Lets examine this a little bit closer shall we.
1. 09C is BTY's attempt to canabilize the DHS NH3 mkt share.
2. So it is made with NH3 properties in mind with some variation of course and it is suppose to be better.
3. NH3 is mainly used in FH right? No one uses it for BH ( except for Ma Long, but he is Ma Long, he is GOAT and as GOAT can decide to use whatever he wants coz he is GOAT ). He is like the 0.1% or outlier in statistic speak.
4. Why make your life a nightmare with 09C on your BH?
5. There are better option like D05 ( the usual suspect ) or D64 if you are the not the loopy but punchy type. 09C is just for FH.
6. My a few clubmates of mine tried 09C when it first came out but and none of them uses it these days and cost is not the factor. They still uses D05 / D64 though.
Conclusion:
a) 09C for FH: Yes
b) 09C for BH: No
1. 09c was actually a rubber desired by top Butterfly players who wanted to competed against the edge tacky rubbers gave in the short game, but didn't want something as slow. As Timo will tell you, he played a big role in getting the balance right.
2. It is made with the tack, but is not quite the same as the level of tack that slows Hurricane down.
3. Hurricane is used on both sides and in fact, the player who I consider to have the best BH game in the world (Liang Jingkun) uses Hurricane on his backhand. More on this in a second.
4. The truth is that many people don't like tacky rubber on backhands because they want to be able to take advantage of smaller backhand strokes and get speed with these strokes. But this principle is not an iron rule, in fact, many players with strong backhands want to take advantage of their backhand power or want to open up more easily against certain serves and tacky rubbers can help with it. In fact now, with the plastic ball, the loss of spin makes tackiness the only way to get good spin and if you have the footwork and/power to make the tradeoff, many people are now taking it. Some do not go all the way, but more people are using stuff that gives them some minimal stickiness just so they can spin better.
5. Timo Boll uses 09c on backhand, but Dima uses D05. Again, this is an open choice depending on what one wants to do with his backhand and other things like blade choice etc.
6. I used D09c on both sides for a few months in 2020 and the main reason why I am not doing it now is counterintuitive - the rubber is probably too bouncy for where I want my game to go. I am getting better at hitting quality balls and being able to place them with precision and power is a major plus. If you have rapid strokes and can get into position, in some contexts, you may very well be better off with stuff that is more linear even if more grippy so you can control the ball on serve return better and apply more power to the ball with confidence. This is true on both forehand and backhand.
Many people who consider tacky rubbers too slow, I can see what they are saying and maybe I would agree more if I was an away from the table player. Most of my game is close to the table, and I often like to use ball placement and spin to score points. As DerEchte and I both concluded, many of the shots that people rely on bouncy rubbers to do well are much less effective at our level where you hardly make good shots without good footwork, so you will likely lose the majority of points where you don't get into position anyways. With that in mind, we just focus on using rubbers that allow us to play our games. DerEchte likes to spin more, I like to loop drive more. But ultimately, you aren't going to make great shots if you don't get into position no matter your equipment.
Long story short, build your game, try stuff yourself, and give your opinion based on your game. But price aside, you may be surprised by the things you can do with 09c on your backhand.
A couple of videos that I think everyone should be familiar with as they pose the issues in this conversation very well. I think the videos will give you a different perspective on equipment if you are not familiar with this perspective.
