DHS Hurricane 3 Neo Provincial 38° Blue Sponge completely unboosted how does it really play?

[Yxoons]

I disagree with a lot of what is posted here. I also don't believe that people here are bottoming out 38 with any frequency unless they really think their Forehand is stronger by a lot than ma longs backhand using 37.

I think for me 37-38 are brush looping rubbers first and foremost and hard to control smashing shots on an outer carbon but go well unboosted on an inner carbon as the grab is synergy

Imo if you don't want to boost 8-80 power is ideal but 37 H3 neo is also good for whip and 39-41 is good for more power play. But really get 8-80 or tg3-60

How can you say people's forehand is weaker than Ma Longs BH? You can't even compare those 2 shots, and anyone with decent technique and power will easily have more power on the FH than his BH. That's not to downplay Ma Longs BH, but the amount of power one can put into the rubber on the BH is nowhere near the same as what is possible on FH. It's not for fun people play with 4-5 hardness (DHS scale) on BH and FH..

 

[passifid]

How can you say people's forehand is weaker than Ma Longs BH? You can't even compare those 2 shots, and anyone with decent technique and power will easily have more power on the FH than his BH. That's not to downplay Ma Longs BH, but the amount of power one can put into the rubber on the BH is nowhere near the same as what is possible on FH. It's not for fun people play with 4-5 hardness (DHS scale) on BH and FH..

I think having a harder rubber helps some shots but I dont think people here are bottoming out a rubber ma long doesnt when counter rallying fan zhendong.

And honestly no. Professional players are a different breed if you really think our recreational forehands are harder than a professional backhand then there is no helping.

 

[Yxoons]

I think having a harder rubber helps some shots but I dont think people here are bottoming out a rubber ma long doesnt when counter rallying fan zhendong.

And honestly no. Professional players are a different breed if you really think our recreational forehands are harder than a professional backhand then there is no helping.

Since you use 37 degree H3 on BH, you can try for yourself to use it on FH, with a loop with enough power to hear the cracking sound and feel the softness of it, I think you will be surprised

 

[Tyce]

Most people who are "bottoming out" are either:
- just engaging the sponge as it is meant to be engaged
- hitting way too flat

 

[passifid]

Personally the loud clock sound means I hit the ball properly and engaged the sponge

 

[TTL]

@struke if you dont want boost your rubber, why you considering H3N? They are meant to be boosted. If you arent a defence palyer, dont waste you time, just get a H8-80 or a hybrid rubber, H3 and many other chinese rubbers without boost are dead and slow even doing the right technique.

 

[Archosaurus]

Dunno what's with the mania around if people are bottoming their sponge or not. It depends on the shot and player. I feel like this argument about "can people bottom X sponge" is more feeling based than an honest empirically based discussion.

Not all amateurs have lacking forehand mechanics, and many people have backgrounds in things like boxing or baseball that teaches you similar load transfer fundamentals. Nobody's swinging like Ma Long, but you don't need to. The sponges he uses are 5-10% stiffer than the sponge that's recommended for amateurs to use. He'd probably use stiffer ones if they could make them as elastic and progressive as the softer ones.

Besides, you can just empirically validate it. I get more spin with harder sponges than with softer ones for the same model of rubber. If that's "bottoming" or "using the sponge properly" isn't super important to me. "Bottoming out" is just an expression for "progressive slope happens at too low force" in my mind. There's nobody on the planet who's actually bottoming out a sponge and causing it to fail catastrophically.

 

[J-fed]

I do not want to use booster because I want a simple, stable and low-maintenance setup.


I understand that Hurricane rubbers usually perform better with booster

Hey man. I often don’t even know what rubber I’m using. Not kidding.
Just it seems logical that you should try a tensor or something.
Maybe Tackiness C. It’s a beauty (OK, this part I’m kidding).

 

[Dronnken]

You might want to try the XUPERMAN POWERPLAY-X in 39° or 40°. It’s about $25 on prott.vip. Don’t bother with booster at first—once you play and hit the ball hard, the sponge will naturally soften up and gain elasticity. The tackiness will last quite a while if you cover it with a film or protector and clean it only with a bit of water. Over time, you’ll notice it becomes livelier and less “dead,” but it does need that break‑in period.

Of course, if you add a very light layer of booster, it speeds up that whole process in just a few hours. It won’t add too much tension or drastically change the rubber, but as I said, keep it to just a light layer

 

[Archosaurus]

You might want to try the XUPERMAN POWERPLAY-X in 39° or 40°. It’s about $25 on prott.vip. Don’t bother with booster at first—once you play and hit the ball hard, the sponge will naturally soften up and gain elasticity. The tackiness will last quite a while if you cover it with a film or protector and clean it only with a bit of water. Over time, you’ll notice it becomes livelier and less “dead,” but it does need that break‑in period.

Of course, if you add a very light layer of booster, it speeds up that whole process in just a few hours. It won’t add too much tension or drastically change the rubber, but as I said, keep it to just a light layer

I've never noticed any kind of break-in period, apart from that some rubbers are extremely stiff for the first 3 hits or so. Certainly not for weeks. Speed and spin only decreases after that point. Definitely the case with H3 at least, and a few dozen other models I've tried.

If I had the choice, I'd use a brand new sheet every day, because I can feel the performance drop off even after just one 4-5 hour session. It doesn't become unusable or anything; but it doesn't become better.

Are you sure that the rubber gains elasticity over time, and you're not just getting better at using it?

 

[jonol]

How can you say people's forehand is weaker than Ma Longs BH? You can't even compare those 2 shots, and anyone with decent technique and power will easily have more power on the FH than his BH. That's not to downplay Ma Longs BH, but the amount of power one can put into the rubber on the BH is nowhere near the same as what is possible on FH. It's not for fun people play with 4-5 hardness (DHS scale) on BH and FH..

