OOAK Table Tennis Forum


A truly International Table Tennis Community for both Defensive and Offensive styles!
OOAK Forum Links About OOAK Table Tennis Forum OOAK Forum Memory
It is currently 28 Mar 2024, 17:55


Don't want to see any advertising? Become a member and login, and you'll never see an ad again!



All times are UTC + 9:30 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 21 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
PostPosted: 25 Nov 2018, 05:59 
Offline
New Member

Joined: 24 Nov 2018, 06:35
Posts: 5
Has thanked: 0 time
Been thanked: 1 time
Blade: Palio Cat
FH: Palio CJ 8000
BH: Palio AK47 blue

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR RUBBER


Protect your rubber from sunlight, UV rays degrade rubber

Do not leave it inside a hot car, don`t even leave it on the car at all so you avoid the risk

Rubbers interact with oils, and destroys tack. Skin oils will damage your rubber so never touch it without washing your hands first.

Clean the dust with water only, soap damages rubber.

Contact with air oxidizes the surface of the rubber and destroys the tacky surface. Tack is not made with some sort of solvent, it is part of the rubber molecule structure and oxidation leaves permanent damage. To avoid this issue right after the game clean the rubber with water and use a plastic cover, sealing the surface.

If you take these precautions rubbers can last a long time but even if you do so they will age as you play. You will need to change it so buy an equipment at a price range that you can replace. The more you play the faster the rubber degrades.


HOW TO CHOOSE A RUBBER

The best rubber is not the most expensive, it is the one that fits your style. That is an expensive lesson that most only learn after buying some fancy high end equipment only to discover they play much better with a cheap ass equipment. My friend just got a Butterfly blade with Rakza 7 and Xiom Omega Europe worth about 150 dollars only to discover he plays better with my 15 dollars bat (5 for the blade and 5 for each rubber). My Coach and friends also say it is an excellent beginner set. The rubbers he bought are too fast and are not suited for a beginner so basically any decent control rubber would improve his game.

Get something Allround. Avoid defensive, offensive. Pin out, long pin, short pin, anti spin.
Avoid anything you see in physical stores: Yashima, Dunlop, Speedo, Sunflex and pretty much any premade bat. These are horrible, you won`t even see these brands mentioned in table tennis forums.

There are two types of Allround rubbers, Chinese and European. Chinese has little catapult effect and a lot of tack. European has medium catapult effect and little or no tack.

Both are easy to control but if you are used to one you will have a hard time controlling the other. In China they start with Chinese then learn the other. In the West people usually start European and then try the other. Which rubber style is the best is subject to much controversy and economical interests. Whatever you choose use the same rubber on both sides to get the feel, later you may change the backhand for a softer and more aggressive rubber to compensate the fact that you can hit harder with the forehand than backhand.

Chinese rubbers have several disadvantages.
They require a different technique, If you play in west your coach may not have experience with it and that could be an issue. If his first lesson is to flat hit the ball with a Chinese rubber that means he only has experience with European. Fist lesson with Chinese should always be to brush the ball with topspin, this is your basic hit. Don`t be too harsh, he may be an excellent coach if you decide to go Euro style.
Tacky surface gathers dust so if you play in place with a lot of dust it looses tack during play, the part that you hit more often will gather more dust and loose more tack so each part will respond different and it completely looses control.
Chinese rubbers are slower then European and you have to compensate hitting harder. That is significant disadvantage for smashing and for playing away from the table. Most professional Chinese players use European rubbers on the backhand to compensate this drawback and even switch sides for smashing.

The top players of the world use Chinese rubbers so they must have something pretty good to compensate their obvious drawbacks. This is what I believe their advantage is.
European rubber can create very strong spin but they are optimized for top speed with strong catapult effect. Chinese equipment is optimized to create high spin, That is why it is so tacky and has so little catapult effect. Higher spin to speed ratio alters ball trajectory, for same speed hits it makes a shorter arch, the ball dip faster, and kick lower. If the ball is bellow or at net height, as it is most of the time, the ball has to make an arch to hit the table. If you hit too hard it will go out so there is a speed limit to those balls. Short arch for Chinese rubbers means they have a higher speed limit, giving advantage close to mid range.

