Alternative to Hurricane 3 Neo

[Kolev]

Ex-Provincial player who coaches at LATTA uses 5 layers of booster, takes him a whole week.

Usually after the 4th layer of booster my H3 is getting a permanent dome and it's a nightmare to glue it, no matter what and how much glue I use....and yes I have a clicky press.
BTW the last time , in a state of desperation, I decided to bend the rubber in the opposite direction of the dome (with the help of a scotch tape with a protection of course) and kept it bent overnight. That seemed to do the trick this time. I am dying to find out if I can repeat the magic with my next rubber

 

[thomas.pong]

Usually after the 4th layer of booster my H3 is getting a permanent dome and it's a nightmare to glue it, no matter what and how much glue I use....and yes I have a clicky press.
BTW the last time , in a state of desperation, I decided to bend the rubber in the opposite direction of the dome (with the help of a scotch tape with a protection of course) and kept it bent overnight. That seemed to do the trick this time. I am dying to find out if I can repeat the magic with my next rubber

I think that’s why it takes him 7 days instead of 5, extra drying time

 

[lodro]

Usually after the 4th layer of booster my H3 is getting a permanent dome and it's a nightmare to glue it, no matter what and how much glue I use....and yes I have a clicky press.
BTW the last time , in a state of desperation, I decided to bend the rubber in the opposite direction of the dome (with the help of a scotch tape with a protection of course) and kept it bent overnight. That seemed to do the trick this time. I am dying to find out if I can repeat the magic with my next rubber

Interesting technique, wonder if it would work the other way ??
I pulled off an H3 the other day that had been boosted once but quite a few weeks ago and the silly thing was domed the other way , as in the sponge on the inside of the dome. I mean , I can't put a layer of seamoon on to the black rubber. .........or can I ??? 😁

 

[Kolev]

Interesting technique, wonder if it would work the other way ??
I pulled off an H3 the other day that had been boosted once but quite a few weeks ago and the silly thing was domed the other way , as in the sponge on the inside of the dome. I mean , I can't put a layer of seamoon on to the black rubber. .........or can I ??? 😁

Jeez , you ask too many questions. One at a time pls

 

[lodro]

Jeez , you ask too many questions. One at a time pls

it is called multitasking

 

[Kolev]

it is called multitasking

As a part of polyboosting..🤔?

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Good question, and one he can only fail trying to answer.

But i need to step in here, because i am wondering what the heck am i reading here.

First of all we need to get something straight - there is no REAL alternative as a cheaper or different rubber that plays exactly like H3. Especially because 90% or more of the H3 users are boosting their rubber, and the result depends on so many factors and therefore will always vary to some extent.

But several mentioned rubbers get close to H3 especially boosted and as i stated before, that rubber for me is a boosted Big Dipper 2 (not BD BS, nor BD 3 or 4). But even here i have a certain tradeoff to make. BD 2 is slightly slower, even boosted if you hit slower shots. But for me this is perfect, i have enough power on my own to get everything out of that sponge and can create huge amounts of spin, that get close enough to H3 (and that for nearly half the price).


And to pick up the subject of boosting here - who the hell boosts their sheets with more than 3 layers and if that might be the case, with what are they boosting it? Cooking oil? Or even water???
Please explain to me how you boost with any common booster 5 or more times without destroying the rubber completely.
If i would do that with FTL i wouldnt recognize that thing as a rubber anymore. I might could use it as a black roll though...

Either way i am curious now.

Ah, and to put a reference here for you and many here knows Gan - he mentioned in one of his videos that he puts one single layer of booster on his rubbers H3s (commercial Haifu btw).

Pros certainly don't see 729 rubbers as an option to use.
If it is good enough for them, I would of seem them already. I haven't.

For amateurs, any rubber would have its lovers. Its good enough for them. full stop.

and booster.
You are right, can't boost 8 layers.
but then again, there are different boosters out there.
I wonder of the 8 layers, if there is confusing with glue layers too.
If that is the case, my 3 layer booster, and 4 layer glue (right now) is 7 layers.
1 to 2 layers of say Haifu is good enough.
some weaker boosters, would require more..

 

[Wakkibatty]

Both DHS and 729 should update their websites a bit more regularly H8-80 or H9? Not on website. Dragon-F and L not on website...
If the 47° Bloom Power has the same sponge hardness as my Dragon-Fs (definitely harder than 47° ESN or H3N 37) than this could be an alternative.

