Donic BlueGrip S1 Review: Better Speed-Control Balance Than BlueGrip S2

[victormanriquey]

This week I continue testing the Donic BlueGrip series with the BlueGrip S1, a hybrid tensor rubber that I actually quite enjoyed testing, so it will stay a bit longer on my b2x test blade to see how it fares in time, as some others mention durability issues which I haven't experienced yet (but may come)

I will at some point also do a comparison between the NUZN 48 and this BlueGrip S1, just because I think they share similarities in how they play and feel, but for now, here is the full review for the S1 blog post: https://www.tabletennisequipmenthelp.com/blog/donic-bluegrip-s1-review

And here's the tl;dr if you are lazy or in a hurry:

Category	Donic BlueGrip S1
Weight	Medium-ish, around 47g cut to my Fang Bo B2X blade
Sponge & Topsheet	Medium-hard sponge with a slightly tacky topsheet
Spin potential	High when engaged properly
Speed & Gears	Many gears, slow in the touch game, fast when engaged
Throw angle	Medium throw angle, lower and longer flight than BlueGrip S2
Drives & Loops	Nice and easy, good control and enough power
Serves	Good spin, a bit less than with the Andro NUZN 48
Flicks	Good backhand flicks but less safety than with the BlueGrip S2
Pushes	Good control and spin, dangerous aggressive long pushes
Blocks	Good blocking, can work on both dead and active blocks
Flat hits	Pretty good with counters and flat hits
Boosting	No need to boost it
Price & Durability	Average for ESN rubbers, usually between 40-50€

Hope you guys enjoy the read and let me know if you have any thoughts, comments, feedback, or whatever else you may want to mention! Happy to discuss as always

Take care and thanks!

Victor

 

[Doppelschlag]

Interesting rubber for sure! How would you compare this directly to Glazer 09C as a backhand rubber?

 

[victormanriquey]

Interesting rubber for sure! How would you compare this directly to Glazer 09C as a backhand rubber?

Thats a fantastic question, and one that Im testing atm haha I go back and forth for the S1 and G09c on the BH of one of my B2X

I ll make a review on G09c soon but Id say G09c slower on low gear, you need to brush more, S1 I can hit more and is fine. G09c throw is clearly higher, but lower than G09c. G09c gives a lot of confidence when you play safely when a game gets tense, S1 you must do the technique properly as it punishes a bit more. S1 has more tempo overall, similar spin Id say, a bit less control.

They are both fantastic for high intermediates and it really depends on the blade which is better!

There is much more to say about this so will get to it soonish