OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Hello,

Got this rubber today and must say it exceeded my expectations (against robot so far).

Background: penhold, inverted for quite a few years, 0X LP pushblocker past 2 years. Broke 1500 with LP... steady blocking, not very strong against backspin. Too slow to twiddle. RPB stronger than inverted FH. TPB more tho

After trying a few anti's (see bottom comparison), I realized what I want to play is an all-around blocking/hitting game: TPB being the main/neutral shot, RPB loop/hits for BH attack, and anti FH attack on high-ish balls, chops on low balls

FH: Yasaka Anti Power 2.0 red
BH: Hurricane 3 2.0 (maybe boosted)
Blade: Nittaku Ludeack

1. Initial Impression is it's very high quality. Topsheet looks/feels grippy like inverted, but when I throw the ball across the surface it slips like other anti's - still not sure why
2. On first balls (FH hit) against robot (medium topspin), it's definitely faster than I thought having read other reviews. Balls fly long, and some into the net (due to lower grip than it appears). TPB balls look a bit LP-like, again unlike its inverted look suggests
3. After I got more used to it, I am able to very consistently FH hit/fake-loop. The speed is comparable to the H3 side. I only have to use 80% power to get a shot that can finish weaker players.
4. Passive blocks are quite fast and long, but stable. A bit of reversal I think - remains to be seen if it can hold up against strong loopers
5. Can't do real backspin pushes like inverted. Bumps against backspin is pretty easy, similar to Super Anti; maybe a bit faster but nothing crazy
6. "Loops" lifting backspin is very easy. Don't have to hit/roll hard like other antis
7. Killing high balls is easy - good grip/speed
8. Chops are controlled - haven't tried much yet
9. On receives, pretty spin insensitive like super anti, without weird trajectory some glantis have (dms reflection seems sensitive to sidespin)

Overall, it's meeting my needs as an all-around hitter/blocker. Will see how it plays against humans


----------------------------------------------------
Recently tried (robot and against a recreational player):
* DMS Reflection 0.9: My least favorite, too slow, odd blade angles, maybe better for shakehand where you can FH loop, but I fail to see how to beat out weaker/no-spin players with this rubber... wouldn't enjoy it anyway
* Neubaur ABS 2 2.5: Easy to get into, seems more similar to LP. Good speed on hits. Can kill high balls okay as the thick sponge feels "soft" even tho it's not. Main thing I don't like is the lack of speed in TPB rally
* Super Anti: Faster and grippier than ABS 2, but still slow in TPB rally. When its too 'soft' and slow sometimes I give a high ball to my opponent...
* Hurricane 3 topsheet (put under sun for a day) on ABS 2 sponge: Enough speed in TPB, can kill balls more reliably, with the downside being some sensitivity on receives

Sponge hardness: abs2 > super anti > anti power > reflection
Speed on hits: anti power >> super anti > abs2 > reflection

_________________
USATT 1502.
Long pips pushblocker, inverted RPB.

Blog (Ramblings of an ordinary penholder...): http://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=32694

Update today:

Robot:
* Hit speed feels a bit less than yesterday - probably a combination of psychology and the rubber breaking in. Still plenty fast and consistent tho
* Lifting/hitting backspin doesn't feel as effortless as yesterday - still one of my less favored drills, and in matches I seem to be getting mostly short pushes that my TPB can cover instead

Played against another penholder (hitter):
* Right away I see obvious reversal against spin - not as dramatic as 0X LP, but somehow the trajectory and uncertainty of spin (maybe stroke dependent at times) gives the other player more trouble than my LP, which he got used to
* Killing balls is pretty nice. He commented that he had no idea how to play at one point, because either the spin confused him, or he gets smacked
* I do miss some easy balls that are slow/low-spin if I'm not in position to hit "into it". I think it's because it's harder to get proper grip from the sponge - the balls flies before the sponge activates. Def still less tolerant than inverted
* TPB rally speed is good -it's reversal based so I can bump hard on some backspin. I realized after we played that I rarely miss returning backspin (into net) today which is one of my weaknesses. Very versatile rubber! Drop shots are good too
* Chops are very good - plenty slow and controlled enough against a non-looper, and can add spin easily
* Serves and receives - no issues for both my opponent and me twiddle for serves here we go

You may have noticed some contradictions where I say it both has grip and spin insensitive, but still able to add spin on chops?? My theory for now is that since the sponge is very soft, on light strokes it doesnt get activated, and there's not much grip from just topsheet. On harder strokes like hits/chops the sponge is activated, and it's an active rather than dampening sponge

Overall I get about 3 points more per game. Great rubber. Can't wait to see how it performs playing higher level players

_________________
USATT 1502.
Long pips pushblocker, inverted RPB.

Blog (Ramblings of an ordinary penholder...): http://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=32694

Went to a club today and played with two SH loopers around my level (first time with this rubber against players not weaker than me). I performed about the same level as with LP, beat both 3-1/3-2 but mainly on inverted serves and consistency on key points

I had a lot of misses on hits in both practice and matches - balls in real life are quite a bit softer and more unpredictable than robot balls. The only balls I had more success with are short pop-ups or balls near the middle of table.

The rest basically plays like my LP...quite easy to block strong loops with and maybe more consistent. The reversal is obviously not as good (or trajectory low like with dtecs), but I feel like fewer balls sail long or get third-ball loop killed by opponent. It absorbs energy better than LP and some blocks stay ridiculously close to the net even after multiple strong attacks.

I can block/sideswipe/chopblock when the ball is about at its highest point, unlike with LP. I only realize this late in the session; blocking on early rise also works tho.

The first player pushes a lot, and I still dump it into the net maybe half the time in some games. Maybe it's my technique - same as LP days. If I bump harder it tends to go long.

Both players serve short or medium-speed no-spin/top-spin, and the rubber handles these fine. I am able to sideswipe a lot. Still unsure how it would do against strong spin, but on the robot it is more sensitive to sidespin than LP. Sideswipes are probably less disruptive than LP against side-spin balls due to the lack of pips bending.

_________________
USATT 1502.
Long pips pushblocker, inverted RPB.

Blog (Ramblings of an ordinary penholder...): http://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=32694

Another session at the club, using Ryu-seung Min JPEN this time. Good news is that I beat a chopper (bit weaker than me) 3-1, and hits against backspin are overall consistent. He said he didn't realize I was using an anti...The JPEN helps stabilize my grip/stroke and adds speed at the same time. Planning to stick with JPEN

It also hits no-spin from LP well (another player). Able to almost "loop" sometimes although it scratches the net and out often.

Bad news is that:
* I make no spin at all in my serves - maybe a tiny bit in backspin if I'm lucky, as a result, no easy points
* Rubber affected by spin in receive - dump into net a few times against chopper, have to start pushing rather than bumping. Against the LP who's a good server - destroyed by all kinds of serves.

For the record, Yasaka Anti Power is not good at all for returning serves. I've read some reviews that say it's not affected much by incoming spin, maybe those are from people who are decent receivers already and just need a bit of aid

_________________
USATT 1502.
Long pips pushblocker, inverted RPB.

Blog (Ramblings of an ordinary penholder...): http://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=32694