For what it's worth I get the feeling 729 are doing a bit of a review / revamp of a fair chunk of their inverted rubbers.

I reached out to my 729 sales rep asking about various different lines they had in stock and coming up. They told me:

-the Presto Spin, Speed and Max all need to be updated and they could not recommended me buying them at this time

-Their Dragon rubbers were not available in Australia right now (???)

- The Battle III was released internally briefly a few months back, but is still undergoing further review/development and won't be available till April.

- And a the other rubbers I asked abouthad been discontinued (none of the local TT retailers have stocked any of the newer 729 rubbers for a very long time. Curious that...)

They also made it clear a lot of players are now insisting on factory boosted rubbers, so my guess is they're planning to release factory boosted versions of a fair few of their rubber lines to meet demand - hence the internal review.

729 have really fallen behind the pack in more than a few areas frankly, but it also sounds like they are trying to do something about it. Interesting to see what they come up with.

 

[TensorBackhand]

For what it's worth I get the feeling 729 are doing a bit of a review / revamp of a fair chunk of their inverted rubbers.

I reached out to my 729 sales rep asking about various different lines they had in stock and coming up. They told me:

-the Presto Spin, Speed and Max all need to be updated and they could not recommended me buying them at this time

-Their Dragon rubbers were not available in Australia right now (???)

- The Battle III was released internally briefly a few months back, but is still undergoing further review/development and won't be available till April.

- And a the other rubbers I asked abouthad been discontinued (none of the local TT retailers have stocked any of the newer 729 rubbers for a very long time. Curious that...)

They also made it clear a lot of players are now insisting on factory boosted rubbers, so my guess is they're planning to release factory boosted versions of a fair few of their rubber lines to meet demand - hence the internal review.

hehe, I've been testing and playing around with Presto Speed Max the past week.

What do they mean by it needs to be updated?

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

729 have really fallen behind the pack in more than a few areas frankly, but it also sounds like they are trying to do something about it. Interesting to see what they come up with.

sadly, it isn't just equipment development.
I remember my final hurdle was, I sent an order in and everything went silence
I obviously attempted to contact them - including making an international phone call to their offices (which did go through and was acknowledged), any ways, nothing came of it.

Until few months later (more than 6 months, maybe more around 9 or 10 months).
I got an an order confirmation email and invoice.

They are normally that slow. takes weeks to reply, but months to nearly a year, was the breaking point.
I told them straight, I can't do business with you like that.

I hope things are better today

 

[Wakkibatty]

sadly, it isn't just equipment development.
I remember my final hurdle was, I sent an order in and everything went silence
I obviously attempted to contact them - including making an international phone call to their offices (which did go through and was acknowledged), any ways, nothing came of it.

Until few months later (more than 6 months, maybe more around 9 or 10 months).
I got an an order confirmation email and invoice.

They are normally that slow. takes weeks to reply, but months to nearly a year, was the breaking point.
I told them straight, I can't do business with you like that.

I hope things are better today

Yeah... That sounds about right actually.

I loved playing with 729 in my youth, but IMO the change to the 40+ ball just killed 'em. They were resting on their laurels, the game changed, and they were caught napping. Never been the same company since....

I want them to get better too, but I'm not holding my breath for it either... They have fallen a very, very long way back.

 

[Wakkibatty]

hehe, I've been testing and playing around with Presto Speed Max the past week.

What do they mean by it needs to be updated?

Here are my 729 rep's exact words on it:

"We have some Presto spin, presto speed and presto max speed in our sample room. But our technical engineer said that this series needs to be upgraded, so we do not recommend ordering this product now. And about Aurora max, we do not produce this model now"

When entire product lines like the Aurora, and Presto rubber series, can come and go from the market without a single retailer in the country ever bothering to stock them...

...when those same retailers also refuse to stock any of their more recent / current lines either (eg: the Bloom series, the Dragon Series, The Focus Series, The Pando or the Visnatura),...

.. and when the only 729 rubbers the DO stock are unchanged over the last 30 years...

that's when you know a company is really on the nose with retailers, and is hanging on by a thread.

If it weren't for diehard fans of their classic rubbers from the past, I don't think any Australian retailers would stock any of their rubbers at all. They still have online direct sales of course, but they're not doing ANY advertising or promotion of their products here at all. All the local coaches seem to be pushing their younger players towards either DHS, or European and Japanese rubbers over 729, while the market segments that can't afford ESN / Japanese brands rubbers are now being gobbled up by Yinghe and Sanwei.

