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Sanwei T88-I Review

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    Posted: 10/24/2011 at 2:54pm

I got this rubber after I read some pretty glowing reviews, particularly from seguso since I’ve found myself agreeing with much of his opinion on several rubbers.  It’s been said that it plays very similar to the T05, with its only negative being its heavy weight. I’ve tried this rubber on both the Galaxy T-11 and the Sanwei F3 blades. The T-11 is a very light, very stiff, medium-soft, OFF+, very carbony blade. My particular Sanwei F3 is a medium light(79.4 grams), medium flex, soft, ~ALL+, very woody-feeling blade(construction similar to the Innerforce ALC).  I’d used the T-11 for the past 6 months until last week, when I started using the F3, so most of my review will be based on the T88-I’s performance on the T-11. As for me, I’m an ~1700 level two-winged looper.  I’ve posted some videos of me playing before, but since my past video I’ve done some TT soul-searching and I’ve changed both my style and what I’m looking for in equipment quite a bit.

First impression:

Even before I opened the package, it felt heavy, so it was no surprise that it weighed 78 grams uncut. Cut to the T-11(~161x151mm head) it was about 60 grams, and cut to the Sanwei F3(~157x150mm head) it was 57 grams.  That’s heavy.  Aside from its heftiness, the second obvious impression was that the rubber lies very, very flat on my table, and it didn’t change after I changed it from blade to blade. Most of the rubbers I’ve seen curl up a bit one direction or another, but this one just lies flat like a slab of concrete. 

Looks/feel:

Looks-wise, the sponge is somewhat porous, but not very much so. While the sponge is the same color as the T05, the pip structure is much more like the T25's, with massive closely-spaced pimples. The topsheet has medium-light tackiness, I’d say similar to the Moon. The topsheet looks to be of very high quality. I was impressed by the Moon’s topsheet as far as cheap Chinese rubbers go, but this one by far takes the cake.  The T88-I has the looks of a high-end rubber for sure. Running my fingers across the topsheet, the grip feels excellent, superb even, better than any rubber I’ve felt. The sponge is listed as 39 degree, and it felt that hard, in between my 41 degrees H3Neo and 38 degrees Moon. Cutting it to the blade was a breeze, very crisp, but the sponge doesn’t feel fragile at all unlike say the Mercury II or the Moon.

Game play:

1)     Short game/service—Just bouncing the ball and you can feel that it’s not very bouncy, but a tad bouncier than typical “dead” Chinese rubbers. In this regard it doesn’t feel like the T05 at all. However, this translates to excellent control on services and short games. I might have just been too excited about how it played, especially given how awesome this rubber is at attacking(I’ll expand on that later), but it really felt on my T-11 like it was better in control than even the LKT Pro XT. When I switched it onto the Sanwei F3, the control became simply amazing. I could push short like the pros, which NEVER happened with the T-11!  It’s a bit sluggish with the fast serves on the F3, but the speed is fine on the T-11.

2)     Loop/Loop driving—As amazing as the T88-I is in the short game, it’s so much more so in light of what a great offensive weapon it is, and this is where it truly shines. Now, Seguso said that it’s spinier and faster than the T05, and I have to say that I’m inclined to agree. When you hit the ball hard and really dig into the dense, hard sponge, you can really unleash the power of this beast. Honestly, I can’t tell if it actually has MORE speed and spin than the T05, but they’re there for sure, at least just as much as my friends’ T05/T8 or T64/Strato combos. It feels a tad faster, possibly because of its sheer mass, as an extra ~10 grams of weight should give your setup more momentum by itself! The spin on this thing is also just massive, which makes counter-looping a breeze with its vicious dip and killer jump off the table. I know that spin is T05’s specialty and I understand that reviews are mostly subjective, but I really feel that the T88-I can generate even more spin than the Tenergies.  What’s even more surprising is that even its feel is very close to the T05’s. You can really feel the rubber sucking in the ball and spitting it back out. I thought the dwell time would be low like most hard Chinese rubbers, but that’s entirely not the case. The dwell time is absolutely excellent.

