Loki Arthur China alternatives?

[gordonluvsu]

Loki Arthur China ( LAC ) has been my go to, rubber recently for testing blades or rubbers and having LAC as a filler on the other side.
It feels like a good rubber for spin, speed and just something that cant go wrong, especially for its price and unboosted usabililty.

The characteristics that stick out to me are:

• Cheap af
• Good Spin
• Good Speed ( for chinese rubber)
• Good unboosted
• Good durabillity ( unless you hit edges or the table )
• Easily available online
• Can go on FH and BH
• Pretty much same hardness and overall characteristics every time
• Throw angle, feeling, grip etc. all quite good or not bad ( imo )
• Good amount of tackiness
• Normal weight

Recently, people have pointed out that they have found alternatives / upgrades for this.

My question:

What other rubbers can broadly fit those demands?

Doesnt have to meet all criteria.
But the important ones should be met.

Could it be:
Some LA variant?
A different Loki rubber?
Yinhe/729/Sanwei or whatever?

What are your thoughts?

Copyright © My own opinion. © All rights reserved

 

[turbozed]

729 Bloom Power is pretty close. Maybe not the same speed but I get more spin and control with it. LAC definitely has easier power.

 

[lodro]

LAC definitely has easier power.

You guys must be going to the gym every day. 😁
I could not get anything out of this darn rubber with its orange/red sponge as hard as old leather.
Then I got bullshitted into R9 and found it is the same only with blue sponge.

Now, if you want all this:

• Cheap af
• Good Spin
• Good Speed ( for chinese rubber)
• Good unboosted
• Good durabillity ( unless you hit edges or the table )
• Easily available online
• Can go on FH and BH

you better get Rxton 3 PRO......

 

[mattlamperouge]

You guys must be going to the gym every day. 😁
I could not get anything out of this darn rubber with its orange/red sponge as hard as old leather.
Then I got bullshitted into R9 and found it is the same only with blue sponge.

Now, if you want all this:

• Cheap af
• Good Spin
• Good Speed ( for chinese rubber)
• Good unboosted
• Good durabillity ( unless you hit edges or the table )
• Easily available online
• Can go on FH and BH

you better get Rxton 3 PRO......

Dear Lodro, did anyone but yourself share that same opinion about LAC & R9? Its seems a bit strange to me since all the ones i tested (R9 40.5 + a couple of LAC both colors) are quite dynamic just with factory booster... LAC Specially doesn't feel "hard as old leather" lol. All the local players that tested them also shared the same overall feeling so far,
Reviews (Chinese too)seem to agree...
R9 is hard but feels dynamic & quite fast if engaged.
Rxton 3 Pro its pretty good! Price/performance was great

 

[lodro]

R9 is hard but feels dynamic & quite fast if engaged.

Well of course this might have been the problem, I am definitely not "dynamic", I think we can put that down to old age (75) and if one can not be dynamic and give it a good "whack" this rubber is useless.

Now to LAC. We already know that there are several versions of the darn thing around, the ones the bubble and the ones that do not, just for starters. They also come with different ink prints on the sponge. But again, the one I had I could not "activate or engage", so i sold it to my club-mate who is only in his thirties and he managed to activate it but after a few weeks told me he was pissed off because the rubber had turned itself into a brick. Now he is not my mate anymore and he is sulking. 😂

I am very glad we agree about the R3 pro.
I have no problem activating that one and it has this sort of feel to it that gives one a solid grip on the ball and so good control. I just ordered another one.

I can not compare rubbers with other club members, they seem to buy their rubbers , have them glued on and stick with them until they are so glossy they probably have turned into "anti -rubbers ", or bits are falling of the blade.
The only guy who also does a lot of experimenting is the guy who bought the LAC of me and of course he is not talking to me anymore now. 🤣
Life is hard 🤣

 

[mattlamperouge]

Well of course this might have been the problem, I am definitely not "dynamic", I think we can put that down to old age (75) and if one can not be dynamic and give it a good "whack" this rubber is useless.

Now to LAC. We already know that there are several versions of the darn thing around, the ones the bubble and the ones that do not, just for starters. They also come with different ink prints on the sponge. But again, the one I had I could not "activate or engage", so i sold it to my club-mate who is only in his thirties and he managed to activate it but after a few weeks told me he was pissed off because the rubber had turned itself into a brick. Now he is not my mate anymore and he is sulking. 😂

I am very glad we agree about the R3 pro.
I have no problem activating that one and it has this sort of feel to it that gives one a solid grip on the ball and so good control. I just ordered another one.