Never use soft rubbers on the forehand. It will bottom out if you hit hard and loose control. Sponge is like a spring. Soft impacts require soft sprigs to be effective. Hard impacts require hard springs to be effective. If you use a soft spring on a hard impact it will exhaust the elasticity, hit the incompressible state, loose control and reduce bounce speed.

Sriver L- Euro style, moderate speed, moderate spin, lasts a long time, and it is expensive. It is a good rubber and many love it. I saw a penhold player creating devastating spin with it but that requires side to side hitting and for me it feels like too little spin. Before I bought it I had had a classic Chinese DHS premade, the difference was huge and the upgrade was a total fail. I completely lost control, played with this expensive set for months and never adapted. After I got a job I gave it away for a friend and for the price of two Srivers got 3 blades and 8 rubbers to test what fits my style, best decision ever. First day playing with a 5 bucks rubber and I was already playing better.

Friendship General- If you are beginning and don`t know what you want this is the rubber for you. It is dirt cheap. Out of the pack this is a decent traditional Chinese rubber, with dead sponge and tacky surface. But it looses tack fast even with care. If you continue to use Chinese brushing technique the ball slips. Dead sponge without tack is useless, so I used some booster, (standard liquid vaseline on the sponge). The speed difference is brutal, the dead rubber becomes faster then Sriver or CJ800, actually too fast for a beginnner so you must use it with caution. With little tack and good catapult it starts to behave closer to European rubbers. I used it for many months and still like it on the backhand. It is a very heavy rubber so make sure you pair it with a light blade, 156cm head also helps. Once you know what fits your style this instability becomes a issue.

Palio CJ8000- Palio is a Chinese brand trying to emulate Euro style. Very cheap, moderate speed, excellent spin, excellent control, has some tack. Minimal response to booster, not even worth it. Friendship general is pretty good but CJ8000 this is a bit lighter, more stable, and so far no slipping problems. Awesome underrated rubber.

Palio AK47 blue- This is an aggressive European style rubber. Switched my backhand from an old, well boosted Friendship General to this one with ease. This rubber is very light. I don`t recommend it for beginners because it is too fast but when you decide to upgrade your backhand for something faster without selling your kidneys this is a good affordable option. It has no tack at all and does not require protective cover. Very light, Very fast, good spin for an euro rubber. It is very soft so its is not suited for forehand nor for boosting.

Since my club is a mess with dust I quit using Chinese and can`t help much. Heard in forums Friendship, DHS, Reactor Corbor, 999T are good brands with affordable rubbers. Avoid the expensive stuff and find what fits your style. High catapult with high tack are called hybrids. New friendship General boosted works as a hybrid. They are more sensitive to incoming spin then classic rubbers of both styles and are very hard to control, avoid them.

For the price of those two Srivers I still got Reactor Corbor, Kokutaku 868, 999T and Hurricane 3. They are still on the shelf waiting for a place without so much dust to be tested. Maybe they will get old before I even try. That is fine. I got what I wanted already.


HOW TO CARE FOR YOU BLADE


Water is good to clean rubbers but harm wood. Avoid getting them wet while cleaning the rubbers and if you do dry the edges. Sealing the sides also helps.

All cheaper blades require sanding on the lower edges of the head otherwise it will hurt your hand.

All cheaper blades require sealing, check with your seller if he can do it for you. Without sealing the glue binds a bit too well with wood and changing rubbers may detach splinters.

Good professional sealing use nitrocellulose. I had a hard time finding one of those so I had to improvise using transparent nail polish based on nitrocellulose. I was worried if it would work well but it did. 5 bucks bat gives me confidence to try everything out and if I mess up it is not a big problem.
I used one part nail polish to two parts acetone, making it thinner and easier to spread. Apply two thin layers waiting to dry between. If you leave a shiny surface you used too much and it can lead to poor gluing, Sand a bit the spot to solve this.

Seal the sides of the head too to avoid water issues. I don`t like sealing the handle because it gets slippery.

You still need to learn how to cut and glue your rubbers. Look for that in the forum.


HOW TO CHOOSE A BLADE

Go for an Allround blade. Avoid defensive, offensive, fiberglass, carbon fiber or any other composite.

Chinese style requires you hold the blade with a soft grip. Flare handle prevents you from throwing the blade. If you ever want to try Chinese flare handle is the only option, and it also plays well with European rubbers.