Lifting backspins is another gigantic positive. I have NEVER used a rubber that can lift backspins as easily as the T88-I. With a simple brushing motion you can create a very spinny, low, and short loop against pushes. Before using the T88-I, I’ve always had trouble lifting backspins that barely fall long over the table. Whether it’s the T05 or the H3Neo or any other rubber I’ve used, I’ve always had to use a half-lifting/half-brushing motion to consistent lift those half-long pushes. No more. With the T88-I, on both the T-11 and the F3, I can execute a full brush loop like the pros against those shots. Loop driving higher/longer backspins is pretty easy, better than average, but not as exemplary as brush looping half-long backspins.

3)     Hitting/Smashing—Maybe it’s because of the extra dwell time, but I didn’t feel like this rubber is good at hitting or smashing.  I don’t hit or smash too often, as I loop when I can hit and I loop-drive when I can smash(I’m not terribly good with smashing period).  It does feel a bit more unpredictable than usual when hitting with it.

4)     Chopping/Blocking—Blocking performance was pretty good, not quite as crisp as low-dwell, low-throw rubbers like say the Moon 38, but it was predictable and has good speed.  IMO, with rubbers like the T88-I, or the T05, it’s better to active block rather than passive block.  It seems to be a lot deadlier and at least just as controllable. I almost never chop, but I chopped a few times just to test it out. Chopping thus far have been almost impossible with max rubbers on the T-11, but the T88-I does a surprisingly good job with it. With that said, when you’re using the T88-I, you should attack every ball within reach J because it’s just that great with it! The throw is definitely high, very similar to T05’s.

Conclusion:

If you want a cheap Chinese rubber that can replicate and, IMO even best, the performance of the Tenergy series, look no more. I’ve tried quite a rubbers that supposedly has either similar feel or performance of the Tenergies, like the Moon, MII, RD, H3N, etc. but nothing came close on either account. My T88-I was 39 degrees, but Eacheng also sells them at 40 degrees, which might be even faster. Seguso did mention that it’s VOC illegal upon first opening the package, but I’ve been using it for over 2 weeks now and I haven’t noticed any drop in performance. I can't really comment on the durability yet, but it looks excellent thus far.

In short, for the style it’s designed for, the T88-I’s only drawback is its hefty weight and absolutely NOTHING else.

BTW, you can find some additional reviews, particularly by seguso, on ttdb:

http://www.tabletennisdb.com/rubber/sanwei-t88-i.html



Edited by dingyibvs - 10/24/2011 at 10:28pm
Blade: Hurricane Long 5 (968) FL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bluebucket Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/24/2011 at 3:09pm
Sounds great, the only thing is... 57 grams cut on a small headed blade is just simply too much. Rubbers that heavy will put even the average 85-87 gram blade at or over 200 in total. Once you get that heavy the weight effects your game so much more than a good rubber can improve it
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dingyibvs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/24/2011 at 3:32pm
Originally posted by bluebucket bluebucket wrote:

Sounds great, the only thing is... 57 grams cut on a small headed blade is just simply too much. Rubbers that heavy will put even the average 85-87 gram blade at or over 200 in total. Once you get that heavy the weight effects your game so much more than a good rubber can improve it

On my current setup it's about 180 grams total(57 for T88-I, 43 for MII 36), which is pretty reasonable IMO.  In fact, it feels a bit light to me, I might change the BH rubber to bring the weight up to 185, which is the perfect weight IMO.

