Black Power/Red Diamond vs NEO

Since buying H3 neo is such a headache I decided to go try something else. I was going to go back to BW2 but I saw a clubmate walk in with Black Power and Red Diamond on a blade and i was curious- thinking maybe at the very least BP would be a cheap BW2 substitute. Red diamond was just for kicks because I dont usually play inverted on my BH. I got a bit of money and got them both. Just played them both tonight and it has me wondering- Why aren't more people playing with these rubbers? I was VERY impressed with both of them, especially RD on the BH. BP also impressed me but i wasn't COMPLETELY satisfied. Still though, overall- In my opinion after a long stint of playing with H3 NEO "provincial" (if that even exists amongst us) I thought of BP being on the same level as H3, if not then even a bit better. It's got a better feel, which allows you to control the ball better, it spins the ball better, and is just about as fast. It's like a BW2 but slower and spinnier, and it still feels better. The only problem is the topseet being a bit more generic and lower quality, but there isn't really anything wrong with it. ESPECIALLY for being about half the cost of NEO, I'm really wondering why I haven't heard more buzz than it got.

where can I buy these BP & RD in N.America? I dun mind to try 1 each. May be some forum member here has used 1 each FS?

The problem with Zeropong is the high delivery charge to Canada. If you have the time to wait, go with ttnpp.com

beeray1 wrote:   So I'm curious, why aren't more people using these? especially at 14 bucks a piece.

Gave it a go last night. Will have to agree wholeheartedly with beeray.

The sponge is much better than the one under H3 Neo. More pace, more pop. You just have to work a bit more to extract it. Throw is low - gives loops that dangerous grazing trajectory that just kicks off the table and dips down. Opening loops, counterloops...all great. This rubber really rewards you when you take a few steps back and really dig into the sponge into the blade. On the Nexy Spear, I was greeted with a loud CRACK before the ball just exploded out. Fishing and countersmashing is a dream.

Blocks are harder to pull off, but are very fast and solid. The rubber is faster and bouncier than H3 Neo, along with harder sponge, so I imagine it'd pair up better with softer, more flexy looping blades. Higher throw blade too.

Topsheet is generic, kinda low quality. Actually, of all the Gambler/729/LKT rubbers I've tried, this particular one on the Black Power I ordered seemed to be the worst. Left it out on the table for a day, and the result was a lot of "marks" on the rubber which won't go away. Also, after a day of hitting, there are those "indentation" marks of the pips showing through. It doesn't seem to affect play though, so here's to hoping! I've not seen any of these observations from posts here and on other forums, so hopefully it's exclusive to my particular sheet. If the playing characteristics hold out for a few months, this would be absolutely great. Who cares what a rubber looks like as long as it's performing, no?

Mildly tacky topsheet - holds ball for a split second. After a few hits this is gone though, but the grip on the ball is still great. Still tacky to the touch, more so than H3 Neo topsheet. The grip of the Black Power seems greater than the H3 Neo, and it's easier to load up on spin.

From how it plays, the Black Power seems more like a replacement for H2 Neo than H3 Neo, but I've never played with/against H2 Neo, so I wouldn't know. In any case, it is a beast of a rubber for my penhold attacking style of play. For 14 USD a sheet, it's a steal. I don't think I'll be going back to the Neo series ever again. If anyone hasn't tried it out and is looking for a cheaper and better alternative to the Neo series, I highly recommend you give Black Power a go!

Thanks for the review..

Edited by dual700 - 07/09/2010 at 2:39am

dual700 wrote: Thanks for the review.. How would you compare BP's hardness degree vs H3 Neo's? I've been eyeing these rubbers for a long time, but hesitant to buy the BP because I read that it's pretty hard. Tenergy 64's hardness is my limit...Anything harder I can't stand..

It's definitely harder than 40 degree H3 Neo. Then again, 40 degree H3 Neo felt mushy to me. Have you ever used say, 729 Friendship Super FX or 729 SP Transcend? The hardness is comparable to those, except whereas the 729 sponges were hard and dead, Black Power sponge is hard and powerful. Amazingly, it didn't seem too heavy either, though I didn't weigh it to find out.

How hard is Tenergy 64 sponge compared to H3 Neo? I've only had a brief 15-20 minute hit with it once (that was a while ago), and if my memory is right, it was harder than H3 Neo 40 degree sponge. I don't think Black Power sponge would be harder than Tenergy 64 sponge, but my memory could be wrong. Very high likelihood of that, actually.

Also- while not as bad (since I use my FH more) the topsheet on Red diamond is doing just as poorlly. It's very spotty and inconsistent. I'm just so dissapointed with these topsheets. The sponges are so nice. It's one of those rubbers (BP also) that are very very nice for like the first three sessions and then you are ready for a new sheet. So you are paying for what you're getting this time around.

Well maybe it wont happen to you, but aside from looking awful, the rubbers spin has definitely dropped. Also, I have dipped a very fair share of balls into the net unexpectedly for no apparent reason. I took it off last night because it was just doing it too much. But don't let that ruin your expectations, its just what happened to me. You might just be fine.

Could you compare BP and RD with gambler outlaw please?

I plan to use RD max on FH and outlaw max on BH with Mizutani Jun or TBS,
Which one of the two blades is matched with both rubbers?

Thanks in advance,

It's harder than Outlaw. I don't think it's so hard that you wouldn't be able to adjust from Outlaw, though, I don't think.

I took out my paddle today, and the topsheet actually looked...a tad better than the day before

I've been told from "official" source that there are apparently no durability issues with the Black Power (maybe beeray and I were just really really unlucky), so maybe y'all will have better luck

Grip-S is underrated in my opinion... I love it! Comparing it to Spin Art it seems to have a better glue effect and is outlasting it. My Spin Art sheet is in bad shape after a few weeks... too bad to justify $64 a month for it.


Edited by Thaidog - 07/10/2010 at 12:39am

Looking forward to your reactions! I continue to be amazed at the pace on this thing. Nowhere in the rubber description does it allude to any sort of "created for speed glue ban" or "factory tuned", only an ambiguous mention of "pressure sponge technology" ...I wonder what this pressure box manufacturing is all about...

nicefrog wrote: I'm going to give these rubbers a go next week hopefully, I wouldn't worry too much above beerays rubber destruction, he's able to break anything 10 times faster than anyone else for some reason :). I've read a lot about both of these while getting ready to try them and it sounds like black power is similar to H2 but more springy and that red diamond is a higher throw rubber

Edited by beeray1 - 07/10/2010 at 2:43am

Edited by BeaverMD - 07/11/2010 at 3:54pm