OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Nittaku Senrei (DHS Sharping)

I’m a shortpips chopper who has primarily been using 802 for the past year and a half. Given that I’m prone to bouts of EJ-ing, sticking with the 802 for that length of time is quite an achievement for me. I found that the 802 (on a 35deg sponge) sufficiently provided what I needed for my game (hey, if it’s good enough for Ding Song, Hou Yingchao, Li Jie, Li Qian, and Jang Song Man, it’s good enough for me!). Before committing to the 802 I have played/ "experimented" with the following: BTY Challenger Chop (and also Attack), STIGA Clippa, TSP Spectol, TSP Spinpips 21, TSP Spinpips Chop, and RITC 799. The 802, in my opinion, provided the largest range of spin variation and the most deceptive ball flight (This is a bit hard to explain, but one way to put it is that heavy chops and knuckle balls travel at almost the same speed and trajectory).

My problem with the 802 was it’s not as “forgiving” as TSP Spinpips Chop Sponge or RITC 799—the slightest error in racket angle when chopping against a spinny high arc loop makes the ball pop up or go long (This problem isn’t so pronounced when chopping with, say, Spinpips Chop Sponge and Spectol). Another issue with the 802 has to do with quality control—this despite getting all my 802s from the same supplier!). So, although I was very much satisfied with the 802, I wanted a SP rubber that offers better control and feel. So, although the 802 is a perfectly good SP for a chopping game, I had my reservations.

Then I found the Nittaku Senrei (DHS Sharping).

Physical Characteristics: Since a picture paints a thousand words, see for yourself.
Thickness: 1.5-1.7, Sponge: Medium-Soft




Classical Defense (mid/long distance chopping):
Chopping with Senrei is a breeze. I could easily keep chops low and deep. Control is A-MA-ZING: when chopping against more controlled/ guided loops, I could almost aim for the corners even if I’m 4 or 5 meters away from the table! Also, like the 802 there is huge potential for a chopping game based on spin variation with this SP. If you chop with a lot of wrist you could produce vicious backspin (even the best looper at my club who knows my game inside out had trouble lifting my heaviest chops). It is easy to produce knuckle balls with it too. I feel I’m in control rather than simply reactive when I'm playing with Senrei.

Short game:
It’s easy to play a tight short game with Senrei. In terms of pushing, it felt a bit like TSP Spinpips. You can feel the “hardness” of the pips, but this doesn’t translate to a loss of touch/ control. In fact, it seems easier to scrub spin off and to load the ball with heavy spin.


Kill Shots:
So…you’re in a closely contested rally with an experienced looper. You skillfully (and gracefully) return his shots from several meters off the table. Then, in a moment of confidence, he rips out a powerful loop for the win. But your defense is tight, and you retrieve the ball with ease, a regular day at the office. The looper, slightly vexed, decides to regroup. His next shot will be a safe one, a push. But, for a fraction of a second, he lost his touch needed to pull off such a delicate shot. The ball pops up.

Seeing a “pop up” is perhaps one of the most beautiful things that a chopper could ever see (apart of his beloved and double rainbows). With Senrei on your paddle, you can be confident that you could blast this ball to kingdom come. Senrei is crazy fast, but it also has a “sink” and “skid” effect that makes swat hits almost impossible to return.


Conclusion:
I am sure most of us have a rubber we swear by, that one rubber that makes playing feel sublime and even gives us extra confidence when we go into battle. Simply put, for me that rubber is Nittaku Senrei.

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Blade: NITTAKU Haneyoshi
FH: Tenergy 64 FX
BH: TSP Spectol

Great review 5jd33

Where did you get the name "Senrei " from? Was it on the packaging?

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Yes haggisv, that is what's on the packaging. I got the rubber from iruiru.com, and I think Senrei is the Japanese name for Sharping http://www.iruiru.com/goods_page.php?ct=A&mk=D&pg=5

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Blade: NITTAKU Haneyoshi
FH: Tenergy 64 FX
BH: TSP Spectol

Is Senrei just a repackaging of Sharping? Or is it a Sharping top sheet with a different (Japanese?) sponge?

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The Dark Side: "Quicker, easier, more seductive" - Yoda

Sharping is good rubber for controlled chopping, but as far as for spin variation, this rubber is has bits of unpredictability (both on active and passive shots, but especially bothering on passive one). its a special pip out rubber, i dont think its classified as short pips, more of short-med pips. i used for a while, but later just decided to come back to my trusted spectol for chopping.

