What Are Hybrid Table Tennis Rubbers and Why Are They So Popular Nowadays?

[victormanriquey]

Good morning all,

First post of September! And this time I'm making a simple and amateur friendly 101 guide on hybrid rubbers. I very much like them and I often get (and see them here too) questions about them, so I thought to answer those and see if other questions pop up.

So in this blogpost I tried my best to explain the following in an understandable way:

- What is a hybrid rubber?
- Why are hybrids so popular nowadays?
- What are the different types of hybrid rubbers?
- Should you change to hybrid rubbers?
- And which hybrid rubbers fit what kind of players

You can read the whole blogpost here: https://www.tabletennisequipmenthelp.com/blog/hybrid-table-tennis-rubbers

And if you just want the summary, the TL;DR of this all is that hybrid rubbers combine the best of both worlds, tensor and tacky, and by doing that they allow you to have more possibilities in the different game situations.

Hope you enjoy the read and thanks for your time and feedback as always, please let me know if you have any questions!

Victor

 

[latej]

Hey, I enjoyed the linked review + comparison of the Nuzn 45 and 48 rubbers. I play now with the Nuzn 48 on the BH and like it a lot, I liked Glayzer very much too, and it took a while to find it, couple of rubbers before that I didn't enjoy as much as those two on the BH. (E.g. H8-80, H3 37, Vega X, Rakza X, Omega 7 Pro (was OK actually), Rakza XX.)

For my friend I bought the Nuzn 45, and after a while some doubt crept in, I was thinking perhaps it will be too soft, and N48 is already optimal. However, he plays TT for shorter time then I do, so I now think it will be a good fit. It is a bit lighter (per review), his blade has same weight as mine, so that is good, and the speed cap is not bad, I was more afraid it will be equally bouncy and just bottoming out on harder hits. And the upgrade is clear, if wanted...

The Chintac 575 I'm not that happy about though, I'd prefer slightly stronger top-sheet. Will see what weight diff. will the Chintac 525 make on his blade.

 

[zeio]

I think it's better to use the term grippy rubbers (grippy vs tacky) rather than Tensor rubbers, the latter of which is just a trademark, and make a distinction between hybrid and Tensor.

p.s.
And rather than Tensor hybrids and pure hybrids (the latter would more accurately be the original hybrid of Chinese tacky topsheet + Japanese high-density sponge), it's better to refer to it as German hybrids and in turn Japanese hybrids to make it consistent since you have opted for the term Chinese hybrids. FWIW, ESN has explicitly stated Japanese and Chinese brands/manufacturers as the other two market competitors.

 

[Archosaurus]

I really wouldn't categorize BDV, J3, Target 3, LAC and ESPECIALLY Battle 2 as "hybrid". Most of those quite literally don't have surface tension at all, nor any kind of tuning.

If those are hybrid, then so is Hurricane 3.

 

[DBsystem78]

I really wouldn't categorize BDV, J3, Target 3, LAC and ESPECIALLY Battle 2 as "hybrid". Most of those quite literally don't have surface tension at all, nor any kind of tuning.

If those are hybrid, then so is Hurricane 3.

BDV is the most hybrid of the list , LAC has also a little tension effect for the rest they are more close to Chinese

 

[Marvinn8686]

Sanwei Gear Hyper which cover I see on the image is completely not tacky at all, at least for me it was like one of the most tack-less rubbers. It has some kind of tension effect though - at least mid-hard one I tested. Good BH rubber.

Once I tried buying it on other store than official sanwei on aliexpress and I got counterfeit one - it was extreme tacky, on the level it is difficult to find now (even more than Mercury 2 few years ago). It was also slow, although playable on reasonalby fast Donic Anders Lind. Played like regular slow, tacky chinese rubber for $5 (so I would still take it over lower echelons of ESN rubbers where you pay $40 for similar but non-tacky performance)

 

[victormanriquey]

Hey, I enjoyed the linked review + comparison of the Nuzn 45 and 48 rubbers. I play now with the Nuzn 48 on the BH and like it a lot, I liked Glayzer very much too, and it took a while to find it, couple of rubbers before that I didn't enjoy as much as those two on the BH. (E.g. H8-80, H3 37, Vega X, Rakza X, Omega 7 Pro (was OK actually), Rakza XX.)