Australia is only a very small market, but the sport is also poised for growth down here. By all appearances though, 729 have decided to abandoned the market entirely (...or vice versa).

 

[Magic_M]

I am just testing Bloom Power and I really like it, especially the thinner version (1,8 mm) with red sponge on my backhand. Paired with Dragon F on forehand this is a rubber combination that is absolutely competitive for most of us.

 

[TensorBackhand]

Here are my 729 rep's exact words on it:

"We have some Presto spin, presto speed and presto max speed in our sample room. But our technical engineer said that this series needs to be upgraded, so we do not recommend ordering this product now. And about Aurora max, we do not produce this model now"

When entire product lines like the Aurora, and Presto rubber series, can come and go from the market without a single retailer in the country ever bothering to stock them...

...when those same retailers also refuse to stock any of their more recent / current lines either (eg: the Bloom series, the Dragon Series, The Focus Series, The Pando or the Visnatura),...

.. and when the only 729 rubbers the DO stock are unchanged over the last 30 years...

that's when you know a company is really on the nose with retailers, and is hanging on by a thread.

If it weren't for diehard fans of their classic rubbers from the past, I don't think any Australian retailers would stock any of their rubbers at all.

I have both the Aurora max and Presto Speed. Presto is pretty good, but frustrating in some ways. Its bouncy enough and spinny enough, but has a low throw angle that bothers me. Also the topsheet seems to wear out quickly. So it has some nice features, but probably would benefit from upgrade

Aurora was really basic at first, but with some combination of booster, it transformed into the bounciest and fastest rubber I have ever seen. Way bouncier than mxp or anything, like a miracle. Im not even certain if i could re-produce the result on a new sheet.

 

[TensorBackhand]

Yeah me too - I loved playing with 729 in my youth, but the change to the 40+ ball just killed 'em. Never been the same company since....

I want them to get better, but I'm not holding my breath for it either... They have fallen a very, very long way back.

Im not sure about their other rubbers, but I still think Battle and Bloom are very good rubbers.

 

[Wakkibatty]

I am just testing Bloom Power and I really like it, especially the thinner version (1,8 mm) with red sponge on my backhand. Paired with Dragon F on forehand this is a rubber combination that is absolutely competitive for most of us.

I don't doubt it 🙂🙂 and frankly I'd love to try both of them. But I cannot buy either of those rubbers in this country (one of them is seemingly being withheld from the aussie market deliberately), nobody has any I can try before buying (so I know I'm not wasting my money), none of the clubs have them in stock, and there's simply too many other competing rubbers to buy based on speculation.

Don't get me wrong, I still like their rubbers - still use the F3S on one of my own blades as it's a great all-round option... But this too has also been discontinued.

729 need to get their newer AND older rubbers into the hands of Australian players, so they know what they are missing. But right now they aren't even trying.

 

[lodro]

I don't doubt it 🙂🙂 and frankly I'd love to try both of them. But I cannot buy either of those rubbers in this country (one of them is seemingly being withheld from the aussie market deliberately), nobody has any I can try before buying (so I know I'm not wasting my money), none of the clubs have them in stock, and there's simply too many other competing rubbers to buy based on speculation.

Don't get me wrong, I still like their rubbers - still use the F3S on one of my own blades as it's a great all-round option... But this too has also been discontinued.

729 need to get their newer AND older rubbers into the hands of Australian players, so they know what they are missing. But right now they aren't even trying.

why not bring them in yourself from china ???

 

[Wakkibatty]

why not bring them in yourself from china ???

Do you mean personally or in my business?

 

[mocker88]

Both DHS and 729 should update their websites a bit more regularly H8-80 or H9? Not on website. Dragon-F and L not on website...
If the 47° Bloom Power has the same sponge hardness as my Dragon-Fs (definitely harder than 47° ESN or H3N 37) than this could be an alternative.

Yep. Absolutely. I checked with 729 and the Dragon rubbers hasn't been put into mass production yet, so it's not officially for sale to the public yet. I feel that my Bloom Power 47deg is about the same hardness as H3 40-41deg.

 

[mihalichtheone]

So here's a little quote from Table Tennis Gan from YouTube under his video about boosting.
Enough of a proof for me that 1-2 layers are sufficient to play well (and he plays really well)
Better have more training sessions, than overboost the rubber.