Alex Table Tennis - MyTableTennis.NET Homepage
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Forehand rubber recommendation for my Zebarate
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Forehand rubber recommendation for my Zebarate

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
notea View Drop Down
Beginner
Beginner
Avatar

Joined: 08/01/2013
Location: India
Status: Offline
Points: 19
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote notea Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Forehand rubber recommendation for my Zebarate
    Posted: 12/14/2019 at 1:38pm
Hi,
I am a returning player, ive played since my childhood days.. I am 39 now, havent played since 2012-13.. ive a health issue and was advised to take up exercise/sport by my doctor, so table tennis was the obvious choice, I purchased the TB ALC + Rakza 7 (R7) for my first blade, as it was highly recommended, but i soon found out that the setup was too fast for my all+ / off- play style. I then changed the rubber to R7 Soft, it was ok but still not good as it doesnt feel natural to me, i guessed that the blade with the outer ALC was the problem, so i bought the new Yasaka Zebarate (very similar to innerforce layer/Apolonia in feel and materials/layers) and i find it quite good.. here i am still using the R7 softs for both FH and BH, i felt i need a bit more control on my BH and switched to Yasaka Valmo (i am a yasaka fan way back from the old Mark V days), it is very good and much better than my R7 soft on my BH.. so my setup is now the Zebarate + R7 Soft FH + Valmo BH. i thought it was a very good setup for my play style at first as it was easy to do top spins, opening up under spins and serves, here my opponents are beginner to intermediate at best with relatively cheap blades and rubbers. Today i went to my local TT club and played against a friend with Apolonia ZLC + Dignics 05 FH + Barracuda BH.. i had no idea i would struggle so much just to open up or top spin his serves/under spin shots, from his dignics 05.. this has led me to believe that my FH rubber with the soft sponge is the culprit. So i would like some suggestions for a new FH rubber that could go against the dignics 05 and its heavy spin. my options are Rakza 7, Rakza X, Tenergy 05.. but i dont want to spend too much on the rubber, anything more expensive than the T 05 is a no go due to budget constraints. Do know that ive sold al the old rubbers and the TB ALC, so i am now with only my current blade and rubbers mentioned. I used to have an adidas C500 carbon + adidas P5 FH + adidas P3 BH which i really liked but since they arent available anymore, i do not know what rubber to choose. i mainly play from close to mid range from the table.

Option 1: Rakza 7
Option 2: Rakza X
Option 3: Tenergy 05
Option 4: ??
Option 5: ??

Any input or suggestions will be deeply appreciated. I would like to mention that I am by no means a novice/beginner, ive even won the inter college gold medal 2 times, a state level bronze, etc back in my younger days.. but as i havent played for a long time and due to my health issues, i will never be able to play at that level ever again, I am saying this because i dont want to be recommended a beginner rubber but i am not quite versed in the new rubbers and the new plastic 40+ balls. Cheers.

Attached a few pictures of my current setup





Back to Top
Sponsored Links


Back to Top
stiltt View Drop Down
Assistant Admin
Assistant Admin
Avatar

Joined: 07/15/2007
Location: Location
Status: Offline
Points: 985
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote stiltt Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12/14/2019 at 3:36pm
A no nonsense budget rubber today is the Nittaku Fastarc G-1. You can't go wrong with it on the fh. It's slower than T05 but not slow to the point you would think it is. It's spinny and predictable. It's the quintessential do it all modern rubber.

Buy 4 of them at once from tt11 to enjoy the 3-4 program. You can mix colors and thicknesses and it will cost under $30 per rubber. It's to me the very best deal for the all round player.

I do not boost but pure loopers say that a good boosting job makes it as good as T05. It is more than good enough as is for the allround player I am.


Welcome back!


Edited by stiltt - 12/14/2019 at 3:42pm
Back to Top
SmackDAT View Drop Down
Platinum Member
Platinum Member
Avatar

Joined: 01/01/2012
Location: London
Status: Offline
Points: 2231
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SmackDAT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12/14/2019 at 3:52pm
Rakza X and Victas v15 extra are great rubbers, and fastarc g1
Zhang Jike ALC AN (88g)
Tenergy 05 Hard (2.1, B)
Tenergy 19 (2.1, R)
https://goo.gl/bFWoxW
Back to Top
TT newbie View Drop Down
Gold Member
Gold Member
Avatar

