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 Post subject: Rebview: Andro Roxon 450
PostPosted: 03 May 2009, 23:40 
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Count Darkula
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Blade: Bty Gergely T5000
FH: TSP Regalis Blue Max
BH: Tibhar Grass Dtecs
A little play on words in my title here just to personalise it a bit. You'll find this in the equipment index.

1. The reviewer: For those who don't know me, I am a combination player with LP and Inverted. I like a fast smashing rubber on my FH and a disruptive, yet attacking pip on my BH. I am what I'd call an advanced intermediate level I guess. I am playing this rubber on my Bty Gergely blade which is quite a fast carbon blade. I am writing this review off the back of three practice sessions and 5 matches (2 of which were doubles) with the rubber. Happy to report it helped me win 3 out of 5 of these matches.

2. Physical Properties: I have this rubber in red 2mm. The topsheet looks really high quality and doesn't seem to have deteriorated in the slightest after around 10 hours knocking with it. I think the sponge is around the 38% mark. To me it feels on the softish side, but not mushy at all. It certainly lends control with its degree of hardness. Not a tacky rubber, but gives very good grip and therefore ability to spin.

3. Speed:
Being a tensor the speed of this rubber is considerably fast. It certainly is enough to blow by anyone when you get the ball a little out of their reach. They generally don't have time to move or stretch to return unless they have anticipated the balls path and even then it can be a struggle. The rubber loops quite well, although I don't consider myself a powerlooper by any stretch. I tend to slow loop when needed and the spin this generates can make it very tricky for an opponent to discharge their next shot without serious respect for what the ball is doing.

Smashes are where the rubber shines though in my book. Even against players of much higher level than I, I have been able to give them some serious problems returning the ball, especially as I can send it on some quite deep angles down their FH side with it. There are faster rubbers around of course, but the speed this rubber will generate within the control it allows is not that easy to find in my experience. I would rate its control as better than Tenergy, at least as good as Omega II 1.8, and also as good or better than Tango. I can't think of a chinese rubber I've used that had as good control with anything near its speed.

4. Spin:
As I have said the spin on R450 is admirable. I'd call its throw about medium and I'd say the spin generation to be a step or two below tenergy, but still sufficient to pull good loops down. Spin on serves is very nice and has the potential to have good players dumping serves in the net or sending them long with a deceptive serve.

5. Control:
As I have stated control is at a very high level. I wouldn't say the rubber is supremely consistent such that you can't mis-place a shot, but it offers enough control that a well executed stroke is generally going to find its way to somewhere very close to where you aimed it. This is of course quite a subjective issue though, because so much depends on each different players stroke making ability. But I think its fair to say the rubber supports a players individual accuracy level fairly truely.

6. Other Playing properties:
I found the rubber to be somewhat sensitive to spin, but not so much that a good chopping technique or a power through shot won't overcome most spin. The minimal amount of chopping "in-play" that I have done with it, I find the rubber responds quite nicely to my FH chop.
I would mention that I found this rubber on the Gergely so easy to play with that after two practice sessions (about an hour and a half's play all up), I was comfortable playing competition with it. I have not felt as comfortable doing this with any other rubber before (I have done it, but not played as well as quickly).

7. Reference:
As I stated earlier I have compared this rubber with Tenergy, Xiom Omega II and Tango. I think there are things I like about Tenergy that I would rate it in some ways more highly than Roxon 450, but I feel more at ease in some ways with the Roxon. Blocking is a dream with the Roxon for example and Tenergy takes a little more effort and can sometimes return poorer results for me. It is spinnier than Omega II and Tango for sure, and blocks at least as well as these rubbers.

8. Other comments
To sum up, I would say that R450 is way up there in quality and playability. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a medium soft fast rubber that is not bad at doing anything, but shines in smashing and blocking.

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S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
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PostPosted: 04 May 2009, 00:47 
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You should try a sheet of Boost TP on your gergely, then you wonder why you said roxon was good for smashing and blocking :lol:. Boost TP is simply amazing for flat smashing and blocking. You should also try a sheet of Outlaw on the gergely and compare it to Boost TP :P

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PostPosted: 04 May 2009, 01:15 
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Blade: Bty Gergely T5000
FH: TSP Regalis Blue Max
BH: Tibhar Grass Dtecs
Thanks for the tips Sunflex. I have yet again overspent on my TT budget for the next few months at least (all in one day :oops: ), but I will take your advice on board. I do have the Gambler to try at least. And now I have a sheet of Proton to try at some point as well (and I can say with a fair amount of confidence, YOU should try the Proton as you may find you wondered why you thought Boost TP was fast then :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: ). :twisted: :wink:

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! :twisted: Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.


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PostPosted: 04 May 2009, 12:30 
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That's a good review thank you, I always look for a rubber that is good for smashing 1st and then looping 2nd (I realise this would also be a good rubber for a all-out looper) I'm currently using the Express 2 on my Kool blade and the crack noise It gets when I smash make some people gunshy

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PostPosted: 04 May 2009, 14:04 
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speedplay wrote:
sunflex wrote:
You should try a sheet of Boost TP on your gergely, then you wonder why you said roxon was good for smashing and blocking :lol:. Boost TP is simply amazing for flat smashing and blocking. You should also try a sheet of Outlaw on the gergely and compare it to Boost TP :P



I haven't tried TP, but I'm still wondering why some one would rate Roxon 450 as a good hitting rubber when the entire rubber have "LOOP" written all over it. Guess we are all different, but some are more different then others.

