Rasanter R42 & R45 alternatives

[Gaucho]

Hi all,

My current setup (playing with this setup approx 1 year)
Blade: Butterfly Balsa Carbo X7
BH: Andro Rasanter R42 2.0
FH: Andro Rasanter R45 2.0

Quality wise I'm a bit dissapointed in the R45. The rubber was chipped early on at several places on the edges, rubber seems a bit brittle. Anyone similiar experiences with this rubber?

The playing characteristics of the R45 for me are 'alright'. Doesn't lack anything but nothing really special as well. Big plus for me is the consistency. Regarding the R42, opening up is very nice and easy. However topspinning a bit further from the table becomes more difficult as I overshoot the table a lot more (this obviously has to do with my technique as well). I do relatively punch a lot with my BH and I feel the strength of the rubber is definitely not in this department. Maybe a bit more lineair rubber would solve both 'problems'.

My playing style (ELO 1400): Allround, controlled spinning with BH and mixing this up with a lot of pushing and punching. FH is my stronger side as I can topspin with the max of my speed and still can hold a (relative) good quality of my shots. I do a lot of 3rd ball attacks with my FH and miss some confidence/quallity in my backhand topspin shots in the rally.

I'm definitely holding on to my current blade, I'm 'ok' with my current total setup however, I feel some improvements can be made by changing/choosing rubbers that fit a bit better to my playing style in combination with my blade. Any advice on R42 and R45 alternatives?

Update 29/8/2023
First take after playing a month with new rubbers. l Sticked to R45 on FH (at least for the upcoming season). Replaced the rubber with a new rubber, altough it doesn't 'shine' for me, it's very reliable and consistent and I can just do the right shots with it. As for the BH I've switched to a surprising (non tensor) rubber, Stiga Calibra LT Sound. So far it works very well for me, it gives me the confidence and consistency to open up and start the rally, where the R42 was quite springy and incosistent what really influenced my playing style on the BH side (mainly pushing and keep it on the table as I was not confident in my opening top spin shots). I feel the Stiga Calibra LT Sound also works better me when punching/driving/flipping, so all in general it really improved my playing style and gives me more confidence/consistency in my shots. I'm quite hesitant to switch back to tensor rubber on my BH side due to the springy nature of tensors. Anyone got similar experiences?

 

[ander999]

Gewo Nexxus EL 45 SuperSelect or Nexxus EL Pro 43 are both great alternatives.

 

[mat]

Bh: xiom vega europe, its more soft and less speed vs R42. Its better on bh.

 

[giahao]

I think you cant go wrong with some of these...

1. Omega VII series from XIOM. Pro for fh and Europe for bh is great. (id say closest to Rasanter series in terms of the way it plays"
2. Evo series from Tibhar. the classic.. MXP fh, MXS bh.
3. If you wanna go down the Japanese based brand route then Victas V20fh, V15bh but do be aware that feeling is quite different from the Rasanter series which might be a bit of a risk.

Ive had peers having the same problem with the rasanter series, rubber lifespan is defo a problem as it seems to chip a lot, shrinks of u re-glue and sponge just feels "worn out" after a while.

 

[piligrim]

I think you cant go wrong with some of these...

1. Omega VII series from XIOM. Pro for fh and Europe for bh is great. (id say closest to Rasanter series in terms of the way it plays"

I had R45, Omega VII Euro and Pro and they feel they very different.
I very like R45 but after 2-3 month it feel much slower and less grip. If it was more durable it would be perfect rubber

 

[giahao]

I had R45, Omega VII Euro and Pro and they feel they very different.
I very like R45 but after 2-3 month it feel much slower and less grip. If it was more durable it would be perfect rubber

Feeling wise it is indeed very different but its quite hard to find rubbers from diff brand that offers similar feeling. Id say the way the rubber play wise the omega vii series is on par if not better. omega series defo last longer from what ive experience.

 

[piligrim]

Feeling wise it is indeed very different but its quite hard to find rubbers from diff brand that offers similar feeling. Id say the way the rubber play wise the omega vii series is on par if not better. omega series defo last longer from what ive experience.