I also had no trouble adjusting to weight changes.  I was using a setup that was in the low mid 160's, and I switched to mid 190's(T88-I + T88-II both cut larger than the head so I could move them easily, plus a 7.5 gram weight to balance the head-heaviness) and I adjusted within a week. The only thing I didn't adjust immediately to was the BH banana flick, that took a couple more playing sessions.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Stoi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/24/2011 at 8:21pm
Thanks for the review! Pairing it with a LKT Rapid Soft or 729 Focus 3 Snipe should fix the weight problem i guess. Sure on the top of "For purchase" list for my next order, 12$... Shocked come on!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GeneralSpecific Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/24/2011 at 9:05pm
How tacky is the T88-I? You say it has the spin and speed of tenergy but does it require the same stroke technique? Does it require more of a Chinese stroke (like DHS and other chinese rubbers) or does it require a more euro stroke like Tenergy does.

Also, I've heard much more about the T88-I. Can anyone compare the T88-I to the T88-II and the T88-III?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dingyibvs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/24/2011 at 10:06pm
It's not very tacky, I rate it as medium-light in tackiness, a bit less tacky than an used H3N, kind of like the Moon.  To give you an idea of how I rate tackiness, the Mercury II would be high(holds the ball for 20+ seconds when relatively new), H3N is medium(hold a second or two when clean), and the LKT Pro XT red would be light(barely feel the tackiness).  As for the stroke, I'd say it's kind of in between, leaning more to the euro stroke.  You do need to engage the sponge to unleash its speed and spin, although brush looping with the topsheet is pretty consistent if a bit too slow to be effective.  In short, it can execute an Euro stroke perfectly, but only decently for a Chinese stroke.

I've never used the T88-III, but I've used the T88-II for a couple weeks as well.  The T88-I and II are nothing alike, except that the II is also fairly heavy(50 grams cut to a butterfly sized head). It's much bouncier, much softer, a tad slower, a lower throw, and a lot tackier.  I'd rate its tackiness at medium-high, which means that it can hold the ball for a few seconds.  My T88-II was listed at 38 degrees, but it feels more like 36 degrees.   Despite its tackiness and softness compared to the T88-I, it actually feels like it has less dwell time, probably due to its high bounciness.  The ball shoots out pretty quickly, so it actually plays a bit more like a tensor rubber.  In fact, given how quickly the ball shoots out, some people might think it's faster than the T88-I, but I did some semi-objective testing by just whacking the ball and see how much it travels with loop-drive and smash motions, and the T88-I definitely whacks the ball farther :)

I actually haven't had any training sessions with tensor rubbers, unlike the Chinese rubbers and the T05, so I can't really compare.  What I CAN compare the T88-II to is the Mercury II 37 degrees. Similar in every respect in terms of performance, but the T88-II is softer and appears to be of much, much higher quality.  In fact, I'm quite impressed with the way these Sanwei rubbers look.  They all look like much higher quality rubbers than their price tag would suggest!  I don't like the T88-II nearly as much as the T88-I because it doesn't have a low gear.  Even with the pretty high tackiness, its bounciness still too much for me to handle over the table.  I tried using it on the BH too, but it's just way too friggin fast for my BH skill level right now.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GeneralSpecific Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/24/2011 at 10:11pm
The T88-I sounds somewhat like Tenergy 05 the T88-II sounds somewhat like Tenergy 64. Could the III be like 25? haha
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote seguso Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/27/2011 at 1:47am
Originally posted by dingyibvs dingyibvs wrote:

Seguso said that it’s spinier and faster than the T05, and I have to say that I’m inclined to agree. When you hit the ball hard and really dig into the dense, hard sponge, you can really unleash the power of this beast. Honestly, I can’t tell if it actually has MORE speed and spin than the T05, but they’re there for sure, at least just as much as my friends’ T05/T8 or T64/Strato combos. It feels a tad faster, possibly because of its sheer mass, as an extra ~10 grams of weight should give your setup more momentum by itself! The spin on this thing is also just massive, which makes counter-looping a breeze with its vicious dip and killer jump off the table. I know that spin is T05’s specialty and I understand that reviews are mostly subjective, but I really feel that the T88-I can generate even more spin than the Tenergies.  What’s even more surprising is that even its feel is very close to the T05’s. You can really feel the rubber sucking in the ball and spitting it back out. I thought the dwell time would be low like most hard Chinese rubbers, but that’s entirely not the case. The dwell time is absolutely excellent.


