Most consistent BH rubber for opening up the game

[W3R]

AK47 really doesn't belong in this topic. Bad quality, and if you manage to get a good sheet it will wear and lose grip so quickly that you can't even get used to it properly.
That being said, if you take a yellow sheet and do get used to it, it's a very easy rubber to play with. It just doesn't do much.

For opening up, that really depends on your preference.

If you like soft, Euro rubbers, Vega Europe is very easy to grab a ball with.
If you like medium, Euro rubbers, I would suggest Rakza 7.
If you like it harder and/or less sensitive to spin, Fastarc G1.

In the Chinese style rubbers, I think Mercury 2 is very easy to use, also easy on the wallet. The Medium variant feels like the most versatile option here but YMMV. I think I played someone else's Soft before and it was quite Soft. Like Vega Europe levels. Very comfortable to play with.
Then of course there's Hurricane 3. The 37 degree variant is OK, but it feels closer to Mercury 2 than to Hurricane 3 so adjust your expectations. Topsheet grips and spins really well, but it's quite an acquired taste in my opinion.

Last but not least, it's important what blade you pair them with. Harder rubbers often do better with a more solid blade behind them. That could be a harder surface, stiffer, the addition of a fiber, anything that reduces power loss into the blade so that the sponge can be engaged more reliably.

💯 Agreed.. especially the red. I remember vega Europe being a solid choice for BH.. is it still though, or is it a bit outdated now? Both PRO and Europe are 25 euros on dandoy right now, but I thought they might be outdated now

 

[Tyce]

💯 Agreed.. especially the red. I remember vega Europe being a solid choice for BH.. is it still though, or is it a bit outdated now? Both PRO and Europe are 25 euros on dandoy right now, but I thought they might be outdated now

Sincere question: what would make a rubber "outdated" to you?

 

[Marvinn8686]

For BH with good control and reasonable spin:
Double Fish Volant Phoenix 2
Loki Telson Germany

 

[W3R]

Sincere question: what would make a rubber "outdated" to you?

valid question.. but I mean outdated compared to the newer ones that might have more nuanced properties due to research and tech over the years (like from Vega Pro to Vega X) ~ I don't know though, maybe these rubbers are better than the newer versions..

 

[W3R]

For BH with good control and reasonable spin:
Double Fish Volant Phoenix 2
Loki Telson Germany

Double Fish Volant Phoenix 2 - this seems like a good option!

 

[Tyce]

valid question.. but I mean outdated compared to the newer ones that might have more nuanced properties due to research and tech over the years (like from Vega Pro to Vega X) ~ I don't know though, maybe these rubbers are better than the newer versions..

Most Euro rubbers are only really updated in price.
Sure, there are gains in spin sensitivity and a little bit on the grip side, but most of it is just a new iteration of the same thing but slightly harder and 20 bucks more expensive.

 

[golden_son]

Omega _ Europe could be considered an "update" to Vega Europe, but Xiom still makes VE because it still plays and sells well. The Omega 7 version has 42.5° sponge hardness, while Omega 8 is 45°. In both cases they have slightly newer sponge and topsheet technologies than the Vega version. Probably more tensioned, but I don't know. I have a sheet of O8E I picked up on sale that I'm dying to test but I'm trying to be good and wear out my current BH rubber first 😅

Be aware that two versions of Vega Europe exist: a standard (original?) version in 42.5°, and a Dynamic Friction ("DYF") version that's 37.5°. The DYF topsheet is very grippy, but the sponge is quite soft.

 

[W3R]

I have a sheet of O8E I picked up on sale that I'm dying to test but I'm trying to be good and wear out my current BH rubber first

Just slap the the dam thing on your blade man.. lol just kidding. Thanks for the valuable info man!

 

[W3R]

Fastarc C1

I was going to get the Yinhe Moon 12 Blue (which I will get at some point for sure just to try) but plans changed.. I found a former 1st and 2nd division player to play (I'm lucky that I am the next best player for him to train) and he puts a lot of pressure to me, so I thought to replace both forehand and backhand to G1 - C1.. waiting for these to arrive. My brain got fried after all the reviews I read and videos I watched I hope these 2 will work well!

 

[W3R]

Harder rubbers can feel paradoxically slower if you don't hit with enough power to engage the sponge. Once you do, then they become faster than softer sponges. But also pore structure and chemical and mechanical treatments by the factory have an effect, too; even at the same hardness I'd expect a flagship manufacturer (e.g. Butterfly, ESN) rubber to have better top-end speed and probably more initial catapult than a Palio.