For my friend I bought the Nuzn 45, and after a while some doubt crept in, I was thinking perhaps it will be too soft, and N48 is already optimal. However, he plays TT for shorter time then I do, so I now think it will be a good fit. It is a bit lighter (per review), his blade has same weight as mine, so that is good, and the speed cap is not bad, I was more afraid it will be equally bouncy and just bottoming out on harder hits. And the upgrade is clear, if wanted...

The Chintac 575 I'm not that happy about though, I'd prefer slightly stronger top-sheet. Will see what weight diff. will the Chintac 525 make on his blade.

Ah nice to hear @latej !! Nuzn 48 is indeed a great BH rubber, same as G09c, very much agree.

For your friend I think you did the right thing, Nuzn 45 probably feels better to him, and the speed cap is indeed okey if he is still learning, no problem!

I still have to test Chintac, I will get to it soon though! Have you also tried 52 yourself and how did Chintac feel overall? And durability?

Thanks!

 

[victormanriquey]

I really wouldn't categorize BDV, J3, Target 3, LAC and ESPECIALLY Battle 2 as "hybrid". Most of those quite literally don't have surface tension at all, nor any kind of tuning.

If those are hybrid, then so is Hurricane 3.

We can disagree on things no problem

For me Big Dipper V and LAC and Battle 2 after testing feel all like Chinese hybrid, LAC and Big Dipper V having more hybridness than Battle 2.

And hurricane 3 is definitely a chinese traditional haha if i call that a hybrid, then i cannot call the rest hybrids

But why do you say that the above are not hybrids @Archosaurus ? Im curious now!

Ps. Need to test target still, so I cant comment on that, but most people say it is hybrid and after reading reviews feels to me like a Chinese hybrid

 

[victormanriquey]

BDV is the most hybrid of the list , LAC has also a little tension effect for the rest they are more close to Chinese

I would agree to this @DBsystem78 , J3 I haven't tested yet but even Donic calls it hybrid themselves no?

 

[victormanriquey]

Sanwei Gear Hyper which cover I see on the image is completely not tacky at all, at least for me it was like one of the most tack-less rubbers. It has some kind of tension effect though - at least mid-hard one I tested. Good BH rubber.

Once I tried buying it on other store than official sanwei on aliexpress and I got counterfeit one - it was extreme tacky, on the level it is difficult to find now (even more than Mercury 2 few years ago). It was also slow, although playable on reasonalby fast Donic Anders Lind. Played like regular slow, tacky chinese rubber for $5 (so I would still take it over lower echelons of ESN rubbers where you pay $40 for similar but non-tacky performance)

Yes I think the Gear Hyper will be good for BH and Target then on FH, I will test that combo soonish and put a review up @Marvinn8686 . And crazy that they also counterfeit sanwei haha never thought it would happen, so I will keep on buying from them directly, thankfully the ones I have are from Sanwei!

 

[latej]

I still have to test Chintac, I will get to it soon though! Have you also tried 52 yourself and how did Chintac feel overall? And durability?

I didn't try the 52, it will be new on his new SDC blade at the TTD meeting... For me the Chintac has good sponge, good tackiness, good durability so far - e.g. C55 would have more marks by now, the only thing is slightly too soft top-sheet, on harder shot I go often over net out, and I believe a bit firmer top-sheet would not have that, since the sponge is hard enough. It has pretty good spin on serves though on the other hand. As I said, not a rubber that I'd throw away immediately, more like a rubber I won't repeat. You coming? ;-)

 

[DBsystem78]

I would agree to this @DBsystem78 , J3 I haven't tested yet but even Donic calls it hybrid themselves no?

ah ok I thought you speaked about the Jupiter 3 as it's in the photo

 

[oophyte]

We can disagree on things no problem

For me Big Dipper V and LAC and Battle 2 after testing feel all like Chinese hybrid, LAC and Big Dipper V having more hybridness than Battle 2.

And hurricane 3 is definitely a chinese traditional haha if i call that a hybrid, then i cannot call the rest hybrids

But why do you say that the above are not hybrids @Archosaurus ? Im curious now!

Ps. Need to test target still, so I cant comment on that, but most people say it is hybrid and after reading reviews feels to me like a Chinese hybrid

It sounds like your definition of hybrid is anything tacky that isn't H3.