Joined: 11/25/2011
Location: Far Far Away
Status: Offline
Points: 1391
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TT newbie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12/14/2019 at 5:14pm
+1 for Nittaku Fastarc G-1.
This is the most linear rubber I´ve tested. For linear I mean it does not deliver anything you don´t put in the stroke. It´s not like a Vega Pro Max that spits the ball at minimum contact.
With G-1 the ball goes with the exact power you hit. Hit slow and it goes slow (and probably short). But it generates a huge spin when you hit with speed/power.
I like this rubber very much and probably will use it in my BH.
Back to Top
notea View Drop Down
Beginner
Beginner
Avatar

Joined: 08/01/2013
Location: India
Status: Offline
Points: 19
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote notea Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12/15/2019 at 3:45pm
Update: I was able to get a new T 05 today, and Ive already glued it on the blade.. havent tested yet as its sunday, I will post an update when i first try the new rubber.

pic of the finished blade: 




Edited by notea - 12/15/2019 at 3:46pm
Back to Top
ProtossTT View Drop Down
Super Member
Super Member


Joined: 11/29/2019
Location: United states
Status: Offline
Points: 103
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ProtossTT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12/15/2019 at 4:52pm
G-1 bottoms out too easily and does not have high spin like you're stating. G-1 is a decent intermediate rubber but for me I hated it. Barely produces spin and too easy to counter my shots. It's also on the slower end 

Edited by ProtossTT - 12/15/2019 at 4:52pm
Back to Top
GeneralSpecific View Drop Down
Platinum Member
Platinum Member
Avatar

Joined: 03/01/2010
Location: New York
Status: Offline
Points: 2809
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote GeneralSpecific Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12/15/2019 at 5:25pm
Hi everyone, I'm notea. I made this thread to reaffirm that I should spend my money on Tenergy despite claiming I have budget constraints.

Since everyone is making suggestions other than Tenergy, I've decided to ignore all of these good recommendations and bought it anyway. I found the original Rakza 7 to be too hard to control for my game so using an even more sensitive rubber like Tenergy 05 must be the right way to go. What could go wrong?

I'm going to test this rubber and even though I will miss 75 percent of my shots, the other 25 percent will look really cool so I'll be sure to report back that this is the rubber I was looking for and that I'm playing better than ever.

Please echo my thoughts and tell me what I want to hear!
Blade - Xiom 36.5 ALX FL
Forehand - Xiom Omega V Asia 2.0mm
Backhand - Victas Curl P5V with Der Materialspezialist Firestorm Soft/Outkill 1.8mm sponge
Back to Top
notea View Drop Down
Beginner
Beginner
Avatar

Joined: 08/01/2013
Location: India
Status: Offline
Points: 19
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote notea Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12/17/2019 at 6:58am
Did you not fully read my question/post? I said anything more expensive than the T 05, also see my options list.. Also I got this cheaper as i got it from a person not a store, he did not have any use for it. Just dont arrive to conclusions, I couldnt find the Nittaku Fastrac G-1 anywhere in stock, and purchasing online is not an option due to unrest/protests in my neighboring state from which all shipments come through. I still have my R7 soft in case i dont like it.. the only other option was a Donic Bluefire M2. Just be civil and stick to an answer, not try to degrade or insult someone else's decision whether right or wrong.  I will order the Nittaku when the unrest is gone and orders come through without any problems.

one more thing, what is your problem man? please read my full post.

Edited by notea - 12/17/2019 at 6:59am
Back to Top
notea View Drop Down
Beginner
Beginner
Avatar

Joined: 08/01/2013
Location: India
Status: Offline
Points: 19
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote notea Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12/17/2019 at 7:05am
reviews on the G-1 are pretty good, but i havent tried it, i am willing to give it a go, but right now i cannot order anything online due to heavy unrest in my neighboring state from which all online orders come through. I have purchased a brand new T 05 from an acquaintance at a cheaper price. I havent tested it yet, although ive tested the Dignics and liked it, a bit faster than i would normally like but the T05 should be a tad slower, thanks for your input 
Back to Top
notea View Drop Down
Beginner
Beginner
Avatar

