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PostPosted: 10 Feb 2018, 07:23 
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With my table in the garage, conditions aren't dust free for the rubbers. Although I wipe the rubber clean after each bucketful, was looking for a cheap, tacky, hard sponge for practice. Wrote Tom at zeropong, expecting a recommendation like 729 08 or super FX. Instead, Stephanie suggested Gambler Burst with Thor Hammer sponge (hard) which she wrote was an improvement on H3. Have had very enjoyable plays with Gambler's Zero (a Sriver clone) so I ordered a couple of Burst/Thor. Put new H3 Neo and Burst on the forehand of a pair of Dr. N Titans (read similar Re Impact Tachi) on the robot. As always, these impressions are for my strokes and style of play. Will play tomorrow and compare against opponents.

1. picking up ball, the Burst held it about 5 seconds to the H3's one second. Of course, there is no way of determining how long the tack will last on either;

2. straight arm loops at zone 2 against topspin: the H3 seemed to have better control and without doubt a lower arc than the Burst. With a blade angle modification the Burst was certainly more than worthwhile. The difference would be H3=9, Burst = 8;

3. over the table looping against topspin: interestingly, the Burst shone here with great placement and control. Would grade it Burst 9, H3 = 8;

4. push against backspin: no question that the H3 was superior. The slow, higher arc on the Burst created problems that I believe will benefit your opponent;

5. flick against backspin: well, nothing is perfect in life. The Burst shone here with flicks that benefited from the higher arc, hit the opposite side of the table and took off. At the beginning, my H3 flicks were all over the place, ie short, in and long until I used a vertical stroke on the H3 to lift it over the net and onto the other side safely. Nevertheless, the Burst is far more dangerous with the flick since you can keep your blade at a semi-closed position and the ball takes off rapidly, with spin, and low.

6. half loop at end of table against backspin, eg a backspin long serve that goes beyond the end table: slight edge to H3, although not much. Both performed very well, over the net, and with great spin on the other side.

For the moment, there you have it. Nothing conclusive on either end and the $4.50 difference between them doesn't warrant a value judgment. I would say that, for the moment, you have to determine which part of your tactics are important to decide which of these two to choose. Conversely, choose depending on your opponent's style. Kudos to Gambler with a $14 rubber that doesn't bow its head to the DHS machine.


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PostPosted: 10 Feb 2018, 13:34 
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I bought a sheet to try and would say this, in play the rubber is quite good and like it was posted above pretty comparable to H3. But what made me go back to the h3 was spin on serve. I couldn’t get enough with the Burst.

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PostPosted: 11 Feb 2018, 23:41 
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Just to complete the Burst review. Played yesterday against partners and my previous comments stand. From the partners' perspective, there was little difference between H3 and Burst/Thor in terms of spin and the famous dip after bounce. I did intentionally close my blade a bit more with the Burst to offset the higher arc but that was the only modification made. Blocks against power loops and slow topspins were about equal.

There was one difference re: previous post on serve. The Burst/Thor was as spinny--if not more--than the H3. My serves, however, are graze-thin and, when effective, both rubbers were dangerous on the serve. Considering the higher tackiness on the Burst, this may not be altogether surprising.

Conclusion: this is a great H3 alternative. Since the USD price is only $4.50 between them, any preference would be justified by the push/flick difference in your play with the proviso that going from H3 to Burst will require a slight close on blade angle (or more forward stroke).


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PostPosted: 13 May 2018, 03:35 
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epictetus wrote:
Just to complete the Burst review. Played yesterday against partners and my previous comments stand. From the partners' perspective, there was little difference between H3 and Burst/Thor in terms of spin and the famous dip after bounce. I did intentionally close my blade a bit more with the Burst to offset the higher arc but that was the only modification made. Blocks against power loops and slow topspins were about equal.

There was one difference re: previous post on serve. The Burst/Thor was as spinny--if not more--than the H3. My serves, however, are graze-thin and, when effective, both rubbers were dangerous on the serve. Considering the higher tackiness on the Burst, this may not be altogether surprising.

Conclusion: this is a great H3 alternative. Since the USD price is only $4.50 between them, any preference would be justified by the push/flick difference in your play with the proviso that going from H3 to Burst will require a slight close on blade angle (or more forward stroke).



Thanks for the review Epictetus!
One question for you: what about the weight? Burst with Thor's sponge vs H3 neo?
I looked for something slightly more dynamic than H3Neo and tested the Nittaku H3 Pro Turbo and that rubber was SOOO heavy.

Thanks !

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PostPosted: 13 May 2018, 03:35 
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..

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PostPosted: 31 May 2018, 01:50 
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Funny, I am using Burst Thors Hammer and H3 Neo on 2 defplays.

The Burst was really good, but the throw angle was higher, particularly on drives and blocks. On pushes the high throw was problematic at first, but in the opposite direction because it's a push, your pushes go into the net. After some adjustment time, this is manageable, but your room for error is less.

The Speed is far more on the Burst, so less effort for loops, blocks with more speed, but more care needs to be taken on pushes and chops.

The H3 is definitely spinnier on just about everything, particularly on serves, and even more so on short serves.

Both chop well, I prefer the H3 because of the lower throw.

If it weren't for the difference on service, I'd likely prefer the Burst as it's more Euro feeling with the Thor's Hammer sponge.

The H3 is tackier, even though it is older and more used than the Burst. We'll see if the Burst increases in tack...the H3 did.

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PostPosted: 31 May 2018, 03:37 
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Japsican wrote:
Funny, I am using Burst Thors Hammer and H3 Neo on 2 defplays.

The Burst was really good, but the throw angle was higher, particularly on drives and blocks. On pushes the high throw was problematic at first, but in the opposite direction because it's a push, your pushes go into the net. After some adjustment time, this is manageable, but your room for error is less.

The Speed is far more on the Burst, so less effort for loops, blocks with more speed, but more care needs to be taken on pushes and chops.

The H3 is definitely spinnier on just about everything, particularly on serves, and even more so on short serves.

Both chop well, I prefer the H3 because of the lower throw.

If it weren't for the difference on service, I'd likely prefer the Burst as it's more Euro feeling with the Thor's Hammer sponge.

The H3 is tackier, even though it is older and more used than the Burst. We'll see if the Burst increases in tack...the H3 did.


Great info... Thanks!
What about weight difference between both?

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PostPosted: 31 May 2018, 03:48 
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ludo wrote:

Great info... Thanks!
What about weight difference between both?

I didn't weigh them on a scale, but the Burst with Thors is definitely lighter. I'd say quite a bit lighter. Good rubber, great value.

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PostPosted: 31 May 2018, 03:59 
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Japsican wrote:
ludo wrote:

Great info... Thanks!
What about weight difference between both?

I didn't weigh them on a scale, but the Burst with Thors is definitely lighter. I'd say quite a bit lighter. Good rubber, great value.


Awesome. Thanks!

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PostPosted: 13 Jan 2019, 15:10 
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FH: Gambler Burst Thor's
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I saw that Gambler recently released the Burst with the Gearz sponge. Anyone know what this sponge is like compared to the Thor's?


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