A RPB Rubber

[kjanko]

Hey guys,

I'm currently playing with a Tenergy 05FX 2.1 on my RPB and I love it. I'd love to keep playing with it, however there's no store in Europe that ships it to Macedonia, and paying 15e for shipping from Japan is just too costly to me. The rubber is also very heavy, which makes my whole setup a lot heavier than what it should be.

What I'm looking for is a light, (very)grippy, (very)soft rubber with similar playing characteristics as the 05FX from one of the following brands:
DHS
Nittaku
Xiom
Stiga
Yasaka
Donic
Tibhar

I really love the way the 05FX plays but sadly the circumstances are those So far I considered buying Nittaku Hammond Pro Beta
Looking forward for your suggestions.

P.S. the blade is Hurricane Hao ( All wood version ) ; the FH rubber will be H3

 

[HLDang]

My friend plays with the Hammond Pro Beta and it performs very well as a backhand. It definitely seems like a good alternative. I've also read that the Tibhar Genius and Genius Sound are quite similar to the 05/05fx.

 

[decoy]

similar rubbers to 05fx would be Xiom omega asia, then you could also have a go at stiga tour m... but deffiantely try Omega asia

 

[Der_Echte]

You certainly got a LOT of choices. I try to give you a suggestion or two for your specs. So... softish, spinny, not over heavy are most important, and not costing a fortune would help, eh?

DHS........... H3 Neo hands down #1 recommendation. Durable, spinny, not over heavy, medium hard. Costs around 15 Euros.

Nittaku....... Magic Carbon if you can find it. It used to be for Germans like Sriver was to the world... Great control, medium spin, medium pace and inexpensive
Renanos Soft... Might be getting cheaper as Nittaku is rolling out new rubbers...

Xiom.......... Omega IV Euro or Sigma I EUro

Stiga.......... Calibra LT Sound or Spin depending on how soft you want it

Yasaka....... Rakza7 soft

Donic......... Baracuda... Baracuda Big Slam if you like it REALLY soft and LOUD!

Tibhar........ I am half a Tibhar pimp, but you wont go wrong with Aurus Soft or Genius



Cheers!!

 

[kjanko]

Weight is the main concern. I need something that weights at least -10g off the weight of 05-FX. H3Neo goes on my FH.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Hahahaha. This is a rescue mission. kjanko has the Equipment Junkie disease as bad as it gets. hahaha

Last week he was saying he needed a new RPB backhand rubber because he was really upset that his Tenergy 05FX had lost its grip and it was only a few weeks old. He said, it started out grippy and then 15 minutes after he started playing the it would not grab the ball anymore. Several people told him he needed to clean his rubber. And he was disappointed that a dirty rubber was not a good enough excuse for him to get a whole new setup. LOL.

kjanko, tell them why you want a setup where the rubber weighs 10 grams less, even though you want Hurricane.

kjanko told me that the extra weight from the Tenergy makes it so that he cannot switch from forehand to RPB and he is forced to block. I say that was just a matter of training and doing drills where you switch from forehand to backhand in different patterns (including, at some point, random) and practicing the switch.

If when you switch from forehand to backhand with your current setup, you end up blocking and not using the RPB, my money says, with a lighter setup, you will still do that. That also means that your reset and your watching the ball as it hits your opponent's racket so you can see where it will go a little sooner, are also part of what needs to be worked on.

Being an Equipment Junkie can really be a problem. How long ago were you using the Xiom Sigma II rubbers? What was the problem with those that got you to get the current setup?

I think you need to move to Vienna and play at the Werner Schlager Academy for a few months. Then you will be surrounded by coaches and great players and tons of equipment to try and not buy. If you try everything to find out what works best for you, your wallet will really take a major hit. LOL.

Good luck kjanko.

 

[Der_Echte]

kjanko has GOT to feel so busted after that, Carl...

 

[kjanko]

Hahahaha. This is a rescue mission. kjanko has the Equipment Junkie disease as bad as it gets. hahaha

Last week he was saying he needed a new RPB backhand rubber because he was really upset that his Tenergy 05FX had lost its grip and it was only a few weeks old. He said, it started out grippy and then 15 minutes after he started playing the it would not grab the ball anymore. Several people told him he needed to clean his rubber. And he was disappointed that a dirty rubber was not a good enough excuse for him to get a whole new setup. LOL.

kjanko, tell them why you want a setup where the rubber weighs 10 grams less, even though you want Hurricane.

kjanko told me that the extra weight from the Tenergy makes it so that he cannot switch from forehand to RPB and he is forced to block. I say that was just a matter of training and doing drills where you switch from forehand to backhand in different patterns (including, at some point, random) and practicing the switch.

If when you switch from forehand to backhand with your current setup, you end up blocking and not using the RPB, my money says, with a lighter setup, you will still do that. That also means that your reset and your watching the ball as it hits your opponent's racket so you can see where it will go a little sooner, are also part of what needs to be worked on.

Being an Equipment Junkie can really be a problem. How long ago were you using the Xiom Sigma II rubbers? What was the problem with those that got you to get the current setup?

