2. Hurricane 3 Varieties: Regular, Provincial, National and NittakuThis is probably the most controversial and misunderstood aspect of Hurricane 3.
Regular Hurricane 3 Also called commercial H3, this is the most common and cheaper variety. It comes in both Classic and Neo flavors and it's available to buy from many sources, both in and outside of China. These rubbers are available with orange sponge only. The price ranges between $15 - $25 generally, with discounts available occasionally. The classic H3 comes in 1.8, 2.0, 2.1, 2.15 and 2.2mm and the H3 Neo comes in 2.1, 2.15 and 2.2mm. The hardness ranges from 37 to 41 DHS degrees for both. The regular H3 is available in red and black and all four corners are cut as a distinctive sign.
People sometimes say that these rubbers are inconsistent and I would like to discuss what that means. First we need to understand the DHS fabrication process. DHS uses a batch process, and when working with natural materials like rubber the characteristics will vary some. Things like the quality and ratio of the raw materials in each batch, the tolerances of the machines, the skill of the operator or even the temperature and humidity from that day will influence the results and especially for the sponge, every batch will be slightly different.
DHS does not measure every single rubber in a batch. They only measure one or few times per batch and allocate those numbers to the entire batch. So if the measurement was 39 degrees and 2.15mm thickness, they will put all sheets in that batch in the 39 degrees 2.15mm pile. But some sheets in that batch might be 38 or 40 degrees, and some may have a thickness of 2.1 or 2.2mm. Add to that errors that can occur with packing, logistics, labeling and you may end up with something pretty different than what you expected inside the box! Here's one example from personal experience: I ordered 2 sheets of classic H3 of the same hardness, one in 1.8mm and the other one in 2.0mm. The one labelled "2.0mm" truly measured 2mm and weighted 60g uncut. The one labeled "1.8mm" appeared thick to me and when I measured the sponge using calipers it turned out to be 2.08mm thick and weighted 72g uncut! Remember that the two sheets were supposed to have the same hardness, and if that was true, the 0.08mm difference in thickness should have translated in no more than 1g difference in weight. The massive 12g or 20% difference in weight meant that the second sheet also had a higher density therefore higher hardness, I would assume 1-2 degrees more. So that's what people mean when they say it's not consistent. Imagine in my case that I didn't do those measurements. I would play with one sheet for a few months then I would change to the second sheet, oblivious to the differences. And I would think "wait a minute, this new rubber plays pretty differently from the old one!". My only conclusion would be that the rubber is inconsistent. But once you slap it on, the rubber will play consistently with what it actually is - it will play like a 2.08mm hard rubber. But it will not play like a 1.8mm soft rubber that I thought I ordered.
The regular a.k.a. commercial Hurricane 3 has the least amount of quality control and is therefore more prone to this issue than the other varieties. In particular I would say that the declared hardness cannot be trusted and should be taken very lightly. In fact, in the European Union DHS is not allowed to advertise the exact hardness of their regular H3 because it has proven unreliable. Their rubbers sold here are only categorized as soft, hard and mid-hard and even then there are mistakes. I think it is fair to say that not only DHS suffers from this issue and even the European and Japanese manufacturers don't normally indicate the exact hardness of their sponges but rather a range. But I would say that the Chinese manufacturers in general have bigger deviations than the rest. There is however a way to get a more consistent experience, and that is to weight and measure your rubbers. I keep an excel file where for every new rubber I buy I log the weight of the box as well as the uncut and cut weight of the rubber. If there is a rubber that I particularly like or if I am aiming for a certain racket weight, next time I order I can ask the seller to find me one in the desired weight. For reference, the classic Hurricane 3 wrapper weights 22-23g and the Neo wrapper weights 16g. By subtracting that from the total package weight, you can know the weight of the rubber inside within 1g without having to open the box. This method is more reliable than going by the hardness indicated by the manufacturer.
