Intermediate Player - Paddle Change after a Decade!

[Michael Zhuang]

Yeah the more I read about it, the more I'm amazed it's flown completely under the radar through all my research. My immediate order will definitely have an AK47 Red 2.2mm on FH, and I'm considering AK47 Yellow 1.8mm on BH. What do you think of the Yellow?

The one major concern I saw about the AK47 Red was the low durability. Is this a huge factor for someone who will be playing a maybe 5-10 hours a month at most? Did you face any issues with the rubber losing it's grippiness fairly quick?

I've used yellow 2.2mm before, and I thought it was excellent. Red has slightly more offensive potential, but Yellow is still fast and bouncy and just slightly more tame than red. Probably easier to use. I'm not sure about 1.8mm though, depends how you want to use your backhand. I like to loop and counterpunch with my BH, so I prefer 2.2mm.

Durability is not an issue at all. You can play 5, 6 months and it will still be fast and grippy and responsive enough. Compared to Hurricane, the topsheet is a little thinner and more fragile. If you hit the rubber on the table it will tear, but that's true of German rubbers as well.

 

[Michael Zhuang]

I've been reading up on boosting ever since I came across the term on this TT equipment review blog. I would probably be getting my setup assembled by the store and then shipped to me. Do I request them to 'boost' it? Or do I have to get the individual pieces and do it myself? (as in, do online shops usually do this for you?)

I guess I could consider assembling it myself too. But I've read that proper assembly makes a world of difference to the playing experience. So seeing how I've never done it before, I'm a little apprehensive I might fudge it up :/

Gonna look into both the H3 and the H8-80. I'm leaning towards the H3, I like the fact that it's got control and also the ability to generate good speed and spin.

If its your first time, you should be warned that H3 may feel very slow to you. It doesn't respond anything like other elastic rubbers. It has a very slow and dead feeling. I really wouldn't recommend Hurricane unless you know what you're getting yourself into.

To boost, you need to buy the booster oil on your oil. It's easy to use, just spread it over the sponge.

 

[gargovich]

I've used yellow 2.2mm before, and I thought it was excellent. Red has slightly more offensive potential, but Yellow is still fast and bouncy and just slightly more tame than red. Probably easier to use. I'm not sure about 1.8mm though, depends how you want to use your backhand. I like to loop and counterpunch with my BH, so I prefer 2.2mm.

Durability is not an issue at all. You can play 5, 6 months and it will still be fast and grippy and responsive enough. Compared to Hurricane, the topsheet is a little thinner and more fragile. If you hit the rubber on the table it will tear, but that's true of German rubbers as well.

Thanks a bunch my man, you've opened my eyes to the world of great but highly cost effective Chinese rubbers. I'm probably gonna place an order tonight for the AK47 Red/AK47 Yellow combo. Just once I pick a blade between the Yinhe Galaxy Milky Way and the Senwei Fextra 7. I'll try to update what my experience has been like once I get em and try em out for like a month or so. Cheers!

 

[gargovich]

If its your first time, you should be warned that H3 may feel very slow to you. It doesn't respond anything like other elastic rubbers. It has a very slow and dead feeling. I really wouldn't recommend Hurricane unless you know what you're getting yourself into.

To boost, you need to buy the booster oil on your oil. It's easy to use, just spread it over the sponge.

Also thanks for not making me feel like too much of an amateur

Really helpful community here! Thanks @everyone who took the time to reply!

 

[tabletennisdaily1]

Yeah the more I read about it, the more I'm amazed it's flown completely under the radar through all my research. My immediate order will definitely have an AK47 Red 2.2mm on FH, and I'm considering AK47 Yellow 1.8mm on BH. What do you think of the Yellow?

The one major concern I saw about the AK47 Red was the low durability. Is this a huge factor for someone who will be playing a maybe 5-10 hours a month at most? Did you face any issues with the rubber losing it's grippiness fairly quick?

5-10 hours per month is quite low, the AK-47 should last 6 months. My AK-47 still going strong after a month and 15hr per week.

On the aside, I can attest that my fastarc g1 is still grippy after 3 years. Not as much play, but still really impressive longevity, and totally worth the $40 price tag.

 

[WingTT]

@OP Here are some reviews of the Hurricane 3 series and H8-80 if you haven't read them already. I personally would skip the AK47 rubbers if you can afford Fastarc G1 but each must experience their own on the path of EJ, even if it means taken the same wrong turns. If you were in the US, I'd offer to sell you my unopened AK47 at a discount as well as some of the blades you've mentioned, like the Sweden Extra. One of these days, hopefully soon, the great clearing out will happen.

 

[gargovich]

@OP Here are some reviews of the Hurricane 3 series and H8-80 if you haven't read them already. I personally would skip the AK47 rubbers if you can afford Fastarc G1 but each must experience their own on the path of EJ, even if it means taken the same wrong turns. If you were in the US, I'd offer to sell you my unopened AK47 at a discount as well as some of the blades you've mentioned, like the Sweden Extra. One of these days, hopefully soon, the great clearing out will happen.

I might get the AK47 setup anyway in the short term till get up to speed with my training. And then keep it around for more casual play with friends (I'm trying to get them into the sport too, but they're all about badminton, bah).

I might just hit you up anyway to check prices, I ship a lot of my stuff from the US - spent some time in SC and got addicted to the occasional ebay splurge. I don't have the foggiest on how to assemble a setup, but a man can learn.

 

[longle]

You should replace that Mark V with Rakza 7, a rubber which is still going strong to this day to improve spin quality, it also last a long time. And G1 is fine, my teammates also play it on FH (they are around 2000 level). You should also get a faster blade with carbon to adapt with current ball, I think Stiga blades are solid choice

 

[TheProfessor]

The game of table tennis has changed do to the plastic ball mandate as you know. I don't think Mark V would work very well now if you are interested in performance. You can get Nittaku Fastarc G1 for a better price at tabletennis11. One of the blades they recommend and what they use for all their rubber tests is the Neottec Voodoo Classic. That setup should be close to your budget. Alternatively you can jump right into a Yinhe ALC blade like the Pro 01 or v14 Pro and some Hurricane 3 NEO and H8-80 for BH and end up in the same budget but now you have a hardcore Chinese style looping setup.

Is the Neottec brand Tt1's own brand?

 

[Der_Echte]

OP,

You are a candidate for Tibhar Aurus... since this is a very old rubber, you can find it at a reasonable cost.

I get it from tt11 for under 40 usd a sheet.

 

[z0uLess]

I think there is also something you should consider, and thats what type of coaching environment you are in. We like to think that we are individuals making decisions for the best of our own paths, but we also are very socially dependant. If practice partners and people that monitor your development are not familiar with your equipment and how to best work with it, then this may be a factor in your decision of what to play with. Example: I see many amateur players play pretty good with pimples for their level, but they dont get good practice because their practice partners cant handle it, and the frustrations and extra mind-work that is needed to get into practicing vs. someone with long pimples kinda marginalize them and make them unable to lift their general level of footwork and such. I know this is an extreme example, but I think like this about chinese rubbers as well. Maybe you have basic training allready so this may be just a rant from me.