Experience with some other Loki rubbers - Arthur China, GTX Pro (inc)

[turbozed]

For anyone wondering, I measured the Loki Arthur China 41d (41d was printed on the sponge) with a Shore O durometer and it measured 51.5d. Unfortunately, I forgot to measure from the sponge side before gluing.

 

[mattlamperouge]

Loki package arrived today.
A pair of Rxton 9, and some other rubbers.

LAC as expected came in 40d, so i assume they are making it on that hardness.

Rxton9 came vaccum sealed, its 40.5d, packaging looks really cool!
I Will share More pictures & my first impresion when i glue it.

 

[TensorBackhand]

Loki package arrived today.
A pair of Rxton 9, and some other rubbers.
View attachment 26841

LAC as expected came in 40d, so i assume they are making it on that hardness.
View attachment 26840
Rxton9 came vaccum sealed, its 40.5d, packaging looks really cool!
I Will share More pictures & my first impresion when i glue it.

Im curious which one is more catapulty.

Why dont you get some gtx to test?

 

[mattlamperouge]

Im curious which one is more catapulty.

Why dont you get some gtx to test?

Im curious too, it seems R9 its firmer and the Blue sponge looks denser than the one on Lac, Gtx its even More porous. i have a red Gtx to test but im waiting for a player to buy it in a couple days. I Will boost it before glueing based on your reviews

 

[TensorBackhand]

Im curious too, it seems R9 its firmer and the Blue sponge looks denser than the one on Lac, Gtx its even More porous. i have a red Gtx to test but im waiting for a player to buy it in a couple days. I Will boost it before glueing based on your reviews

Right, based on the pores, I'm guessing GTX is most bouncy, followed by LAC, and R9 is least

 

[TheProfessor]

Can't wait for Rxton 9 review, if it's not too expensive I'll pick one up.

 

[TensorBackhand]

Can't wait for Rxton 9 review, if it's not too expensive I'll pick one up.

Its like $35 on aliexpress. Is that expensive for you?

 

[TheProfessor]

Its like $35 on aliexpress. Is that expensive for you?

I just remembered that I have a New-Old-Stock sheet of Battle 2 Prov Blue Sponge, hope it's still ok. I think it's 4 yrs old sealed now.

 

[BaRanchik]

Its like $35 on aliexpress. Is that expensive for you?

That's 2 discounted sheets of LAC (17$ currently), or discounted G1 on TT11. It's not expensive, but when the price is over 30$, some might start considering different options.

 

[TensorBackhand]

That's 2 discounted sheets of LAC (17$ currently), or discounted G1 on TT11. It's not expensive, but when the price is over 30$, some might start considering different options.

Right, maybe singles day will have good deals

 

[Emin]

After more training this week, here are some ratings for the Rxton 9:

Serves: 9/10
Short game: 9.5/10
Looping: 9.5/10
Spin : 9,5/10
Speed : 9/10 (if unlocked, read below)
Blocking: 8/10
Tackiness: 8/10
Feeling of Safety: 9/10


More info and context:
For serves and short game its like a normal chinese rubber,
great at it and better than almost all the others I had so far.

Same goes for spin, in serves and attacks.

The rubber is excellent for topspin shots.
Even with minimal body movement, the balls find their way onto the table.
However, when you put in proper body effort, the balls are loaded with spin, speed.
The balls usually clear the net with ease and then follow a flat trajectory to win most points.
While the rubber may be slow initially, it gains speed when you put in the effort,
as expected from such a chinese rubber.
The speed doesn't stop at a certain point when you swing harder.

It took me a little to adapt to blocking but it does the job.
It is quite tacky, and can lift the ball up for a couple seconds.
You can definitely feel the stickiness with your finger.

I added "Feeling of Safety" because thats something I got from this rubber.
I no longer worry about whether the ball will go out or into the net.
This goes for all shots(defensive, offensive).
I can play with confidence.

I would chose this rubber over my H3 Neo Blue sponge.
No durability issues yet.
The cut-off remaining rubber also looks sturdy and stable.


Other rubbers I played before:
H3 Neo Blue sponge provincial
H8-80s,
Nittaku hurricane pro 3 Turbo blue,
LACs.
more that werent mine.

If I missed something or ther are any question.
Just ask.​

 

[mattlamperouge]

After more training this week, here are some ratings for the Rxton 9:

Serves: 9/10
Short game: 9.5/10
Looping: 9.5/10
Spin : 9,5/10
Speed : 9/10 (if unlocked, read below)
Blocking: 8/10
Tackiness: 8/10
Feeling of Safety: 9/10


More info and context:
For serves and short game its like a normal chinese rubber,
great at it and better than almost all the others I had so far.

Same goes for spin, in serves and attacks.

