Difference between sticky rubbers and non-sticky rubbers

[Scifer]

Would appreciate it a lot,as a newbie, if you could give some well known examples of each category? Thank you 🙏

 

[Andrea Jiang]

I am wondering... How come rubbers are generally decreasing in stickiness?

Cheers
L-zr

Hello, how are you?

As far as I know， because the sticky rubber's top sheet has a sticky layer on it, it will gradually rub away during contact with the ball.

 

[lodro]

it will gradually rub away

I don't think it is actually ""rubbed away"". It is made less and less efficient by dust and dirt .
This can be avoided by cleaning regularly during the matches by exhaling against the rubbers and wiping them with the palm of the hand or the inside of the lower arm. An absolute MUST is the washing the rubbers after the matches and then cover them with the protective clear films. There are other little tricks that can bring back stickiness as well. When treated carefully, the sticky rubbers can keep being sticky for a very long time and are often replaced before for other reasons.


BTW thanks for your excellent opening article Andrea, it's a beauty 😁

 

[Andrea Jiang]

I don't think it is actually ""rubbed away"". It is made less and less efficient by dust and dirt .
This can be avoided by cleaning regularly during the matches by exhaling against the rubbers and wiping them with the palm of the hand or the inside of the lower arm. An absolute MUST is the washing the rubbers after the matches and then cover them with the protective clear films. There are other little tricks that can bring back stickiness as well. When treated carefully, the sticky rubbers can keep being sticky for a very long time and are often replaced before for other reasons.


BTW thanks for your excellent opening article Andrea, it's a beauty 😁

Thank you for your appreciation, my friend.

Before I wrote the article, I had an in-depth conversation with our designer. Some of his ideas inspired me. I will pass on your compliments to them.

Your idea is correct, I would say that with all the protective measures you mentioned being taken, the wear of the sticky layer comes from the friction of the ball.

 

[Andrea Jiang]

Andrea,

Great job, this is the type of content players wants from manufacturer. Luv'it!

A question: I have yet to see soft cake sponge with tacky topsheet. Why doesn't the manufacturer produce such variant? What is the drawback?

This question coming from a soft sponge ESN / JPN rubber user.

From a brand profitability perspective, especially in the Chinese market, many players, influenced by top athletes like Ma Long, prefer using sticky top sheets with hard sponges on both sides of their racket. This setup provided the player has a solid technical foundation, enables them to exert intense pressure and offensive force on their opponent. In China, many players are accustomed to using rubber like SANWEI Target National on both the forehand and backhand.

Thus, when developing the SANWEI New Target National, we specifically considered the different needs of the Chinese and European markets: we retained the sticky, Chinese-style top sheet but paired it with a specially tuned cake sponge that has a feel similar to traditional Chinese hard sponges. This design meets the demands of the Chinese market for both forehand and backhand rubber while also offering a reliable forehand option for European players. European athletes, who are accustomed to the spin and control provided by ESN or JPN rubbers on the backhand, find this product more in line with their expectations, allowing them to enjoy a familiar feel without needing to change their playing habits. We’ve also experimented with similar combinations, like in the Taiji 2023, which features a semi-tacky top sheet paired with a soft large-pore cake sponge, just as you mentioned. However, we recognize that bringing this configuration into the mainstream requires time and gradual market adaptation.

From a technical standpoint, ABS balls have become the standard, significantly impacting the game’s techniques and playing styles. Matches now tend to focus more on fast rallies near the table, unlike the longer-distance, loop-to-loop rallies of previous years. To adapt to this shift, brands have responded with two main configurations: one following the traditional Chinese route with tacky top sheets and hard sponges for increased spin and power, and the other with ESN or JPN rubbers, which ensure a forgiving loop and stable placement in close-to-table exchanges.

 

[lodro]

Thank you for your appreciation, my friend.

Before I wrote the article, I had an in-depth conversation with our designer. Some of his ideas inspired me. I will pass on your compliments to them.

Your idea is correct, I would say that with all the protective measures you mentioned being taken, the wear of the sticky layer comes from the friction of the ball.

Andrea,
I am being deliberately extra nice to you in the hope that you will
once send me a Nova carbon blade to try out and review 😍😍😍

 

[Loop Lob Smash]

Andrea,
I am being deliberately extra nice to you in the hope that you will
once send me a Nova carbon blade to try out and review 😍😍😍

If @Andrea Jiang acquiesces, pass it on!

 

[Lazer]

Hello, how are you?

As far as I know， because the sticky rubber's top sheet has a sticky layer on it, it will gradually rub away during contact with the ball.

I’m fine, hope you are too.

That’s not what I meant, the rubbers of a few year back came a lot stickier from the factory. It seems to be from all manufacturers. What happened?

 

[igorponger]

Hello, how are you?

As far as I know， because the sticky rubber's top sheet has a sticky layer on it, it will gradually rub away during contact with the ball.

It is not the case with Double Fish advanced rubber formula. DF gonna to retain grippiness for years.

 

[Gozo Aruna]

Thank you for your appreciation, my friend.

Before I wrote the article, I had an in-depth conversation with our designer. Some of his ideas inspired me. I will pass on your compliments to them.

Your idea is correct, I would say that with all the protective measures you mentioned being taken, the wear of the sticky layer comes from the friction of the ball.

❤️❤️❤️Genuine appreciation to @Andrea Jiang for a well writen article. +1 for not copy & paste from other sources.

