Which ESN (or Jap) rubber is closest to H3 orange provincial (non NEO)?

[Archosaurus]

I've tried everything common, and to be honest, nothing. There's no tacky forehand rubber as performant as H3 in all likelihood.

I did like Battle 2, Battle 3 and RXTON V though. Hopefully Arthur China is okay, but I'm yet to try it.

Hated Big Dipper V, but my sponge was far too soft at 38. Unusable for me. Extremely low shot quality compared to H3. I got an expert player to try it and he felt the same vs his H3 National. Topsheet felt really hard to use even after tons of boosting.

Sanwei Target 3rd gen Provincial and National versions are not bad. The "special soft" and probably commercial versions have major issues with the topsheet separating, so I wouldn't use anything that's worse than Provincial. They have objectively less spin than H3 but a bit more speed. More difficult to use than H3, but better than BD or Battle 2.

 

[Lazer]

Now I have dome options.
- Yinhe Big dipper 5
- Xiom Omega VIII China (marketed as a lighter J&H C )
- Xiom Omega VII guang
- 729 Bloom power

I dont expect them to be identical, but st least a little tacky, not too fast and not too catapulty…

Cheers
L-zr

 

[victormanriquey]

Many and most already mentioned, but I'd like to add the new Joola Charged from Calderano to the list And the new gewo iconixx also very similar to Rakza Z but a bit harder/softer (testing now 55/50 versions)

 

[Lazer]

Many and most already mentioned, but I'd like to add the new Joola Charged from Calderano to the list And the new gewo iconixx also very similar to Rakza Z but a bit harder/softer (testing now 55/50 versions)

What about the weight. I find Rakza Z too heavy otherwise it would be an obvious choice.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Tembel]

What about Glayzer09c or Stiga Dragongrip or Victas Tripple Extra/Double Extra?

 

[latej]

What about Glayzer09c or Stiga Dragongrip?

+1 for G09C, not very heavy, as most Btfly and Lazer cares about weight...

 

[Tyce]

Let me get a bit alternative and say: Fastarc G-1.

A pure "Jap" rubber, with a chunky topsheet (like H3), very stable on low power, lots of reserves to use, too.

Playing something "sticky" will always have me comparing it to H3 and be disappointed. So why not commit to the non-sticky side completely?

You could branch off to Dignics if you want it a bit lighter but more powerful.

Just an alternative take on things

 

[Lazer]

What about Glayzer09c or Stiga Dragongrip or Victas Tripple Extra/Double Extra?

Butterfly is a bit tricky to s hold of for me. On top of that I think it feels dead even though the shots are good.

Victas I like to remember is too much of a european rubber just like Tibhar MK hybrid which I like more.

Never tried dragon grip but I read its very heavy.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Lazer]

Let me get a bit alternative and say: Fastarc G-1.

A pure "Jap" rubber, with a chunky topsheet (like H3), very stable on low power, lots of reserves to use, too.

Playing something "sticky" will always have me comparing it to H3 and be disappointed. So why not commit to the non-sticky side completely?

You could branch off to Dignics if you want it a bit lighter but more powerful.

Just an alternative take on things

A small amount of stickiness helps me a lot to spin slow balls. A totally unsticky rubber would have to be too soft.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Füty Imre]

Now I have dome options.
- Yinhe Big dipper 5
- Xiom Omega VIII China (marketed as a lighter J&H C )
- Xiom Omega VII guang
- 729 Bloom power

I dont expect them to be identical, but st least a little tacky, not too fast and not too catapulty…

Cheers
L-zr

I have only tried H3 for a few hits on a clubmates bat so I cant really compare Omega VIII China to that.

The rubber itself is not springy on low impact shot, touch play is good. But if you put power into the loops you get some good power and crazy consistency out of the rubber in my opinion. I dont second guess full comitting long pushes as I know exactly where the ball will go.

It is not really tacky, brand new it could pick up the ball for 1-2 seconds,after a few sessions it couldnt pick up the ball but it maintained a sticky/ really really gripy (I’d describe it as a bit sticky) state for a month now. (the cover foil still sticks to it)

Overall this is my first hard and hybrid rubber so my opinion might not be as viable. Although I had the playing level for a long time to be able to switch to harder rubbers/ hybrids but decided not to.
There is also a tt11 review of this rubber. (Btw got two sheets from them, each for 43€)

 

[Egon]

What about the weight. I find Rakza Z too heavy otherwise it would be an obvious choice.

Cheers
L-zr

Not heavier than H3. My RZ red max, cut under the head 158x151mm, weighed 51 grams, which is normal for hurricanes. For example my latest provincial H3BS 40 2.2 with the same dimensions weighs as much as 55 grams!
Another thing is that it plays completely differently - it has a high angle, is soft and does not have that speed at full power. At the same time, stickiness, tenacity and durability are comparable.

 

[victormanriquey]

What about the weight. I find Rakza Z too heavy otherwise it would be an obvious choice.

Cheers
L-zr

Charged is heavy, just like a blue hurricane with 3-4 layers on it, perhaps 1 gram more, so that's the main thing. But yeah, most rubbers that get close to boosted hurricanes need that weight to be like that. Iconixx 55 is better in weight, will tell all on that soon, mine is 53g 2.0 , so still heavy but like decent heavy, similar to rakza z really, they also feel very similar

 

[victormanriquey]

Not heavier than H3. My RZ red max, cut under the head 158x151mm, weighed 51 grams, which is normal for hurricanes. For example my latest provincial H3BS 40 2.2 with the same dimensions weighs as much as 55 grams!
Another thing is that it plays completely differently - it has a high angle, is soft and does not have that speed at full power. At the same time, stickiness, tenacity and durability are comparable.

yes this is very true, it plays significantly different, iconixx too

 

[Wakkibatty]

This one is REALLY out of left field, but maybe try the Loki Telson Germany.

I just wrote a review on it over on another thread (its over here if you're curious...)

I make the comment that it reminds me a bit of a non-boosted grippy version of a standard H3. You need to use H3-like strokes and footwork to get the best out of it.

It's also a FH rubber only IMO -- so forget about it if you're looking for a BH option. Plus you'd need to boost it to give it Provincial levels of bounce.

It's a bit like black licorice in a way... weird, unusual, distinctive, and frankly not to a lot of other people's tastes.

But that said, if you're really into black licorice (...or H3 on FH...) then there is a certain undeniable appeal to it that you might find very familiar.