Since it has to be Allround, Flare handle, the main choice you have is blade weight and head size. 80- 85 grams is standard weight.

If you play closer to the table you have less reaction time, so it makes sense to use a lighter blade and a slightly smaller head, which also decreases rubber weight. 156mm for classic hold. If you play mid distance 158 mm is standard. Some defensive blades are larger, avoid them.

If you have the money you can by some expensive Allround blade from BTY, Stiga, or Donic. It will likely work out well. Or you could buy several cheap Allround blades with different weights and see what suits you best.

I`ve heard of people that like heavy blades but for me more weight does not add more speed or control, it delays reaction time and increases the chances of lesions. Maybe I am missing something and it suits some play styles, try it out for yourself and get your own opinion. Avoid harsh changes, they are hard to adapt. I tried 3 blades.

Friendship C3; 85g +-5g; 158cm head . Pretty good but I wanted to try something lighter. After trying the the Huieson I noticed C3 handle is a bit thick for my hand and it is hard to hold it with a loose grip.

Huieson Trainning Racker; 80g +- 10g; 158 cm head. It is some cheap ass blade with low quality control. You have to specify weight or get something very random. My blade wasn`t even made from a single wood. For 5 bucks blade you can`t complain because it plays surprisingly well. I got one with 74g and was pretty happy with the lighter blade. This is the blade I lend my friend, we play better with this cheap ass bat then with some heavy and F*** expensive Butterfly.

Palio CAT; 72 +- 5g; 156 cm head ; So, I just told you to avoid carbon fiber... well this is carbon fiber but not a standard carbon fiber blade... This blade is designed to be the lightest possible while maintaining an Allround speed. It has similar feel to other Allrounds. Mine weighs 68g and I love it. Since I play close to the table it was a perfect match for me.

With a light blade and two heavy Chinese rubbers like Friendship General the blade becomes off balance (tip heavy) and it started to hurt my wrist. Used a coin in the handle to balance. It helped but changing rubbers for lighter options was a better solution. 156cm blade head also helps reduce this tip heavy effect.

Read in several forums and friends recommending Galaxy blades. They sell affordable and good quality material. I almost bought Galaxy 896.

BALLS

DHS is now selling new polymer 3* balls for an affordable price. It is a bit more expensive then the usual but worth the money. I like how they play and so far no broken balls.

New balls only come in white and if it has poor contrast where you play better go for old orange ones.
Huieson 3* are dirt cheap and pretty good.


Top
 Profile  
 


Don't want to see this advertisement? Become a member and login, and you'll never see an ad again!

PostPosted: 25 Nov 2018, 11:47 
Offline
Goes to 11
Goes to 11
User avatar

Joined: 13 Jan 2014, 20:27
Posts: 10671
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 1384 times
Interesting first post.. :lol:

Iskandar


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 25 Nov 2018, 11:57 
Offline
Dr. Chop-Blogger
Dr. Chop-Blogger
User avatar

Joined: 23 Oct 2013, 00:48
Posts: 1811
Location: Boston
Has thanked: 620 times
Been thanked: 396 times
Blade: Butterfly Defense Alpha
FH: H3 Neo
BH: Cloud & Fog III OX
Yup.

_________________
USATT: 1807 | League: 1887


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 26 Nov 2018, 01:57 
Offline
Goes to 11
Goes to 11
User avatar

Joined: 13 Jan 2014, 20:27
Posts: 10671
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 1384 times
Pretty much a summary of what's appeared on the Forum for the past 2-3 years, aside from the constant posts about the N11 and M8, Yinhe 9000 and Batwings... Should I? :lol: He's got me beat, though - even the M8 isn't $5.

Iskandar


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 30 Nov 2018, 09:16 
Offline
New Member
User avatar

Joined: 12 Sep 2018, 16:11
Posts: 38
Location: Oregon, USA
Has thanked: 13 times
Been thanked: 5 times
Blade: Donic Appelgren Excl. AR
FH: KTL Pro XP
BH: KTL Pro XP
I've got a question that fits under the same topic. I read on zeropong to use microfiber cloths to wipe down your rubber when cleaning (source: https://www.zeropong.com/rubber-care-installation-ezp-2). I had a clean micro-fiber cloth lying around, and I tried it but I guess my rubber was tacky enough to make it a real problem to clean - it was hard to move the towel around and it got micro-fibers on the rubber as well. Does anyone know if this advice is sound? Anything I might be doing wrong?