Hi Speedplay,

I acknowledge what you are saying about the Roxon being a great rubber for looping but it was also a relation for me and my hard flat hitting when I switched to it for about a year, I absolutely loved the Roxon 450 because I found it could do almost everything I asked of it and yes especially my FH hard flat hitting, I really enjoyed using it. The only reason I changed away from this rubber because I found something significantly better with more control, far better for the short game, faster, vastly more durability which stretches my $ further.

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PostPosted: 04 May 2009, 14:38 
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Mars, I think Roxon 450 is a very good rubber for looping or smashing and it all comes down to styles. Its very narrow for anyone to think one style is the only one that can or should apply to a rubber when you and I both know its freely up to each individual as to how they use it. There is nothing invalid about flat hitting if that's your style.

Rodderz, Mars plays at a very high level and when he smacked a ball with the Roxon, it generally stayed smacked. Now he has moved onto the Proton and I think pound for pound it produces perhaps 10-15% greater speed (although when something is just too fast to get a bat on, you might think why bother wanting more, but at Mars level, the guys he plays will appreciate the speed difference).

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! :twisted: Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
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PostPosted: 04 May 2009, 15:31 
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Hi Reb its good of you to guess my standard lol :) , Im ranked in Oceania, Ive been playing over 33 years, Im a level 1 ITTF coach, Ive played against at least 4 New Zealand Champion's (some were Aussies Champions as well) well in fact Ive played against Australia's best Veterans . I haved coached and played in the NZ Nationals.

Apart from that I normaly just play 1 to 3 times a month so my standard isnt realy that good.
I was just interested on the power hitting on the Roxon450 and don'y worry I take no offence lol :D

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PostPosted: 04 May 2009, 15:51 
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i think with a soft sponged rubber like the roxon 450, on a hit/smash you get most of the power from the blade, as the sponge just bottoms out. The bottoming out actually makes it a lot less sensitive to incoming spin, meaning you can just hit through the spin.

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PostPosted: 04 May 2009, 16:23 
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haggisv wrote:
i think with a soft sponged rubber like the roxon 450, on a hit/smash you get most of the power from the blade, as the sponge just bottoms out. The bottoming out actually makes it a lot less sensitive to incoming spin, meaning you can just hit through the spin.

I think you are pretty much spot on with regard to my situation Haggisv, my blade is fast & stiff and I found it relatively easy to hit through incoming spinny balls, this just got easier when I switched to the max thickness. My experience is softer sponged rubbers seem to work really well with my blade.

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PostPosted: 04 May 2009, 17:05 
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haggisv wrote:
i think with a soft sponged rubber like the roxon 450, on a hit/smash you get most of the power from the blade, as the sponge just bottoms out. The bottoming out actually makes it a lot less sensitive to incoming spin, meaning you can just hit through the spin.


Thanks Haggisv for this comment. I can't say I feel it bottom out much with 2mm, but perhaps it does and I don't realise. The Gergely is certainly a stiffish blade, although the hinoki outer plies do give a nice feel. It doesn't take away the fact that I feel I get a lot of power smashing with the R450, but perhaps anyone thinking of using it may need to take that into account.

Rodderz, you sound like you have an impressive record. Sorry, I wasn't trying to guess your standard, more trying to use Mars standard to describe this rubbers power. No offence meant and glad none taken. :wink:

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! :twisted: Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.


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PostPosted: 04 May 2009, 19:30 
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rodderz wrote:
Hi Reb its good of you to guess my standard lol :) , Im ranked in Oceania, Ive been playing over 33 years, Im a level 1 ITTF coach, Ive played against at least 4 New Zealand Champion's (some were Aussies Champions as well) well in fact Ive played against Australia's best Veterans . I haved coached and played in the NZ Nationals.

Apart from that I normaly just play 1 to 3 times a month so my standard isnt realy that good.
I was just interested on the power hitting on the Roxon450 and don'y worry I take no offence lol :D


:tongue9:

Good thing about this forum compared with the others is that we don't advertise out level or ranking, ummm welll the majority of us that is.
Anyway Rodderz, you definitely have my respect...

you always did. :notworthy:

Yes NZ does have a good standard of level and great facilities in table tennis... You know Reb, NZ have facilities as good as that as in Melbourne. :D

Sydney however is a different story, we play is god awlful conditions and some places it's in a semi-outside envirnment we deal with mother nature, wind and rain. Anyway, it's helps us play better.


BTW, great review there Reb. I was never a fan of Andro rubbers though. The Quad's and the Plasma's really put me off. Love the old revolution series though.


monkey

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PostPosted: 04 May 2009, 21:44 
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BH: Tibhar Grass Dtecs
Thanks Monkey. I'd never really used an Andro rubber, but having tried Mars' R450 at the start of the year I still felt I might get something from it. Then when ChrisBuer and Skull had talked about it, my curiosity re-sparked. When Purger said it was around Tenergy in spin I just had to try it again. I'm glad I have. Besides being able to put smashes away with it fairly well, it blocks really well. So when I invite those smashes at me that I do down my FH side, it makes it pretty easy to surprise the opponent with a fast block or counter back. Now as for someone like you who chooses the BH side to drive down more often than FH, well I am slowly getting better at picking it and sending back an angled return just over the net to the BH side through pure instinct.

Somehow I don't think facilities in Sydney are quite as bad as you say, but I do feel sorry that you don't have the luxury courts we have done here. :P :lol: :lol:

And if they have them in NZ too, good on 'em. Have you been to NZ then Monkey?

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! :twisted: Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.


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