 

[victormanriquey]

I didn't try the 52, it will be new on his new SDC blade at the TTD meeting... For me the Chintac has good sponge, good tackiness, good durability so far - e.g. C55 would have more marks by now, the only thing is slightly too soft top-sheet, on harder shot I go often over net out, and I believe a bit firmer top-sheet would not have that, since the sponge is hard enough. It has pretty good spin on serves though on the other hand. As I said, not a rubber that I'd throw away immediately, more like a rubber I won't repeat. You coming? ;-)

Ok cool thanks for the info! I will test it and give you my thoughts too, i think 52 may fit my BH but let's see, i really enjoyed the calderano dynamic there and now the iconixx 50 is not bad either. Let's see chintac!

I was 100% coming, had the tshirt, hotel and all planned, but then we got a big mother in law celebration so sadly i cannot come, it is what it is, but i hope to be there next year if it happens, fingers crossed!!!

 

[victormanriquey]

ah ok I thought you speaked about the Jupiter 3 as it's in the photo

oohhh yes sorry!! Jupiter 3 feels to me like a chinese hybrid, a bit 8-80 vibes in a way, but different and J3 from donic no idea yet haha

 

[victormanriquey]

It sounds like your definition of hybrid is anything tacky that isn't H3.

Not really no, i define hybrids as 3 types: tensor hybrids, pure hybrids and chinese hybrids.

Tensor hybrids being more linear tensors, pure hybrids being the true mix of tensor/tacky, and Chinese hybrids as a chinese base with a tensor taste to it. In the post of sanwei today they talk about cake sponge and high-density sponge, I agree to that to define tensor and tacky, hybrids are whatever is in-between, and it can be proportionally, 80-20, 30-70, 50-50, etc

 

[KM1976]

The biggest hurdle for hobby players with hybrid rubbers is the activation of the sponge. Hybrid rubbers offer a great amount of control and spin capabilities, but based on my personal experience, I had to really make sure to hit through the sponge to activate the full potential of the rubber. Even then, due to the rubber hardness, and I refer to Rakza Rising Dragon 2 and Rakza Z, I felt that the speed reserves are slightly above average. I used both these rubbers on Viscaria.
Ok, I get it that speed is a two edged sword and I should only try to generate speed as much as I can readily receive back. I completely get that and 100% agree. However, my issue is with the ease of speed generation.
This comes to bite me more when I am tired and late on the ball. In that case, I felt that with hybrid rubbers I am not able to put that much quality on the ball as compared to a non-hybrid rubbers. But again, it is my personal experience.
So, essentially we need very good footwork and timing with the stroke mechanics of making the ball hit the sponge more in order to get the complete benefits of hybrid hard rubbers.

 

[kindof99]

Good morning all,

First post of September! And this time I'm making a simple and amateur friendly 101 guide on hybrid rubbers. I very much like them and I often get (and see them here too) questions about them, so I thought to answer those and see if other questions pop up.

View attachment 43074

So in this blogpost I tried my best to explain the following in an understandable way:

- What is a hybrid rubber?
- Why are hybrids so popular nowadays?
- What are the different types of hybrid rubbers?
- Should you change to hybrid rubbers?
- And which hybrid rubbers fit what kind of players

You can read the whole blogpost here: https://www.tabletennisequipmenthelp.com/blog/hybrid-table-tennis-rubbers

And if you just want the summary, the TL;DR of this all is that hybrid rubbers combine the best of both worlds, tensor and tacky, and by doing that they allow you to have more possibilities in the different game situations.

Hope you enjoy the read and thanks for your time and feedback as always, please let me know if you have any questions!

Victor

Manufacturers have been trying and offering hybrids for a while. The question is why hybrids are not popular until recently. the manufacturing technique improvement? ball change? table tennis technique change?

 

[oophyte]

Not really no, i define hybrids as 3 types: tensor hybrids, pure hybrids and chinese hybrids.

Tensor hybrids being more linear tensors, pure hybrids being the true mix of tensor/tacky, and Chinese hybrids as a chinese base with a tensor taste to it. In the post of sanwei today they talk about cake sponge and high-density sponge, I agree to that to define tensor and tacky, hybrids are whatever is in-between, and it can be proportionally, 80-20, 30-70, 50-50, etc

Yes, I already see that you consider "hybrid-ness" to be a spectrum. What I'm curious about is, from your perspective, is there anything tacky other than H3 that you don't consider a hybrid?

 

[Haito]

They've been doing less and less tacky versions. And I think now they got to a point where its comfortable to people.