Ray said:
Weren't you recommending $10 rubber Dawei 2008 XP?
I have been very consistent over the years, if anyone has been reading my posts enough, they definitely see I strongly recommend XP2008 on BH for a developing player as an appropriate rubber. It is also nice that it doesn't cost so much. ($8 USD in USA from
www.colestt.com) (Dude is a great dude, buy from this dude if you are in North America and you can EJ for the price of one rubber or blade)
To some more developed players who like a control rubber on their BH, this is not a terrible option either. I used that rubber on BH the entire 4 years I was in Korea and went from 1600 USATT to mid 1900s first tourney back 4 years later.
Anyone who has been watching my posts over the years would also notice that I have a VERY IMMEDIATE DISLIKE for endless threads searching for a perfect rubber where the OP provides a list of 10 candidates and asks for a free detailed analysis and recommendations that explain the technical details and performance metrics down to the hairs on a gnat's azz.
Often, the OP doesn't have much funds allocated and available for TT equipment purchases and needs to make the "Right" choice, hence the low cost Chinese rubbers are the only candidates.
Unfortunately, the OP usually wants a top performing rubber at this price, which is simply asking for too much by anyone's common sense... but when did common sense play a role in creating 100 similar threads since last summer?
The bottom line is in general, you get what you pay for, more or less, but sometimes, there is value... sometimes exceptional value. XP2008 is in the last category.
XP2008 is NOT a modern dynamic OFF rubber nor is it a modern OFF control class rubber... it is simply a control rubber with a very thick topsheet, mid firm sponge, not so tacky, and a very high level of control on both topspin and solid contact kind of strokes. It is simply suitable for a BH, (sometimes FH, maybe early on, but not later) for a developing player.
it helps a lot that this rubber is inexpensive and long lasting, even if it oxidizes very quickly, still playable and still useful to grow with.
Did that make it clear my view of XP2008?
Sorry I do not like to post what I just said every time someone makes one of these threads, I would have very fat wrists typing all that nearly every day.