I know it's hard to believe, but the "more spin/speed than t05" thing is true. Probably due to t88-i's dense sponge filled with oil. But it should also be said that the T05's I used for comparisons were not new: one had been opened three months earlier but never used, another one had been used for one year (and had noticeably lower throw, weird).

My only slight disagreement with your review is that I wouldn't say the feel is the same. T88-I's topsheet feels slightly harder to me, and as a result I feel to have less of a low gear.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote vutiendat1337 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/27/2011 at 4:21am
where could one buy this what-a-steal rubber?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote seguso Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/27/2011 at 4:36am
Originally posted by vutiendat1337 vutiendat1337 wrote:

where could one buy this what-a-steal rubber?


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dingyibvs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/27/2011 at 4:56am
Originally posted by seguso seguso wrote:

Originally posted by dingyibvs dingyibvs wrote:

Seguso said that it’s spinier and faster than the T05, and I have to say that I’m inclined to agree. When you hit the ball hard and really dig into the dense, hard sponge, you can really unleash the power of this beast. Honestly, I can’t tell if it actually has MORE speed and spin than the T05, but they’re there for sure, at least just as much as my friends’ T05/T8 or T64/Strato combos. It feels a tad faster, possibly because of its sheer mass, as an extra ~10 grams of weight should give your setup more momentum by itself! The spin on this thing is also just massive, which makes counter-looping a breeze with its vicious dip and killer jump off the table. I know that spin is T05’s specialty and I understand that reviews are mostly subjective, but I really feel that the T88-I can generate even more spin than the Tenergies.  What’s even more surprising is that even its feel is very close to the T05’s. You can really feel the rubber sucking in the ball and spitting it back out. I thought the dwell time would be low like most hard Chinese rubbers, but that’s entirely not the case. The dwell time is absolutely excellent.


I know it's hard to believe, but the "more spin/speed than t05" thing is true. Probably due to t88-i's dense sponge filled with oil. But it should also be said that the T05's I used for comparisons were not new: one had been opened three months earlier but never used, another one had been used for one year (and had noticeably lower throw, weird).

My only slight disagreement with your review is that I wouldn't say the feel is the same. T88-I's topsheet feels slightly harder to me, and as a result I feel to have less of a low gear.

Our differences might have something to do with the different hardness of our rubbers as well.  Mine is 39 and yours is 40, so maybe that's why you think the speed is more noticeably faster than the T05 while it being harder and having less of a lower gear.

Oh, and I got mine off of eacheng as well.


Edited by dingyibvs - 10/27/2011 at 4:57am
Blade: Hurricane Long 5 (968) FL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dingyibvs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/28/2011 at 12:56am
Just had another session with it tonight...this rubber and the Sanwei F3 blade are like made for each other! I've never had this much power and consistency looping before, whether it's against backspin or topspin.  I'm still amazed at how great the control over the table is for a rubber this fast and spinny.  I'm actually kinda glad that the F3 came lighter than I expected.  It was listed at 90+/-3 grams, and I requested one that's lighter than 87 grams, and it came in at around 80.  I think if it was actually 87 grams, it might be a bit too fast and heavy with the T88-I, now it's perfect at 185 grams with the MII 37 degrees on the BH.  I might be switching BH rubbers around, but the T88-I is here to stay on my FH.  I just ordered another sheet from eacheng, and judging by the looks of it, I think it'll be quite durable and I think I'm set for at least the next year as far as my blade and FH rubber combo goes.  My BH is much weaker so I might have to switch to something a bit slower than the MII 37 though.

Man, it feels so good to be close to finishing EJing!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bluebucket Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/28/2011 at 1:58am
185 grams is good! you've done well to get the total down that low, I'll go through my blades one of these days and try and find something light enough to give the T88-1 and II a try.

