OOAK Table Tennis Forum

First Impressions: Pluto has the thinnest topsheet I have come across; it's so thin, in fact, that it's more than happy to crumple in on itself if you're not careful when applying glue. I was only able to attach it to the paddle by putting glue solely on the blade. The sponge version (obviously) would not have this problem, and perhaps a glue sheet would be easier as well. Red sheets are very transparent, which means that different additives are used than in Yinhe's other OUT rubber, Uranus, which is opaque.

The pimples are straight, and while I do not have digital calipers, I would make an educated guess that they are about 1.3 mm long when put side-by-side with other OUT rubbers. The pimples are relatively wide and comparable to many SP, but definitely more flexible. Despite the incredibly thin topsheet and flexy pips, I get the impression that it's fairly durable and wouldn't have problems with pips breaking at the base, though that would have to be seen over the course of several months.

Lastly, the sheets have Yinhe's signature 'scuffed' look. While I doubt this affects performance, it's definitely not the most attractive finish.

Strengths: One thing I realized quickly is that a MP's strength is in its versatility, and not in any one particular area. Pluto has excellent touch on serves, and I was able to serve very short at will, but spin was more difficult to impart than SP rubbers. Blocking was pretty manageable as well, but I don't think there was anything particularly 'deceptive' about it to a trained eye.

Though I do not consider myself a chopper by any means, I was pleasantly surprised by how much more easily I could play defense away from the table; I actually scored some points by chopping, which rarely happens. Chops were nice and low over the net. I doubt that Pluto can chop as well as a rubber dedicated to that purpose, but for me, it was noticeably more controllable than an OX SP.

Weaknesses: Pluto does behave somewhat like an SP in hitting and looping, but I experienced a lack of control in this area and my confidence in my attacks wavered somewhat. Looping/hitting seemed adequate on slower balls, but during high-speed exchanges, there was a catapult effect with little to no spin, causing both loops and hits to go long, even under restraint.

Most balls produced were dead, which is not very manageable when the rubber starts returning more energy and there is no topspin to bring the ball down or braking effect to slow it. This could conceivably be good for the much-touted "hit through the spin" strategy, but I think a somewhat more linear speed would help in this regard.

While many of my attacks would hit, I've experienced many misses that would not have otherwise happened. The manufacturer's description does mention "very flat trajectories," but it was equally disturbing for the user trying to land a ball on the table. Essentially, while this rubber most definitely has attacking capabilities, I would not consider that to be its absolute forte; it's simply too unpredictable in high-speed exchanges where you are trying to out-hit your opponent.

Strategies: Pluto could definitely be viable as a 'backhand rubber.' Pushing back spinny serves, chopping, and flicking the ball are all things that Pluto does a decent job of, so if you happen to be looking for a rubber that will help you defensively without losing too much in regards to your standard SP attack arsenal, then I have no qualms in recommending Pluto.

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Custom Blade 'Hard Justice' w/ Yasaka Cobalt a
Tatco Hornet w/ ATP Leland Era

Nice review.

So do you usually use LP on your BH or inverted?

I play with a hardbat, so short pips with no sponge on both sides. I've been forced to change rubbers due to a ban, so Pluto seemed like a potentially inexpensive replacement, but it's not consistent enough on offense for me; I think it would work best for a classic chopper, since it's very controllable in that regard.

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Custom Blade 'Hard Justice' w/ Yasaka Cobalt a
Tatco Hornet w/ ATP Leland Era

Nice Review abdulmuhsee

How does 755 compare to it?

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A big bag full of blades and long pimples, donuts and coffee!

Unfortunately, I haven't tried 755, but from what I hear, Pluto is closer to a SP than a LP. If you use your LP to passively block at the table, then Pluto would probably be a downgrade, but Pluto is quite good at chopping and fairly good on offense, so it may work for your game depending on how you want to use it.

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Custom Blade 'Hard Justice' w/ Yasaka Cobalt a
Tatco Hornet w/ ATP Leland Era

Your forum is absolutely fantastic as the are lots of great information. I really appreciate the kind of topics you post here.

Thanks harrychanning, and welcome to the forum!

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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

Could you compare Pluto OX to 563 OX or any other OX MP that you used? Also did you use the Pluto on a fast blade?

