SOFTER rubber vs. THINNER rubber for BH?

says toooooo much choice!!
says toooooo much choice!!
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I tend to use different rubbers on FH & BH, different manufacturers as well as sponge hardness / and sometimes thickness. although usually the difference is with sponge hardness rather than sponge thickness.

My profile shows Donic Bluestorm (DSS) Z2 FH and Z3 on BH both in max. Z2 is 47 degree, Z3 42 Degree, this is a fairly big hardness difference, usually many prefer or recommend a 2 to 3 degree difference in sponge hardness, but in reality its horses for courses and what suits you better!!!

Some players may have an exceptionally strong BH and prefer a harder sponge on that wing compared to their FH wing!!!

DSS Z1 and Z2 both have 47 degree sponges but the difference is with the pimple structure!!!! which changes the rubber characteristics slightly!!!! so even more to think about!!!

Some say that rubbers with thinner sponges are slower or easier to control and generally that may be the case, but when you think about it, with harder power shots a softer thinner sponge will mean that the blade is more easily engaged, if its a fast blade, then it may be the case that a thinner soft sponge rubber could actually play faster!!!

The general the idea behind using a slightly softer rubber on the BH is to assist with speed/power and to a certain extent control (control is always in the hands of the player!!! some rubbers are easier to control, but they DON'T actually have control themselves!!!!!) its easier to produce power on the FH side, a softer bouncier rubber on the BH helps with speed, and possibly a thinner sponge does as well (under certain circumstances).

Is the difference really that noticeable between 1.9 and 2.1mm sponges?? or 2.1 and max?? for some yes and others possibly not !!!!

I used to use the thinner sponges on both FH and BH ( when using bouncy sponge / grippy top sheet rubbers, but now would go for max thickness ) and max (or in the case of a boosted H3 2.15mm to allow for booster thickness [in case I wanted to boost] ) for tacky hard sponge rubbers, but would still try and choose a softer sponge version on BH side, especially now DHS have made the 37 degree versions more widely available (BH)

Currently I have Rakza Z max on BH and Rakza Z max extra hard on FH (haven't altered profile yet!!!!) Playing well with this combo, would I play well with the same rubber s on FH and BH, probably!!!!! its actually pretty hard to tell how much difference the different sponge hardness actually make !!!!
 
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emphasis here being very much on ""individual choice" The first time I decided i might have use for a different
rubber on my backhand i went ahead and fitted H3 on FH and NEO37 on the BH
That did not work for me at all but after an accidental twiddle I realized the softer rubber worked real well on my FH.
It still does .
 
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For example, would you rather choose a 42-degree rubber in MAX thickness (eg. Rasanter R42 MAX), or go with the 45-degree variant at LESS-THAN-MAX thickness (eg. Rasanter R45 2.0mm)?
For the general discussion, this is not the perfect example. R42 and R45 not only differ in hardness, but R45 has a significantly different sponge (ENERGY CELL). So your question would probably be between R45 and R48 (both Energy Cell), and yet even between these two some fine details are different.

In general, I think IB66 has already said what has to be said, and the final point is "Do as you feel", since you could argue either way.

You might find the max version of the softer rubber mushy compared to the 2.0, you might find the harder 2.0 rubber too direct compared to its max variant, and that all is different from rubber to rubber individually.
 
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For the general discussion, this is not the perfect example. R42 and R45 not only differ in hardness, but R45 has a significantly different sponge (ENERGY CELL). So your question would probably be between R45 and R48 (both Energy Cell), and yet even between these two some fine details are different.

👍 !!

In general, I think IB66 has already said what has to be said, and the final point is "Do as you feel", since you could argue either way.

True, but then the same could be said for almost any discussion about equipment. What I'm wondering is whether or not there is an "in theory" answer to the question of softer vs. thinner. I've noticed that some folks prefer to use the same rubber both FH and BH, but with a thinner sponge on the BH (eg. R48 MAX on FH, and R48 2mm on BH), and others prefer to use a softer BH (eg. R48 on FH, and R45 on BH). I'm wondering why they make those choices in part so as to avoid having to spend lots of money testing all the possible options myself!

