Palio Macro Era Review

Well, having become a minor Tensor enthusiast I tracked down (thanks to a local dealer) two sheets of Palio Macro Era and have played/hit with it three times.
I liked to glue now and then, back in the day!
I've since experimented a tiny bit with Goo Gone &
Juic's Ecolo expander 1 & 2.

I used it (completely untreated, of course) on a (WRB)Stiga Titanium 5.4 and an old Stiga Offensive.
In both instances on my FH as i've taken to using Milkyway Pluto on my BH.
MAX sponge. It is a Tensor Bios rubber.
When hitting, I could not distinguish any difference between the RED or BLACK sheet.
Cosmetically, it has a fine matte finish.

Firstly, my only other experience with Tensor's was with a fine sheet of Black Andro Plasma 380, which I LOVED and could loop very well with not to mention, block my arse off with & I guess Yasaka's X-Tend SG (though I thought Tensors don't require SG & that in fact, shouldn't be speed glued).
Other rubbers i've used on my FH and like a great deal would include;
LKT ProXT

This rubber was meant to replace the Macro pro version but since that Macro Pro is more popular than Macro era in HK,  Palio decided to continued manufacturing the Macro pro version.

Nice review, and I am very happy that you are enjoying your new Macro ERA Tensor!

Some more info:

Palio Macro ERA is a new, 4.5 Gen Tensor BIOS, made in Germany by ESN Elastomers.  The Macro Pro that rossicarbon is referring to is an older, 3G tensor, also made by ESN.   The original Macro was too soft for the Chinese market, so they made the Macro Pro as a firmer version.  The Macro ERA is the newest version with the latest Tensor technology.  These rubbers are NOT manufactured by Palio, they just market them.

The Macro ERA is a grippy, non-tacky rubber.  Sponge hardnesses are 42.5 and 47.5 (just like Joola Express 1/2), thicknesses MAX and 2.0mm.  As with other German tensors, the rubbers play quite a bit softer than the hardness values would indicate.  The 42 I would classify as medium-soft, and the 47 medium-hard (not rock hard at all).

I prefer harder rubbers, and I will be using the MAX 47deg version when my shipment of Palio blades comes in.  My web store will launch very soon once I get this crate of Chinese rubbers and blades (got delayed a bit), as this is most of what I will be carrying!

Right now I DO HAVE stock of the Macro Era German Tensors in the thicknesses and hardnesses I mentioned above.  If anyone would like to try them out or has any questions about them, please send me a PM on this forum, and will be happy to talk with you.  Price is $32/sheet, free shipping, and maybe we can work out a pre-launch deal :).

JimT wrote: So let me double-check - they both are non-tacky?

They're both non - tacky. The topsheet is similar to andro plasma or revolution. If you want the tacky and germn tension, use Palio maximo.

there are two types of maximo one if german tension and one is chinese tension(orange sponge-medium soft), the version with chinese tension is tacky.

ttrubberman, i have not seen the parcel yet!!  :-(

Sorry for the offtopic, but which the tackiest BIOTECH rubber from Palio? It would be nice to be fast, also. 

I'm off to hit against some good players tonight.

Let the TENSOR evolution continue!

Tensor.de

I have finally tried PME 47.5 - I came to it looking for a not-too-expensive non-tacky hard-sponged fast rubber. Basically, I love my Gambler Outlaws but

a) it's nice to have a replacement option
b) Outlaws have that pesky durability problem (3rd generation is way better, though)
c) looping and overall spinniness on FH from Outlaw are not top of the line, and after I played Tenergy 05, I realized that I liked the spin and loops there (but hated the sensitivity to the incoming spin)

So I got myself a slightly used PME 2.1 47.5 (and another one in MAX, I hope, will be on its way soon) and put it on my beloved Nexy Color (after BBC 9-10-9 and Galaxy W-1, which all played pretty good with it).

Here is my review, guys:

Hardness: it feels softer than Outlaw. Probably about the same hardness as Tenergy (or a deg harder).

