OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Thanks Attacker!

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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

Now that I have my Amicus robot and a spare couple of identical blades, I decided to put Tenergy 05-FX on one blade and Tenergy 80-FX on the other in order to test them back to back.

I dedicated some time to playing with both rubbers back to back and found it very interesting. Now that these rubbers are broken in, there are some very noticeable differences:

1.) 80-FX definitely has a lower throw which means that the ball comes off flatter and doesn't kick up from the stroke. Whilst this is very good for blocking the ball on the forehand, it requires a slight change in angle when contacting the ball on loops. You might say it has more of dead feel to it compared to 05-FX and is probably why Butterfly say it has better control.

2.) The higher throw of 05-FX makes it feel easier to drive the ball across the table. I get a nice arc on the ball without having to really do much. This makes 05-FX generally feel easier to knock the ball around the table. However the trade-off is that it's harder to block the ball against top-spin and it’s more bouncy when playing short pushes. However, whilst it felt better upon contact, I was actually getting more balls on the table with 80-FX. Many of my 05-FX shots were going long off the table!

Overall I still feel more comfortable with 05-FX but only because it feels familiar. I need more practice with 80-FX, but long term, I think it'll be the better rubber for my game primarily because I play closer to the table where the increased control in the short game should benefit me.

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Blade: Ross Leidy custom blade
Forehand: Butterfly Tenergy 05-FX 1.7mm
Backhand: Dr Neubauer Gangster and Desperado 2 (testing both) OX

Butterfly Amicus Professional robot
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Ever tried, Ever failed? No Matter.
Try again, Fail Again, Fail Better!

I am a bit scared to use FX versions of Tenergy rubbers.

My old 05fx was a great rubber but when I bought a sheet of 05 the difference in speed was very significant.

The FX versions are slightly better for lifting the ball due to their softness which adds grip but at a compromise to a loss of speed.

It depends on what type of player you are and how you like to hit the ball.

For example, I play most of my shots with spin rather than speed. I tend to brush / loop the ball rather than driving / hitting it with speed. Therefore I prefer rubbers with increased dwell time so that the balls stays on the rubber for longer while I perform the stroke.

I've tried the regular Tenergy 05 and really struggled with it because the ball had left my racket whilst I was still mid stroke. As a result, I didn't get as much spin and I missed a lot of shots. It's horses for courses really as neither rubber is better, they're just different.

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Blade: Ross Leidy custom blade
Forehand: Butterfly Tenergy 05-FX 1.7mm
Backhand: Dr Neubauer Gangster and Desperado 2 (testing both) OX

Butterfly Amicus Professional robot
-----
Ever tried, Ever failed? No Matter.
Try again, Fail Again, Fail Better!

Thanks ChrisBuer

The only thing that puzzles me is that in my review the throw of the 80-fx was higher. I suspect it would be have due to the new sheet of the 80fx, compared to a slightly used 05-fx.

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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

Yes possibly the throw felt higher due to it being a new sheet. Tenergy (when new) always feels quite bouncy / springy to me and takes a few games for it to settle onto the blade. The two sheets of 05-FX and 80-FX I currently have both had about the same amount of use (circa 10-15 hours).

All I can say at this stage is that the ball appears to come off lower and flatter from the 80-FX whereas 05-FX feels more lively and it feels as if it's quite easy to lift the ball.

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Blade: Ross Leidy custom blade
Forehand: Butterfly Tenergy 05-FX 1.7mm
Backhand: Dr Neubauer Gangster and Desperado 2 (testing both) OX

Butterfly Amicus Professional robot
-----
Ever tried, Ever failed? No Matter.
Try again, Fail Again, Fail Better!

If you were buying again would you opt for the T05FX as opposed to the T80FX that's now on your blade ?
I've found that I need to close the blade more with the T05FX which I probably wouldn't have to do with the T80FX having already had the T80 which I wasn't mad about.

I'd probably opt for the Tenergy 80-FX over 05-FX at this stage. Whilst I really like 05-FX, it does have it's pitfalls in being more sensitive to spin and having slightly less control. However the lower throw and slightly faster nature of 80-FX will take some time getting used to so I'd choose it to practice with for that very reason as I believe it's be better overall rubber once you master it.

