OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Are there still players that use the Killer in 1.5 on backhand ?

- Is it good for opening against chopped balls ?
- Is it deceptive when you block with it / good sinking effect ? or is it to easy for the opponent.
- Can you chop with it if you are away from the table (when in trouble, i know you have to play close to the table with med pip)
and gives it some reversal or is it more a no spin ball the will produce it ?

Great reviews by the way, thx.
Just looking for more and new opinions.

The reviewer:
I’m I guess an above average player – Unsure what my USATT rating would be, but in AUS I’m a Top 100 Player. I play an aggressive Long Pip Blocking/ Forehand Attack game, with some chop defense in there for good measure. However due to lots (and lots) of coaching I’m capable of playing with just about any rubber. When playing with Short Pips I play a slightly more active version of above.


Physical Properties:
Black – 1.5mm Sponge. The Sponge is very soft and floppy, so to speak. Smells VERY strongly of old speed glue. Nearly got a head spin when I opened the packet. As is standard Dr Neubauer, This is a very high quality short/Med Pip – the pips just bend very slightly on touch and are tightly packed together. They are aligned horizontally and are grippy on contact also. My initial reaction when gluing this sucker was “This feels very interesting, and very unlike any of the Chinese Med Pip’s out there”.

Speed:
This Rubber tends to behave very much like a short pip as far as speed goes. Much like the grippy pips such as Raystorm and 802-40, The speed depends on your effort. If you’re actively punching, the ball zips, with a very low throw and skids off the table. For a flat hit/smash this rubber is extremely effective, one of the most effective I've used.
Blocking –This rubber has 2 types of blocks – active (short pip) and Passive (Long pip) and is capable of both. The active block sinks into the sponge and springs back reasonably quickly. A long pip block IS POSSIBLE with this rubber. This is unusual for a medium pip. I was standing at the table chop and drop blocking back big nasty loops from my training partners. They tend to go back high and slow, but are hard to keep short. Spin details below!
Rolling and Looping – which surprised me – was possible both against top and backspin. However a roll against backspin – more like a short than a long – needs to be more active and you can’t afford to be half hearted in your stroke.

Spin/ Spin Reversal / Effect:
- Spin on Attacking strokes – This sucker generates spin on the aggressive roll. This surprised me as a rubber that is also capable of reversing. I’d say this is closely related to the length of the pips vs the high density. As far as a recommendation though, It’s probably not recommended IMO to be used as a spin generating short pip, as it is far more effective at the fast and low block and punch.
- Spin on serves/pushes – This generates similar spin to the grippy pips on serves. While not as much as an inverted, you can comfortably serve a short backspin serve. I also found on push returns you can vary between the no spin and backspin push. Again – Spin generated is not high however there is enough of a difference to notice as a receiver.
Reversal/Effect on block and punch: On Punching, as noted above, the ball sinks low and fast. For the other side of the table, they had to really get down low to lift it up. However due to not having a large amount of spin or reversal on the fast punch, the lift didn't have to be particularly heavy. But if I had to loop against this thing, I’d get pretty tuckered out!
On Blocking long pip style- As stated above, it DOES work. However it is not a high level reversal rubber. What I find most interesting is that you can change from a punch block to a chop-block against an attacking topspin from your opponent. This took me a fair bit of practice and trial, and one must be committed to your stroke IMMEDIATELY because an In between block will inevitably fail. I found this happening to me quite often.

Control:
This is the biggest downfall of this rubber by quite a way. It isn’t a beginners pip by any shake of the sauce bottle, and while I found it exciting to use, it seems that every action had to be precise. You had to commit to your strokes immediately, sit behind the ball, be active in your follow through, and be in the right position – and it’d do what you want it to. Any slight slip up and you’d be likely to error.


Chopping – This rubber isn't listed as being made for chopping – god knows why. It’s Fantastic away from the table, with variety between no spin and backspin chops very comfortable to navigate. It took me quite a while to get the trajectory on the float chops, but once sorted they’re quite evil! Again, like playing at the table, one must really contact the ball fully to get the desired effect. Probably not for the faint of heart to use.


Reference: This rubber doesn't compare to the other Med Pips out there that I’ve used. The only way I could describe it is like using Dtecs with beefy sponge and short pips. I Can’t really find any other way to legitimately describe it.

In Conclusion! This rubber has it all – It REALLY does. I've never had a medium pip that I can long pip block with and chop and float so with comfortable variety. But It comes with a price tag, and it comes with a fair bit of caution to the wind – Put in the hours and the effort to use this rubber and it will reward you. If you’re lazy in your technique, if you’re not prepared to get comfortable with it and learn the intricacies, you won’t be able to reap the benefits and put it to best use.

I have just recently switched to Killer Pro, I started with the 1.3mm, quickly changed to 1.8mm which felt better without losing any effect., nor did the rubber seem faster.

I'm currently playing with a super slow Franklin hard bat blade, ox pips removed.

Has anyone hit with Killer in Max sponge, impressions of it?

I love this new/old blade, so slow that only the rubber kicks for spin, I finally have a spinney forehand loop on my inverted side. I'm hoping that Killer in Max sponge gives me the ability to attack with the pips on my forehand when flipping my paddle.

Cheers everyone!

I love these guys, great players and great people!

Interesting review, really making me consider the wood; does dead hard bat wood make the rubber trampoline more even if it isn't tension rubber, I've had a sidespin loop jump 2 1/2 feet instead one foot, the rubber the new PF4 Max.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTJEerqmOk8

In my limited experience Killer Pro does not create topspin but is King of the Dead Ball, 1.8 seems to have a cushier feeling, which feels good for my game.

After 26 years of playing long pips, Killer Pro is a welcome change, the ability to attack at will won me over, though service return is more difficult (blaming that on my lack of experience with short/medium pips).

I just ordered a sheet of Killer Pro Max from paddle palace, unable to find youtube videos of Killer in Max sponge, I will post my own if it plays similar to the 1.8mm sponge.

Best Regards.

P.S. I am willing to sacrifice the sinking ball effect for greater ability to attack!