Agree. Omega VII rubbers much more durable

 

[Airoc]

Hi all,

My current setup (playing with this setup approx 1 year)
Blade: Butterfly Balsa Carbo X7
BH: Andro Rasanter R42 2.0
FH: Andro Rasanter R45 2.0

Quality wise I'm a bit dissapointed in the R45. The rubber was chipped early on at several places on the edges,

Without any physical contact? I´ve never had that problem with any Rasanter.

more difficult as I overshoot the table a lot more (this obviously has to do with my technique as well).

It is very probably a mix of technique and racket characteristics. A rubber with catapult like R42 on a balsa blade might be a bit explosive at times. Have you tried switching sides in practice to see if R45 would solve this particular problem?

Any advice on R42 and R45 alternatives?

For me, nothing around the 45 degree hardness mark beats R45 in power and spin, in fact to me it felt a lot more like its bigger brother R48 than like any other medium rubber I know.

The GEWO rubbers recommended are quite similar to what you already have, I just felt the Super Select doesn´t live up to the power of R45 and the Nexxus 43 feels even softer than R42, I doubt this would do much to solve your problems.

Vega Europe is a decent rubber, and they also have a medium soft version in Vega Japan. These would be "budget" alternatives. I guess you would also find them "ok" - since you don´t really have any serious issues with your setup you might as well stick to it.

For a more linear feeling I´d probably recommend to change to a blade with no balsa, but that is the one thing you don´t want, and you´ll have your reasons for it.

 

[JJ Ng]

Hi all,

My current setup (playing with this setup approx 1 year)
Blade: Butterfly Balsa Carbo X7
BH: Andro Rasanter R42 2.0
FH: Andro Rasanter R45 2.0

Quality wise I'm a bit dissapointed in the R45. The rubber was chipped early on at several places on the edges, rubber seems a bit brittle. Anyone similiar experiences with this rubber?

The playing characteristics of the R45 for me are 'alright'. Doesn't lack anything but nothing really special as well. Big plus for me is the consistency. Regarding the R42, opening up is very nice and easy. However topspinning a bit further from the table becomes more difficult as I overshoot the table a lot more (this obviously has to do with my technique as well). I do relatively punch a lot with my BH and I feel the strength of the rubber is definitely not in this department. Maybe a bit more lineair rubber would solve both 'problems'.

My playing style (ELO 1400): Allround, controlled spinning with BH and mixing this up with a lot of pushing and punching. FH is my stronger side as I can topspin with the max of my speed and still can hold a (relative) good quality of my shots. I do a lot of 3rd ball attacks with my FH and miss some confidence/quallity in my backhand topspin shots in the rally.

I'm definitely holding on to my current blade, I'm 'ok' with my current total setup however, I feel some improvements can be made by changing/choosing rubbers that fit a bit better to my playing style in combination with my blade. Any advice on R42 and R45 alternatives?

If you like to punch and want a more linear rubber, look no further than G-1. It is a tensor rubber. When you play with it and, say, compared to Hurricane, it is a tensor. No mistake about it. But it is very linear. Where you want to go, G-1 will take you there. It is less catapulty than the Revolution series and the Xiom Vega series. I think you will like G-1.

G-1 has a pretty spinny top sheet too. It is also durable.

I have a green R47 on a slower carbon blade. I rarely use it. It is a bit hard for me. I like softer backhand like Rakza 7 soft or C-1.

However, for you, I think G-1 is worth a shot. G-1 used to come in max sponge of 2.0mm. Now it comes in max sponge (guess 2.15mm or 2.2mm?). If you want to loop and go away from the table, you should get the max sponge. If you want to stay close to the table, be linear and punch a lot, 2.0mm sponge would be good.

 

[Gozo Aruna]

Why no love for DONIC? Bluestorm Z series?

 

[Migzkulit]

Donic Baracuda

 

[Gaucho]

If you like to punch and want a more linear rubber, look no further than G-1. It is a tensor rubber. When you play with it and, say, compared to Hurricane, it is a tensor. No mistake about it. But it is very linear. Where you want to go, G-1 will take you there. It is less catapulty than the Revolution series and the Xiom Vega series. I think you will like G-1.