I'm actually curious to hear your thoughts about Moon 12 once you've tried it. If nothing else, it's a lovely blue color!

Okay, so I owe you a comment for Blue Moon 12 I had a couple Medium - Soft glued to some cheap yinhe blades for people at our spot, I tried it and it was good, but since the blade was much slower than mine I wasn't sure about it.

Last week I received one Medium - Hard, I wanted to try it on my blade so I removed the C1 on the bh side and glued this. I have to say that this is a Very Good rubber indeed! The M/H is actually a bit harder than the C1 and the G1 (super thick) maybe a bit slower and a bit less spiny, but it's grippy and definitely not slow (especially on a fast blade). It has a very direct feel to it which I found very enjoyable.. I think the M/S would be better on bh though and the M/H on fh. I did some FH loops practice switching sides with this and G1 and my partner found some difficulty in blocking when looping with the BM12.. I think because it was dropping after the bounce a bit more than the G1 - in any case it wasn't slow and easy to return like 20 blocks..

Overall I think this is the best under $20 rubber I've tried so far and I tried many of the "mainstream good value chinese / euro rubbers".

 

[golden_son]

Okay, so I owe you a comment for Blue Moon 12 I had a couple Medium - Soft glued to some cheap yinhe blades for people at our spot, I tried it and it was good, but since the blade was much slower than mine I wasn't sure about it.

Last week I received one Medium - Hard, I wanted to try it on my blade so I removed the C1 on the bh side and glued this. I have to say that this is a Very Good rubber indeed! The M/H is actually a bit harder than the C1 and the G1 (super thick) maybe a bit slower and a bit less spiny, but it's grippy and definitely not slow (especially on a fast blade). It has a very direct feel to it which I found very enjoyable.. I think the M/S would be better on bh though and the M/H on fh. I did some FH loops practice switching sides with this and G1 and my partner found some difficulty in blocking when looping with the BM12.. I think because it was dropping after the bounce a bit more than the G1 - in any case it wasn't slow and easy to return like 20 blocks..

Overall I think this is the best under $20 rubber I've tried so far and I tried many of the "mainstream good value chinese / euro rubbers".

Awesome! I actually just swapped out a M- (medium soft) for M+ (medium hard) on my Donic Skachkov Carbon and I'm also really liking it, for the same reason - grippy (even a bit tacky?), direct feel, linear, but not as slow as the M-. I would say I don't think it's harder than G1 per se but it's not as bouncy. It feels a bit like a hybrid. (Rakza Z Soft?) I immediately ordered another.

 

[W3R]

Awesome! I actually just swapped out a M- (medium soft) for M+ (medium hard) on my Donic Skachkov Carbon and I'm also really liking it, for the same reason - grippy (even a bit tacky?), direct feel, linear, but not as slow as the M-. I would say I don't think it's harder than G1 per se but it's not as bouncy. It feels a bit like a hybrid. (Rakza Z Soft?) I immediately ordered another.

Cool! Would definitely recommend this rubber to anyone. Good grip, good speed, and very direct. I glued it now to an all wood OFF andro blade, so I'll get a better idea of the speed. Great find!

 

[Archosaurus]

I got a sheet of Europe DF to develop more brush into my backhand, and while I kind of hate it (slow as a snail, very physically intensive if you're trying to make quality, very spin sensitive for what is supposedly a beginner rubber due to the high topsheet grip, sponge is very hard to re-glue as it likes to soak the glue), it's probably a good idea if you want to develop technique.

It's not the easiest to play with though due to the spin sensitivity, ironically, but it will teach you about serve receive, that's for sure. Not very bouncy either, to its detriment, but probably to the benefit of beginners.

 

[Grumms]

Telson 100 very boosted. Could be near a D05.

 

[Marvinn8686]

Telson 100 very boosted. Could be near a D05.

Do you see any difference between Loki Telson 100 and Loki Telson Germany? Not sure if there is any real or jsut a marketing trick. On the cover there are minimal differences in parameters Loki provides, but I am a bit skeptical. I played only with Germany (one of best BH rubbers for me) while Telson 100 package is yet unopened.

 

[Grumms]

Do you see any difference between Loki Telson 100 and Loki Telson Germany? Not sure if there is any real or jsut a marketing trick. On the cover there are minimal differences in parameters Loki provides, but I am a bit skeptical. I played only with Germany (one of best BH rubbers for me) while Telson 100 package is yet unopened.

Germany is a little slower.