Perceived hardness of 39 degree Chinese rubbers

[hclnnkhg]

Hi everyone, I am interested in your personal experience with Chinese rubbers at 39 sponge hardness nominally, UNBOOSTED (factory tuning is allowed, like ITTF rules), and rank them in the order of how hard it feels to you. If possible, please also state what blades you put them on!

 

[loerting]

For Hurricane: The topsheet feels soft, while the sponge is hard.

 

[hclnnkhg]

For Hurricane: The topsheet feels soft, while the sponge is hard.

Thanks for your answer, although I am more looking to rank/compare different rubbers that are all nominally 39 degrees.

 

[lodro]

all numbers re hardness vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, more though
they are just numbers and are not necessarily factual measured hardness-figures.
Therefore the number 39 from factory A can be different from factory B.
The numbers will also vary within a given factory range, like their model XXX with the hardness given as 39 can have a different actual measured hardness than their model YYY.
And of course we all know that even within a same model the number means very little because just because I bought another H3 39 the next one is likely to be different.
Trying to establish the actual correct hardness by feel will of course also not bring anything because "feels" also vary from player to player.

Life is hard 😁

 

[hclnnkhg]

all numbers re hardness vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, more though
they are just numbers and are not necessarily factual measured hardness-figures.
Therefore the number 39 from factory A can be different from factory B.
The numbers will also vary within a given factory range, like their model XXX with the hardness given as 39 can have a different actual measured hardness than their model YYY.
And of course we all know that even within a same model the number means very little because just because I bought another H3 39 the next one is likely to be different.
Trying to establish the actual correct hardness by feel will of course also not bring anything because "feels" also vary from player to player.

Life is hard 😁

I am aware that there are multiple factors affecting the overall hardness of a rubber. This is more like a survey; with enough responses, some conclusion may be drawn (assuming their QCs aren't too bad).

 

[Choosikick]

As for Jupiters from Yinhe, for me the optimal hardness is exactly 39 degrees.
38 degrees is softer and slower.
40 degrees is harder and at the same time non-linear, that is, slower on slow strokes, faster on fast strokes, besides this is a less versatile rubber - it does not combine with all my blades. Blades with hard tops feel stiffer - harder to spin than blades with softer outer veneers.
P.S. without a booster, these rubbers are dead for me, so all my feelings relate to these rubbers treated with seamun.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Hi everyone, I am interested in your personal experience with Chinese rubbers at 39 sponge hardness nominally, UNBOOSTED (factory tuning is allowed, like ITTF rules), and rank them in the order of how hard it feels to you. If possible, please also state what blades you put them on!

Well, I tested a lot over the years.
If just recent, I tested the whole H9 range, i think 39 and 38 (for the 80#)
I've used H3 in 41.5 ~ 39, both in neo/non neo.
I tried H2 many years ago (can't remember the hardness, but i think it is 39 or 40)
I tried a lot of Yinhe, from Mars/Moon/Sun in the 39s (and others), the BD1/3/4, J3 etc (i know I am leaving off a lot, as i can't remember everything in the past 10 years)
and recently the Loki full range (R1, R3, R1 Special, T3 are the 39)
I tested a lot of 729/LKT over the years, I'm not going to attempt to name them or remember the sponge hardness.

In terms of how hard it feels, the yinhe are all very bouncy
So I think you need to give a better definition on what do you mean by hard? is it lack of bounce?

Loki, the quality on sponge and topsheet between the entry level R1 for example and the others are just so different.
R1 has little bounce for example

In terms of DHS, the H9 doesn't have tacky topsheet, so the topsheet is bouncier on 39 versus say a H3

blades:
YEO/Intensity
Viscaria/ 5+2alc

 

[tackyfh]

I've tried Yinhe BD1, BD2, Sanwei TP3 and H3 at 39deg w/o booster. Their hardness doesn't vary much from each other but in terms of feeling H3 give me the "dead"est response.

 

[hclnnkhg]

Well, I tested a lot over the years.
If just recent, I tested the whole H9 range, i think 39 and 38 (for the 80#)
I've used H3 in 41.5 ~ 39, both in neo/non neo.
I tried H2 many years ago (can't remember the hardness, but i think it is 39 or 40)
I tried a lot of Yinhe, from Mars/Moon/Sun in the 39s (and others), the BD1/3/4, J3 etc (i know I am leaving off a lot, as i can't remember everything in the past 10 years)
and recently the Loki full range (R1, R3, R1 Special, T3 are the 39)
I tested a lot of 729/LKT over the years, I'm not going to attempt to name them or remember the sponge hardness.

In terms of how hard it feels, the yinhe are all very bouncy
So I think you need to give a better definition on what do you mean by hard? is it lack of bounce?

Loki, the quality on sponge and topsheet between the entry level R1 for example and the others are just so different.
R1 has little bounce for example

In terms of DHS, the H9 doesn't have tacky topsheet, so the topsheet is bouncier on 39 versus say a H3

blades:
YEO/Intensity
Viscaria/ 5+2alc

When I say "hard", I can thinking about a rubber that is/"feels" difficult to compress. So a rubber can be hard and bouncy, or hard and not bouncy.

 

[igorponger]

For an answer, look into the referential Rubber Hardness Sheet as compiled by our good fellow HaggisV.