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Blade: Vioncello
FH: DHS skyline tg2 2.15mm
BH: Spectol 1.7-1.9mm

Well, according to the nittaku website, "They" (which I assume is the Nittaku company) developed a new and elastic sponge, so I guess it does have a different Japanese sponge. And based on my knowledge of sponges, it does look more like a Japanese than a Chinese sponge.

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Blade: NITTAKU Haneyoshi
FH: Tenergy 64 FX
BH: TSP Spectol

Hi KenT, well I think that its "unpredictability" is precisely why it's excellent in a spin variation game. Initially it is somewhat perplexing--especially in the short game, as you have mentioned. But once you've figured out the unique "logic" of the rubber, then I think it works pretty much in your favor. I think Nittaku advertises that aspect of the rubber as one of its strong points.

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Blade: NITTAKU Haneyoshi
FH: Tenergy 64 FX
BH: TSP Spectol

Its different. i use both version of sharping. The DHS one come with white sponge and doesn't have any thickness below 2.0mm. and its considered special pips out, since the pips are longer than short pips and easily bent. Nittaku version comes with lemon orange sponge and have more solid sponge than dhs version. Topsheet have better QC and pips are not easily bent. Its two different rubber mainly because of the sponge. Nittaku version has ability to be a chopping rubber.

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Blade: Vioncello
FH: DHS skyline tg2 2.15mm
BH: Spectol 1.7-1.9mm

Yes its excellent for spin variation games. But it just frustrating when the rubber just doesnt work in your favor. as u said, the control is amazing! but not as spiny and fast as spectol 21. And the sponge is pretty solid and little bit on the heavy side..

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Blade: Vioncello
FH: DHS skyline tg2 2.15mm
BH: Spectol 1.7-1.9mm

I think it is capable of producing more spin than 802 and Spectol. Not so sure about Spectol 21 though, which I think has the softest sponge among the rubbers I've mentioned.

You are right about the weight of the sponge though: heavy and solid.

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Blade: NITTAKU Haneyoshi
FH: Tenergy 64 FX
BH: TSP Spectol

Does NITTAKU-DHS Senrei/ Sharping hit like inverted (like 802-40), or with a lot of sinking ball effect that forces you to do a lot of lifting to hit normal balls like Challenger Attack?

I ask because I'm considering having a 2nd setup with short pips on the FH to use when playing against people with long pips and people that chop a lot. My inverted FH is useless against them because I am going into the net so much that I get to where I have zero confidence in my FH attack and end up totally frustrated and afraid to hit, resulting in me trying to chop everything, anyway. If I had a 2nd setup that I could use similar strokes to hit and smash as compared to my inverted, with short pips I had a lot better luck with smashes not going into the net. I did also have other problems with it, ie that I couldn't hit hard enough to win points, but if I could chop well as well as smash, and attack pushes/underspin balls, it might work well enough to be better than my inverted against people that send lots of underspin balls.

Its sad to need to resort to a 2nd setup, but I seem to lose every match against people with short or long pips, so I might as well try something different.

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--- Push/Chop or Attack ---
USATT 1684 left, Lost it all by playing sick and hurt.
No legs left, no more backing up, just smash it!
Blade: TTPiet OFF-/ALL custom
FH: Spinlord Waran Short Pips
BH: Joola Badman Reloaded 0X

Yup it most definitely has a strong sink effect

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Blade: NITTAKU Haneyoshi
FH: Tenergy 64 FX
BH: TSP Spectol

Ok, thanks for the reply

_________________
--- Push/Chop or Attack ---
USATT 1684 left, Lost it all by playing sick and hurt.
No legs left, no more backing up, just smash it!
Blade: TTPiet OFF-/ALL custom
FH: Spinlord Waran Short Pips
BH: Joola Badman Reloaded 0X

By any chance does anyone have a used piece of NITTAKU Senrei they aren't using that they could sell cheap? It doesn't need to be perfect if its real cheap or free. It sounds like I need the Nittaku version, since my backhand chop is my best backhand shot.

I'm just looking to try it on my backhand, where I think it could be a good fit to replace the DTec.S.

On my backhand I mostly push and chop, and attack nospin and underspin balls, and I am trying to learn to block and smack, and it sounds like it might be a good fit for that, but I don't want to spend a lot of money just to try it to see.

_________________
--- Push/Chop or Attack ---
USATT 1684 left, Lost it all by playing sick and hurt.
No legs left, no more backing up, just smash it!
Blade: TTPiet OFF-/ALL custom
FH: Spinlord Waran Short Pips
BH: Joola Badman Reloaded 0X