OOAK Table Tennis Forum

About me:

I am an All Around player-Modern defender although I can play any style. At my best, I was an “A” player between 1900-2000 (on the rise when my father unexpectedly passed away which put table tennis on hold for many years). I started out using inverted on both sides, but switched to pips out on my backhand to help me return spinney serves and slow loops. I have used Feint 1.5, Phantom 009, Yasaka A1 pips out 2.2, Stiga Radical 2.0, Friendship 802 2.0, Friendship 802-40 1.8, Friendship 563 1.5, Friendship 837 1.0. I use inverted on my forehand, and like Juic 999 elite (red). I definitely will attack weak balls to my backhand with any rubber I am using at the moment. I twiddle often, and want a rubber different from my extremely spinney inverted loops (and chops).

Feint Long 3 (1.3mm black)

I am using the Feint Long 3 (1.3 mm black) on a new Giant Dragon Kris combination blade (OFF/DEF) on the defensive side, my backhand usually. I have a small problem getting the side to stay tacked down and I am touching it up for about a week until it is totally tacked down.



Spin test

Before I ever take a new blade to the table I do a “personal” spin test. I simply hit the ball up into the air and then chop it and read how much spin is on the ball. Frankly, very frankly, the spin of the Feint Long 3 against a stopped ball is amazing. The only pip I have ever seen to put so very much spin on a stopped ball is Stiga Radical-wow!

The pips themselves are very soft and mushy, but wow how this thing chops! It is my feeling that there will be very little knuckleball effect, but amazing spin reversal IF a stroke is used. This does not seem like it will play like a passive blocking rubber. If you brush the ball, it will impart spin. Hitting straight through the ball seems like it might give a very “funny” ball since the pips will “crush.’ If one rolls over the ball a very good top spin might be created.

To the table

The Feint Long 3 on the defensive side is really a joy to play with. Fast top spin serves are chopped with a large amount of back spin if I really rotate under the ball gliding the ball along the pips, or I can choose to crush the ball into the pips and create a sort of dead ball push. On a very heavily spun push or chop, the ball will still sit up if I rotate under the ball, but if I sort of push it with a push motion but open paddle, it creates a sort of topspin push. This can be very effective. Light under spin can be pushed back with light under spin.

A favorite ploy of opponents of long pips is to use a lot of deep no spin serves. I find that the ability of Feint Long 3 to create spin against a stopped ball results in me being able to attack no spin serves successfully if I read the ball right. Pushing under a no spin serve by gliding along the pips creates a pretty heavy backspin while crushing the ball into the pips gives a weird phantom type ball with little or wobbly spin. This ball can also be top spin’d successfully, but I personally would rather wait until my opponent pushes some back spin to the long pips and attack that shot.

One reservation I had about Feint Long 3 was I was afraid that my backhand flick would not be effective (A flick in my part of the world is an abbreviated smash with a lot of wrist). Well, the flick is in good order. When my opponent gives me a high push, I can flick this away very well. Since the defensive side of the Kris is so slow, not too many are out right winners (but every ball so far has sunk into the bottom of the net). I am also able to get a good hard punch block with the Feint Long 3. Because the pips crush so easily, it is a very weird ball. Again not many of these came back most just sank into the bottom of the net. Control from the slow side of the Kris is very good maybe even outstanding.

Fading of the table and chopping is where this rubber really shines. The more my opponent spins into the long pips; the more under spin he must successfully lift over the net. Adding a little side spin on the chop bothers my opponent even more. I must be alert and ready to come in and pick hit with the long pips on any drop shot or short push.

My feeling is that players coming from an inverted or active background will like Feint Long 3 much better than players coming from a passive blocking background. The pips seem too soft to reverse the spin when a passive block in used. I am also using the maximum sponge (1.3 mm); again not what a passive blocker would want for spin reversal or weird ball effects. (I am also using this on a heavy slow side of a combo blade built for modern defense away from the table-think Panagiotis Gionis or Ruwen Filas as example players).


For a person who is looking to chop at all depths, this rubber is a big winner. The only competition for Feint Long 3 as far as spin variation and severe topspin reversal from a chop stroke is TSP Curl P-1 (or maybe the other Butterfly Feint products). For a passive, at the table blocker, there are better products.


