29 new this week, from players and from around the web.
Has used Dignics 05 on the backhand for a year and has always found it iffy: they feel like they are walking on eggshells with it and don't hit confidently, while they love the grip and control of 09C.
“I've been using it now on my bh for a year, and I feel like I'm walking on eggshells with it, thus I just don't think I'm hitting confidently.”
Says Rakza 7 is a rubber they think they will never abandon.
Recommends Mark V on a 7-ply for athletic friends who just want to join in: having tried it with an acrobat, a baseball player and a badminton player, they found its forgiveness surreal, making them competent to a surprisingly high level.
“The level of forgiveness is surreal. I have tested this 3 times, one with an acrobat friend, baseball player, and a badminton player. It is enough to make them competent to a surprisingly high level.”
Plays G-1 on the forehand of an Andro Treiber CI after trying Rasanter R47, which looped better but didn't feel linear; G-1 gives the flatter, direct trajectory they prefer and feels harder than its stated hardness. For the backhand they chose the softer R42.
“I tried initially with Rasanter 47 but it did not feel linear. It was better than G1 in looping but my play style prefers a flatter trajectory. G1 gave me this directness.”
Uses Hurricane 3 on an alternate racket and always needs time to adjust their technique to it; finds Tenergy 19 similar but more forgiving and more fun.
A better-than-intermediate attacker who plays close to the table is replacing an old Dignics 80 on a Stiga Dynasty Carbon: it is too fast, its arc too low to play comfortably, and it is pretty unforgiving at times; they want something just as grippy but slower.
“the dignics just doesnt suit me as its too fast and the arc is too low for me to comfortably play with.”
Used Tenergy 05 FX earlier, when they were much less developed as a player, and didn't personally like it much.
Finds D09C generates huge topspin and is a great forehand rubber for drives and loops; on the backhand it is hard, which some dislike, but its tackiness makes up for their timing mistakes.
Finds Hammond Z2 very grippy and spinny but an awkward two-gear rubber: drives, smashes and blocks come out low and direct with little spin, while brushing raises the throw sharply, so it isn't intuitive and needs a proper counterloop technique; its high base speed suits forehand flicks but needs care in the short game.
“If you just drive and smash or block, the throw is quite low and direct, easy to aim. but there will be minimal spin. So it’s not great for blocking despite the initial direct impression.”
Played various D05/D09C combinations for years, then added Zyre 03 and settled on Z03 on the forehand with D09C on the backhand. Z03 gives them the forehand speed they need, but on the backhand it was harder to control and needed a much more deliberate stroke.
“I feel Z03 gives me the speed I need on my FH side and D09c is slower but gives me the control I need to do the flick and setup and is much more forgiving.”
Their non-Neo provincial Hurricanes have not been very tacky; their most recent sheets of provincial Hurricane 3 Neo have been the tackiest, though still not as tacky as the old-style topsheets.
Plays Rakza Z Extra Hard on both sides of a fast Stiga Cybershape blade. Finds it hard and tacky and less bouncy than G-1, which makes serves, receives and close-to-table strokes easier, but the rubbers are very heavy, taking their racket to about 210 g, a weight they happen to like.
“They are hard and tacky, not as bouncy as g-1 or p-1 so you will definitely have much easier time for playing short (serve and serve return) and strokes close to table. But the rubbers are hella heavy.”
Finds the Rakza 7 Soft much softer than the C-1, easy to use and great for beginners, but also easy to overpower even on the backhand; recommends the harder C-1 for stronger players or play away from the table. Used the similar Rakza X Soft a long time ago and preferred it.
Has played the C-1 for about a year and a half and enjoys it: controllable and linear, with good spin for little effort. It is not very fast, so they supply the speed themselves, which suits them because they value backhand control over the quality of single shots.
“I've been playing C1 for about 1.5 yrs now and I quite enjoy it. Controllable and linear but generates good spin without too much effort. Not a terribly fast rubber, you'll have to provide the speed yourself”
Would pick the Glayzer 09C in the thicker sponge: the 1.9 mm version they used was still okay, with good control and decent speed, but plays noticeably differently.
Tried G-1 in max on both a Stiga Cybershape Wavy and an Allround Classic: on the very fast Wavy they struggled to get the best out of it, while on the Allround Classic it was easy and comfortable. Would still choose G-1 for the Wavy next time, but in 1.8 mm for more control.
Has played about five years, four or five times a week, trying many forehand rubbers (Rakza 7, Hurricane 3 Neo, Dignics 05, BlueGrip C2, Tenergy 05 FX and 05 Hard); switched to Dignics 80 six months ago and loves it on an all-wood blade, playing a little back from the table.
“only in the last 6 months starting using dignics 80 on FH and I love it! However I'm using an all wood blade and play normally a little further back from the table but it works for me great!”
Finds 09C oxidizes too fast for the backhand: even slightly aged sheets start to slip on thin brushes far more than any other rubber they have tested. Prefers Hurricane 3 Neo 37 there, whose tack and elasticity last for years, though 09C can be good with coordinated power.
Used to play Tenergy/Dignics 05 on both sides and now plays Hammond Z2 on the backhand: very spin-insensitive compared with D05, so they can drive or punch incoming backspin instead of flicking, their pushes are predictable and they play flatter, which they love.
Has not tried the C-1, but finds the Rakza 7 Soft very forgiving and an easier rubber for lifting backspin with the backhand.
Tried both the C-1 and the Rakza 7 Soft and now has the C-1 on their backhand, calling it a very consistent topspin rubber that lets them loop any ball easily.
Used the G-1 on a Stiga Cybershape Truls Edition blade and found it far too bouncy there; thinks harder, tackier rubbers suit such a hard blade better.
Uses Dignics 80 on the forehand and says it feels perfect there, after moving up through Rakza 7, Fastarc G-1 and Omega 7 Pro.
Switched from D05 to D09C on the backhand: better than D05, but hard to activate over the table for flicks and very hard to block with, behaving like a tensor or a Chinese rubber at the wrong moments. Now uses Zyre 03 on the backhand instead.
“D09C was much better but was quite hard to activate over the table in terms of flicks etc. it was also very hard to block with as it had a dual personality for me”