DHS Skyline 3...From the 2006 archives

A couple of days ago I opened up my new package of DHS's latest rubber supposedly used by Ma Lin and Liu Gouzheng in the recent WTTC06.

Straight out of the package the rubber looks almost identical to its predecessors H2 and H3 with a few tiny differences. The rubber is slightly more translucent (very slightly, dont get your hopes up) and the sponge (I got 2.2mm 39 deg hardness) looks pretty much the same as the sponge the provincial H3 generally gets bundled with. The back of the sponge had a gritty feel, on close inspection tiny ridges could be seen.

I primed the rubber with 3 coats of Sanding speed glue the day before and another coat last night before playing.

I tested the rubber on my Gergely Carbon (most definately not what I would recommend for Chinese rubbers at all).

The Sky3 made by bat really heavy instantly reminding me of why I have always shunned Chinese rubbers, at least it was slightly lighter than the rock stone Hurricane series but only just.

Sky3 is still a low throw rubber, if anything slightly higher than the H's but it produces really fast, deep drives all with that cracking Lin Ju sound that all the Chinese guys are making.

Serves were spinny with this rubber and flips and drives were effortless, I had real problems with blocking (absolutely no feeling) and pushing spinny serves back.

In truth, I really should have tested this rubber like the Chinese do on a springy Stiga or Stiga-like wooden blade. Its clearly an upgrade on the Hurricane series and the quality control and packaging are clearly better. (My Chinese coach also tested the rubber and confirms that Sky3 is faster than H3)

If you like H3 or H2 you will clearly love Sky3 (slightly faster, spinnier and lighter)but if you were hoping for a Eurolike rubber at Chinese prices (BTW Sky costs quite a bit more than H2and 3) Then you'll have to wait some more.

Worst table I ever played on

Heres a thread I started on my favorite forum mytabletennis.net

Topic: Worst table I have ever played on

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Posted By: petermoo 
Subject: Worst table I have ever played on 
Date Posted: 03/20/2010 at 7:45pm

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My vote goes to the Stag 1000. I think this table should be illegal. My reason is that I have never seen any other competition with such a rough grainy uneven surface. I find this table impossible to block reliable on even against a robot set to deliver the same ball over and over again the ball does something different everytime. To make matters worse, the tables are never level, they all seem to form a kind of open V, lower in the middle than at the ends. And I'm not saying this because I have lost any games on it , in fact I won the last tournament I played on these tables but I just hate the unpredictability of these tables. I'm just saying. Petermoo

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Replies:

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Posted By: Jonan 
Date Posted: 03/20/2010 at 7:58pm

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The one I learned to play on was about the opposite, it sagged into the center of the table and was super, super slick, like you could hardly get spin on your serves slick. They can be a real pain though, I keep saying this every time a table matter comes up, they need to regulate tables more. -------------

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Posted By: onurzaim 
Date Posted: 03/20/2010 at 9:16pm

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Stag tables are really bad. Many people suffer from the quality of the table in league (turkey). I have never heard a good comment about this table. On these tables I can not predict what the balls reaction will be. ------------- Frindship F-1 Forhand: Hurricane 3 39 Backhand: Haifu Shark III pink sponge

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Posted By: BH-Man 
Date Posted: 03/20/2010 at 11:56pm

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Originally posted by petermoo My vote goes to the Stag 1000. I think this table should be illegal. My reason is that I have never seen any other competition with such a rough grainy uneven surface. I find this table impossible to block reliable on even against a robot set to deliver the same ball over and over again the ball does something different everytime. To make matters worse, the tables are never level, they all seem to form a kind of open V, lower in the middle than at the ends. And I'm not saying this because I have lost any games on it , in fact I won the last tournament I played on these tables but I just hate the unpredictability of these tables. I'm just saying. Petermoo Haha !! I remember you complaining last year about the Jamacan championships played on DILAPIDATED (not just sh*tty, new Stag tables !!) STAG TABLES. I bet you are still sore about that nearly a year later, with good reason. If you want some REALLY sh*tty tables and basement players to play against, then join the Army and go to places like Kuwait and Iraq rec centers. LOTS of the tables there would make those Stag tables you descrbe look like world class premium. Some of the rec center tables look like they held a rock concert in the middle they sag so much and are unlevel, disolved paint, etc, not to mention rough concrete floor or slick bowed plywood over 2x4s floor, if you are lucky to have a floor. Either way, out there, anyone is simply glad to have anything that resembles a table, any kind of rec center to enjoy, and are grateful for it. Don't get me wrong. Crappy equipment, crappy facilities, tables too close to each other and the like for a tourney in ANY country are simply unacceptable and boil my blood. Even more so for a national championship. Good topic Peter. ------------- Korea Foreign Table Tennis Club Search for us on Facebook: koreaforeignttc

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Posted By: jonyer1980 
Date Posted: 03/21/2010 at 5:40am

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Unfortunately, Stag also got the sponsorship of Spanish federation and oficial events, and pros are complaining& pissed of ot that crappy tables. The same thing happened with ENEBE tables some years ago, truly rubbish. ------------- Acoustic ST 79.5 gr Grip-S Europe MAX FH Goldarc 3 BH Avoid any Butterfly stuff!

