OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Its been months since I last reviewed the Higher III. Basically this follow up to is reassess the rubber based on my views of it now. This time around the rubber has been put through more tests with and without glue to see what it can do.

The review below is done without speedglue this time around.

Initial Impressions

Second time around the quality is still top notch. Glistening topsheet with that silky smooth sponge. The sponge seems to be harder than my previous sheet. Out of the packet I would rate it at a very acceptable 40-42 degree's, nothing a few gluing sessions won't fix . Like most friendship rubbers I couldn't budge the topsheet and sponge apart no matter how hard I tried. Overall still very impressed with the quality. Keep in mind this rubber is on the almighty LawOCG FH unkillable list which doesn't have many rubbers in it.

Hitting and Blocking

The first review I compared the HigherIII with the Faster III for most parts. This time around theres no comparison between any rubber. For hitting and blocking the Higher III is not bad. I would prefer to soften the sponge up more. Keeping in mind that this is unglued I wouldn't say its spectacular which is to be expected. This part of the review is very dependent on the sponge's rebound capacity, unglued it just isn't very lively

Pushing / Chopping / Short game

When it comes to the short game, the Higher III is simply outstanding. Everything is controlled and spinny. Its very easy to load up a push without it sailing too long at all. This isn't all that remarkable as almost any 729 is outstanding here as well.

Looping / Counter looping

I still stand by my first review that this is hands down the best looping rubber from Friendship. The higher topsheet is remarkably stable when it comes to looping. Whether your brush looping or driving both have incredible control and consistency, theres no shots that go unexpectedly wild. The Japanese sponge under it does help to give it more kick when you really dig the ball in. Even unglued this is a awesome looping rubber. When counterlooping at mid distance it can still easily hold its own without topping out.

Conclusion

Although I haven't gone into much details like the first review, keep in mind this is just a reassessment to make sure I wasn't mental the first time around. This second time around I'm still very impressed with what the rubber can do without glue. It still manages to hold its own in heated exchanges without letting you down. For the gluers out there you can easily expect 20% more out of this rubber or even more if your a hardcore gluer.

I only got to hit with Higher III a couple times, but I absolutely loved it. JKC said that he's managed to dislodge the top from the sponge a couple times with his over zealous glueing regiment.

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Photino
My rubbers are 9 years old. They won’t be there long.

Hehe, it's nice to see that there are others in the "I Love Higher III" club.

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Jpen: Galaxy 982 juniper 8mm- Darker Provine Tension-50 2.2 or Tibhar Torpedo Soft 2.2
Shake OFF: Galaxy T8 ST- FH: Darker PT-50 2.2, BH: Juic Varites 1.5
Shake DEF: modified Joo- FH: Reactor Corbor 2.2, BH: Globe 979 1.5

Thanks LawOCG!

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
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Nice review Law! I think I'll stick with my cream mrs for now, but I definetly going to check this rubber just as soon as I can justify buying yet another rubber. A couple questions...what thicknesses does the sponge come in, and how tacky is the topsheet?

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I think it comes in 2.0 and 2.2. Topsheet is only mildly tacky...

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

It took quite a long time and many gluings and peelings before it came apart, it was more the pimples cracking on the back of the topsheet which I noticed (red sheet only). Sometimes on would crack right through and tip over producing a bump on the surface or one would crack vertically and the crack would head for the surface leaving a ridge due to the tension. It still took a while though, and lots of heavy looping. I found FocusI was even worse for this.

If you have a red sheet, hold it up near the light (or better still in the sun) if you have any cracked pimples, they show up as lighter when the light catches them in a certain way. It might only be my style and treatment of the rubber which has this effect.

My unkillable list would be SP only at the moment I think. The pimples still crack, but it takes longer as they are thicker.

@JKC

I did that to my Skyline 3 before. I glued it up quite heavily and gave it numerous sessions of FH thrashings. At the end of those sessions I could see the pips breaking ( I had a red sheet). I've just checked my higher III and its free of these cracks.

Its still in a unglued state and much too stiff for my current liking. Got some Rapid Clean Deluxe and I'm going to soften it big time (RCD glass plating).

Law,

I noticed that you used Bryce and Hurricane 2 . Doesn't bother you the difference of throw , Higher 3 being high-throw ? Or difference between the throw of Higher 3 and Destos ?

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Xiom Strato , St
FH: DHS H3 prov, max
BH: Butterfly Tenergy 05FX, max