I'm currently using pluto in red with original sponge 1.5mm thickness. Overall, I must say this is a very deceptive medium pips after about 1 year learning to play with pips on backhand (I was using 802-1 2.2mm back then, a spinny short pips yet able to produce a fast dead ball, especially when I crazily whack the ball to finish point with backhand), and somehow I got the hunch to give pluto a try

It pushes very well. Somehow it is on the insensitive side, but able to generate backspin too. It is a great fun on pushing, I can vary the amount of backspin so easily.

It is possible to loop with pluto, but it is not its forte. Not spinny enough, it's a bit hard to vary the amount of topspin I can generate, but I can say enough spin.

Flat hitting and counter-hit, might bit a little hard, but after 10 minutes of adjustments, it really is the whacker-cracker of all balls LoL. I still can hit a low ball, whether it's backspin, topspin, sidespin, or a dead ball. When hitting through topspin, it produces a flat arc, which sometimes goes out of the table if I put to much power on hitting.

Punch-blocking with pluto is a real fun. Good placement and float effect it produces (somehow I think it's a bit strange to see a medium pips than has a 'floaty' trajectory yet still pretty easy to whack the h**l out of any balls) might make your opponents troubled chasing the balls and to deal with the 'deadness' it produces.

Chopping with pluto is pretty good for me who doesn't really chop all the time, pluto is capable of producing enormous amount of backspin with a very flat trajectory which sometimes forces my opponents only to push it back rather than trying to loop it (they've tried, and they failed LoL). Since I'm a close-to-table attacker (and sometime playing counter-hit style) with my forehand as my main weapon (although after 1 year dealing with pips on backhand I developed and learned Ai Fukuhara's playstyle, and fortunately able to implement it on matchplay, so I'm a one-wing looper, one-wong whacker LoL), I rarely chop, unless I'm out of position and a bit far from table because of the great excitement when looping all balls coming at me with forehand (that's the stupid me for getting too far from the table, maybe that's why my friends keep saying me I'm a shakehand guy with a old school penholder soul LoL), I rarely use this shot, but I found it good, good enough to keep your position safe in a rally.

Overall I must say : I LOVE THIS SON OF A WHACKER !!!! LoL

P.S. : I'm using pluto with a custom-made 7-ply composite (ALC) blade replicating viscaria, zjk, tb alc, tbs, but tweaked a little bit for a better performance (thicker ayous core instead of kiri, and thin limba ply instead of koto, like what used on stiga blades). Stiffer, more solid, more speed, yet great touch, and somehow it has a 'springy' feel when hitting hard, instead of 'grab and launch' feel the viscaria, zjk, tb alc, tbs produces. The ALC itself came from detaching it from my friend's broken viscaria though LoL. Conclusion is, it performs very well offensively on a stiff blade

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Back to 7 ply allwood, no more composites for now

Hurricane 3 Neo

Still looking for some short pips with the softest sponge available, preferably something with a LOUD speed-glue-effect sound

Whack and Loop for eternity

Great feedback, thanks comodoensis!

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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

Hi Guys,

I have 1.5 mm Pluto in Red mounted on a balsa blade with a fibreglass ply. Sounds crazy but does anybody think it would work? I used to use the blade in my Dr N Inferno days and could control frictionless with it.

I would use it to block and counter hit off the bounce as well as fast push. Thought about buying Killer but it is very expensive for an experiment.

Bulldog.

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Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox

I used my very fast set up for an hour today and was amazed by the Pluto. I am definitely going to use medium pips over the summer although perhaps on a more controllable blade. It was fun!

Bulldog

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Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox

Absolutely you can sir. Pluto is not a rubber you can fully utilize for 2 weeks-1month. It takes a lot of adaptation, especially on the strokes and touch. My best mate who already fully 'conquered' this rubber said to me 'be patient and spend 2-3 months using it without counting on win-lose ratios and other dip#$^ts arguments, and it'll pay for it', and it's true. I feel more comfortable using pluto now rather than any MPs (except df 820a on med hard fast sponge, blazing fast with both spin and sink effect LoL). I bravely say that this is the best bang for the buck, it even wins against the famous dr n's killer in my opinion. Same sink, but with more deception and capability to spin

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Back to 7 ply allwood, no more composites for now

Hurricane 3 Neo

Still looking for some short pips with the softest sponge available, preferably something with a LOUD speed-glue-effect sound

Whack and Loop for eternity