 

[blahness]

Well said. and this of course is the reason why in the very short game, also known as the "hot potato game" the sticky rubbers rule supreme because with them one can easily give just a bit more back and /or side spin which normally makes the opponent shove the ball into the net.

Or you could use anti for the ultimate receive xD

 

[Andrea Jiang]

Andrea,
I am being deliberately extra nice to you in the hope that you will
once send me a Nova carbon blade to try out and review 😍😍😍

Hello,

I have used NOVA Carbon as my main racket for 4 monthes.

If possible, I would even like to give you what I use.

Unfortunately, I don't have enough permission to give it to you for free to review. But I can give you a special internal coupon for SANWEI employees.

Please message me privately.🤫

Best regards

 

[Andrea Jiang]

I’m fine, hope you are too.

That’s not what I meant, the rubbers of a few year back came a lot stickier from the factory. It seems to be from all manufacturers. What happened?

Really? I honestly don't have this experience, but I'll look into it for you.

 

[Lazer]

Really? I honestly don't have this experience, but I'll look into it for you.

Please do. I only tried one sheet of Target national and it had much less tackiness than expected… The last really tacky rubber I had was a year ago. A 729 bloom power, but the next batch was less tacky. So to me it looks the same across the line… all manufacturers.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[lodro]

Please do. I only tried one sheet of Target national and it had much less tackiness than expected… The last really tacky rubber I had was a year ago. A 729 bloom power, but the next batch was less tacky. So to me it looks the same across the line… all manufacturers.

Cheers
L-zr

my experience as well. Especially I found it by DHS H3 and NEo and also Loki rubbers. I have first edition loki Rxton 5 that are extremely tacky and were advertised as such. They are still advertised as such but are now hardly sticky at all.
Maybe some manufacturers think that reducing the stickiness of their rubber now make their rubbers into "hybrids"

 

[Andrea Jiang]

Please do. I only tried one sheet of Target national and it had much less tackiness than expected… The last really tacky rubber I had was a year ago. A 729 bloom power, but the next batch was less tacky. So to me it looks the same across the line… all manufacturers.

Cheers
L-zr

Hello,

I have asked our most experienced designers and the result really shocked me.

Your feeling is correct, this is the common result of the 40+ era and the market choice.

The 40+ era made players' circulation faster, and the fighting was more intense near the table. This also means that the importance of control, speed （first speed）, and spin( second speed) becomes more balanced.

More and more brands are adapting to this change by increasing the friction on the surface of their non-sticky rubber or making it slightly sticky. This is a timely and correct response.

But the Chinese traditional rubbers‘ option is to re-proportion the chemical properties of the original surface adhesive coating to make the rubber top sheet less "silly sticky"（I don't confirm whether you can get the exact meaning of this word, but the result is just not that sticky anymore.）

At the same time, Chinese rubber sponges are no longer so stiff, and their energy storage capacity has been improved accordingly.

In short, in order to adapt to the current era, many brands have made corresponding adjustments, but the purpose is to balance the relationship between control, spin, and speed.

Regards,

 

[Lazer]

Hello,

I have asked our most experienced designers and the result really shocked me.

Your feeling is correct, this is the common result of the 40+ era and the market choice.

The 40+ era made players' circulation faster, and the fighting was more intense near the table. This also means that the importance of control, speed （first speed）, and spin( second speed) becomes more balanced.

More and more brands are adapting to this change by increasing the friction on the surface of their non-sticky rubber or making it slightly sticky. This is a timely and correct response.

But the Chinese traditional rubbers‘ option is to re-proportion the chemical properties of the original surface adhesive coating to make the rubber top sheet less "silly sticky"（I don't confirm whether you can get the exact meaning of this word, but the result is just not that sticky anymore.）

At the same time, Chinese rubber sponges are no longer so stiff, and their energy storage capacity has been improved accordingly.

In short, in order to adapt to the current era, many brands have made corresponding adjustments, but the purpose is to balance the relationship between control, spin, and speed.

Regards,

Great info, thanks a lot.
You have just confirmed what many players express.
Some players don’t like it but I do…

So we can say then is that Chinese and Euro/Jap rubbers are closing in on each other. The norm then would end up with something like a hybrid.

Super post Andrea, you are a gold mine…

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Andrea Jiang]

Great info, thanks a lot.
You have just confirmed what many players express.
Some players don’t like it but I do…

So we can say then is that Chinese and Euro/Jap rubbers are closing in on each other. The norm then would end up with something like a hybrid.

Super post Andrea, you are a gold mine…

Cheers
L-zr

Thank you for your love,

As you say, some people like it, but some do not.

This is also a problem faced by the brand because all adjustments are based on professional matches and professional players. However, in a market dominated by amateur players, the degree of transmission of changes in playing styles is not strong.

Therefore, how to balance different markets is an eternal issue.

 

[Lazer]

Thank you for your love,

As you say, some people like it, but some do not.

This is also a problem faced by the brand because all adjustments are based on professional matches and professional players. However, in a market dominated by amateur players, the degree of transmission of changes in playing styles is not strong.

Therefore, how to balance different markets is an eternal issue.

Very true. If you can afford to change every week it’s no issue but if only can change once a year it’s advantage it’s long gone… Maybe China will loose customers (amateurs) to ESN if the performance is closing in. The cost is for sure slowly becoming equal…

Cheers
L-zr