Finding cheap AND good backhand rubbers can be a big problem, bigger than finding cheap and good forehand rubbers. You either can't find them in thin sponge or they don't have the grip a backhand needs etc. Plus you are going to have the problem of keeping it light :(. You need to find a good backhand rubber from Sanwei since I've never seen anyone using a total proper Sanwei combo :d


Edited by bluebucket - 10/28/2011 at 1:59am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dingyibvs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/28/2011 at 2:39am
Haha, maybe I'll try the Sanwei Gears or Taiji!  Light is actually not an issue, considering my MII 37 right now is 48 grams.  I was actually thinking of using the Sanwei T88-II on my BH initially, but that rubber is just too dang fast and bouncy, like an OFF+ blade in a sense ;)  I just want a medium/medium-hard, medium speed rubber, maybe I'll try the MII 35, since I'll be getting a bunch of them for the return board I'm planning to build.  Who knows, maybe I'll end up getting used to the MII 37 and just stick with it(best case scenario), I'm really starting to get jaded of switching equipment now.  With the fantastic F3/T88-I combo, I'm now ready to hunker down and work on my skills with one constant setup.

BTW, I tried the T88-I on the BH for a bit today, and it felt sooo good, so much precision and spin.  But two T88-I's on my blade will bring it to like 195 grams, a bit heavy for my taste and it'll be very top-heavy for sure too :(
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote seguso Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/28/2011 at 3:24am
@dingy

for a light backhand rubber, why don't you just get a lkt pro xp or lkt rapid soft? spin insensitive, lots of control, good spin, and very light.

Edited by seguso - 10/28/2011 at 3:24am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dingyibvs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/28/2011 at 3:28am
I have a sheet of pro xt red, unfortunately my T88-I is also red, but i might try it out and see how it works.  I haven't used the pro xt in quite a while, but isn't it a medium throw rubber?  I kinda prefer high throw rubbers.  Getting used to a different throw can be quite a pain in the neck.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote seguso Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/28/2011 at 3:40am
@dingy

a few remarks and suggestions:

1) pro XT is slightly tackier and therefore more spin sensitive than pro XP, which kind of defeats the purpose for backhand. It is also higher throw for the same reason.

2) actually you are lucky that your t88-I is red, because pro XP black is better than pro XP red. The former is softer, better for opening loops, so better for backhand (where you don't need to powerloop but only open and then drive or counter).

3) In my experience, it took just a week to get used to the low throw on backhand, and now I would not switch back to high throw for any reason. Low throw is just more natural and faster on backhand. Blocks are easier, faster and more consistent. Drives are natural and deadly. Now people are afraid to powerloop on my backhand because I counterhit everything. :) Of course, if you switch, your bh style would then become: opening loop, then drive. I'd say only if you want to be very aggressive with your backhand, i.e. backhand loop instead of backhand drive, you should stay with high throw. (And in this case I strongly suggest you to try Palio CJ8000 japanese sponge 36-38: very high throw, soft, spinny, but lots of control, and spin insensitive (though not as much as lkt) ). 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dingyibvs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/31/2011 at 7:08am
Hmm I think you're right, and I half took your advice today.  Instead of using the Pro XT, which is on a blade my friend is borrowing right now, I slapped on my BH rubber for most of the past 4 months on the T-11, the Moon 38.  It feels considerably more controllable on my F3 than on the T-11, and the low throw does make blocking a lot easier, and drives work well as well.  Being more controllable but otherwise very similar to my old BH setup, I had little trouble adjusting back to the lower throw(I did only use higher throw BH rubbers for the last 2 weeks, after all).

It's still a bit faster than what I can handle, but it's a lot more manageable now on the F3 as opposed to the T-11.  With my BH skills so far behind my FH, I think I can improve it quite rapidly and I should be able to tame it soon.  Thus, I'll be ordering a black Moon 38(can't play with red on both sides indefinitely!) and I intend to keep my setup set at F3/T88-I 39/Moon 38 for at least the next 6 months.

