OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Just received GD Snowflake Special in red ox .The idea is if it can play similar or better than GD Talon NT in ox for close to the table defense.The Trampoline Tension technology seems to be the same as GD Talon NT.They claim the pimple ratio is at the very limit of ITTF regulations to provide " strong defense and dangerous reversals" .

Maybe the test I will be doing won´t be accurate enough as the rubbers can play differently depending on the blade , however,the rubber will be tested on the same blade I have been using the Talon NT ( Sword 309) .

Perhaps Snowflake special can deal with fast spinless balls better- this is where GDT NT is weakest in my view - . 95% of the serves at high level are spinless -in my experience- .

When I have enough training hours,I will be posting my first impressions .Good day!!

Never tried the "special" version, but played with the regular Snowflake OX for a long time and found it to be pretty good at everything. Not as high for pure spin reversal as the GD Talon (though still a great blocking rubber with a low trajectory), but for me, it made up for it by offering more potential for spin variation due to greater softness and better chopping. Will be curious to hear your thoughts on the "special" version.

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I. Re-Impact Tachi Plus 2019; FH: Nittaku FastArc G-1 1.4mm; BH: Saviga 77 Monster OX
II. Re-Impact Turbo; FH: Spinlord Sandwind 1.5mm; BH: DMS Kamikaze OX
III. Re-Impact Smart; FH: TSP Spinpips RED 2.1mm; BH: Dr. Neubauer Gangster OX
IV. Sauer & Troger Firestarter; FH: Spinlord Waran 1.8mm; BH: Giant Dragon Snowflake OX

Ther's a joke there somewhere in the name of this rubber, but I just can't make it. Maybe I'm just a special snowflake.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)
Moderator, Inverted Retriever Technique sub-forum - http://ooakforum.com/viewforum.php?f=74

.... the first impressions are excellent.Great blocking-I was able to block short,low trajectory .Reversal pretty similar to GD Talon NT so, it is very good news!! . I was also successful at attacking back spin balls,the trajectory also low and complicating life for the opponent to return the ball .

slow ,spinless balls in mid table no problems at all by swideping to bh or fh for variation,pushing to the bh is also a good strategy - it must be the trampoline tension technology that makes the ball fast and complicating the timing for the opponents -:)

Now then, the big issue is fast long balls to the bh and ESPECIALLY to the fh ( if you use the long pips to return the serve with your fh ) - in this case it has the same problems as GD T NT , however, I can see this kind of balls can be dealt successfully with due training .

For contrast I trained first with GD T NT and for fast spinless balls ,if you "dare" to brush the ball(also, I suggest one step further from the table), the movement must be passive , not activating the ball at all , or else, chances are the ball will go long,nevertheless, the safest stroke is blocking the ball to the bh ( and with enough training to the bh for variation). Variation is the key at high levels , the oponent cannot know what we are going to do .

On the other hand , brushing the ball with snowflake special felt much safer and you can be a bit more active in the wrist movement,in fact, for me , it is better than GD T NT in this respect . Fast ,middle/long spinless balls to the fh is THE REAL issue , if your timing is poor, the balls will go long , the same can be said for GD T NT .The solution? , use your inverted / Sp or improve your timing, if you arrive a little bit late, the ball will go long . The trampoline tension technology is very good but for fast spinless balls it can act against you if you don´t get to know the rubber .

Of course I will be testing for more hours but we can say , at this stage, snowflake special in red ox is a very good rubber for close to the table defense, the added trampoline tension technology must make it better than regular snowflake but be careful, it can act against you as I explained above .

I trained with the best player in my club, according to pushblocker´s videos( thank you for uploading such a good material) I have been able to get an idea of the level of the US 2300s/ 2400s players, well, I would rate my mate at about 2700 US ratings , yes I lost the game but ( 9-11,11-13,9-11) .( I played with GD T NT ) .

good day, good training, good life!!!

Charmender,
Do you chop block or block passively with the LPs? How would you compare chop blocking capability between the Snowflake Special and Talon NT on the BH. Can you compare chop blocking against strong loops between these 2 LPs. Which lets you better keep such loops on the table, which gives stronger spin reversal. lower tragectory, return balls shorter, gives better directional control to place your blocks/returns more accurately. Where did you purchase the Snowflake Special from?

Good day!! I tend to chop block short ; I like the low trajectory of both rubbers!!! :Both rubbers chop block great and are able to keep the ball low with the right strokes . Against strong loops both rubbers work great, however, I have been able to keep the ball on the table more with Snowflake Special,..... Snowflake Special is medium hard, talon NT soft,..maybe it is my technique that makes Snowflake Special work better against strong loops ..... about strong reversal , I´d say it is pretty similar, both work great,...maybe with stiffer blades, Snowflake Special has a little advantage but the difference in my Sword 309 is very little, really .

As far as directional control over pushes and spinless balls is concerned - placing the ball right where you want it to be - I have found snowflake special better , more accurate placing ,..... e.g. with Talon NT I have to be careful with the power of the wrist when brushing the ball for fast long spinless balls,...., nevertheless, the main issue with both rubbers is the handling of fast spinless balls,..... it takes a lot of training to master spinless balls and also one must know the right position at the table ,....( sometimes one step backwards is the key)

In short, both rubbers are excellent for close to the table defense,.... Snowflake Special is cheaper than Talon NT - about 15€ difference-I got both rubbers at https://100x100pingpong.com/es/picos-la ... ecial.html

It may give the impression Snowflake is better than Talon NT, by no means!!,... it is a matter of personal technique/ taste and I am sure different blades will yield different results ..... any close to the table chop block defender will find both rubbers an excellent choice,pushblocker has posted escellent accurate descriptions of GD T NT,.... I just found out about the snowflake special in ox version and thought it could be a second option to GD T NT and it seems it really is !!!!

good training, good life!!