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Blade: Ross Leidy custom blade
Forehand: Butterfly Tenergy 05-FX 1.7mm
Backhand: Dr Neubauer Gangster and Desperado 2 (testing both) OX

Butterfly Amicus Professional robot
-----
Ever tried, Ever failed? No Matter.
Try again, Fail Again, Fail Better!

I thought I'd quickly report back to say that I have 05-FX back on my main blade now for testing. Whilst the 80-FX is very good, I find that the ball comes off very fast and straight from it. Whereas the 05-FX it comes off a little slower but produces more of an arc.

Maybe it's familiarity, but my strokes / the way I hit the ball appear to be better suited to 05-FX. I just find it easier to get the ball to arc and kick. Having said this, with the additional speed of 80-FX, when you do get it right, it produces a powerful arrow straight ball the flies off the table.

Anyway I'll test it out and see how I get on and report back.

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Blade: Ross Leidy custom blade
Forehand: Butterfly Tenergy 05-FX 1.7mm
Backhand: Dr Neubauer Gangster and Desperado 2 (testing both) OX

Butterfly Amicus Professional robot
-----
Ever tried, Ever failed? No Matter.
Try again, Fail Again, Fail Better!

I just ordered a sheet in 2.1

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Butterfly Viscaria Black tag
2.2 mm Nexy Karis M on FH and BH

Having played a few games now with 05-FX, it's the one that will be staying on my blade.

80-FX has many qualities that I like, but it lacks two things that have made me go back to 05-FX. These are dwell time and a higher throw. Maybe it's just my style, but with 05-FX I get a nice arc on the ball and also very good spin.

80-FX is superb when you get it right and can produce some wonderfully fast balls that are difficult to return. It is also much less sensitive to spin making return of service much easier. However overall 05-FX wins for my game.

I'd recommend 80-FX for anyone who wants more speed, less sensitivity to spin and a lower throw.

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Blade: Ross Leidy custom blade
Forehand: Butterfly Tenergy 05-FX 1.7mm
Backhand: Dr Neubauer Gangster and Desperado 2 (testing both) OX

Butterfly Amicus Professional robot
-----
Ever tried, Ever failed? No Matter.
Try again, Fail Again, Fail Better!

One thing to keep in mind is that ChrisBuer seems to be playing with quite thin sponge -- 1.7 mm according to his signature. How the 05FX would compare to 80FX (or regular 80) may be different at 1.9 or especially at 2.1 mm sponge thicknesses. My guess off the top is that differences in pip-structure will have greater effects with thinner and softer sponges. I will try the 2.1 T80FX later this week and will compare it to T05 and T80. I tried T05FX once and really didn't like it much. Will see how it goes with this one.

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Butterfly Viscaria Black tag
2.2 mm Nexy Karis M on FH and BH

Compared to T05 (regular, not FX), this stuff is really slow and throws very low. Great for serving, ok for short game, especially flicks, but just not a viable forehand rubber for me. Even on the BH side I just couldn't execute shots with it compared to T80. Defenders may find this interesting in thinner rubber. Some people might like it on BH side.

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Butterfly Viscaria Black tag
2.2 mm Nexy Karis M on FH and BH

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DONIC Waldner 700
Shanghai Off; FH/BH-Yasaka Mark V
BTY PETR KORBEL FL, T05fx 2.1, T80fx 2.1

Hey Chris, You took the words right out of my mind.
I recently got a sheet of 80fx 2.1 and 05fx 2.1 put on my new PetrKorbel. (was assembled by mega spin)
Using 80fx for my BH, seems very sensitive to sin coming spin, ball flies off. Returning underspin with chops has the ball floating away too long and too flat.
Still waiting for the rubber to get stubbed in by the ball as it feels very inconsistent.
I'm now considering using it on the FH, else it's a complete waste for me. I'm mostly a 3rd/5th ball attack player.

Hope the other guys enjoying it though.
Cheers!

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DONIC Waldner 700
Shanghai Off; FH/BH-Yasaka Mark V
BTY PETR KORBEL FL, T05fx 2.1, T80fx 2.1