Speed: about same as Tenergy 05. When playing steady placement game it is somewhat slower than Outlaw but when you go for a power loop, the catapult comes on and shoots the ball really fast. I would say, faster than T-05 and faster than GO for the same effort.

Control: at least as good as T-05. There is no deadness that I felt quite a few times when doing controlled low or mid-power strokes with Tenergy.

Spin: on serves - no better than Tenergy. Honestly, I am not a huge expert on super-spinny serves, so I cannot estimate this to everybody's satisfaction. But judging by my opponents' comments, Tenergy 05 felt a bit more dangerous to them in that department.

Reliability: somewhat better than T-05. Yes, there is a pronounced catapult effect, but the effect itself seems more consistent and predictable than with T-05. Probably T-64 is better than T-05 in that regard, and therefore comparable with PME.

Sensitivity: oh well, here is where PME 47 shines way way better than Tenergy, it beats T-05 quite convincingly. Probably, its topsheet is better in that regard, that would be my guess - so it reacts way less to the other player's spin. Blocking a loop or forehand push/slices against heavy spin  felt considerably better and more controlled than with Tenergy.

Throw angle: middle, comparable with T-64. Once again, it is better   controlled with PME than with T-05 and T-64 - I guess same reason as with sensitivity. A bit higher than Outlaw, of course.

Tackiness - practically none. Granted my rubber was slightly used when it got to me, but reading the other guys opinions I am pretty confident there was almost nothing to begin with.

Click: one of the loudest and pronounced I've heard. When doing a strong loop or even a drive you get a very loud and distinctive whipping click sound, well-known to tensor lovers around the globe.

Serve: no problems there. I do not see catapult effect on my puny serves, and thank almighty for that.

Loop: terrific arc which is at least as good as Tenergy's, or even better imho. Despite sponge hardness (47.5! which is probably about 41 on DHS scale) you literally feel like it is being pressed and then the spring  unloads very accurately and sends the ball where you need it. I imagine it is even better with 42.5 version but I prefer harder sponged rubbers  on my soft blades, not to mention they play better against people with LPs and other deceptive rubbers. Height and length of the arc seem to be very controllable - again, better than with T-05. Power loop is done with no problems, and if you do it properly, it leaves the table amazingly fast after the bounce.

Push/slice: as for all the tensors, requires some extra attention since catapult can accidentally push the ball off the table. But even here I felt like it was better controlled than with T-05.

Chop/defense: can be done but tensor rubbers are not created for this element. If you start using this rubber you will need to adjust your technique for chopping. However, if you have been already playing with a tensor and provided you even want to chop with it, you won't have to change your game much. General defense is fine.

Smash/flat game: surprisingly, pretty good. Generally, flat game with PME is better than majority of tensors I tried -  LKT Torrent, Tenergy 05 and 64, Vega Pro, Andro Roxon..

Lob: just fine and quite controllable. Had no problems there (after a few minute adjustments).

Just a note on what happened with my PME (42.5). I took it off to try another rubber (EJ syndrome setting in). When I went to put it back on, I lost about 1 - 2 mm around the edge, as it appeared to have shrunk in both directions. I don't think I stretched it when I put it on originally, as I was very carful.
I tried to gently stretch it just a tiny bit, but I must have done it inconsistently as it is now uncontrollable and unpredictable, especially in flat hits.
I think there are areas that are more stretched than others now, which leads to more catapult in some areas while other areas play "normal".
Other than trying to live with the smaller rubber - which must have lost some of its tension through the shrinkage - do you have any suggestions on what to do?

....or I wait for Blit'z ....but that's just the EJ in me gaining momentum..

End of May sounds good to me, since I'm on the road most of May anyway. That'll pass the time..

I bought one, it's 165 RMB.

where can you get T05 for 30�?

jonyer1980 wrote: I�ve got a friend working at Decathlon, so get there with an additional discount.

30 euros is $40, so you got a pretty big discount considering T05 retails for $57