Joined: 08/01/2013
Location: India
Status: Offline
Points: 19
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote notea Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12/18/2019 at 12:32pm
UPDATE: I played with the T 05 today for about 2 hours, i must say opening up, drives and top spins are the best i have tried so far from any rubber, lots of spin and very fast when i attack, produces a good arc too, but for short strokes like chops and receiving serves, its quite hard at first, well.. very hard, at first my chops and receives went far away from the table even though the balls i received were very spinny and sometimes slow (i think its the tensor/springy sponge), slowly i tried to adapt my play style, bit by bit, and by the end of the session, i could receive and chop with less difficulty and made less mistakes.. not saying i have mastered it, on the contrary it is gonna take a lot of time for me to get fully acquainted with the rubber (at least at my level and ability).. the attack potential of this rubber is something else,  please do understand that i am a returning player, so im not quite used to THIS kind of fast and spinny rubbers (tried the DN 05 + Apolonia ZLC but only for a few minutes so i cant make a good enough opinion on the rubber), even though i had the Rakza 7 for a few weeks, i feel that the R7 has similar speed but less spin and a more flat trajectory, this is better than i anticipated after reading GeneralSpecific's comment. looking forward to playing regularly with it. Im not saying it is the best rubber, but to me, it is very very good on my Zebarate.. lets see how it goes a few weeks in.
And huge thanks to everyone who were kind enough to give my post a thought and give me suggestions, Except one ofc Tongue.. I will order the Fastrac G-1 when the unrest in my neighboring state dies down a bit and orders can come through, I am also interested in a good BH rubber to go along with the T 05

Edited by notea - 12/18/2019 at 12:39pm
Back to Top
icontek View Drop Down
Premier Member
Premier Member
Avatar
This is FPS Doug

Joined: 10/31/2006
Location: Maine, US
Status: Offline
Points: 5222
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote icontek Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12/29/2019 at 7:58pm
Originally posted by notea notea wrote:

 had no idea i would struggle so much just to open up or top spin his serves/under spin shots, from his dignics 05.. this has led me to believe that my FH rubber with the soft sponge is the culprit.

T05, being high throw, is very good at lifting underspin ... It can compensate for a lack of lift from your backfoot, and can lift balls even when you are out of position. 

However, even with the plastic balls, it is still much more sensitive to spin from soft balls on serve receive. I suspect it will likely result in a lot of short game pushing and receive errors.

I play with several former T05 users who realized that they didn't have a disciplined enough practice regimen to develop the touch and control needed to play the first 3 balls consistently. Several of them decided that that Fastarc G-1 gave them a more controlled service receive and short game. And strangely enough, at least 2 more players settled on Joola Energy. But predictability and reliability are more important than outright power, I guess.


US1260.RC1042 . OSP Virtuoso AC: PK50 + R42
Back to Top
notea View Drop Down
Beginner
Beginner
Avatar

Joined: 08/01/2013
Location: India
Status: Offline
Points: 19
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote notea Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12/31/2019 at 1:59pm
Originally posted by icontek icontek wrote:

Originally posted by notea notea wrote:

 had no idea i would struggle so much just to open up or top spin his serves/under spin shots, from his dignics 05.. this has led me to believe that my FH rubber with the soft sponge is the culprit.

T05, being high throw, is very good at lifting underspin ... It can compensate for a lack of lift from your backfoot, and can lift balls even when you are out of position. 

However, even with the plastic balls, it is still much more sensitive to spin from soft balls on serve receive. I suspect it will likely result in a lot of short game pushing and receive errors.

I play with several former T05 users who realized that they didn't have a disciplined enough practice regimen to develop the touch and control needed to play the first 3 balls consistently. Several of them decided that that Fastarc G-1 gave them a more controlled service receive and short game. And strangely enough, at least 2 more players settled on Joola Energy. But predictability and reliability are more important than outright power, I guess.


Thanks for the input, i was looking for the G-1 but cannot find it anywhere in my country, so i had to get the T 05, im also planning to get the Stiga DNA Pro M or S for my BH, is it any good?
As for your friends having trouble with touch and control for the first 3 balls, could it be that they are using really fast & stiff blades? mine isnt very fast, i would say it is more of an off- blade with lots of control. I dont struggle much at all, slightly at first adjusting to the throw angle (weird that i find the throw angle lower than my R7s). Im not saying that i am better than your friends, but maybe it suits my play style better. I am still learning the characteristics of this rubber, if i find in the end that its not for me, i will definitely try to import the Fastrac G-1...appreciate your reply



Edited by notea - 12/31/2019 at 2:06pm
Back to Top
notea View Drop Down
Beginner
Beginner
Avatar

Joined: 08/01/2013
Location: India
Status: Offline
Points: 19
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote notea Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12/31/2019 at 1:59pm
somehow i cant delete this reply

Edited by notea - 12/31/2019 at 2:01pm
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.01
Copyright ©2001-2018 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.265 seconds.

Become a Fan on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Web Wiz News
Forum Home | Go to the Forums | Forum Help | Disclaimer

MyTableTennis.NET is the trading name of Alex Table Tennis Ltd.

Copyright ©2003-2024 Alex Table Tennis Ltd. All rights reserved.