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 30 Nov 2018, 13:23 
Offline
Goes to 11
Goes to 11
User avatar

Joined: 13 Jan 2014, 20:27
Posts: 10671
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 1384 times
Reminds me of a microfiber bath towel I bought some time back. 1) It wasn't that good at absorbing water. 2) It left microfibers everywhere.. :lol:

I think the main problem is this - what causes the tackiness? I'm willing to bet a dollar for a nickel that it's actually a layer of glue - it's applied to the rubber by that "protector sheet" you have to peel off the rubber before using. If you use microfiber (or any other abrasive material - such as those polyurethane "magic sponges" I used to use because Daiso sold them and which looked so smooth) you're going to remove said layer of glue. Presto - non-tacky rubber! :lol: Or at least, you'll make it less tacky more quickly than otherwise.

Iskandar


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 03 Dec 2018, 13:13 
Offline
New Member

Joined: 24 Nov 2018, 06:35
Posts: 5
Has thanked: 0 time
Been thanked: 1 time
Blade: Palio Cat
FH: Palio CJ 8000
BH: Palio AK47 blue
It is hard to clean dust from tacky rubbers without using water. I get it wet and softly rub it off with my hand, then dry it with absorbent paper or lint free cloth without rubbing. I`m sure there are other ways to do it but this one works fine for me.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 10 Dec 2018, 07:41 
Offline
Super User
User avatar

Joined: 27 Oct 2010, 16:38
Posts: 556
Location: Moscow, Russia
Has thanked: 25 times
Been thanked: 86 times
Blade: Sanwei Fextra 7
FH: PALIO AK47 Red
BH: Dr. Neubauer K.O. Pro 1.5
Why soap is bad for rubbers? I don't think so.
Only blades with soft thin outer ply (limba, hinoki) need sealing.
If your soul is defender you need defender's equipment from the very beginning.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 10 Dec 2018, 09:17 
Offline
Goes to 11
Goes to 11
User avatar

Joined: 13 Jan 2014, 20:27
Posts: 10671
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 1384 times
Soap? According to some people it removes oil from the rubber (what makes the rubber supple). Whether you choose to believe this or not is another matter.

About sealing blades - the M8 (obeche face plies) definitely does need sealing. Or they will lose fibers when you remove the rubber. The N11 (meranti) much less so. Yet, aside from the peeling problem, Ovtcharov and others have stated that water based glues cause the wood to deteriorate over time (2 years or so IIRC), whereas in the old days you could use the same blade practically forever (until you hit the side of the table or something like that). If you can prevent some of the water from getting into the blade it'll last longer.

Iskandar


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 17 Dec 2018, 03:05 
Offline
Super User

Joined: 22 Dec 2016, 16:35
Posts: 691
Has thanked: 101 times
Been thanked: 117 times
Blade: DHS PowerG-9 OFF++
FH: Yasaka Rakza X
BH: Palio Thor
I heard you could "dry" blades in an oven ( max 120 deg C ) IF they are PURE WOOD ... like most Balsa blades, and it would make it harder, faster and lightweight. Is this true ? Won't the wood glue used to stick the plies get destroyed by any amount of heat ?

Also, sealing a blade with Polyurethane water-based varnish makes a lot of difference between ripping slivers of the wood veneer and being able to easily remove rubbers from blades.

Also caring for your rubber isn't anywhere as crazy obsessive as all that. Common sense, like don't wipe your rubbers on your cotton shirts, pants, towels, etc. Micro-fibers are real bad at cleaning rubbers. Water+clean hands works best. Rubber cleaners/ rejuvenators are a hit-or-miss affair ... might restore the rubber or might destroy it at the same time.

