Stiga DNA Pro Rubbers Review

[yogi_bear]

How would this rubber compare to DHS Goldarc 8? Both are ESN rubbers, and I do play sometimes with Goldarc 8 (on both sides) on a Sanwei Fextra which I find a quite good and a not too expensive setup.

I find Goldarc to be just above average. Not even in the level of MXP.

 

[Oliver]

I am an offensive player who likes to loop, counter attack, topspin, flick on the forehand and block, chop, flick and hit on the backhand. I recently won a state competition and want to upgrade my racket. I have decided my ply to be Butterfly Viscaria ALC. For forehand i was thinking Rasanter r50 or the upcoming r53 and for backhand Stiga dna pro H. Are the rubbers good? Please recommend good and spinny rubbers which should not exceed 50€? I have an upcoming competition in December, so please reply fast.

 

[Avenger]

DHS Goldarc 8 (50 degrees) as an ESN rubber is comparable to MXP in my opinion.

I've played with MXP for over 2 years and then switched over to Goldarc 8, 47.5 degrees, but didn't really get the oomph that I liked. After using the 50 degree version of Goldarc 8 for about a year I can say it has similar power and spin as MXP but with better control.

I'm excited about the new Stiga DNA Pro rubber and can't wait to give the H version a try!

 

[juergen79]

What blades work well with DNA H or M?
I can choose to test it with: OSP Expert, OSP Virtuoso, Red and Black Kazak or Butterfly ZLF

 

[lasta]

What blades work well with DNA H or M?
I can choose to test it with: OSP Expert, OSP Virtuoso, Red and Black Kazak or Butterfly ZLF

The blade makes much more difference than rubbers. I'd say choose your blade then match rubbers, not the other way around.

 

[lasta]

Hi Yogi,

You mentioned the topsheet as Medium soft, yet firm. Can you compare it with the Mantra?

 

[Wister]

What blades work well with DNA H or M?
I can choose to test it with: OSP Expert, OSP Virtuoso, Red and Black Kazak or Butterfly ZLF

I have virtuoso off- with DNA M, it fits well in my opinion

 

[Dream2K]

Yesterday first 3 hours session with DNA M on my forehand, so a review of my first impressions

For some context about what i'm used to, i played with vari spin, mark V GPS, acuda S3, rakza 7 soft, R42, H3N, mantra S, rakza 7. Mostly with my OSP virtuoso that is a off- blade. I play around 1500 USATT if i convert well, and my style is to do as soon as possible a spinny forehand loop then a forehand loop to get the point

...
...


In conclusion, i was not impressed by the speed and spin of the rubbers but i was impressed by how easy it was to play with it. I quickly forgot it we can say and i did not once thought i missed my shot because of it, despite the fact i was doing a lot of matches against opponent stronger than me. For me it's an all around offensive rubbers that is very consistent and safe. More offensive than all around. I think it's a bit the same idea than rakza 7 but more adapted to the plastic ball (i felt the contact was a bit better). One last point, i really liked the gripiness, something that i found lacking of some new generation rubbers (like the R42, the grip was weird to me).

I will keep it for my forehand, it really played like i wanted. If i get very different impression in a few weeks i will do a quick post about it

how does it compare to Mantra S?

 

[Wister]

Hi Yogi,

You mentioned the topsheet as Medium soft, yet firm. Can you compare it with the Mantra?

I played mantra S for a while but i'm not sure how to describe the difference. The problem is that i played the soft version with mantra and medium with DNA so i'm a bit confused by the sponge effect.

First it's thinner and it may be slightly softer, not sure. But mainly i find it to have a different kind of grip. I found a thread where we talked about it, people were saying that there were the old grippy rubber like rakza 7 and the new grip generation like rasanter. Lately i tried to compare my rakza 7 and DNA M on my robot and it was very clear that the ball was griped better with thin contact with rakza 7. With the DNA you need to enter a least a bit the sponge to do the slow forehand open up while it could be done more slightly like just with the grip with rakza. Btw i would say that slow topspin on backspin ball is easier with rakza, but still very OK with DNA

So for me mantra had still a bit the 'old bite' feeling (less than rakza) and DNA is more like the new generation grip like rasanter (that i played). Nevertheless we can still say that DNA is very grippy, it's just a bit different. I'm waiting to see if the grip will get bad after two months like it was for rasanter for me


Some quotes from the thread : https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/showthread.php?19720-BH-FH-rubbers-around-42°-hardness

Sounds to me like what you're missing is that feeling of 'bite' on the ball that the old rubbers like rakza 7 have.
Isn't the rakza7 about 43-44 degrees? Why not just use that if you're used to it and want that kind of grip?

Also it's not all new rubbers that don't have the same bite on the ball. The Rasanter certainly doesn't. I don't know all the others but I suspect they're the same style. But that said it's also not 'all' new rubbers. There are a lot of new rubbers that are meant to evolve the old bitey style of topsheet, like the new hexer etc.

If anyone can explain more about the difference between the 'old bite grip' like rakza and the new gen grip like rasanter/DNA, i would be happy to hear it

 

[raazzz]

Anyone compared the DNA-series with the Dignics rubbers?

 

[yoass]

Anyone compared the DNA-series with the Dignics rubbers?

Yes. I compared them, and the first finding is a price difference of exactly €30. Which roughly equates to a few weeks of subsistence.

 

[bricec]

Or more importantly half a Stiga blade, which is important when you consider rule 20.

 

[yogi_bear]

Dignics has more spin. DNA H has more control close to the table.

 

[Chang]

Dignics has more spin. DNA H has more control close to the table.

Yogi, just a quick question. Did you already take them off of the racket? How much did they shrink? I took mine 2 days after assemble by shop, with just 2 hours of playtime, and the shrinkage was about 4 mm, which is unbelieveble. I have suspision that it was stretch there, but idk.

 

[yogi_bear]

Mine did not shrink since i cut them before gluing. I guess they do shrink like any other esn rubber.

 

[trumpet_guy]

I have a sheet of DNA Pro M in Red, max (2.1mm) and the uncut sheet is 170mm x 170mm and is a bit heavy at
70.9g
I was hoping for a lighter weight. Will see how it plays.

Here is a comparison against the GEWO Nexxus EL Pro 48, max black

The Stiga sponge is a little more porous, but the pimples of the two look very similar.

 

[yogi_bear]

I have a sheet of DNA Pro M in Red, max (2.1mm) and the uncut sheet is 170mm x 170mm and is a bit heavy at
70.9g
I was hoping for a lighter weight. Will see how it plays.

Here is a comparison against the GEWO Nexxus EL Pro 48, max black

The Stiga sponge is a little more porous, but the pimples of the two look very similar.

View attachment 20075

Considering the type of esn sponges used now. They are on the heavy side.

 

[yogi_bear]

Hi Yogi,

You mentioned the topsheet as Medium soft, yet firm. Can you compare it with the Mantra?

I think mantra has a more firm topsheet. The dna is still considered thin topsheet thick sponge rubber. The ball kinda sinks into the topsheet.

 

[shinshiro]

Yogi, can you compare DNA Pro S with Omega VII Euro?

 

[Zoltan]

Hi Yogi!He wrote a very good review of Yasaka Valmo, I use a Batterfly innerforce zlc racket and I was not disappointed with your opinion.How is DNA H different, Valmo