Most consistent BH rubber for opening up the game

[ralph]

Xiom Vega X

over the table game is good. as long as the timing and racket angle is correct.

 

[golden_son]

I'll second (third?) Yinhe Moon 12 Blue as a great grippy, mid-soft rubber that's excellent for open-ups but it doesn't have great speed so it'll never be your killer. I like playing the positioning game with it.

 

[W3R]

Yes, they are certainly more forgiving.
My humble 2 cents... Contrary to popular opinion Rozena is not a slow rubber. For some reason it is considered as a beginners rubber and in my experience I strongly disagree. On BH I could maybe live with it.
I admit I do not like bounce and prefer Glayzer. Rozena did not work for me, and G09c (regular Glayzer too) is more my prefference, less rubber help and more what you put is what you get.

Thanks! So Glayzer doesn't have so much tensor effect and is more grippy? - and thus a bit easier to flick? I see you use 09C in both sides, what is that you like most?

 

[W3R]

Yinhe Moon 12 Blue
Very controlled rubber, just super easy to play with. Lacks speed in the higher gears as trade off.
Butterfly rozena is similar but more bouncy/ fast on lower gears. Higher throw.
Both rubbers are really forgiving

Since you use Glayzer - what is the main difference between Glayzer and Moon 12 Blue? I will stop asking more questions after this lol.. I'm just off table tennis for 7-8 years and where I live I'm the most advanced player (and like a coach) so I don't have any proper teamates to ask or try their equipment. I'm also buying stuff and assembling rackets for everyone else here.. so trying to catch up Thanks.

btw I bought many palio rubbers since they are cheap and decent for the new players here and I tried HK1997 gold on the BH and it's pretty okay ~ a bit slow but grippy enough with good control - but probably some better options out there.

 

[Ultravisitor]

Since you use Glayzer - what is the main difference between Glayzer and Moon 12 Blue? I will stop asking more questions after this lol.. I'm just off table tennis for 7-8 years and where I live I'm the most advanced player (and like a coach) so I don't have any proper teamates to ask or try their equipment. I'm also buying stuff and assembling rackets for everyone else here.. so trying to catch up Thanks.

btw I bought many palio rubbers since they are cheap and decent for the new players here and I tried HK1997 gold on the BH and it's pretty okay ~ a bit slow but grippy enough with good control - but probably some better options out there.

Glayzer has a special feeling. The Topsheet feels very hard, but at the same time it grips the ball very good. It's more demanding to play than Moon 12.
It has more spin
More topend speed
It feels more precise, if that makes sense, while Moon 12 is very forgiving.
Both have great control, Glayzer guves more active control, ability to manipulate spin and speed, while Moon gives you the feeling that you can't miss blocks.
Hope that helps

 

[W3R]

Glayzer has a special feeling. The Topsheet feels very hard, but at the same time it grips the ball very good. It's more demanding to play than Moon 12.
It has more spin
More topend speed
It feels more precise, if that makes sense, while Moon 12 is very forgiving.
Both have great control, Glayzer guves more active control, ability to manipulate spin and speed, while Moon gives you the feeling that you can't miss blocks.
Hope that helps

thanks so much! I wanna get both now Maybe if Moon 12 feels better on BH, I could use the Glayzer on FH

 

[golden_son]

Since you use Glayzer - what is the main difference between Glayzer and Moon 12 Blue? I will stop asking more questions after this lol.. I'm just off table tennis for 7-8 years and where I live I'm the most advanced player (and like a coach) so I don't have any proper teamates to ask or try their equipment. I'm also buying stuff and assembling rackets for everyone else here.. so trying to catch up Thanks.

btw I bought many palio rubbers since they are cheap and decent for the new players here and I tried HK1997 gold on the BH and it's pretty okay ~ a bit slow but grippy enough with good control - but probably some better options out there.

thanks so much! I wanna get both now Maybe if Moon 12 feels better on BH, I could use the Glayzer on FH

HK1997 Gold is a pretty hard rubber. If you're used to playing something hard like that on the BH, Glayzer would be closer in hardness but faster and with a grippier, not sticky, topsheet. Moon 12 is softer and more forgiving (although I think you can get harder versions, actually). I really like the M12 topsheet, I just wish it had a slightly livelier sponge...

