OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Thanks for the thorough reviews. I actually found 799's topsheet much softer than either 802-40's or 563. I wonder if you got an old sheet. I could never get as much spin as with 802-40 with it for some reason.

Of the rubbers I've tried, I like Joola Tango Ultra the best though it does wear out after about 2 months. Also sometimes I get a sheet that doesn't have tension built-in so I have to speedglue it. I went down to 1.8 sponge from 2.0 and still seem to get plenty of speed and spin and much better control, so if the speed is bothering you maybe try thinner sponge.

802-40 seems very similar except a little harder topsheet and sponge. 889-2 has the softer sponge and topsheet, but you need to be careful when gluing it or using Ecolo Expander not to delaminate the topsheet.

Another similar rubber to Joola Tango Ultra (JTU) is Andro Revolution COR pips. The topsheet is almost sticky, like Stiga Radical or Dawei 388B. At first the sponge felt hard but after gluing it it softened up. YOu can get a lot more spin on serves, pushes and flips but the down side is that you have to adjust your racket angle more to deal with spin so it isn't quite as good for blocking as JTU/802-40/889-2. Dawei 388B is similar but comes with a softer sponge and no tension built in so needs glue.

Raystorm (the softer sponge version of Flarestorm) was the only Japanese rubber I tried that was as spinny as the above, but the throw angle was higher and the sponge was harder than JTU. I used it in 2.1 and didn't like it, but I did like 1.9 on the right blade, which would be softer and lower throw angle than the Joola Guo 3C I use now.

Nittaku Hammond FA wasn't as spinny as Raystorm or the other rubbers above but worked well on a hard, low throw angle blade. It has a very thin topsheet so feels softer than the sponge would indicate, sort of like Supersonic/Makss/Terminator. It's pips which have a wide base and narrow suddenly are good for a hitter and a nice upgrade from the harder sponge Yasaka T-Original.

I've got a sheet of Stiga Royale I haven't tried yet, maybe I will eventually, though JTU works well enough I don't feel the need to switch. is it a sticky pips rubber like Radical? What is the throw angle like? Any tension built-in or does it need to be speed glued?

Has anyone tried Butterfly Speedy P.O. Soft, especially in the 1.7 thickness? It advertises a lower throw angle than Raystorm, though it still has the vertically oriented pips typical of Japanese sheets, like Raystorm, Hammond FA, T-Original which usually mean a higher throw angle than the horizontally oriented pips like JTU, 802-40, 889-2, 388B, COR pips.

The big advantage of Pistol, from what I've heard is the "weird" effect when blocking. While the rubbers above will give a flat ball, they aren't "weird." What is the pip orientation and throw angle of Pistol like? Is the topsheet at all similar to DHS Sharping, which is also supposed to have a "weird" effect?

-- Andrew

"I've got a sheet of Stiga Royale I haven't tried yet, maybe I will eventually, though JTU works well enough I don't feel the need to switch. is it a sticky pips rubber like Radical? What is the throw angle like? Any tension built-in or does it need to be speed glued?"

Royale is a muce better SP frmo Stiga. The sponge is softer but bouncy. I don't think speed glue is necessary unless one is a slow blade.
The topsheet is also quite soft. I hope it would not wear and tear as much as JTU. This is my replacement for JTU.

This is also the third JTU I have. It is new and still spinny and bouncy. The two older one slow down a lot and lost spin. It ages quickly. I don't mind it when new.

Radical is terrible for me. Got some dirt of light color stuck on it and very hard to make it clean. I tried to rub off the dirt with my fingers and small rubber particles started to come off. There are more and more and, eventually, I used a TT ball to rub off the rubber surface making it shorter. The ball got deformed due to heat and the rubber topsheet got melted. It becomes even sticker.

Useless rubber. Sponge is also harder. Don't waste money on it. Try Royale if one wants Stiga.

I don't understand why people want sticky/tacky rubbers. It is wasting people's energy. It makes balls go slower but not necessarily spinner due to lack of momentum. The ball won't fall after a few seconds when the blade is reverse. What for?

RTIC Geospin Tacky, Hurricane, etc? These rubbers are better and faster when the sticky layer worn out.
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For serves and pushes, it's a lot easier to get heavy spin with tacky rubbers. That's the main reason I use them...