Phew, feels good to be able to finally stick with one setup and focus on improving my skills!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote seguso Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/31/2011 at 7:14am
@dingy

Tue, Moon 38 is low throw, but IMHO it is way too fast and way too hard on carbon. Too fast means the trajectory is too long; too hard means you cannot generate a short enough arc, to play safe against low flat balls, or for opening loops. Stick a black Pro XP on bh and you'll know what I am talking about.  :) I suggest to order that one instead of Moon. Or Moon 33 if you absolutely must order Moon. it might solve the second problem but not the first.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dingyibvs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10/31/2011 at 8:09am
I think it'll be OK because the F3 is a very soft as far as carbon blades go.  It's got two wood plies above the carbokev layer, and it's fairly thin at 5.8mm and light so it's quite flexible as well.  I'd put it at All+ or at most Off-.  I'm more used to hard rubbers on the BH anyway, as the BH rubbers I've used the longest are the DHS G888(harder than the H3) on a soft 7-ply wood blade(4.5 months) and the Moon 38 on the T-11(3.5 months).
Blade: Hurricane Long 5 (968) FL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chu_bun Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11/08/2011 at 2:05pm
I tried T88-I, and was very impressed.  I would say it is as fast and spiny as any other chinese tensor-ish rubbers, but it was also loud. My friends, die-hard T05 users, from the next table heard the sound and came over to check it out.  I had let them try other rubbers (moon, sun, outlaw, shadow, ...) in the past, and they were not impressed, but this time they were really interested, "What is it?", "Where you got it?" ....  Maybe it also had something to do with the blade (OSP virtuoso).  
Clipper Wood, Sanwei Gears FH, Sanwei T88-I BH.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dingyibvs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11/08/2011 at 6:04pm
So I've been using it for over a month now, the durability appears to be excellent.  I think what truly makes it great is its control.  There are fast and spinny rubbers out there, but most of them give you bad control in the short game.  The T88-I, however, offers you excellent control and touch shots are quite amazing with it.  This also means that unlike those bouncy rubbers, you'll need a more full swing to extract the enormous spin and speed potential out of this rubber.  It doesn't bottom out easily what with its dense sponge and topsheet, so unlike many softer rubbers whose spin don't really increase past a certain speed point, this one keeps going.  The spin really contributes to control in the looping game as well.

Basically, I think it's very well suited for a pro-style game, where you push short left and right and when one comes long and/or high, you attack with all your power.  For this, I think the rubber would be more versatile if it's put on a harder blade.  Most players probably aren't terribly great with powershots and use many slow and medium speed strokes.  With those strokes, the T88-I's long dwell time combined with a soft blade could make the dwell insanely long, and a harder blade could make it more crisp without losing its excellent, soft touch in the short game.  I haven't tried it yet, but if my theory is correct, it would play the best on a blade like the TBS.

I'm speaking from experience of course, after switching the T88-I from a hard/stiff T-11 to a soft/flexy F3.  With the F3, I basically try to avoid slower attacking strokes because it feels quite mushy, so I stick with strokes that are at least medium in speed(wish I could execute fast strokes all time, but I'm not on that level yet).


Edited by dingyibvs - 11/08/2011 at 6:23pm
Blade: Hurricane Long 5 (968) FL
FH: D09C max
BH: D09C max
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chu_bun Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11/08/2011 at 6:46pm
By the way, I also tried T88-III.  I don't see much in common between the two rubbers.  The sponges are different, red for T88-I and yellow for T88-III.  The top sheet are different, T88-I's pips are denser and bigger (?) than T88-III's.  T88-III is softer and slower, and does not make the crisp sound like the T88-I.  In short, not a very interesting rubber.

Clipper Wood, Sanwei Gears FH, Sanwei T88-I BH.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GSOM_GSOM11 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11/14/2011 at 7:06am
Anyone tried this wunderwaffe on Viscaria or Viscaria Light?
 
