OOAK Table Tennis Forum

In putting together my earlier post for this topic I reread the first couple of pages of my blog, and realised that I have had my current rubber on since 2011 - almost an eternity. Mind you I haven't been playing much, mostly once a week up until a couple of months ago, and I do clean my rubber with a faux chamois after each session and place plastic over the rubber while it is still damp - both for Yasaka Xtend & 729 Geospin Tacky. I have just had a conversation with SWAMBO, and it being Father's Day eve here she has agreed that I should get new rubber. I mentioned that I could go for Tenergy at $99 (AU) per side, and that did not make her faint. I think that is because she has a new hobby herself - woodturning and is looking to buy a lathe. She has already gotten a band saw, scroll saw & grinder secondhand.

Remember, I am a retriever, usually using slowish, very spinny rubber on an old Nittaku Carbon blade. Tenergy 05 max on both sides and see how it goes?

I have used Mark 5 & Magic Carbon on the classic side, Joola Tango, Tango Extreme & Yasaka Xtend on the tensor side & Friendship RITC Tack Speed 2000 & 729 Geospin Tacky on the tacky Chinese side. Tenergy would round out my exploration of types of inverted spinny rubber.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)
Moderator, Inverted Retriever Technique sub-forum - http://ooakforum.com/viewforum.php?f=74

I ordered that for a fried a few years ago, don't own one myself yet but of all the blades I've put together that was easily the best general use blade. The 401 was 1.8mm, magic carbon 1.5mm. I've built up the standard Donic senso carbon before with cheap rubber, was still pretty bloody good.

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Donic defplay senso
Haifu whale soft (grips-euro)
Nittaku pimplemini 1.0mm

Interesting to hear that. I've come accross other people that have made that work, while I've also come accross some people that have ruined their rubbers the same way.... not quite sure why it work for some and not others...

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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
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Probably the difference in their definition of "damp"

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instagram: rokphishtt

From Cobalt's blog:


Yes!
I've started down this road. This week, after trying out the setup at Saturday coaching, I played pennant on Monday and Wednesday with a US$7 5-ply all-wood Sanwei M8 (the current "Junior" version with the grey lens insert), a black Sanwei Target National 2.1mm that I'd previously tried and rejected on FH; and a well-used, recycled red Tibhar Aurus Soft 1.9mm on BH.

I really like it. I feel that I'm getting more touch and short-game control, and I can swing hard without worrying as much about launching the ball into orbit. The tacky FH maintains a nice kick on loops.

I actually meant to put a Hurricane 3 Neo (39°*, 2.15mm) on the FH and a Mark V 1.8mm on the BH, but was too impatient. Not yet sure if I will keep the Target National and put a Mark V on this setup's BH for now. Toying with the idea of sticking a cheap, hard-ish, tacky rubber on the BH** just to round out the change – someone tell me why it's a bad idea.

edit: *Chinese 39°, i.e., closer to German 50°
edit: ** 39° Hurricane 2 2.2mm on the backhand? Lower throw than H3N, right? Too hard-sponged for topspin flicks, or just fine?

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"Once you get past a certain threshold, everyone's problems are the same: fortifying your island and hiding the heat signature from your fusion reactor." –Doctor Impossible

Yeah, I've been playing with a M8 for the last month (including a 2 week break from playing). Nice blade for control. Haven't done any counterlooping drills in a while, though, so I seem to have forgotten how to loop in doubles games the last time I played - don't think it's the fault of the blade. It's particularly good for flips and over-the-table attacks of serve, especially for changing direction (inside out shots).

I've got three more M8s - they all turned out to be the newer "Junior" M8s rather than the "red" M8 which was my first one. Time will tell whether I go back to the N11 in the end, that's what's happened in the past with all the other blades I've bought, but I haven't liked one as much as this.

Current set-up: Forehand, Haifu Whale (training clear plastic packed, unboosted). Backhand: Yinhe 9000 (with red sponge, from a generic 2-pack, which is quite a bit lighter than the "branded" sheets with the cream sponge). The blade was very light (about 72 grams) so I went with the Whale (which is heavy - this one wasn't nearly as heavy as the first sheet I tried some months back, though). The newer ones weigh 74, 75 and 78 grams.

Iskandar

Glad to know M8 is getting the love it deserves!

Was about to post my experiment but see that hangdog beat me to it. Good stuff!!

Whale is really good and I expect that the m8 is too. If the 9000 is half decent then that will be a top set up.

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Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm ,BH Victas Triple Regular 2.0mm

So you've been trying a M8 as well? How do you like it?

The first sheet of whale I unpacked weighed a whopping 78 grams!! The second (which I'm using now) was "only" 68 - which is heavy not outstandingly heavy.

Iskandar

Not used M8, I was going on your comments, slower than N11 so sounds decent enough.

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Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm ,BH Victas Triple Regular 2.0mm

I've M6 but haven't played with it. Wonder what's the difference.

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instagram: rokphishtt

You can't get a M6 for $7...

Iskandar

The 868 going on the N11 tonight, ready for next season experiment. Not as tacky as id expected, I'd say mildly tacky.

Edit: Correct that, the plastic rubber sheets went on really well, so I'd have to upgrade my comment to Medium Tacky. The sheets were 40-43 hardness according to the box and were noticeably harder to the touch than the Donic Baracurda I'd been using..........see how we go.

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Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm ,BH Victas Triple Regular 2.0mm

There are countless numbers of people on the net looking for advice whith messages more or less structured like this:

-Having speedo-x-super blade and rubbers abc at 1.8 or 2.0mm which is a tensor (of course), usually priced at $40+
-I do like it much but I have trouble with pushing/touch-balls/fliks etc. etc.,
-Sound is great
-I'd go with 1.5mm if it's available (reducing the tensor-effect quite remarkably, imho that is spoiling the basic reason of using a tensor)
-Is there another alternative or does rubber xyz, efg etc (even so tensors, mostly the follow-up generation and usually somewhat more expensive) an alternative?

Quite tiresome, imho.
Most of the time they refuse to go with a more classical rubber which would indeed fix some of their issues. Going cheap and/or chinese is usually out of the question. May I call that snobism?
Quite regularly there are other players suggesting rubbers rst, qvw etc. which are quite new, soft and mostly expensive

I am quite happy I didn't buy into it yet and I think the approach of Cobalt and foam could lead to stunning results.

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Red is blogging here >> http://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=30522

Had my first hit last night with the N11 and 868 albiet on the robot. Hadn't had a hit for 3 weeks and it showed a bit. Forehand was very scratchy and I struggled with the light to medium backspin I'd set up. Backhand however was quite good and if you had seen it you would have though my backhand was my better side, plenty of spin and loop, I was very impressed.

The forehand just seemed to lack a little something but maybe that something is just a slight adjustment. Despite being the same rubber, couldn't quite get the same results.

Tonight we resume training where I will get to play a few practice games then comp is on Wednesday. Turns out that due to the level of my selected partner this season, we are in Div 2. What this means is that I should go through the season without being challenged except for one person who beat me last season but I rank 100 pts higher and have won our previous four encounters. The rest of the players are around 250pts below me. Due to that I'm not sure it will really give me a good indication of the results of the experiment but during the season I'll play enough of the regular Div 1 players to know how my results, even in practice, compare. Either way, should be fun.

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Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm ,BH Victas Triple Regular 2.0mm