Final contribution from my side.
Guide to Forehand Chopping Rubbers by a beginner, for beginners.
What I've personally tested
My recommendations and opinions in this guide are limited to the following rubbers and sponge thicknesses that I've personally tested.
All rubbers except for the Hurricane provincial(only on Goriki) has been tested on both Nittaku Goriki Super cut and Stiga allround classic cybershape.
- Friendship 729 FX Super Soft: 1.8 mm, 2.0 mm and MAX — 2.0 mm is unquestionably the best in my opinion
- SpinLord Marder: 1.8 mm and 2.0 mm
- Giant Dragon Submarine: 1.8 mm and 2.0 mm
- Friendship 729 Geospin Tacky: 2.0 mm
- DHS Hurricane 3 Commercial, Orange Sponge, 37°: 2.1 mm
- DHS Hurricane 3 Provincial, Orange Sponge, 38°: 2.1 mm
There are, of course, countless other rubbers available and just as many opinions about which rubber is "best" for defensive table tennis.
Everything in this guide is based on my personal experience and subjective opinion. Your blade, technique, level, playing style and personal preferences may lead you to completely different conclusions. But i hope that this can help you.
I've spent quite a bit of time — and money — experimenting to find a forehand rubber that works for my chopping game.
Hopefully, my experience can help you find yours a little faster — and a little cheaper.
This guide is aimed primarily at players who are new to forehand chopping and defensive table tennis and are trying to find a suitable forehand rubber, like myself.
If you're just starting to explore a more defensive playing style, choosing a forehand rubber can quickly become an expensive process of trial and error in my experience. There are countless options, and it's difficult to know which characteristics actually matter to you until you've experienced them yourself.
My goal with this guide is simple: to help other players who are new to forehand chopping find a rubber that suits them while spending as little money as possible experimenting along the way.
For that reason, this guide deliberately starts in the budget segment. I prioritize price in combination with playing characteristics, quality, and suitability for forehand chopping. This is not intended to be a definitive ranking of the best defensive rubbers, nor is it aimed at experienced defenders who already know exactly what they want from their equipment.
Instead, think of it as a cost-effective starting path for someone discovering forehand chopping.
The philosophy behind the guide is simple:
«Start cheap. Learn what you like. If a cheap rubber does everything you need, there is no reason to spend more.»
Step 1: Start with "Giant Dragon Submarine" — 1.8 mm or 2.0 mm
This is where I recommend starting if you're new to forehand chopping.
The Submarine is a soft rubber with a dampening sponge. Of all the rubbers I've tested, it might actually be the most stable and confidence-inspiring rubber I've used for forehand chopping.
For a player who is relatively new to defensive play, that stability makes it a particularly interesting starting point — especially considering its low price.
The compromise is offense.
The same dampening characteristics that make the Submarine so stable when chopping also compromise speed and power when you attack.
If you like the Submarine...
Congratulations! 🥳
You may already have found your rubber — and at a very attractive price.
Before spending money on something else, I recommend experimenting with sponge thickness.
Interestingly, if you use a fast blade, a thinner sponge may actually improve the speed and power you get in offensive strokes. Because the sponge itself is dampening, a thinner sponge may allow the characteristics of the blade to come through more.
Personally, however, I settled on 2.0 mm.
One additional note: In my experience, the black Submarine is tackier than the red version.
If you are happy with it, my advice is simple:
Stop here. Play table tennis. Save your money.
Step 2A: If the Submarine is too soft → "Friendship 729 Geospin Tacky"
Recommended thickness: 1.8 mm or 2.0 mm
If you find it too soft, I would move to the Friendship 729 Geospin Tacky.
It has a harder feel and is faster than the Submarine. It is also very tacky and offers good control when transitioning from defensive play into offense.
For someone who finds the Submarine too soft but still wants an affordable rubber with good characteristics for forehand chopping, this is the direction I would go.
Step 2B: If you like the softness but want more offensive potential → "Friendship 729 FX Super Soft"
Recommended thickness: 2.0 mm
The FX Super Soft is still a slow rubber and actually has a slightly deader feel than the Submarine.
The important difference, in my experience, is what happens when you put more power into your strokes.
The FX Super Soft responds better to harder shots and is relatively forgiving when you decide to attack. This gives it an interesting balance for a player who is learning defensive play, appreciates a soft rubber, but wants more offensive possibilities than the Submarine provides.
I've tested the FX Super Soft in 1.8 mm, 2.0 mm and MAX.
In my opinion, 2.0 mm is unquestionably the best version.
Step 3: You like the direction, but something is still missing → "DHS Hurricane 3 Provincial"
If you've moved on from the Submarine to either the 729 Geospin Tacky or 729 FX Super Soft, and you like the general characteristics but still feel that something is missing, my advice is:
🥳 Go directly to DHS Hurricane 3 Provincial, Orange Sponge, 38°, 2.1 mm.
At this point, rather than continuing to spend money trying several intermediate alternatives, this is where I would make the jump, i hope you will get that complete "wow" feeling like i did.
Last note.
The entire purpose of this guide is to help players who are new to forehand chopping avoid buying rubber after rubber while they're still figuring out what they actually need.
Start cheap. Learn how different characteristics affect your chopping and offensive strokes. Figure out what you actually prefer.
If one of the inexpensive options works perfectly for you, fantastic.
If not, once you have a better idea of what you're looking for, it may be worth making the bigger jump.
What about "SpinLord Marder" and "H3 Commercial"?
I have deliberately left SpinLord Marder and Hurricane 3 Commercial Orange Sponge 37° out of the main decision tree.
This does not mean that they are bad rubbers.
I simply didn't feel that either of them offered something sufficiently better than the cheaper options already mentioned to justify recommending them as another purchase on the journey toward finding the right rubber.
Remember the purpose of this guide:
The goal is to help someone new to forehand chopping find a suitable rubber while buying as few as possible.