I think you need to move to Vienna and play at the Werner Schlager Academy for a few months. Then you will be surrounded by coaches and great players and tons of equipment to try and not buy. If you try everything to find out what works best for you, your wallet will really take a major hit. LOL.

Good luck kjanko.

I agree with everything you said however this part still remains
" I'd love to keep playing with it, however there's no store in Europe that ships it to Macedonia, and paying 15e for shipping from Japan is just too costly to me."

Which is why I need a change

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I agree with everything you said however this part still remains
" I'd love to keep playing with it, however there's no store in Europe that ships it to Macedonia, and paying 15e for shipping from Japan is just too costly to me."

Which is why I need a change

Okay. Just change it when it is dead. There are tons of good rubbers for the backhand. Calibra LT Sound, Xiom Omega IV Europe, Calibra Tour Soft, the rubbers Der_Echte has already mentiond, the Sigma rubbers you ready have, etc. The main thing is to wait another 2 or 5 months till that expensive Tenergy is really dead.

 

[kjanko]

The Sigma II Europe was way too fast, I need something slower&softer. I want to order this week because a friend of mine is also ordering so we both split the shipping fee.

& Dan just announced that he'll be reviewing DHS Gold Arc 3 so I might even consider that one also.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

You did also tell me you want a faster blade now, right? Why don't you give the Sigma II another try for the backhand when the Tenergy is dead. If it really is still too fast for you, you can try something else and order it then: 3-9 months from now. Your technique is improving. In another 4-5 months you can see what you need. But right now with a 1 month old Tenergy and a barely used Sigma II, you probably don't need to order more.

By the way, sorry that Hurricane Hao blade you just ordered last week arrived broken. Glad they reimbursed you though.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Ultimately, Xiom Vega Pro or Europe are really good for backhand too. And I know, in 2011 Wang Hao was simply using Sriver. I bet Sriver FX, regular Mark V and Joola Mambo would all work fine as well. Very simple but good for RPB.

 

[kjanko]

You did also tell me you want a faster blade now, right? Why don't you give the Sigma II another try for the backhand when the Tenergy is dead. If it really is still too fast for you, you can try something else and order it then: 3-9 months from now. Your technique is improving. In another 4-5 months you can see what you need. But right now with a 1 month old Tenergy and a barely used Sigma II, you probably don't need to order more.

By the way, sorry that Hurricane Hao blade you just ordered last week arrived broken. Glad they reimbursed you though.

I glued them to a Xiom Diva, I can try them today

 

[decoy]

gold arc is a hard rubber, kinda meant for SG/booster

 

[decoy]

pretty sure he still uses sriver

 

[EricTian]

If the weight of your setup is bad, it's not necessarily your rubbers that are dragging your blade down. You can simply lower your weight by about 10g by getting a very light blade, and if you want to be fancy, get a Butterfly Carbon Fiber one.

If you are happy with your blade, and it is really the Tenergy doing you some trouble, many people use Donic Acuda S2, which is a very control-spin oriented rubber that is still relatively light and soft. If Butterfly's your thing, Sriver is still very good, and used by many

Good luck with your bat!

 

[HLDang]

If the weight of your setup is bad, it's not necessarily your rubbers that are dragging your blade down. You can simply lower your weight by about 10g by getting a very light blade, and if you want to be fancy, get a Butterfly Carbon Fiber one.

The YEO is already an extremely light blade.

 

[kjanko]

The YEO is already an extremely light blade.

My YMLEO weights 85g, so this is average I guess?

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

The interesting thing, when you look at it, is, that most of the top pros do not have light setups; not even close. Most of them are using Tenergy or/and Hurricane. Most of them are using blades that weigh over 85 grams. Most of them boost their rubbers which makes the rubber weigh more. I know I am strong enough to hold a tennis racket. I don't see the difference in 10-20 grams to be an issue. And when a setup is too light, if feels strange to me. I like to be able to feel the weight of the racket to some extent.

 

[Der_Echte]

In my May visit to Nexy.com HQ, Korean Pro Kim Jung Hoon stopped by to try out some all wood blades Mr. Moon was supplying him with. Kim J H had three setups, one was an OFF Tibhar blade, and the other two blades were the same all wood Nexy blade. He quickly proceeded to the test room and hit with Prez Moon. Right away, I mean within the first minute this guy knew what the blade was about. He could tell you blade B was lighter than Blade A of the same model and could tell you the lighter blade was slower and the ball did not leave the bat in the fast manner he expected. He could tell you the vibration was different, and the feel was different and not as good as the A Blade. he could hold the blade with his thumb and first finger and tap the handle on his forehead and FEEL the difference.

The scale proved him right.

That pro certainly wanted the heaviest model available.

He had a long conversation with Mr. Moon about how he wanted to make for him a custom blade that took several months lead time. He discussed all manner of desired outcomes and the different combinations of woods that would make the blade he was looking for. Mr. Moon gave him a nice education on what works with what when combined how.

I have to agree, at least this pro craved a heavier version of the blade he liked for sure.