Neottec x5-m, x5-s

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Has anyone tried these rubbers and give a breif review?
 
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I have tried the X5-S. Very brief description (used on my backhand): Quite direct, medium/low trajectory/throw but not too low so that this causes any problems. Linear, no sudden strong catapult effect or anything like that. Very grippy topsheet therefore good spin on serves, pushes, flicks. Not as easy to keep serves short compared to H3 37 but that wasn't something I expected. Good wrist action required to get good spin especially on loops. Base speed I would say is a bit slower than a Vega Pro but not by much (also a bit softer than Vega Pro. X5-S 46° to 47°, X5-M 48° to 49°). Might lack a bit of power from behind the table compared to Vega Pro, V>11 or BlueStorm Z2 (but much less than say a boosted H3 37 on that Yasaka Sweden Extra would). Weight: 65g uncut (172 mm x 172 mm), 43g to 44g cut. From the Nexy Etika reviews that I have read it seems that X5 and Etika are somewhat similar. Quite fast, linear, predictable, good spin, not very spin sensitive.

There is also a review from Tabletennis11

 
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I have tried the X5-S. Very brief description (used on my backhand): Quite direct, medium/low trajectory/throw but not too low so that this causes any problems. Linear, no sudden strong catapult effect or anything like that. Very grippy topsheet therefore good spin on serves, pushes, flicks. Not as easy to keep serves short compared to H3 37 but that wasn't something I expected. Good wrist action required to get good spin especially on loops. Base speed I would say is a bit slower than a Vega Pro but not by much (also a bit softer than Vega Pro. X5-S 46° to 47°, X5-M 48° to 49°). Might lack a bit of power from behind the table compared to Vega Pro, V>11 or BlueStorm Z2 (but much less than say a boosted H3 37 on that Yasaka Sweden Extra would). Weight: 65g uncut (172 mm x 172 mm), 43g to 44g cut. From the Nexy Etika reviews that I have read it seems that X5 and Etika are somewhat similar. Quite fast, linear, predictable, good spin, not very spin sensitive.

There is also a review from Tabletennis11

Thank you very much for yor very helpful review🙏

 
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From the Nexy Etika reviews that I have read it seems that X5 and Etika are somewhat similar. Quite fast, linear, predictable, good spin, not very spin sensitive.
I have played with X5-Medium and Etika 51. I would say that they are similar in that they both don't have such a pronounced catapult effect as typical ESN rubbers. But apart from that the feeling is very different. X5 top sheet feels more firm and rigid, a bit like Stiga Mantra or G1, Etika feels softer, more grippy and elastic (Tenergy05-like maybe, but on the whole it does NOT play like Tenergy). Etika produces more spin and is also faster on higher impact shots. Etika 51 is a really good forehand rubber, astonishingly easy to play with, spinny, very controlled in short game, yet dynamic when you want to finish the point. Best non-tacky rubber I have played with apart from G1 and Vega Pro. X5-M is more a backhand rubber IMO. But I find it too hard for that.
 
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I have played with X5-Medium and Etika 51. I would say that they are similar in that they both don't have such a pronounced catapult effect as typical ESN rubbers. But apart from that the feeling is very different. X5 top sheet feels more firm and rigid, a bit like Stiga Mantra or G1, Etika feels softer, more grippy and elastic (Tenergy05-like maybe, but on the whole it does NOT play like Tenergy). Etika produces more spin and is also faster on higher impact shots. Etika 51 is a really good forehand rubber, astonishingly easy to play with, spinny, very controlled in short game, yet dynamic when you want to finish the point. Best non-tacky rubber I have played with apart from G1 and Vega Pro. X5-M is more a backhand rubber IMO. But I find it too hard for that.
Good to know. The firmer, less elastic topsheet might explain that I have to use more wrist action/acceleration to produce spin with the X5-S than with some other rubbers. With the harder sponge of the X5-M the contact/dwell time is further reduced.
Maybe I should boost the X5-S a little bit and get an Etika 47 when it's time to replace the S.

"65g uncut" - 2.1mm?

It had a sticker on the packaging that said 1.9 mm but mine is maybe around 2.0 mm (the Hurricane 3 in the picture above should have a 2.15 mm thick sponge)

 
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I have tried the X5-S. Very brief description (used on my backhand): Quite direct, medium/low trajectory/throw but not too low so that this causes any problems. Linear, no sudden strong catapult effect or anything like that. Very grippy topsheet therefore good spin on serves, pushes, flicks. Not as easy to keep serves short compared to H3 37 but that wasn't something I expected. Good wrist action required to get good spin especially on loops. Base speed I would say is a bit slower than a Vega Pro but not by much (also a bit softer than Vega Pro. X5-S 46° to 47°, X5-M 48° to 49°). Might lack a bit of power from behind the table compared to Vega Pro, V>11 or BlueStorm Z2 (but much less than say a boosted H3 37 on that Yasaka Sweden Extra would). Weight: 65g uncut (172 mm x 172 mm), 43g to 44g cut. From the Nexy Etika reviews that I have read it seems that X5 and Etika are somewhat similar. Quite fast, linear, predictable, good spin, not very spin sensitive.

By chance, could you relate those 2, the X5-S and Etika 47 to the Rakza X? From what I read here I thought it could be somewhere in there too?
 
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By chance, could you relate those 2, the X5-S and Etika 47 to the Rakza X? From what I read here I thought it could be somewhere in there too?
I never played with a Rakza X and the Etika 47 is currently only on my list of rubbers to try if I do not continue to use the X5-S on my backhand.

 
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I'm currently using Neottec X5-M on my backhand with medium thickness (1.9 mm) on a 5-ply wood blade. I like it a lot. I think it's not so spin sensitive, it is grippy enough, not bouncy and is very easy to play with. This allows me to change the direction of the ball during rally with relative ease. In past I've used Rakza 7, Rakza X, Rasanter R47, Dignics 80, on my backhand, but so far, I find this to be the best. The closest second for me would be Rakza 7, but the area in which this rubber beats Rakza 7 in my opinion is the consistency. The product quality is I guess a notch higher here. Note that I did NOT try those other rubbers on my current 5 ply wood, so the comparison is not exactly the same, however, in the coming months, If I need to replace this rubber due to wear, I'm going to buy this same rubber again.
 
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I'm currently using Neottec X5-M on my backhand with medium thickness (1.9 mm) on a 5-ply wood blade. I like it a lot. I think it's not so spin sensitive, it is grippy enough, not bouncy and is very easy to play with. This allows me to change the direction of the ball during rally with relative ease. In past I've used Rakza 7, Rakza X, Rasanter R47, Dignics 80, on my backhand, but so far, I find this to be the best. The closest second for me would be Rakza 7, but the area in which this rubber beats Rakza 7 in my opinion is the consistency. The product quality is I guess a notch higher here. Note that I did NOT try those other rubbers on my current 5 ply wood, so the comparison is not exactly the same, however, in the coming months, If I need to replace this rubber due to wear, I'm going to buy this same rubber again.

This is interesting. I'm considering switching from Rakza 7/7 soft to X5-m/X5-s, on the same blade I have now. How would you compare the R7 to the X5-m in terms of throw angle? grip? control on soft shots? I'm guessing that when my current rubbers wear out, the adjustment to a new pair of R7 would not be too different to the adjustment to a new pair of X5.

BTW... one of the things I like about R7 is the consistency. I've used R7 for years now, and I like the consistency from one rubber to the next. I'm intrigued when you say X5 is more consistent. Could you be more specific on this, please?

 
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