OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Great choice, Kokutaku 868(the training ones) are some amazing rubbers.

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

I must admit - 868 and Reactor Corbor kinda left me underwhelmed. Not because the rubber was bad, it was just that the packaging (these are the 2-in-1 packs) was so CHEAP. Just light printed paper inside a cellophane bag. Not sure if I'd recommend the 2-in-1 868 (in the pink or golden wrappers) because I had some sheets separate (the topsheet came off the sponge) after I'd stored them for 2 years or so. It played fine, though. So was Corbor, the Corbor was cheaper (I've bought it for as little as $3.50 a sheet when it was on sale). If you want to read the saga, there's an old thread called "Training Rubber", where I post all my impressions about all sorts of cheap Chinese sheets. There are more expensive versions of both - there's Corbor Pro these days (it's the same old stuff with a new topsheet logo in a nicer packet) and, with 868, there's myriad versions with different sponges, and ultra tacky, slightly tacky and non-tacky topsheets and intriguing packaging. More expensive than $5, but cheap enough to just them all and see what the differences are.

Perhaps one thing I SHOULD have mentioned about AliExpress - items can take a long time to arrive. In normal times, they'd reach me in three weeks, but when COVID first hit it stretched into months (because Chinese cities were locked down and international logistics got jammed). Also watch out for Chinese New Year (in February) and Golden Week, when the whole country goes on vacation.

Iskandar

Oh yeah - glue. If you can get Elmer's Rubber Cement (or some other sort of rubber cement used for the TEMPORARY gluing of paper) use that instead of water-based glues people sell for table tennis these days. You'll be much less liable to be tearing your hair out.. Don't use anything stronger, though - even UHU Yellow Tube would be too strong.



Yeah, that's what I tell people. As far as cheap Chinese rubbers go, just buy it and try it. Table tennis rubber promotional material is pretty much useless, except perhaps to compare rubbers from the same line (e.g. Tenergy 05 vs. 25, 80, etc.). They all say the same thing, more or less - it produces a lot of spin (they all do, especially with the correct technique), it's fast, etc. etc. Differences between rubbers are subtle, rather than glaring. There are exceptions, of course (Reactor Ckylin and Globe 999 come to mind) but by and large they all do what they're supposed to do, which is, um, the same thing.

Iskandar

Thanks Iskandar. I didn't order from Ali this time around, got this from eBay locally. Not that much more expensive compared to Ali after shipping costs and the time for the rubbers to get to me. I did get the 2-in-1 though, haha. The eBay listing got a blurred out guy holding a bat about to serve I think. Friendship 729 General was the one I was going to try next, also available locally.

_________________
Blade 729 Bomb | FH & BH Kokutaku Blutenkirsche 868

Ah, I got myself a DHS No. 15 glue, too strong? Can't get Elmer's RC here at affordable prices, I could only find online shops which charges almost the same as the glue for shipping.

_________________
Blade 729 Bomb | FH & BH Kokutaku Blutenkirsche 868

A lot of the same Chinese sellers on AliExpress (including Eacheng) also sell on EBay. Sometimes the prices are even cheaper on EBay. They also sell on Amazon. The same caveats apply - it takes as long to arrive. Of course, if the seller is local, that's a different matter.

Iskandar

I've tried, on several occasions to find some of the AliExpress stores/.sellers on ebay, but to no avail .. Please .. pretty please .. share the link(s) to the ebay stores...

Anyone ?

Finally got the chance to replace the rubbers! Photos below.

Getting ready:


Fresh out:


Red rubber logo:


Black rubber logo:


Orange sponge:


Sponge close-up:


Kokutaku rubbers sideview:


The ole' Bomb with the older rubbers in the background. Glue came off cleanly even after close to 12 years, thanks haggisv:


DIY sponge clip:


Glue on:


Cutting excess:


Repeat for black rubber:


Not very proud of this haha:


Reusing old edge tape:


Red rubber:


Black rubber:


Old red rubber:


Old black rubber:

_________________
Blade 729 Bomb | FH & BH Kokutaku Blutenkirsche 868

I won't get to play this until the next week but first impression is that it's not as shiny as I remembered the Tack-speed was, but very tacky. I did the ball lift test and the ball only stayed on the rubber for a millisecond or so haha, was only able to lift it about 4cm off the table before it drops. The ball also doesn't bounce really well on the rubbers, but they may need playing in as I had read in other posts.

_________________
Blade 729 Bomb | FH & BH Kokutaku Blutenkirsche 868

The Bomb blade. That was an awesome blade that was a heck of a deal. I wonder how many I bought over the years...should never have gotten rid of them. Heck, I should be still playing with them.

Let us know how it goes. Very decent set up you got.

I had my first hit with the new rubbers today. I still need to get used to it but what jumped out to me was the amount of spin I was getting compared to the old rubbers that I had on. The spin put a lot of my workmates in trouble, ha. I guess my older rubbers really did need replacing

The 868s are not as bouncy as my old ones either which I think makes me play with a more brushing motion, but slow and spinny shots suit me just fine. The new rubbers does force me to think about technique and using the correct strokes though. Blocking is also a bit different now since I need to put a bit more in to get the ball across the net, previously I could just hold my bat to block a loop or a smash and the ball will bounce across fine. Maybe the sponge still needs some breaking in.

_________________
Blade 729 Bomb | FH & BH Kokutaku Blutenkirsche 868

Those kokutaku 868 are getting better and better in time. And they last insanely long time, i know someone who's playing at the highest level of amateurs with the same sheet since 2015, and not only they are grippy but they are still tacky ))

Enjoying these rubbers very much now that I've gotten used to them more. I'm not playing anything too serious right now at the office, but I am enjoying doing mid-distance looping with these.

I'm still struggling to resist the desire to try other cheaper rubbers, have ... to ... stop ... reading ... the ... forums!

_________________
Blade 729 Bomb | FH & BH Kokutaku Blutenkirsche 868

AliExpress selling via Ebay. Here's one:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/254878542491?h ... Sw9ytdSksh

This is XVT on AliExpress.

Can't find the Eacheng outlet any more - I think it was called "China-friend".

There does seem to be a US based seller now, prices aren't bad:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/350883785637?h ... SwvcFZ1ayp

Iskandar