OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Yesterday I got a Donic Baxter F1A in 2.0 mm. I´ve been playing with a 1,8 mm Friendship 802-1 in my backhand for half a year, but I was inspied by Kees´ article on sponge thickness and wanted to try a thicker sponge in a tournament last night. The rubber seemed quite fast when I glued in on the bat but strangely enough the rubber offered more control in my defensive game. I was able to chop consistently after a short while, much more consistently compared to my usual 1,8 mm 802-1. The rubber is also capable of producing quite spinny balls, roughly the same amount of spin as the 802-1.
Close to the table the Baxter was a dream to block with. Very high control. It was both possible to take the pace completely off the ball and also make a fast flat block. Pushing close to the table was easy and I the Baxter felt more controlable than the 802-1, in spite of the thicker sponge. It was also possible to loop consistently. Both Baxter F1A and the 802-1 in spinny enough to loop with a fair amount of spin. This makes it easier to attack long serves and make opening shots. Quite e few times I initiated my attack with a backhand loop, followed by a forehand smash or loop. My opponent often miscalculated the amount of spin in my backhand. The Baxter in softer in the pimples than the 802-1, but when serving and pushing, the ball will dig in and produce a good deal of spin. I left the tournament undefeated and was very satisfied with the Baxter F1A. This rubber can be recommended to everybody who likes the 802-1, but seeks a little more control.

Flemming

Yesterday I got a Donic Baxter F1A in 2.0 mm. I´ve been playing with a 1,8 mm Friendship 802-1 in my backhand for half a year, but I was inspied by Kees´ article on sponge thickness and wanted to try a thicker sponge in a tournament last night. The rubber seemed quite fast when I glued in on the bat but strangely enough the rubber offered more control in my defensive game. I was able to chop consistently after a short while, much more consistently compared to my usual 1,8 mm 802-1. The rubber is also capable of producing quite spinny balls, roughly the same amount of spin as the 802-1.
Close to the table the Baxter was a dream to block with. Very high control. It was both possible to take the pace completely off the ball and also make a fast flat block. Pushing close to the table was easy and I the Baxter felt more controlable than the 802-1, in spite of the thicker sponge. It was also possible to loop consistently. Both Baxter F1A and the 802-1 in spinny enough to loop with a fair amount of spin. This makes it easier to attack long serves and make opening shots. Quite e few times I initiated my attack with a backhand loop, followed by a forehand smash or loop. My opponent often miscalculated the amount of spin in my backhand. The Baxter in softer in the pimples than the 802-1, but when serving and pushing, the ball will dig in and produce a good deal of spin. I left the tournament undefeated and was very satisfied with the Baxter F1A. This rubber can be recommended to everybody who likes the 802-1, but seeks a little more control.

Flemming

Baxster is fast and clicks too, but not as much as a speedglued 802