As promised in my other thread, I went ahead and spent a bit of time putting together a quick comparison of the two rubbers. Both rubbers were tested on a JSH blade in a 0.3-0.6 thickness unless stated otherwise. All the rankings were for the LP rubber family, i.e. the speed of 10 – would be the fastest LP available, etc. Sorry it's a bit wordy but I hope helps someone with their decision. I am not an expert so YMMV.
Speed (P1r > P4)
This one is easy and obvious to all: P1r is MUCH faster than the P4. The P4 feels really dead and slow at first. Speed-wise I would rate: P1r – 8/10, P4 – 4/10.
Spin (P4 > P1r)
You often read that the P1r is the “spinniest thing eva” - because Joo does x-y-z. Well, Joo is not human… Moving on. Both are spinny, but for me personally & based on the feedback received, I would rate P1r – 8/10 and P4 – 10/10 in the spin department. When I played the P4, the feedback was that the spin on chops was insane. It’s so spinny that I would say 98% of players out there would push your second chop. When choosing this rubber, make sure this is the outcome you want
To be fair I did try the P1r on the VKM and I did feel a tad more spin on the chops, maybe 8.5/10. I didn’t like my FH loop feel on it so it was a no-go for me. YMMV.
Feel/Control (P4 > P1r)
When I first tried the P4 I couldn’t believe how “nasty” this thing felt: slow, dead, and soft. When chopping spinny loops the shots would barely cross the net. At first I hated it. It just begged for an active play. But once I got used to it, I realized how DEADLY and consistent this LP was. It is definitely a notch above P1r in the control department.
The P1R on a thin sponge feels just right but it sort of bottoms out and you feel the blade too much. In the past year or so I had tried a lot of P1rs and always preferred the ones that were closer to 0.6 than the ones with a super thin 0.3 sponge. Believe it or not I can not only feel but can also SEE the difference when comparing the rubbers side by side. I did try the rubber in a thicker 1.0 and 1.5 sponges and I couldn’t really control it. Thick or not – the P1r on JSH is NOT an easy LP to use. The rubber is a lot more forgiving on the VKM.
As a side note I know a very good chopper (2000+) who kicks my butt playing the P1r in 1.5. He is able not only chop with it consistently but also attack quite well. I let him chop with my P4 for a few mins and he had zero issues adjusting and managed to chop 8-10 loops in a row without any adjustment whatsoever. Go figure.
Deception (P1r > P4)
Neither rubber is known for producing funky balls, but P1r is a lot more deceptive overall. You don’t have to worry about spin as much and flat hitting vs slow spinny balls will drive your opponent nuts. P4 has way too much grip thus its knuckle-ball effect is almost non-existent. I would rate them 6/10 and 2/10 respectively (with 388D or Dtec grass in OX being a 10).
Chopping (P4 > P1r)
Both feel good and I have gone back and forth trying to decide which one felt better. I know P1r very well and it chops great. However, in a pure training setting (i.e. coach loops to bh and I chop), with the P1r you have to time your chops just right and hit the sweet spot each and every time – i.e. brush the pips and not hit the ball. I always had issues with landing more than 3-4 chops in a row consistently. One tiny adjustment – and the ball flies off the table or goes into the net. The P4 is a lot more forgiving. As long as you have a decent chopping technique, the ball would float nicely and land with great spin. If you miss, you know why you missed. The P4 also allows me to chop from under the table with confidence which isn’t exactly easy with a thin P1r.
Pushing (P1r >= P4)
IMHO P1r is a lot better at aggressive pushes (due to its harder sponge). I used to win a lot of points outright by LP pushing into my opponent’s deep FH. Although, a lot of times it was either a hit or miss. P4 seems to be better at making sure your pushes land on the table; It’s just hard to push aggressively but with practice I believe it’s doable. This is the area of my game I am trying to improve the most after switching to the P4.
Serve receive (P1r > P4)
Both behave like LP rubbers and are somewhat forgiving. However, I tend to make more mistakes with P4 especially when returning heavy underspin serves. You must commit to your stroke and do a proper follow-through, or else it goes right into the net.
Attacking/all-around (P1r = P4)
I would say this is where the sponge thickness matters the most. I’ve seen people do wonders with a thick P1r while I couldn’t land a simple BH smash in an 0.5. P4 is a lot more forgiving IMHO and you don’t need a lot of sponge to hit those shots. I feel a lot more comfortable exploring all-around game with a P4. Overall, I would say it’s a tie and it really depends on your skill, sponge thickness and experience. As I said before - YMMV.
