive in passive play.

Harder rubbers are more demanding, less forgiving in ball contact and timing. The reward is a higher upper output limit.
 
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Hi everyone, sorry for the noob question. I’ve seen youtube videos saying hard rubbers are better for forehand and i personally use a hard (5.5) rubber for my forehand too. However, i see someone people on reviews as well as this forum using soft rubbers for their forehand. Why is that? Doesn’t soft rubber has a limit on spin?

That depends on your technique.
Last week for example i played against someone who had Andro Rasanter R37 on both sides. He mostly played his shots with his forearm and wrist and could create an immense amount of spin with it.

The disadvantage here came with the shortplay and the limited power from his topspins which were pretty much the main reason i won in the end.
But the moment he could loop and use his wrist, his shots were nearly unblockable. Way too much spin.

So i would say there is not a limit to your spin overall. More like a limit to a combination of power and spin with certain shots like topspin if that makes sense^^

 
It depends on the blade, A fast blade with a slow rubber (usually soft) can be equal to a slow blade with a fast rubber.
It’s all a personal preference. You definitely need to take in account what blade you will put it on.

Cheers
L-zr
 
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It depends on the blade, A fast blade with a slow rubber (usually soft) can be equal to a slow blade with a fast rubber.
It’s all a personal preference. You definitely need to take in account what blade you will put it on.

Cheers
L-zr

I currently have a tibhar stratus power wood. is there a “most suitable” type of rubber to be put on it?

 
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For a beginner that’s a fairly fast blade so I would use a fairly slow rubber. What are you using now?

i’m using a dhs power pg g7 with yasaka rakza7. Looking to try an all wood with similar speed to see what people always say “all wood has more control and feeling.”

 
I don’t know much about DHS equipment but do know about Yasaka and I would say Rakza 7 is a good match for this blade(Stratus power wood) All wood blades do not categorically have more feel. What happens is that on a fast blade the ball stays shorter and get less time to feel it. The Carbon layer is there to speed it up.
Use your Rakza 7, it’s a good match.

Cheers
L-zr
 
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What I have read is that soft rubbers give you more power if you don't have a very fast racket but hard rubbers give you more power if you have a very hard swing.

So harder rubbers would work for fit and strong players with good technique while soft rubbers work better for beginners with bad technique and also young children under 12 as well as older players who don't have a lot of power anymore or not yet. Timo boll said in a video he started with very soft rubbers as a kid and then used harder ones when he got stronger.

Not sure if I get that right though
 
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No that’s not what I said, I said that soft rubber makes a fast blade less powerful. What is important is the speed a rubber generates and usually a soft rubber is slower then a hard. The rest of your post is correct.

Cheers
L-zr
 
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Being a noob myself, I feel that I'm totally qualified to answer this question badly.

Hard rubbers have to be the best option.
Though it may not make sense, you get more feeling. As in you can feel your blade.
Think of the two things together, blade and rubber.

But, hard rubbers are heavy, so...
 
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Being a noob myself, I feel that I'm totally qualified to answer this question badly.

Hard rubbers have to be the best option.
Though it may not make sense, you get more feeling. As in you can feel your blade.
Think of the two things together, blade and rubber.

But, hard rubbers are heavy, so...

Palio Ak47 red version is hard and not that heavy.

 
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I currently have a tibhar stratus power wood. is there a “most suitable” type of rubber to be put on it?

I have the exact blade and my best experience is putting two sheets of Donic Baracuda on it. Baracuda is medium hard rubber last I check.

 
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@yousuhika, ignore the comments. They are only opinions.
Hi everyone, sorry for the noob question. I’ve seen youtube videos saying hard rubbers are better for forehand and i personally use a hard (5.5) rubber for my forehand too.
I have no idea what a 5.5 rubber means. There are no units. The number is bogus and irrelevant unless there are units.
There is too soft and too hard. Your choice should be some where in between that just right for you

Anyone that talks about the rubber or blade having power is someone to ignore. All the power comes from the player. That is you. Not the equipment.
It is really a preference but know this. There is too hard and too soft and there is an optimal in between that you must find because everyone has a different opinion. What is really important is the coefficient of restitution normally and tangentially. Most important of all is your stroke. You stroke can compensate for any deficiencies or differences in the rubber. People are very adaptable. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't so.
 
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I say do not listen to brokenball.
He can not get in his head that when the rest of us says a blade has speed, power or control we are talking about how easy or difficult it is for a player nobody is giving the blade credit for this !
When it comes to opinions, Yes everybody has a different experience and all of them counts. Even Yours borkenball even though I tend to ignore You.

Cheers
L-zr
 
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No that’s not what I said, I said that soft rubber makes a fast blade less powerful. What is important is the speed a rubber generates and usually a soft rubber is slower then a hard. The rest of your post is correct.

Cheers
L-zr

Wasn't there something like that hard rubbers are a bit "dead" if you hit softly but very powerful when you are strong enough to compress the sponge with your hit?

I read that softer rubbers give you more catapult when you hit softly than hard rubber because their spine easily, engages but when you hit hard you don't get more of a spring effect because the rubber "bottoms out".

So basically if you hit soft the softer sponge creates more catapult but if you hit hard the hard one does.

Or is that wrong?

 
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Wasn't there something like that hard rubbers are a bit "dead" if you hit softly but very powerful when you are strong enough to compress the sponge with your hit?

I read that softer rubbers give you more catapult when you hit softly than hard rubber because their spine easily, engages but when you hit hard you don't get more of a spring effect because the rubber "bottoms out".

So basically if you hit soft the softer sponge creates more catapult but if you hit hard the hard one does.

Or is that wrong?

Is that why people prefer soft sponges on the BH? because BH strokes tend to be shorter and weaker?

 
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