Ian

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Blade: Giant Dragon Kris: FH: Friengship 729 Judo (red) 2.0 BH: Feint Long 3 (black) 1.3
Blade: Alfa Pro : FH: Friendship Judo (red) 2.0 BH TSP Curl P-1r (black) 1.4

Thanks for the interesting review, good job!

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"The greatest teacher, failure is"
USATT Rating: 1725
Blade: Stiga Cybershape Carbon
FH Rubber: Butterfly Tenergy 19 2.1
BH Rubber: Dr Neubauer ABS3 1.5

i really like this rubber ,plays like a slow inverted but with the added lp benefits,the only thing i found tricky with it is pushing back a spinny push,the ball seems to die and fall into the net sometimes

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Tsp Black Balsa 3.0 Tenergy 05 1.9 388d ox black

Yeah, and if I push it too hard it pops up. Try using the "topspin" push. Kinda like an open faced block but with a pushing motion. This "push" stays really low. I also twiddle some to make life miserable for my opponent although my new rig does not lend itself to twiddling very much.

What I have not tried yet is looping with the long pips. In theory, FL3 should be very good at this with its highly flexible pips. Also,if said spinny push sits up above net height,its time to flick that one away for a winner.

Do you use the flick? How does it work for you with FL3?

Ian

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Blade: Giant Dragon Kris: FH: Friengship 729 Judo (red) 2.0 BH: Feint Long 3 (black) 1.3
Blade: Alfa Pro : FH: Friendship Judo (red) 2.0 BH TSP Curl P-1r (black) 1.4

Also has anyone pulled off a chop block with FL3? How well does it work?

Ian

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Blade: Giant Dragon Kris: FH: Friengship 729 Judo (red) 2.0 BH: Feint Long 3 (black) 1.3
Blade: Alfa Pro : FH: Friendship Judo (red) 2.0 BH TSP Curl P-1r (black) 1.4

yes i have done flick shots but only against slow balls and lesser opposition.i was twiddling and ended up doing a forehand loop with the feint which fooled the opponent as the effort i put into the stroke produced a much slower ball than you would expect,another option to return push shots is to come across the ball which seems to help it carry over the net

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Tsp Black Balsa 3.0 Tenergy 05 1.9 388d ox black

For me if the guy is constantly burying backhand pushes, its time to twiddle and loop with the inverted. I have tried backhand looping with the FL3 and it serves pretty well. I am not sure I would use this tactic very often against a decent attacker-just every once in a while to maybe win a cheap point or 2.

Ian

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Blade: Giant Dragon Kris: FH: Friengship 729 Judo (red) 2.0 BH: Feint Long 3 (black) 1.3
Blade: Alfa Pro : FH: Friendship Judo (red) 2.0 BH TSP Curl P-1r (black) 1.4

update-yes you can play spin and kill with FL 3-under these circumstances:

1) You get heavy push or chop. The long sticky pips can add a surprising amount of topspin if you just glide the pips along the ball.

2) When you kill the ball (or in this case just hit it flat), concentrate on smacking the ball deep into the pips sponge and wood. This can produce a very flat very weird ball. This is what you want to concentrate on that and placement. If you use a set up like I do with a very slow blade on the Feint side, smashing through your opponent in not in the cards unless you really hall off and smack it. For me, this tends to mean I miss the other side of the table too much. It is much better to either run around and hit a forehand or twiddle to the inverted if I am looking to smash the ball away.

3) You can fake loop it by rolling it and using a faux looping motion. This ball looks loaded but it really quite dead.

Also I can push backspin back on my opponents spinney push if I can keep the ball on the pips and push very fast. If my technique is not correct however I will choke up a high ball just like any other long pip. (yikes!)