Can it be a substitute for H3Neo or BW2?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sa01 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02/28/2012 at 12:57am
how fast is t88-II ?
is it as fast as a tenergy or faster?
with a tacky topsheet?
for fh I don't care much about control, I want something fast with a tacky topsheet.
like a intentionally illegally boosted h3
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dingyibvs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02/28/2012 at 1:24am
Not quite as fast after the tuning effect wears out, lightly tacky as well.  Still faster than the H3 though.  I actually have the T88-I and an untuned H3P 39 on the one of my blades right now.  I feel like the H3 has a bit more spin while the T88-I is a good bit faster with higher throw.  Actually, if it wasn't for my new year's resolution of no more EJ'ing, I'm pretty damn tempted to switch back to the T88-I.  I mean, originally I was concerned due to the weight, but now that I've found a solution to that there really aren't any concerns anymore.  The thing I REALLY liked about the T88-I is that its thick topsheet/big pips make it so that it takes more effort to engage the sponge, and that really helps in the short game.  Nothing comes close to a boosted H3 though unfortunately, that thing's a real beast!

Why don't you like tuning again?  I'm pretty sure you mentioned it before but I don't remember.


Edited by dingyibvs - 02/28/2012 at 1:27am
Blade: Hurricane Long 5 (968) FL
FH: D09C max
BH: D09C max
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote domino Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02/28/2012 at 6:07am
how the speed of sanwei f3? is it fast enough for loop drive?
Blade : 729 Bomb
FH    : 729 Cream Transcend
BH    : DHS Neo Hurricane 3
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sa01 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02/28/2012 at 6:27pm
Originally posted by dingyibvs dingyibvs wrote:

Not quite as fast after the tuning effect wears out, lightly tacky as well.  Still faster than the H3 though.  I actually have the T88-I and an untuned H3P 39 on the one of my blades right now.  I feel like the H3 has a bit more spin while the T88-I is a good bit faster with higher throw.  Actually, if it wasn't for my new year's resolution of no more EJ'ing, I'm pretty damn tempted to switch back to the T88-I.  I mean, originally I was concerned due to the weight, but now that I've found a solution to that there really aren't any concerns anymore.  The thing I REALLY liked about the T88-I is that its thick topsheet/big pips make it so that it takes more effort to engage the sponge, and that really helps in the short game.  Nothing comes close to a boosted H3 though unfortunately, that thing's a real beast!

Why don't you like tuning again?  I'm pretty sure you mentioned it before but I don't remember.


I try to stay away from it because
-each time you play the rubber feels a bit different (specially if you don't play a lot) and that creates errors.
-it gives you an unreal advantage, you may think you have the best shots in the world when really a lot of it has to do with you boosting and the opponent not doing so
-I want to stay fair

I think I'll stay away from all those t88 for now, I read some more reviews and they don't seem to offer what I'm looking for.
have you tried target? it seems a bit more promising that those, and is cheap.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dingyibvs Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02/28/2012 at 9:34pm
Is a tuned H3 really that much better than say the Tenergies?  I've never tuned before, but right now my rubber has a huge reverse dome and is having trouble staying on my racket, so I'm considering tuning it just to get it flatter.  I've never tried the Target, but if you're looking for more power it might not be what you're looking for.  From what I've read on Chinese boards it's a bit lacking in that department.  I have an extra T88-I if you wanna try it, I can probably get it to you for $10 shipped(I think shipping is about $5 to south america).

Domino:

You can certainly powerloop with the F3.  I think I underestimated its speed a bit initially, as I was coming off of the extremely fast T-11.  I think it's solidly in the OFF- range.  Compared to my H-WN, which is an OFF blade, it offers pretty similar speed for most shots, I almost don't even have to adjust my stroke when switching to it.


Blade: Hurricane Long 5 (968) FL
FH: D09C max
BH: D09C max
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote haggisv Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02/28/2012 at 10:59pm
Originally posted by seguso seguso wrote:

Probably due to t88-i's dense sponge filled with oil.

So you're saying it's tuned? Can you feel the tuning effect wearing off over time?
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