 

[W3R]

HK1997 Gold is a pretty hard rubber. If you're used to playing something hard like that on the BH, Glayzer would be closer in hardness but faster and with a grippier, not sticky, topsheet. Moon 12 is softer and more forgiving (although I think you can get harder versions, actually). I really like the M12 topsheet, I just wish it had a slightly livelier sponge...

I don't really feel the hardness in rubbers, *I mean since it's hard it should be fast, right? But it seemed a bit slow.. haven't really used to these type of rubbers.. I just glued it because I had it and seems okay ish. (My last bh rubber was barracuda for a couple of years, 7-8 years ago) I'm definitely getting the Moon 12 since it's cheap and many people say good things about it.. maybe go with medium hard version, paired with a fast blade might be amazing 😁

 

[Ultravisitor]

thanks so much! I wanna get both now Maybe if Moon 12 feels better on BH, I could use the Glayzer on FH

Jeah thats what I'm using right now. I always come back to moon 12 on bh. And when the time comes to change the sheet, i always think I can transition to something "more advanced".

 

[golden_son]

I don't really feel the hardness in rubbers, *I mean since it's hard it should be fast, right? But it seemed a bit slow.. haven't really used to these type of rubbers.. I just glued it because I had it and seems okay ish. (My last bh rubber was barracuda for a couple of years, 7-8 years ago) I'm definitely getting the Moon 12 since it's cheap and many people say good things about it.. maybe go with medium hard version, paired with a fast blade might be amazing 😁

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!

 

[MORTtheORT]

Rakza 7, Rakra 7 soft is very easy to use and great if you have lost confidence (I have my kids on this as it allows them to just attack and play their shots while having relatively good spin, but I would definitely have it on a fast blade). I have been trying the T05FX 1.9mm on my backhand, and I am finding it very easy to use. It seems to do every shot easy. BH open-ups are very easy and, for me, very automatic even if caught out of position. I find that you can attack very low balls with this rubber.

 

[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!

Well I can tell you this for sure, in the next batch of rubbers we will order from ali exress there will be at least one Moon 12 blue in there 100% I will come back to write my thoughts - btw I'm curious why most reviews and a couple of videos were using medium soft.. which is the softer out of 4 versions.. anyway def not going for medium soft, either medium hard or the 3rd hardest don't remember the name - or maybe both 2 and 3 (skip the softest and hardest)

 

[golden_son]

Well I can tell you this for sure, in the next batch of rubbers we will order from ali exress there will be at least one Moon 12 blue in there 100% I will come back to write my thoughts - btw I'm curious why most reviews and a couple of videos were using medium soft.. which is the softer out of 4 versions.. anyway def not going for medium soft, either medium hard or the 3rd hardest don't remember the name - or maybe both 2 and 3 (skip the softest and hardest)

I actually use the Medium Soft version as well. It's hard to find an actual hardness rating in degrees for it anywhere but it feels closer to a ~45° ESN, which is where I'm most comfortable on BH. I'm sure the Medium Hard plays great as well, and faster, but I'm still working on BH consistency and I've found 45° to be the sweet spot for control without being too mushy. I may try the Medium Hard next just to see, because top-end speed is the one area I find it lacking...

 

[W3R]

I actually use the Medium Soft version as well. It's hard to find an actual hardness rating in degrees for it anywhere but it feels closer to a ~45° ESN, which is where I'm most comfortable on BH. I'm sure the Medium Hard plays great as well, and faster, but I'm still working on BH consistency and I've found 45° to be the sweet spot for control without being too mushy. I may try the Medium Hard next just to see, because top-end speed is the one area I find it lacking...

45 isn't too soft right? So might be good for me too, I was thinking the medium hard because of the speed as you said, but I don't know the hardness of other rubbers to compare.. that's measured more in the latest years. Btw I glued a palio AK47 red today because I had it lol.. definitely not for BH.. hard deadish not grippy feel with low angle, not even very good for FH, but at least on FH when doing proper full stroke you could produce some rockets. I write because I saw it in one list as very good BH rubber but I guess this guy had Kreanga's BH 😁 The HK1997 gold much better for BH

 

[golden_son]

I hate AK47 on either wing. There are those out there that have called it an inexpensive alternative to Tenergy 05 but I swear the only thing AK47 and T05 have in common is that they are made of rubber... And I guess, yeah, AK47 can be pretty fast. Blue or Yellow (the softer sponge versions) may be all right for BH but I wouldn't bother when there are better options (see: Moon 12 Blue) at a similar price point.