The rubber is excellent for topspin shots.
Even with minimal body movement, the balls find their way onto the table.
However, when you put in proper body effort, the balls are loaded with spin, speed.
The balls usually clear the net with ease and then follow a flat trajectory to win most points.
While the rubber may be slow initially, it gains speed when you put in the effort,
as expected from such a chinese rubber.
The speed doesn't stop at a certain point when you swing harder.

It took me a little to adapt to blocking but it does the job.
It is quite tacky, and can lift the ball up for a couple seconds.
You can definitely feel the stickiness with your finger.

I added "Feeling of Safety" because thats something I got from this rubber.
I no longer worry about whether the ball will go out or into the net.
This goes for all shots(defensive, offensive).
I can play with confidence.

I would chose this rubber over my H3 Neo Blue sponge.
No durability issues yet.
The cut-off remaining rubber also looks sturdy and stable.


Other rubbers I played before:
H3 Neo Blue sponge provincial
H8-80s,
Nittaku hurricane pro 3 Turbo blue,
LACs.
more that werent mine.

If I missed something or ther are any question.
Just ask.​

Woow great review, now im Hyped to test mine lol!
That "Feeling of Safety" is something i also talk about with some of my peers, if you trust the equipment you play with confidence and it shows, especially in competition. If you are stiff or with doubts you miss a lot of easy shots.

 

[lodro]

After more training this week, here are some ratings for the Rxton 9:

Serves: 9/10
Short game: 9.5/10
Looping: 9.5/10
Spin : 9,5/10
Speed : 9/10 (if unlocked, read below)
Blocking: 8/10
Tackiness: 8/10
Feeling of Safety: 9/10


More info and context:
For serves and short game its like a normal chinese rubber,
great at it and better than almost all the others I had so far.

Same goes for spin, in serves and attacks.

The rubber is excellent for topspin shots.
Even with minimal body movement, the balls find their way onto the table.
However, when you put in proper body effort, the balls are loaded with spin, speed.
The balls usually clear the net with ease and then follow a flat trajectory to win most points.
While the rubber may be slow initially, it gains speed when you put in the effort,
as expected from such a chinese rubber.
The speed doesn't stop at a certain point when you swing harder.

It took me a little to adapt to blocking but it does the job.
It is quite tacky, and can lift the ball up for a couple seconds.
You can definitely feel the stickiness with your finger.

I added "Feeling of Safety" because thats something I got from this rubber.
I no longer worry about whether the ball will go out or into the net.
This goes for all shots(defensive, offensive).
I can play with confidence.

I would chose this rubber over my H3 Neo Blue sponge.
No durability issues yet.
The cut-off remaining rubber also looks sturdy and stable.


Other rubbers I played before:
H3 Neo Blue sponge provincial
H8-80s,
Nittaku hurricane pro 3 Turbo blue,
LACs.
more that werent mine.

If I missed something or ther are any question.
Just ask.​

9 out of 10 , a nearly perfect rubber.
Already heavily discounted at some Ali shops at NZ$ 49 today.

 

[BaRanchik]

After more training this week, here are some ratings for the Rxton 9:

Serves: 9/10
Short game: 9.5/10
Looping: 9.5/10
Spin : 9,5/10
Speed : 9/10 (if unlocked, read below)
Blocking: 8/10
Tackiness: 8/10
Feeling of Safety: 9/10


More info and context:
For serves and short game its like a normal chinese rubber,
great at it and better than almost all the others I had so far.

Same goes for spin, in serves and attacks.

The rubber is excellent for topspin shots.
Even with minimal body movement, the balls find their way onto the table.
However, when you put in proper body effort, the balls are loaded with spin, speed.
The balls usually clear the net with ease and then follow a flat trajectory to win most points.
While the rubber may be slow initially, it gains speed when you put in the effort,
as expected from such a chinese rubber.
The speed doesn't stop at a certain point when you swing harder.

It took me a little to adapt to blocking but it does the job.
It is quite tacky, and can lift the ball up for a couple seconds.
You can definitely feel the stickiness with your finger.

I added "Feeling of Safety" because thats something I got from this rubber.
I no longer worry about whether the ball will go out or into the net.
This goes for all shots(defensive, offensive).
I can play with confidence.

I would chose this rubber over my H3 Neo Blue sponge.
No durability issues yet.
The cut-off remaining rubber also looks sturdy and stable.


Other rubbers I played before:
H3 Neo Blue sponge provincial
H8-80s,
Nittaku hurricane pro 3 Turbo blue,
LACs.
more that werent mine.

If I missed something or ther are any question.
Just ask.​

Sounds like a great rubber. I kinda wish you didn't boost it, so we could learn how it plays unboosted, but I'll just have to wait for others to do so. Is it more or less tacky compared to the H3 you played with?

