OOAK Table Tennis Forum

From Butterfly
We can inform you already: TENERGY 80-FX ist softer – but not made for “softies”! It is a great choice for every player who seeks to combine the dynamic TENERGY 80, the latest addition to TENERGY family, with the flexibility of a softer sponge.

Combining the speed of TENERGY 64 and world-famous spin of TENERGY 05, TENERGY 80 offers the perfect choice to players looking for a powerful offensive play close to the table as well as from mid distance.
Furthermore it is a great choice for counter spin rallies thanks to the good rotation which can be felt particularly on Topspin shots with long trajectory.

The 4° softer FX version of SPRING SPONGE offers an excellent touch and high control in service and return game.

Review
Got a sample of the new Tenergy 80 FX, and will be reviewing this very soon...exciting!

The sample came in a plain package but still with the Butterfly hologram and labels. Here are some pictures to prove that I'm not just teasing

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

Nice one!

I'm willing to offer a second opinion if required

Wohoo.. I just advised somebody to wait for the 80fx. And here it comes!

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Enjoy the game. It is a never ending learning experience once you play and keep the ball on that 45 sq ft of space or should I say half of that space.

I was hoping you'd say that! I was planning to test it this Sat. It would be great if you can bring something along for comparison.

_________________
OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

I reckon I can make it. Will bring along some T05 and T05FX for side by side comparisons.

I remember last year at April fools there were posts of new Tenergy 90 and 99 or something. This was the first thing I thought of until I saw the pics.

T05 FX would be a great comparison!


LOL. You may not have believed me if I had posted this tomorrow then?

_________________
OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

I've cut the sheet and glued it to a blade, to test today.

Sponge hardness is definitely softer than T80 as expect, measuring 45deg on my sponge hardness scale.

Weight of the uncut sheet was 65g, sheet size 167mm wide by 179mm high, so you can compare to other rubbers in the Rubber mass database. Resulting mass/ sqcm = 0.217.

Cut sheet (to an Iseki carbon blade which has a pretty much average size head) is 44g, so it's definitely lighter than T05 or T80.

More to follow...

_________________
OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

Alex,

I'm VERY interested in how this feels compared to 05-FX. I have always intended on buying a sheet of 80-FX but wanted to wait for some reviews first because it isn't cheap.

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Blade: Ross Leidy custom blade
Forehand: Butterfly Tenergy 05-FX 1.7mm
Backhand: Dr Neubauer Gangster and Desperado 2 (testing both) OX

Butterfly Amicus Professional robot
-----
Ever tried, Ever failed? No Matter.
Try again, Fail Again, Fail Better!

Sorry, still writing the review, but I can tell you that it's not a lot different to the T05-FX.

_________________
OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

Thanks Alex. That might actually be a good thing because I've always found 05-FX a great rubber. However it is quite sensitive to spin.

From what I read about the regular Tenergy 80, it is a lot less sensitive to spin. Therefore if the 80-FX has the same qualities of 05-FX but is less sensitive to spin like the regular 80, then it might just be the perfect rubber

_________________
Blade: Ross Leidy custom blade
Forehand: Butterfly Tenergy 05-FX 1.7mm
Backhand: Dr Neubauer Gangster and Desperado 2 (testing both) OX

Butterfly Amicus Professional robot
-----
Ever tried, Ever failed? No Matter.
Try again, Fail Again, Fail Better!

OK, I've written up the full review of the tenergy 80 FX here.

I'll spare you all the pictures and details, and summarise the review here. I tested this with strongpong, so hopefully he can add his own independent thoughts here, or add anything I missed.

Testing and comparing Tenergy 80 FX

1. Looping / counter-looping
We started off with some simply looping / counter-looping, flipping the bat over to compare the T80FX to the T05FX. It was immediately obvious that the T80 FX was a little faster. What surprised me though is that the throw of the T80 FX was significantly higher too. This was opposite to the comparison between T05 and T80. Now this could be due to the fact that the T05FX is not brand new, as sheet do lose something over time after they’ve been used. In both cases the throw was relatively high, and drops as you hit harder through the sponge.

Plenty of spin was produced from both rubbers… with no dramatic difference between the two.

The ‘glue feel’ on both sheets was very good, but I could detect no significant difference.

All in all this rubber is excellent for looping and counter-looping, producing high spin and plenty of pace for a power-loop without the rubber bottoming out.

2. Lifting backspin
Looping short heavy backspin serves was great with this rubber, making opening up very easy and effective. The spin was high, and even a light brush allowed me to lift the ball = > very good!

Again though, the T80FX did not feel much different to the T05FX.

3. Serves
I could get plenty of spin on the service, even easier than the T05. The topsheet is really grippy and the softer sponge on the FX series makes it even easier to dig the ball into the sponge. One noticeble difference between the two rubbers was that the T80FX was slightly more bouncy. Putting thing in perspective, the T80FX is not really a bouncy rubber, but it was a little more bouncy than the T05FX. Again it’s possible this is due to the T05FX losing some of its bounce as it’s not a new sheet.


4. The short game
The T80 really shines in the aspect of the game, and the T80FX still does, and although it’s slightly more bouncy, it’s even easier to spin the ball. It still has that ‘dead’ feel on soft contact, the T80FX slightly more than the T05FX, but the difference is not that big. All in all this rubber is very good for the short game.