G-1 has a pretty spinny top sheet too. It is also durable.

I have a green R47 on a slower carbon blade. I rarely use it. It is a bit hard for me. I like softer backhand like Rakza 7 soft or C-1.

However, for you, I think G-1 is worth a shot. G-1 used to come in max sponge of 2.0mm. Now it comes in max sponge (guess 2.15mm or 2.2mm?). If you want to loop and go away from the table, you should get the max sponge. If you want to stay close to the table, be linear and punch a lot, 2.0mm sponge would be good.

Thanks for al the recommendations. I just went to our tt shop and tried various test blades with different rubbers. It obviously is just a first impression. The Omega series are very nice, highy quality rubbers and a lot of spin. I guess for my style/level at this point in time not the right choice, maybe when I'll improve more this will be on my list. I found it for my style a bit wild/inconsistent when (brush) looping a bit further from the table. I had Vega Euro in the past on a different blade and that's a very nice rubber as well what could suit for me.

After having tried several rubbers a surprising rubber felt best for me, Stiga Calibra LT Sound. I guess a dinosaur of a rubber comparing to al these modern tensors. Altough the shots lack speed (my BH isn't my winning shot anyway) I was able to consistently put the ball on the table with full strokes and it felt also very nice and comfortable in the push and punching department. I'm very curious how I'll experience this rubber next months and in the competition coming up in september.

Rubbers tried;
Stiga DNA series: good quality, very allround rubber, relative low trajectory of the ball compared to other.
Omega series: Very nice and good quality rubbers, challenging for me to maintain quality a bit further from table
Rasanter series: Felt kind of same to the omega series, good quality and for now I'm holding on to R45 on my FH as it's just very nice consistent rubber.

I'm definitely interested in trying G-1. This rubber wasn't available on a test blade unfortunately.

Anyone experience with Stiga Calibra Sound series?

 

[JJ Ng]

Thanks for al the recommendations. I just went to our tt shop and tried various test blades with different rubbers. It obviously is just a first impression. The Omega series are very nice, highy quality rubbers and a lot of spin. I guess for my style/level at this point in time not the right choice, maybe when I'll improve more this will be on my list. I found it for my style a bit wild/inconsistent when (brush) looping a bit further from the table. I had Vega Euro in the past on a different blade and that's a very nice rubber as well what could suit for me.

After having tried several rubbers a surprising rubber felt best for me, Stiga Calibra LT Sound. I guess a dinosaur of a rubber comparing to al these modern tensors. Altough the shots lack speed (my BH isn't my winning shot anyway) I was able to consistently put the ball on the table with full strokes and it felt also very nice and comfortable in the push and punching department. I'm very curious how I'll experience this rubber next months and in the competition coming up in september.

Rubbers tried;
Stiga DNA series: good quality, very allround rubber, relative low trajectory of the ball compared to other.
Omega series: Very nice and good quality rubbers, challenging for me to maintain quality a bit further from table
Rasanter series: Felt kind of same to the omega series, good quality and for now I'm holding on to R45 on my FH as it's just very nice consistent rubber.

I'm definitely interested in trying G-1. This rubber wasn't available on a test blade unfortunately.

Anyone experience with Stiga Calibra Sound series?View attachment 26098

I have not tried it. On the forum someone mentioned that it is made by Daiki factory in Japan. In other words, almost all tensors rubbers are made in Germany's ESN factory (the name of the company, in literally abbreviation, is ESN). So some people would argue the Fastarc series, Revolutions series and Rasanter series are all similar because they are made by the ESN factory in Germany. I agree and I disagree. I am sure every brand demands slight modification for their rubber. But I also agree in that C-1 and Rakza 7 soft play eerily similar to each other so...

Therefore Stiga Calibra series are made by Daiki factory in Japan suggesting that it might be of higher quality and/or structured differently than ESN rubber. If you like it, you should get it! Everyone plays differently so only you can tell what rubber is best for you now!

 

[Tommy16]

The feeling of Calibra sound is like a soft speedglued rubber. it has great sound and nice touch. durabilitywise this is a worst rubber that have play with. But I think this depence quite a lot how hard you loop/drive with it.
Note: I tried this rubber right after it came out so it is possible that Stiga has upgrade the topsheet for making it last longer.