Ian

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Blade: Giant Dragon Kris: FH: Friengship 729 Judo (red) 2.0 BH: Feint Long 3 (black) 1.3
Blade: Alfa Pro : FH: Friendship Judo (red) 2.0 BH TSP Curl P-1r (black) 1.4

i think the blade angle is critical when pushing a push if your blade is too horizontal the pips don`t bite and the ball won`t carry,too upright and your into the net,i am having more sucsess with a more semi rigid blade as opposed to the flexy defplay,i think the backspin is increased with the stiffer blade(primorac),for opening over the table shots i am twiddling to use the tenergy and the underspin that this stuff generates is staggering and often ends up into the lower part of the net from the returner

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Tsp Black Balsa 3.0 Tenergy 05 1.9 388d ox black

Thanks for the tip, I appreciate this very much.

I also have a hunch that backhand looping with the pips is only good as a surprise especially to a good looper. The sequence I see is the looper pushes to my backhand, I loop it with the Feint, if he chops I am fine (and can kill it with the Feint) but if he blocks, counters, or loops this ball, then I am back on the defensive and pretty much chop this return. I might be able to punch block it but if a rally starts, I can only keep this up a few balls before I have to chop the ball and play underspin.

Have you ever done this sequence in your games?


Ian

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Blade: Giant Dragon Kris: FH: Friengship 729 Judo (red) 2.0 BH: Feint Long 3 (black) 1.3
Blade: Alfa Pro : FH: Friendship Judo (red) 2.0 BH TSP Curl P-1r (black) 1.4

I've done this sequence a few times. I can counter back and forth with the FL3; it's only effective if you vary the spin on your counter drives, like hitting it flat. If I drive as if it were inverted, I get blown off the table.

Most times I'll try the surprise loop with the FL3 and if they counter-loop, often the case above 1800, then I step back and chop.

FL3 is *the* best chopping rubber I've ever used. Nothing comes close to the control. Spin variation is awesome also.

Learning to push effectively with it takes time.

Watch Ruwen Filius -- he uses FL3.

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BL: Joo Se Hyuk
FH: Narucross EX Hard
BH: Feint Long 3, 1.0mm

LOL, I have watch every Ruwen video I could-He is very fun to watch, Ian

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Blade: Giant Dragon Kris: FH: Friengship 729 Judo (red) 2.0 BH: Feint Long 3 (black) 1.3
Blade: Alfa Pro : FH: Friendship Judo (red) 2.0 BH TSP Curl P-1r (black) 1.4

I have been playing Feint 3 for 3 or 4 years. I have 2 blades with same equipment, so I can change the pips surface to try a new rubber and compare both.

- Feint III 0,5mm: A lot of control, good spin, slow, nice curve when chopping. But what I love is its feeling.
- UPUPUPUP 0,6mm (sponge added): maybe a bit more control near the table, but less spin, easier for the opponent to loop the ball, chops go straight.
- Akkadi 0,5mm: Good control (les than Feint III), a bit faster, easier attacks, chops go VERY straight.
- Curl P1-r 0,5mm: Low control (in comparison with Feint III), HIGH spin, nice curve when chopping.
- Scilla Sword 0,5mm: I had no control with this rubber. Nice attacks but 0 control when chopping.

They are all the rubbers I tried during trainnings to change my feint III, but I chose Feint III finally. I'm still looking for another rubber to change my feint III.

Greetings

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Submarine 1,5mmB
Feint Long III 0,5R
Defence Alpha

Been doing some blocking with FL3, boy is its block dead, dead,dead. It soes not give much spin reversal, but powerful spinny loops, even hard hit ones, can be blocked uber short!

Combined with a deep driving chop taken on the rise, this is a difficult thing for my opponent!

Ian

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Blade: Giant Dragon Kris: FH: Friengship 729 Judo (red) 2.0 BH: Feint Long 3 (black) 1.3
Blade: Alfa Pro : FH: Friendship Judo (red) 2.0 BH TSP Curl P-1r (black) 1.4

Played a guy tonight who insisted on looping into the FL3 The heavier he tried to loop, the more chop he got from FL3. I was also able to take his loop on the rise ala Panagiotis Gionis. Deep driving chop that skimmed the top of the net hit and stayed low! He fianlly gave up and started hitting to my forehand

Ian

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Blade: Giant Dragon Kris: FH: Friengship 729 Judo (red) 2.0 BH: Feint Long 3 (black) 1.3
Blade: Alfa Pro : FH: Friendship Judo (red) 2.0 BH TSP Curl P-1r (black) 1.4