:-)

_________________
__________________________________________________________
Backup C-pen blades:
  • TSP Black Balsa 7.0 :
    1. FH/BH-YRakza9/XOmegaVT
    2. FH/BH-TSP Spectol/Yinhe Qing OX
  • 729 Bomb C-P : FH/BH-DHS H2 Orig/DHS H3 Orig
  • TSP Versal :
    1. FH/BH-XOmegaVA/YJupiter-II
    2. FH/BH-*blank*
Fun blades:
  • Yasaka Battle Balsa(ST) : FH/BH- DHS TG2Neo/Gewo HypeXT 47
  • Dr. Neubauer
    High Technology
    Cypress-Carbon(ST)
    ***************************** : FH/BH-YRakza7/YRakza7
==========================================================


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 17 Dec 2018, 19:55 
Offline
Goes to 11
Goes to 11
User avatar

Joined: 13 Jan 2014, 20:27
Posts: 10671
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 1384 times
A large number of manufacturers sell baked blades. Just look through the catalogs - Donic, Yinhe, even Butterfly. Supposedly it helps if you use a vacuum oven.

Iskandar


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 18 Dec 2018, 13:17 
Offline
Hurricane Lover
Hurricane Lover
User avatar

Joined: 09 Mar 2008, 19:19
Posts: 2921
Location: Indonesia
Has thanked: 145 times
Been thanked: 236 times
Blade: DHS Long 2
FH: Dianchi D
BH: Yinhe Pluto
The simplest way to preserve blades in my experience is to seal them right away when new unused. Otherwise, for already used ones, clean them as best as you can then seal them.

I seal hundreds of blades literally over more than a decade. Every now and then I use the blades that I sealed more than a decade ago and they still work great.

At first I only seal the heads. Then, because of problem of dirt with frequent use, also at time sweat got to the handle making it wet and stained, I seal the edges and the handles too. In short, I seal the whole blade.

This makes my blades to have more vibrant colors (the sealing makes the color change, more saturated colors), and also clean from dirts and what not. But most importantly, safe from splinters from removing rubbers. I have used speed glues, rubber cements, latex, various water glues, none ruins the blades I sealed. In comparison, blades I didn’t seal, any and all types of glue had made some of them splintered, from cheap no name chinese blade to big brands alike. Yes, even Butterfly’s top model blade I had personally own had splintered before. Just a few months ago I tried one of the newest model (and not cheap) of big chinese brand blade. I purposely didn’t seal it. At first time removing the rubber the blade splintered. So, I’m convinced that even now in 2018 new blades are susceptible of splintering.

_________________
instagram: rokphishtt


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 18 Dec 2018, 15:53 
Offline
Goes to 11
Goes to 11
User avatar

Joined: 13 Jan 2014, 20:27
Posts: 10671
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 1384 times
Oh.. here's the thread on baking blades:

viewtopic.php?f=43&t=25232

Iskandar


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 18 Dec 2018, 16:11 
Offline
Super User
User avatar

Joined: 28 Feb 2018, 03:24
Posts: 745
Has thanked: 16 times
Been thanked: 96 times
rokphish2 wrote:
The simplest way to preserve blades in my experience is to seal them right away when new unused. Otherwise, for already used ones, clean them as best as you can then seal them.


After seeing most of the blades splinter, I've come to realize, the hard-way, that it's probably a good idea to seal them, from the start... . My Defplay Senso V3 is just a little over 9 months, and has undergone just one rubber change on the BH. But, even though, I used water-based glue, it still noticed some mild splintering ... I had the option of sealing it (at no additional cost), from the store itself, but I chose not too, since someone mentioned that it changes the way an OX LP plays.. Now, I can't seem to find a sealer, anywhere locally.

Which one due you use ? ... and what if a sealer, specifically for TT blades is not available ?


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 18 Dec 2018, 16:35 
Offline
Goes to 11
Goes to 11
User avatar

Joined: 13 Jan 2014, 20:27
Posts: 10671
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 1384 times
Water based glues are FAR worse than what we used to use, which was Elmer's rubber cement and the original Chack. Back then NO ONE ever posted stuff about top plies peeling, etc. nor did anyone post stuff about having to seal blades.

What to use for sealing a blade? Get any oil-based polyurethane. Apply all over using a paper towel, then rub off as much of it as you can, and allow to dry for a day or so.

When I first joined this forum about 4 years ago, there were several people who were adamantly against varnishing blades - they claimed it destroyed the blade's "feel". I haven't seen this opinion expressed in a LONG time. (I also see little posted about "flex" and "dwell" and whatnot anymore, either.. :lol: )

Iskandar


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 21 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next



All times are UTC + 9:30 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 48 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Copyright 2018 OOAK Table Tennis Forum. The information on this site cannot be reused without written permission.

Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group