 

[Metaxa]

Very strange that your rubber is crumbling.
Have you ever thought of a Gewo Hype XT Pro 40.0 in 2.1 for your FH?
For your BH, I'd stick with Andro and look out for the HEXER group. A Hexer Grip SFX bvb is very playable in opening, pushing, blocking and topspin 2 to 3 meters from the table with your kind of wood.

 

[KM1976]

I am using Xiom Vega X on both FH and BH. I find it very good for my game.

 

[Gaucho]

Very strange that your rubber is crumbling.
Have you ever thought of a Gewo Hype XT Pro 40.0 in 2.1 for your FH?
For your BH, I'd stick with Andro and look out for the HEXER group. A Hexer Grip SFX bvb is very playable in opening, pushing, blocking and topspin 2 to 3 meters from the table with your kind of wood.

I guess it was chipped due to my backhand pushes. The left side of the R45 was chipped, I guess i've slightly touched the the table with my rubber a couple of times when pushing with my bh. Never had it before with other rubbers tho.

 

[Gozo Aruna]

Hi all,

My current setup (playing with this setup approx 1 year)
Blade: Butterfly Balsa Carbo X7
BH: Andro Rasanter R42 2.0
FH: Andro Rasanter R45 2.0

Quality wise I'm a bit dissapointed in the R45. The rubber was chipped early on at several places on the edges, rubber seems a bit brittle. Anyone similiar experiences with this rubber?

The playing characteristics of the R45 for me are 'alright'. Doesn't lack anything but nothing really special as well. Big plus for me is the consistency. Regarding the R42, opening up is very nice and easy. However topspinning a bit further from the table becomes more difficult as I overshoot the table a lot more (this obviously has to do with my technique as well). I do relatively punch a lot with my BH and I feel the strength of the rubber is definitely not in this department. Maybe a bit more lineair rubber would solve both 'problems'.

My playing style (ELO 1400): Allround, controlled spinning with BH and mixing this up with a lot of pushing and punching. FH is my stronger side as I can topspin with the max of my speed and still can hold a (relative) good quality of my shots. I do a lot of 3rd ball attacks with my FH and miss some confidence/quallity in my backhand topspin shots in the rally.

I'm definitely holding on to my current blade, I'm 'ok' with my current total setup however, I feel some improvements can be made by changing/choosing rubbers that fit a bit better to my playing style in combination with my blade. Any advice on R42 and R45 alternatives?

I also have Andro Rasanter R45 & R48. I just glued it to another blade and I notice that the sponge has start to deteriorate. I do not have such issue with Donic.

The issue is when I remove the glue from the sponge ( Butterfly Free Chack 2 ), the sponge tends to come out bits and pieces with the glue. I do not experience such with Donic rubber.

I am now not partial to Rasanter anymore.

 

[Airoc]

I am sure every brand demands slight modification for their rubber.

Absolutely. For the examples you gave, it is even more obvious that they are different. Fastarc was the earliest on the market and Evolution rubbers are at least one step forward (and a little sideways) in technological progress. Rasanter introduced the whole thin topsheet/even thicker max sponge thing. Of course they would appeal to roughly the same taregt group for everyone to pick their favourite, but similar they aren´t.

Therefore Stiga Calibra series are made by Daiki factory in Japan suggesting that it might be of higher quality and/or structured differently than ESN rubber.

Different, yes. But the days of higher quality of Japanese rubbers are long over, in fact on our local market Stiga struggled because of poor quality in everything from Calibra Tour onwards, Airoc, Airoc Astro, to the extent that no-one was really interested in their Mantra rubbers although they were a lot better.

 

[Airoc]

I do not experience such with Donic rubber.

I am now not partial to Rasanter anymore.

Unfortunately the ease that glue can be removed not only depends on rubber/sponge, but also on the conditions the glueing was made under.
Provided you always do it in an identical way I would be interested which DONIC rubbers exactly perform better in that respect, because I have surely damaged rubbers from both brands while peeling off glue ;-)
So I don´t think DONIC in general should be considered better than Rasanter?