5. Blocking:
Blocking with the T80 FX was very very good, allowing me to take the pace off on soft contact, and punching the ball hard on high impact. Sensitivity to incoming spin is quite good, better than the T05 for sure, as the softer sponge bottoming out really helps. I could not notice any difference between the T80FX or the T05FX though… I would not be able to pick the difference in a blind test.


6. Counter-looping
I think that counter-looping is definitely one of the strengths of the Tenergy series, and the T80FX is no exception, making counter-looping easy and powerful. I did not really notice any difference between the two sheets, and it performance beautifully. If you have the reflexes and footwork, counter-looping always seems a better option than blocking for the T80FX, and this seems true for all the Tenergies.


7. Hitting / smashing
I always like to test how well a rubber / blade works for smashing high balls, particularly if they’re very spinny. I found the T05 to be pretty average for this, as heavy spin seemed to bite a little, so significant adjustment for spin, and solid contact is required or accuracy will be affected. I found the T80FX significantly better for this, requiring less adjustment for heavy spin. If you make solid contact on the ball, it pretty much goes where you want it to go, with good pace. Again there was no noticible difference compared to the T05FX, which was equally good.


8. Durability
The Tenergy series has always been one of the more durable sheet in my opinion, although some would disagree with me. After a couple of hours, the topsheet still looks as new, and retains it’s initial dull shine. The topsheet of the T80FX looked so similar to the T80, I can see no reason why it would be any less durable.


Conclusions so far:
Apart from the unexpected higher throw of the T80FX compared to the T05FX (which could well be due to the newness of the sample compared to a used sheet), the T80FX is not a lot different to the T05FX. The difference between T80 and T05 was certainly greater, but I suspect because of the softer sponge of the FX series, sponge effect comes in much earlier, making the top-sheet differences less significant.

For T05FX fans, who want a little more speed this will be a really nice addition.

Although the T80FX may not be that different to the T05FX, it is still a great rubber in it’s own right, so I expect it will be quite popular. I expect this will be a popular rubber amongst the Butterfly fans, and may well draw some new players towards the Butterfly brand.

I’m planning to use the rubber for a few more session, as this is what it usually takes to notice the minor differences between sheets, which can be significant in actual games.

_________________
OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

Thanks for posting the review Alex!

From the sound of the review, it sounds as if the transition from 05-FX to 80-FX will be effortless given that they are so similar. Therefore I think I'll try a sheet of it to replace my 05-FX when it's available.

Thank you for taking the time to review this as I'm sure everyone reading this thread appreciates it!

_________________
Blade: Ross Leidy custom blade
Forehand: Butterfly Tenergy 05-FX 1.7mm
Backhand: Dr Neubauer Gangster and Desperado 2 (testing both) OX

Butterfly Amicus Professional robot
-----
Ever tried, Ever failed? No Matter.
Try again, Fail Again, Fail Better!

Great review haggisv. And thanks for getting hold of the sample sheet, I’m sure many EJ senses are tingling.

My experience was very similar so I will add only a few extra notes when comparing to T05Fx.

Lifting backspin – basically identical throw angles. I could twiddle from one to the other with no adjustment. On occasion I did feel the T05Fx top sheet bite the ball a little more whereas the T80Fx felt constantly smooth. However the output was the same in regards to spin generated, so this is a difference of feel only.

Short game – with a very soft hand I could make ball slide off of the T80Fx when receiving short serves and reduce the reactivity to spin. A slight advantage in control. When receiving long serves they behaved identical – both quite reactive to incoming spin.

Looping – here’s where some slight adjustment was necessary. I was putting balls long with the T80Fx and had to flatten out my stroke a little to bring the ball down. I originally thought it was because of a higher throw angle but this didn’t add up as the throw angle is the same when lifting backspin and blocking. After contemplating this I suspect that the T80Fx has a slightly longer trajectory than the T05Fx. This would make sense as the same is true (but more significantly) when comparing T05 and T80. The T80Fx to me is what the T64Fx should have been – but failed.

Serving – seemed the same to me. I don’t like the Fx sponge for serving, too bouncy. Haggisv seemed fine with it though.

Overall, a quality rubber best suited to fast attack at the table and stable blocking and looping/countering at mid distance. The softer Fx sponge provides easy access to it’s speed reserves at low impact which makes it an aggressive rubber for those with good footwork and technique. Get it wrong and the ball easily goes long. The flip side is the increase in control at mid-distance and blocking compared to the harder sponge version.

Strongpong / Haggis,

Your comments about the 80-FX having a higher throw, bouncier feel and the balls going long all sound familiar. They sound familiar because this is exactly what happens to me when I put a new sheet of 05-FX on my blade.

It always takes a few matches before the rubber beds in and that bouncy / springy nature calms down. Therefore I wonder how much of this bouncy nature is due to the rubber being new (Alex does allude to this in his review).

I might be completely wrong as I've never played with 80-FX, but I'd be interested to hear what it feels like after a few more hours of play.

_________________
Blade: Ross Leidy custom blade
Forehand: Butterfly Tenergy 05-FX 1.7mm
Backhand: Dr Neubauer Gangster and Desperado 2 (testing both) OX

Butterfly Amicus Professional robot
-----
Ever tried, Ever failed? No Matter.
Try again, Fail Again, Fail Better!

I hope you're right Chris - I wasn't expecting 80-FX to be higher throw than 05-FX...