I can not compare rubbers with other club members, they seem to buy their rubbers , have them glued on and stick with them until they are so glossy they probably have turned into "anti -rubbers ", or bits are falling of the blade.
The only guy who also does a lot of experimenting is the guy who bought the LAC of me and of course he is not talking to me anymore now. 🤣
Life is hard 🤣

Hahaha life Is hard🤣. If its due to phisique ir style for sure softer sponges with bigger pores should be easier to engage AND produce better & More consistent results

 

[lodro]

Hahaha life Is hard🤣. If its due to phisique ir style for sure softer sponges with bigger pores should be easier to engage AND produce better & More consistent results

Exactly. This is why I will be trying out Rozena next month.
I found however that when I boosted some BH rubbers that they ended up too bouncy for me to play the short and nasty game, also slow spinny serves are more difficult to do.

 

[KenTT]

Loki Arthur China ( LAC ) has been my go to, rubber recently for testing blades or rubbers and having LAC as a filler on the other side.
It feels like a good rubber for spin, speed and just something that cant go wrong, especially for its price and unboosted usabililty.

The characteristics that stick out to me are:

• Cheap af
• Good Spin
• Good Speed ( for chinese rubber)
• Good unboosted
• Good durabillity ( unless you hit edges or the table )
• Easily available online
• Can go on FH and BH
• Pretty much same hardness and overall characteristics every time
• Throw angle, feeling, grip etc. all quite good or not bad ( imo )
• Good amount of tackiness
• Normal weight

Recently, people have pointed out that they have found alternatives / upgrades for this.

My question:

What other rubbers can broadly fit those demands?

Doesnt have to meet all criteria.
But the important ones should be met.

Could it be:
Some LA variant?
A different Loki rubber?
Yinhe/729/Sanwei or whatever?

What are your thoughts?

Copyright © My own opinion. © All rights reserved

Have you tried 729 Friendship Battle 3? I am using it in FH(39 degree) and it is excellent. It ticks almost all your boxes and is only about US$30 in Aliexpress.

 

[TensorBackhand]

Have you tried 729 Friendship Battle 3? I am using it in FH(39 degree) and it is excellent. It ticks almost all your boxes and is only about US$30 in Aliexpress.

I have Battle Max and Battle 2 Pro. Both are good, and mostly similar to each other. I'm not sure how different Battle 3 would be.

 

[KenTT]

I have Battle Max and Battle 2 Pro. Both are good, and mostly similar to each other. I'm not sure how different Battle 3 would be.

I used the 729 Battle 2 blue sponge provincial and national before. B2BS and B3 are very similar in feeling and speed. B3 has more spin because topsheet is more tacky and B2BS has higher speed ceiling. National version of B2BS is more consistent than provincial.

 

[TensorBackhand]

I used the 729 Battle 2 blue sponge provincial and national before. B2BS and B3 are very similar in feeling and speed. B3 has more spin because topsheet is more tacky and B2BS has higher speed ceiling. National version of B2BS is more consistent than provincial.

How is the throw angle of B3 vs B2BS?

I found that B2 has a lower throw angle than Battle Max. However, B2 has more arc and bends down more than Battle Max.

 

[lodro]

something different. Remember we were talking about the idea of boosting a Hueison Hurricane storm ? I just preparing my BH rubber. After 2 layers of Seamoon.

 

[KenTT]

How is the throw angle of B3 vs B2BS?

I found that B2 has a lower throw angle than Battle Max. However, B2 has more arc and bends down more than Battle Max.

B3 and B2BS have about the same medium low throw angle.

 

[Cadoia]

something different. Remember we were talking about the idea of boosting a Hueison Hurricane storm ? I just preparing my BH rubber. After 2 layers of Seamoon.

View attachment 29242

ill be boosting rubbers for the first time in a few weeks. When I see this picture I am like: How the F.... you going to get THAT to stick to the blade? I mean how do you even glue it?
After you put it on you put a heavy book on top? I think ill be making a mess trying this.

 

[TensorBackhand]

ill be boosting rubbers for the first time in a few weeks. When I see this picture I am like: How the F.... you going to get THAT to stick to the blade? I mean how do you even glue it?
After you put it on you put a heavy book on top? I think ill be making a mess trying this.

You have to wait 2 days. It will uncurl and be easier to glue.

But if you refuse to wait, yes you can just put a lot of extra glue on the edges and try putting a heavy book on top.

 

[lodro]

I think ill be making a mess trying this.

yep, you would be making a mess of it and it still would not stick to the blade. 😂 It is different from rubber to rubber, some will take 2 days to "give" and some will take longer and some less. The one the picture shows flattened out over night. It was still a bit curled but you get the feel of it when it is ready to glue up.
I have some rubbers that will not curl no matter how many layers i apply. They curl a bit but when it is time to apply the next layer they are already flat again.