How is your experience boosting ESN hard hybrid rubbers?

[TensorBackhand]

Who has experience boosting ESN hybrids like C2, Dragon Grip, K3, etc?

I recently boosted the DG and compared with unboosted DG. I boosted with 2 layers of seamoon. But I really don't find a strong effect. There is a slight change in the feeling, but I don't notice much change in speed. Maybe 2-3% increase in speed?

Anybody else have experience? Maybe does Falco work better on these rubbers?

 

[Airoc]

Maybe does Falco work better on these rubbers

Generally more "experienced" friends tell me that they prefer other boosters to Sea Moon for ESN sponges, in their cases Dymax Maximizer or Dandoy.

Whether that applies to the slightly different sponges of the ESN hybrid rubbers I am not entirely sure, but consider it very likely.

Like you, I was expecting more effect from Sea Moon (on Rakza Z and K3), however it´s ok for me when I get such rubbers handed down occasionally.

 

[Zeen]

seamoon is very good for hybrids, but I think it works much better on those rubbers that have less factory boosting, such as O7 China Guang, rather than something like K3.

would not recommend relying on dymax on hard to very hard sponges.
in my experience:

rubber that feel too hard and unelastic (H3, very hard ESN): dymax bad
softer ESN > 47.5 degree: dymax good

dymax better for speed than spin though. it is not so destructive as seamoon so it can be used a lot to reboost. But I like the german pro booster better. similar to dymax, but less speed more spin. Also these thin boosters are better to use on topsheet (which is also a rec by manufacturer).

So my pro trick is to have an initial boost to sponge with seamoon 1 or 2 layers (depends on hardness variability and shelf time of the rubber), thin layer of thin german booster to topsheet, then play for 6-8 weeks, thin reboost to topsheet, then play another 6-8 weeks and once sponge becomes too cardboard-ish, one more layer of seamoon.
This can be repeated for up to three times, depending on the rubber. xiom rubbers are very durable and well suited for it. The rubber can usually be played 3 times a week for 6-12 months this way.
You cannot do this with hurricane because the sponge and topsheet bond is not anywhere close as strong as ESN rubbers - you will get a inconsistent rubber or bubbles.

 

[_ak]

Seamoon worked well with Glayzer 09C, not ESN though

 

[TensorBackhand]

seamoon is very good for hybrids, but I think it works much better on those rubbers that have less factory boosting, such as O7 China Guang, rather than something like K3.

would not recommend relying on dymax on hard to very hard sponges.
in my experience:

rubber that feel too hard and unelastic (H3, very hard ESN): dymax bad
softer ESN > 47.5 degree: dymax good

dymax better for speed than spin though. it is not so destructive as seamoon so it can be used a lot to reboost. But I like the german pro booster better. similar to dymax, but less speed more spin. Also these thin boosters are better to use on topsheet (which is also a rec by manufacturer).

So my pro trick is to have an initial boost to sponge with seamoon 1 or 2 layers (depends on hardness variability and shelf time of the rubber), thin layer of thin german booster to topsheet, then play for 6-8 weeks, thin reboost to topsheet, then play another 6-8 weeks and once sponge becomes too cardboard-ish, one more layer of seamoon.
This can be repeated for up to three times, depending on the rubber. xiom rubbers are very durable and well suited for it. The rubber can usually be played 3 times a week for 6-12 months this way.
You cannot do this with hurricane because the sponge and topsheet bond is not anywhere close as strong as ESN rubbers - you will get a inconsistent rubber or bubbles.

How do you know which hybrids have less factory boosting?

In Guang's case, I found this rubber very fast like dragon grip. Why would it have less boosting?

 

[Zeen]

boosting is more related to the percieved softness and elasticity in relation to the hardness than it is to speed.

something like K3 is consistently playable out of the package, while something like Guang is not, I had sheet that were playable, but also sheets that were hard like a brick and needed two boosting procedures.

anyways, durability is a big factor. If the rubber is known to quickly deteriorate (think MX-P, K3) it is probably heavily factory boosted. There are some patterns with manufacturers. Xiom's rubbers usually have very good durability.