I guess there's no accounting for taste 😂

FWIW, AK47 Red is around 47°. (Palio lists it as 45-47 so I suppose it's possible to end up with a softer specimen.) This is comparable to Rakza 7, Vega Pro/X, Fastarc G-1 and the like. For me, and many other amateurs, this is the ideal hardness for FH, with 42-45 being good for BH until you've got solid BH technique. There are lots of players on this forum that use R7, Vega X, and the like as BH rubbers and harder ones on the FH, but I wouldn't start there, especially if your goal is to learn/practice open-ups.

For comparison's sake, other 45° rubbers are Andro's Rasanter R45/NUZN 45 (how convenient when it's in the name, eh?); Xiom's Vega Korea and the new Vega O; Gewo's Nexxus EL Pro 45; Nittaku's Fastarc C-1; Butterfly Rozena; and Tibhar's Evolution EL-S. Common 42's include Rasanter R42, Xiom Omega 7 Europe, and Tenergy 05fx.

 

[Tiz]

The BH rubber that made super easy to open down spin game for me has to be DHS Hurricane 3-50 especially the soft version, 35 degree. I could open even from low positions and also flicks were easy. Unfortunately it's also very very slow. I think it's useful to practice openings but because they are so easy, but with other rubbers I was not able to replicate what I could do with it. A good compromise between 3-50 and a tensor rubber would be Hurricane 8-80.

 

[W3R]

I hate AK47 on either wing. There are those out there that have called it an inexpensive alternative to Tenergy 05 but I swear the only thing AK47 and T05 have in common is that they are made of rubber... And I guess, yeah, AK47 can be pretty fast. Blue or Yellow (the softer sponge versions) may be all right for BH but I wouldn't bother when there are better options (see: Moon 12 Blue) at a similar price point.

I guess there's no accounting for taste 😂

FWIW, AK47 Red is around 47°. (Palio lists it as 45-47 so I suppose it's possible to end up with a softer specimen.) This is comparable to Rakza 7, Vega Pro/X, Fastarc G-1 and the like. For me, and many other amateurs, this is the ideal hardness for FH, with 42-45 being good for BH until you've got solid BH technique. There are lots of players on this forum that use R7, Vega X, and the like as BH rubbers and harder ones on the FH, but I wouldn't start there, especially if your goal is to learn/practice open-ups.

For comparison's sake, other 45° rubbers are Andro's Rasanter R45/NUZN 45 (how convenient when it's in the name, eh?); Xiom's Vega Korea and the new Vega O; Gewo's Nexxus EL Pro 45; Nittaku's Fastarc C-1; Butterfly Rozena; and Tibhar's Evolution EL-S. Common 42's include Rasanter R42, Xiom Omega 7 Europe, and Tenergy 05fx.

Thanks for the details! - So I glued the AK Red where I had the Vega pro and I can tell you that they are very different, even if the hardness is the same. Not sure if the AK will "break" after a couple of hours and will soften up.. but the Vega has a much softer / more grippy feel and higher arc, musch easier to play with on first touch.. I think there are more important characteristics than the hardness, like the grippiness and the throw angle for example.. and the tensor effect of course.

If you are in high level, very athletic and play all the balls fast and on time I think you just need power and speed from the rubber - If you let the ball go further down because you need more time, and also half the shots are out of position (like me), then grippiness and throw angle probably matter more

 

[vossi39]

What I found most disturbing about the AK47s is the inconsistency in QC. I ordered 5 sheets at different times (as a cheap rubber for our kids rackets) and they are not consistent in weight, hardness, grip etc. So I would not like to play them as competition rubbers, as characteristics will not be the same when changing.
Might explain the different impression from users in the reviews.

 

[W3R]

What I found most disturbing about the AK47s is the inconsistency in QC. I ordered 5 sheets at different times (as a cheap rubber for our kids rackets) and they are not consistent in weight, hardness, grip etc. So I would not like to play them as competition rubbers, as characteristics will not be the same when changing.
Might explain the different impression from users in the reviews.

Oh, I see that might be the reason..

 

[Tyce]

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.