Hard blade soft rubbers and soft blade hard rubbers?

[riemsesy]

I just glued Battle 2 and Big Dipper on my BTY Franziska and … I don’t like it (yet)

I like the rubber combo on the Viscaria

So I’ve read it here and there that soft blades need bouncier rubbers and flexible blades need hard rubbers.

What is your opinion?

 

[Tyce]

Well soft and flexible aren't opposites for starters:
Soft is opposite of hard
Flexible is opposite of stiff

Soft rubber bottoms out easier on a harder blade. They can benefit from stiff blades in giving directional stability
If you don't have, or use, the power to bottom out a softer rubber, then this is a non issue. That's why softer rubber is a safer choice for beginners and kids.

Hard rubbers tend to be pretty unforgiving. Pairing that with a stiff hard blade will make the rubber feel even more powerful, but will also make the margin for error smaller.
Paired with a softer blade, it can feel like the rubber is softer.
Paired with a more flexible blade, it can increase dwell on the blade and change the angle as well as the margin of error. This might be good or bad.

Bottom line, the blade dictates a lot of how the whole setup feels, and what is better or worse depends on your game and power as well as preference.

Edit:

I like the feeling of peppy, koto hard blades with hard rubber. But it's honestly not very good for me. I depend on spin and precision, which is much easier done with a softer, more flexible blade.

 

[lodro]

softer rubber is a safer choice for beginners and kids.

Not really . 😁

 

[Tyce]

Not really . 😁

Well yeah depends on the trainer's philosophy I admit

 

[TackyForehand]

Harder rubbers require harder blades to compress the sponge.