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Provincial Hurricane 3The Provincial , also referred to as "Province" or "Pro" is a more carefully selected rubber and with tighter tolerances compared to the regular one. It is funny that "Pro" stands for "provincial" in China instead of "professional" like in the rest of the world. According to DHS, it is produced in the same process as the regular H3, then further selected based on tighter tolerances. That means that you are more likely to get the hardness and thickness indicated on the box when you order Provincial. Why is it called Provincial? China is organized in provinces as administrative divisions - for example, Sichuan and Tianjin are provinces. As table tennis is hugely popular in China with more than 80 million players, each province has a table tennis team that represents it and they compete against each other. It's the level where table tennis really becomes professional and those players have a chance to be selected in the Chinese National Team. As the acceptable tolerances for these rubbers are tighter, the quantities are more limited and in the past they were only available to the province-level players. As the DHS production (and hopefully their overall quality) has increased over time, these rubbers are now also offered to the general public - for a higher price. The name has stayed the same but there is no connection anymore with the province-level players, it just indicates a more careful selection based on tighter tolerances.
It also comes in classic and Neo flavors and it's available to buy from a variety of sources, both in and outside of China. The packaging has stripes for the classic and an additional red sticker for the Neo. The Provincial H3 is available with orange sponge (red and black) and blue sponge (black only), which will be discussed as a separate topic. The price ranges from $30 to $80, with the blue sponge version being more expensive than the orange sponge one. The Provincial H3 classic comes in 2.15 and 2.2mm only, and the Provincial H3 Neo comes in 2.1, 2.15 and 2.2mm. The available hardnesses are 39, 40 and 41 DHS degrees for both. The hardness is more reliable with the Provincial and is marked on the package and on the sponge also in the EU. Two corners are cut as a distinctive sign. The higher price might encourage counterfeiting and you should only buy from reliable sources to avoid fakes. Where to buy from will be discussed separately. Most users claim that this rubber is faster than the regular H3. Whether that is perception or reality it is hard to say. I do not know of any scientific test done to date. A number of players also report this rubber to be less tacky than the regular H3 and some of them even believe that the topsheet is entirely different. ITTF maintains the List of Approved Racket Coverings (LARC), which regulates the rubber topsheet. In the LARC there is only one entry for Hurricane 3, meaning that all varieties of H3 should share the same topsheet. The tackiness is however not something that the ITTF measures, so in theory it's possible to have H3 with varying tackiness. However I have used both blue and orange sponge Provincial H3 and in my experience their topsheet is just as tacky as the regular version and the tackiness doesn't fade over time. The amount of tackiness depends on how you clean and store your rubber, which I will discuss separately.
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National Hurricane 3This is the stuff dreams are made of
Probably the most controversial DHS rubber, but it doesn't have to be. The National is an even more carefully selected rubber and with even tighter tolerances than the Provincial. According to DHS, it is produced in the same process as the regular H3, then further selected based on very tight tolerances. When you buy the National, you should get the exact thickness and hardness indicated on the box, consistently. Why is it called National? As the acceptable tolerances for these rubbers are tight, the quantities are limited and in the past they were only available to the Chinese National Team (CNT) players. As the DHS production (and hopefully their overall quality) has increased over time, these rubbers are now also offered to the general public - for a high price comparable with and even exceeding the price of Butterfly Tenergy or Dignics. The name has stayed the same but today it just indicates a careful selection based on tight tolerances.
