My experience D09C/D05 vs Fastarc G1/C1 (Max)

Hi all

Just a quick update on my thoughts having now tried both these combinations on my two HL5X blades.

I tried the Dignics combo first and played for about 3h with it - it was fairly easy to use and I felt that both rubbers matched my style of play well. The D09C certainly feels pretty hard but not as hard or flat as my previous boosted 40deg H3. It is easy to control and has a lot of spin potential. On the BH the D05 is certainly sharper and more direct but the softer sponge felt good too and easier to control than I expected.

The G1/C1 combo I wanted to try in order to see if it helped my game development by being a little softer and easier to control = more consistency. Having now played 3h including plenty of drills and a lesson with these rubbers I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how well they played on this blade. To me, they are similar in "style" to the Dignics but just a little slower as I expected. Not to the extent that my shots lacked penetration, but just slightly less spin and perhaps linearity in exchange for (especially on BH with the C!) more control (They are certainly not chalk and cheese different)

I could quite easily settle on either, and want to go back to the Dignics combo to try again and see if I missed anything, but right now am leaning toward the Fastarc for my tournament this weekend.

I would love to hear from anybody who has experience with both of these and can add anything to my thoughts.

P

zentt said:

Hi, I wonder which thickness of G1 you were trying?.
I have recently been using Fastarc G1 on FH in the new (not widely available) MAX thickness after previously using the Super Thick option on a Sanwei Fextra Blade. The Max feels a touch softer but easier to generate more spin with, especially on serves for me, which I noticeably managed to get less with using the Super Thick. It has amazing control as with the Super Thick though. I used Dignics 05 a while back and found it great in terms of topsin play, but I found pushes/backspin shots a bit unpredictable/relatively weak. I am normally quite strong with my push play so that was quite a surprise. I have heard other players speak of this with D05 although its a brilliant attacking rubber. (I havn't tried 09).
G1 is strong for pushes. It is so much cheaper than Dignics and really durable too which is another consideration.
Not sure how hard the HL5X feel is?. Although stiff, the Fextra blade has a relatively soft feel.
If you're not already using the G1 in Max, I'd certainly recommend trying it.
Good luck in your tournament!......

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Thanks for the reply - the Fastarc is Max on both sides.

I'll certainly pay attention to the softer shots next time I try the Dignics next week but it's not something that stood out for me when I played last with it.

Manto76 said:

Just out of curiosity: Have you tried the Sieger PK-50? Quite a lot of online reviewers say it's basically half-way between G-1 and D09C. I haven't tried it myself so can't comment from experience, but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts if you've tried it.

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I am afraid I haven't tried that one but keen to hear from others who might have.