Darko Jorgic

 

[Archosaurus]

You'd be surprised, but the gap between FH and BH is very small at the elite level sometimes. Plenty of players use the same sponge forehand and backhand. The speed and spin isn't that much lower, and they're definitely saturating their sponges on the bigger strokes.

It doesn't mean everyone should max out the sponge hardness and thickness every time, although the reasons an elite player like Ma Long uses a softer sponge is probably different from the reasons I use one.

 

[passifid]

No it's perfectly normal, these forum players just hit the ball harder and bottom out the 38 degrees that JingKun Liang uses on his backhand easily apparently

 

[impluse101]

Hi everyone,


My question is mainly about using the DHS Hurricane 3 Neo Provincial 38° Blue Sponge completely without booster.


I am considering using it on the forehand of a DHS W968 National / Hurricane Long 5 National, and I do not intend to boost it when new or re-boost it later.


TableTennis11 told me that the 38° Blue Sponge is the easiest Blue Sponge version to activate without boosting and recommended it for an intermediate offensive player using a W968 National.


I would like to hear from players who have actually used this exact rubber unboosted:

• Does it feel lively enough during normal match play?
• Is it easy to activate with an intermediate-level forehand swing?
• Does it still produce heavy spin and a strong forehand ball?
• Is it good for opening against backspin, serving, receiving and short play?
• Does it feel slow or dead when the stroke is not performed at full power?
• How much easier is it to use unboosted than the 39° or 40° Blue Sponge versions?
• Is it suitable for permanent long-term use without ever applying booster?
• Does the softer 38° sponge become unstable or bottom out on harder strokes?

I understand that it will not be identical to a harder Blue Sponge version with booster. My main question is whether the 38° Provincial Blue Sponge is genuinely good and practical when used completely unboosted, especially on the W968 National.


I would especially appreciate feedback from people who have personally used this exact combination without booster.


Thank you.


View attachment 42641

if you are willing to experiment.. battle 2 prov blue sponge 39deg is playble unboosted

 

[Archosaurus]

No it's perfectly normal, these forum players just hit the ball harder and bottom out the 38 degrees that JingKun Liang uses on his backhand easily apparently

They probably don't hit it harder on average, but both of those scenarios are compressing the sponge enough to get into the progressive region. It really doesn't take that much normal force to do it. An amateur player with a big backhand can probably do it on his backhand too. I'm sure an elite player like LJK can bottom his forehand sponge using his backhand too.

The force rises roughly according to /cos(deg) when you're brushing, so you'll need to hit pretty hard if the ball isn't moving and you're brushing a lot. Most of the time the ball is moving at you at decent speed and with some spin, though. So it's not some superhuman feat.

if you are willing to experiment.. battle 2 prov blue sponge 39deg is playble unboosted

FWIW I found Battle 2 not like Hurricane 3 at all. The topsheet feels very different, probably due to a different pimple geometry and flexibility. In terms of normal hardness it measured the same as H3, though. Battle 2 is harder to use than H3 but you can perform some shots in a slightly more dangerous way, although it biases speed over spin.

 

[passifid]

They probably don't hit it harder on average, but both of those scenarios are compressing the sponge enough to get into the progressive region. It really doesn't take that much normal force to do it. An amateur player with a big backhand can probably do it on his backhand too. I'm sure an elite player like LJK can bottom his forehand sponge using his backhand too.

The force rises roughly according to /cos(deg) when you're brushing, so you'll need to hit pretty hard if the ball isn't moving and you're brushing a lot. Most of the time the ball is moving at you at decent speed and with some spin, though. So it's not some superhuman feat.




FWIW I found Battle 2 not like Hurricane 3 at all. The topsheet feels very different, probably due to a different pimple geometry and flexibility. In terms of normal hardness it measured the same as H3, though. Battle 2 is harder to use than H3 but you can perform some shots in a slightly more dangerous way, although it biases speed over spin.

Just out of interest then why if this is such an issue for hitting do the Chinese players swap to their softer H3 for smashing if flat hatting it hard is so unreliable but they swap to the softer one for better smashing

 

[Tyce]

Just out of interest then why if this is such an issue for hitting do the Chinese players swap to their softer H3 for smashing if flat hatting it hard is so unreliable but they swap to the softer one for better smashing

Is that a thing now? I know swapping to their non-tacky BH rubber was a thing, but swapping to the softer Hurricane I didn't know about.

Perhaps it's about hitting into the blade.

 

[Archosaurus]

Just out of interest then why if this is such an issue for hitting do the Chinese players swap to their softer H3 for smashing if flat hatting it hard is so unreliable but they swap to the softer one for better smashing

You'd need to ask them to get their answer, but I twiddle if I have time because the softer sponge feels like it's less spin sensitive and easier to control. Even if it's a bit slower, I can put more power into the shot and it's usually safer.

I assume because the ball sinks into the sponge at a lower force it's just plain easier to time the shot.

Is that a thing now? I know swapping to their non-tacky BH rubber was a thing, but swapping to the softer Hurricane I didn't know about.

Perhaps it's about hitting into the blade.

Yeah, Chinese players will twiddle to the softer H3 on smashes. I assume for the above reasons; but you'd need to ask them.

 

[Yxoons]

No it's perfectly normal, these forum players just hit the ball harder and bottom out the 38 degrees that JingKun Liang uses on his backhand easily apparently

You have be trolling right? You’re comparing BH power to FH power, no one in here ever mentioned bottoming out 38 degrees on BH.