The National also comes in classic and Neo flavors and it's available to buy from a few sources both in and outside of China. The packaging is white with red letters for the classic and has an additional sticker for the Neo. The National H3 is available with orange sponge (red and black) and blue sponge (black only), which will be discussed as a separate topic. The price ranges from $50 to $100+, with the blue sponge version being more expensive than the orange sponge one. The National H3 classic comes in 2.15 and 2.2mm, and the National H3 Neo comes in 2.1, 2.15 and 2.2mm. The available hardnesses are 39, 40 and 41 DHS degrees for both. Basically the hardness and thickness offer is the same as for the Provincial. The hardness should be very reliable with the National and is marked on the package and on the sponge also in the EU. The corners of the sheet are not cut. The high price is likely to encourage counterfeiting and you should only buy from reliable sources to avoid fakes. Where to buy from will be discussed separately. Some users feel that this rubber is better than the Provincial, others say that there is little difference. If you paid that amount of money, I think you would be looking for reasons to like them
You will find reviews and forum posts that say all National rubbers in the market are fake because the real ones are destined for the CNT only. That was maybe the case in the past when they were not available to the public but some sources claimed to have connections and offered them for sale. But today you can buy them from reliable sources without issues. DHS used to have National Hurricane 3 listed on its website, with a link to buy. Recently I saw that they no longer mention the Provincial and National rubbers on their website. There is only one entry for each rubber now - the regular version. That was possibly done in an effort to clean up the site as there were so many versions of each rubber. In general the DHS website is not well made and pretty outdated.
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National Hurricane 3 Player Edition: DHS has sponsoring deals with most of the top Chinese players and some international players. To those players DHS provides rubbers tailored to their preference. Like if a sponsored player prefers 41.5 degrees hardness they will get that even though it's not commercially available. It is not clear if DHS manufactures these rubbers separately of if they are selected from the normal stock based on that criteria. I tend to believe that they are selected or slightly adjusted from stock, because manufacturing rubbers from scratch for each individual player would be time consuming and impractical. The top professional players change rubbers very often, once/week in training and every 1-3 days in competition according to some interviews. What is important for these players is for every sheet to be almost identical to maintain the playing characteristics that they are used to. Since less than one year, DHS is selling the National H3 Player Edition rubbers, which match those used by the following players: Ma Long (FH+BH), Ding Ning (FH), Fan Zhendong (FH), Chen Meng (FH), Zhu Yulin (FH) and have the player's name stamped on the sponge. Some sources list them for sale for very high prices ($250) but maximum caution should be exercised as the possibility of buying fakes is very real. It's questionable if these "personal" rubbers are suitable for the average player, since they are specifically chosen based on the needs of those sponsored players, which have great physical strength and technique.
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Nittaku Hurricane 3 DHS collaborates with Nittaku, and this collaboration has resulted in a few different varieties made by DHS for Nittaku and which Nittaku distributes on the Japanese market. You will find these rubbers listed under Nittaku rather than DHS. The Nittaku standard sponge thicknesses are 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0mm so the "DHS for Nittaku" rubbers are also offered with the same thicknesses. But users have complained that the thickness is not reliable and they have found sponges stamped e.g. "1.9mm" or "2.1mm" inside the package... The hardness is only listed as "mid-hard" for all of these rubbers. The price range is $35 - $45. A few words on each variety:
Nittaku Hurricane 3 Pro: This is the same as the Hurricane 3 classic but with Nittaku thicknesses and supposedly better quality control. The package is slightly different and it displays the logos of both DHS and Nittaku. It has been compared to Provincial Hurricane 3 in quality. Orange sponge only. Made in China.
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Nittaku Hurricane 3 Neo: Same as Hurricane 3 Neo but supposedly better quality control. Available in orange sponge and 2.0mm only. The package is the Hurricane 3 Neo one with a Nittaku sticker added on the outside. It has been compared to Provincial Hurricane 3 Neo in quality - but a bit slower. That could be explained by the thinner sponge. Made in China.
Nittaku Hurricane 3 Pro Turbo Orange: This is a hybrid with Hurricane 3 topsheet and Nittaku Japanese sponge in orange color. The package is unique and it displays the logos of both Nittaku and DHS. It is said to be faster than regular H3 and good quality. The chief complaint is that it is very heavy (a 90g sheet has been reported). It does not seem to be very successful either. Fastarc-G1 is probably a better choice for Japanese sponge with tacky topsheet. Assembled in Japan. Ridiculously long name!
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Nittaku Hurricane 3 Pro Turbo Blue: Same as above but the sponge is colored blue. The package is unique and it displays the logos of both Nittaku and DHS.
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In the next post: Orange sponge vs Blue sponge. Let me know your comments below.