 

[tomahawk11]

Decided to try LAC and RXTON 9 as well.
Received the LAC yesterday, sponge print seems to be different from what has been shown in this thread. It was bought from ali-express store Chinese PingPong.

I normally play H3 neo 38deg bh and 39deg FH, so I will try the LAC unboosted on BH and RXTON 9 boosted on FH.

 

[hclnnkhg]

Decided to try LAC and RXTON 9 as well.
Received the LAC yesterday, sponge print seems to be different from what has been shown in this thread. It was bought from ali-express store Chinese PingPong.

I normally play H3 neo 38deg bh and 39deg FH, so I will try the LAC unboosted on BH and RXTON 9 boosted on FH.

That stamp looks like the old version.

Rxton 9 is already factory boosted.

 

[Attitude]

That stamp looks like the old version.

Rxton 9 is already factory boosted.

Well LAC too, but i would guess the Rxton 9 is the only one of those which can sustain and probably need booster (denser sponge).

@tomahawk11 maybe you are in luck, because the sheets i got from them were the ones that endured the longest.

Funny sidenote: the sheet i posted that was already breaking up with its sponge in the side while glueing, is still holding together on my main racket.

 

[turbozed]

After playing around with the the rubber cuttings of LAC and Loki Rxton 5 (which are listed as the same hardness by Loki at 41d), my opinion is that the issue with LAC is with a crumbly sponge and not due to weak glue.

When I peel Rxton 5 sponge from the topsheet, the strength of the sponge, topsheet, and glue are balanced so that I can see all 3 being the point of failure. Sometimes the sponge will be still stuck to the pips (sponge being the weakness), sometimes the pips will break from the topsheet and are stuck to the sponge (topsheet being the weakness) and sometimes the sponge and topsheet will break off cleanly (glue being the wekness).

With the LAC, there are bits of sponge attached on every pip still when separating the topsheet from sponge. This suggests to me that the sponge was always the point of failure whereas it was a mixed bag for Rxton 5. Also the sponge seems to crumble and tear a lot more easily than the sponge of Rxton 5.

I guess a good way to confirm this would be to find the sheets of LAC that have bubbles, then inspecting what the topsheet pips look like on the bubbled portion. If there are still bits of sponge attached to those pips, then I'd argue it's the sponge itself that's the problem.

 

[hclnnkhg]

After playing around with the the rubber cuttings of LAC and Loki Rxton 5 (which are listed as the same hardness by Loki at 41d), my opinion is that the issue with LAC is with a crumbly sponge and not due to weak glue.

When I peel Rxton 5 sponge from the topsheet, the strength of the sponge, topsheet, and glue are balanced so that I can see all 3 being the point of failure. Sometimes the sponge will be still stuck to the pips (sponge being the weakness), sometimes the pips will break from the topsheet and are stuck to the sponge (topsheet being the weakness) and sometimes the sponge and topsheet will break off cleanly (glue being the wekness).

With the LAC, there are bits of sponge attached on every pip still when separating the topsheet from sponge. This suggests to me that the sponge was always the point of failure whereas it was a mixed bag for Rxton 5. Also the sponge seems to crumble and tear a lot more easily than the sponge of Rxton 5.

I guess a good way to confirm this would be to find the sheets of LAC that have bubbles, then inspecting what the topsheet pips look like on the bubbled portion. If there are still bits of sponge attached to those pips, then I'd argue it's the sponge itself that's the problem.

interesting observation. I will try to remember to do this if my LAC bubbles. So far it has survived 7.5 hours.

 

[longle]

After playing around with the the rubber cuttings of LAC and Loki Rxton 5 (which are listed as the same hardness by Loki at 41d), my opinion is that the issue with LAC is with a crumbly sponge and not due to weak glue.

When I peel Rxton 5 sponge from the topsheet, the strength of the sponge, topsheet, and glue are balanced so that I can see all 3 being the point of failure. Sometimes the sponge will be still stuck to the pips (sponge being the weakness), sometimes the pips will break from the topsheet and are stuck to the sponge (topsheet being the weakness) and sometimes the sponge and topsheet will break off cleanly (glue being the wekness).

With the LAC, there are bits of sponge attached on every pip still when separating the topsheet from sponge. This suggests to me that the sponge was always the point of failure whereas it was a mixed bag for Rxton 5. Also the sponge seems to crumble and tear a lot more easily than the sponge of Rxton 5.

I guess a good way to confirm this would be to find the sheets of LAC that have bubbles, then inspecting what the topsheet pips look like on the bubbled portion. If there are still bits of sponge attached to those pips, then I'd argue it's the sponge itself that's the problem.

Indeed, I noticed there were some bits of sponge in the pips (I threw away the sheets so no pics for now sorry)

Also I used an edge protection sticker, and after peeling it from the blade, there were a lot of sponge bits attached to the sticker - that's an evidence that the sponge of LAC is very brittle