You might find the max version of the softer rubber mushy compared to the 2.0, you might find the harder 2.0 rubber too direct compared to its max variant, and that all is different from rubber to rubber individually.

That makes sense. I suppose it then just depends on how you use your BH compared to your FH.
PS: How do you "break up" a quote to be able to reply to different parts of it?

 
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The choice is purely personal preference, and it's also a different choice for different rubbers. If you're choosing a new rubber for the backhand, I would recommend to start testing from either the softest or softest+1, and max-1 thickness. If that feels great, then just keep using it, if it doesn't then identify what makes it feels wrong and change that.

Also I believe thickness has a bigger impact on the weight, so if you want a lighter setup, choose thinner rubbers.
 
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Thinner harder rubber is less bouncy on light and medium contact which should make services, short game and over the table game easier to control. Softer thicker one should be more dangerous when blocking, countering.
 
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PS: How do you "break up" a quote to be able to reply to different parts of it?

Duke said enough. I only want to mention that you can use the [ quote] without the ="Manto76;363063" part. This took me a while to realize. So I usually let the first one be (with the userId part) and the subsequent I do without... Cheers.
 
says toooooo much choice!!
says toooooo much choice!!
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Duke said enough. I only want to mention that you can use the [ quote] without the ="Manto76;363063" part. This took me a while to realize. So I usually let the first one be (with the userId part) and the subsequent I do without... Cheers
I usually use an iPad and can’t seem to see a ‘source’ button!!! (Totally useless with tech!!! How I managed to get photos to load amazed me!!!!)
Any help appreciated!!!😃
 
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I usually use an iPad and can’t seem to see a ‘source’ button!!! (Totally useless with tech!!! How I managed to get photos to load amazed me!!!!)
Any help appreciated!!!😃

It's the button that looks like <> on a piece of paper with the corner cut off.

 
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What would be the pros and cons of a softer vs. thinner rubber on the BH?For example, would you rather choose a 42-degree rubber in MAX thickness (eg. Rasanter R42 MAX), or go with the 45-degree variant at LESS-THAN-MAX thickness (eg. Rasanter R45 2.0mm)?Why?
For me it is
Max thickness! Max hardness! Moar Power! Moar Speed! on BH!

Attack! Attack! Attack!

Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!

 
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We all know the theories, pros and cons. At the very end what counts is how many balls we managed to land on the other side of the table, so one must try and see for himself what works best on the BH. For me personally the throw of the rubber is the most influential factor when choosing a bh rubber
 
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It's not always and for everyone that only what counts is how many balls we managed to land on the other side of the table.
Everybody likes to win for sure but some play for enjoyment first even if they are aware they could get more points with more "adequate" equipment or by changing strategy.
That's the advantage of amateur players after all - they don't depend on results.
 
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We all know the theories, pros and cons. At the very end what counts is how many balls we managed to land on the other side of the table, so one must try and see for himself what works best on the BH. For me personally the throw of the rubber is the most influential factor when choosing a bh rubber
Well, we don't know all the theories and pros and cons - that's why we ask each other questions on this forum! 🙂

I agree with you that the throw is a key BH consideration. With that in mind, how would you say that (generally speaking) the throw is different for harder-but-thinner vs. softer-but-thicker?

 
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What would be the pros and cons of a softer vs. thinner rubber on the BH?

For example, would you rather choose a 42-degree rubber in MAX thickness (eg. Rasanter R42 MAX), or go with the 45-degree variant at LESS-THAN-MAX thickness (eg. Rasanter R45 2.0mm)?

Why?
Like others have already said, it all comes down to personal feel, the confidence it gives you, and how well you can land good balls with it even under pressure.

As for your example, I would pick the R45 only because I think Andro greatly improved on the previous generation of Rasanters with the Energy Cell system. I don't like the old gen at all, but the R45, 48 and 53 are very good.

 
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