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Posted By: bbkon 
Date Posted: 03/21/2010 at 7:13am

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Originally posted by Jonan The one I learned to play on was about the opposite, it sagged into the center of the table and was super, super slick, like you could hardly get spin on your serves slick. They can be a real pain though, I keep saying this every time a table matter comes up, they need to regulate tables more. dammm ,stag tables are really a mess i could have made a better table, your loops sink,the serves bounces higher. how come ittf aproved this tables?,i dont know if pros are playing on that

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Posted By: bbkon 
Date Posted: 03/23/2010 at 1:59am

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Totally agreed.  My coach and I once played a tourney using Stag tables and balls.  I forgot the tables model number but they are horrible.  Like petermoo mentioned above, the tables are not level and formed the V shape.  The worst part are Stiga balls.  They are bounced very funny and almost unpredictable due to low quality of parting lines. We all told the tourney director when it ends and they never used Stiga tables or balls again... -------------

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Posted By: Stavros 
Date Posted: 03/23/2010 at 11:50am

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Unfortunately Stag 1000 will be the official table for all Greek tournaments till 2017! My vote (for the worst table) goes to Cornilleau though. Second place , Stag. ------------- *Primorac Carbon * Tenergy 05*

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Posted By: BeaverMD 
Date Posted: 03/23/2010 at 6:56pm

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Originally posted by Stavros My vote (for the worst table) goes to Cornilleau though. Second place , Stag. I wish Cornilleau would change their name to Cornholio.

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Posted By: petermoo 
Date Posted: 03/23/2010 at 7:15pm

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Originally posted by BeaverMD Originally posted by Stavros My vote (for the worst table) goes to Cornilleau though. Second place , Stag. � I wish Cornilleau would change their name to Cornholio. Seriously really funny man!

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Posted By: Bora 
Date Posted: 03/24/2010 at 7:27am

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I hate all the products of Stag. Its tables are very bad. Moreover I bet butterfly training balls are better than stag 3-star premium.

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Posted By: BeaverMD 
Date Posted: 03/24/2010 at 11:15am

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Originally posted by petermoo Originally posted by BeaverMD Originally posted by Stavros My vote (for the worst table) goes to Cornilleau though. Second place , Stag. I wish Cornilleau would change their name to Cornholio. Seriously really funny man!  Speaking of tables, did you see that Adidas was all over the table at the German Open?

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Posted By: jonyer1980 
Date Posted: 03/24/2010 at 5:56pm

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Originally posted by Stavros Unfortunately Stag 1000 will be the official table for all Greek tournaments till 2017! My vote (for the worst table) goes to Cornilleau though. Second place , Stag. +1 The same thing happens here. ------------- Acoustic ST 79.5 gr Grip-S Europe MAX FH Goldarc 3 BH Avoid any Butterfly stuff!

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Posted By: jonyer1980 
Date Posted: 03/24/2010 at 6:00pm

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Cornilleau old table old-made models were superb quality, like Secretin, but current models and quality are sh*t, all made of plastic  with its integrated net and poor deck and bounce. ------------- Acoustic ST 79.5 gr Grip-S Europe MAX FH Goldarc 3 BH Avoid any Butterfly stuff!

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Posted By: petermoo 
Date Posted: 08/07/2010 at 9:37pm

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I had a chance recently to chat with one of the great Nigerian players Jude Okah who's now playing for Mexico. Jude has that great Nigerian touch and is a contemporary of Segun Toriola and Monday Merotonin all of whom are great great touch players. We spoke about the tables that were in use at the tournament and he told me they were certainly the worst tables he had ever played on. He said that he returned from a training camp in Asia and found that he could not do many of the things in Miexico that he could when he was in China. He confirmed that this was because the tables (Stag's) were so unpredictable that they affected his play completely. The problem is that these tables are being given away by Stag throughout the entire Central American and Caribbean region so we had all better get used to playing on them. I can confirm thought that as bad as the tables were on the rubber carpet, they were far worse on the hard concrete on which we were used to playing. I fear though that these tables are going to create a one shot type of TT where whoever gets the first kicking or skidding shot in, is certain to win the point as its impossible to rally reliably on. Petermoo

Donic Coppa Speed

I just got my specially delivered sheets of Donic Coppa Speed which I should be testing and reviewing in a few days for you guys who are priviledged to be members of this forum.

Donic claims this to be thier fastest ever rubber (at 10++) (Havent these guys heard of 11?) and 10+ for spin.

I am just recovering from playing a tournament in Knoxville , USA so I wont have an oppurtunity to test it until I get back to Jamaica in a few days.

My information is that this rubber has been in use by Donic pros for a while now and that they have been using this special sponge called Powersponge.

The rubber is made in Japan unlike all of Donics newest offerings and the claim is that the topsheet will be more durable than the ultra short lifespan tensors made in Deutschland.

The most interesting thing to me is the packaging is a very thick airtight transparent one very similar to the packaging we have observed in the factory tuned rubbers coming out of china (Haifus et al).

Could it be that the Powersponge is a pretuned rubber?

Why the airtight (superairtight hard to open) packageing then?

The plot thickens.

At the risk of being accused of dragging this out.....

I took the rubber out of the package last night to prepare it for todays play.

The first thing I noticed is that the rubber is a very  brilliant red, just like the old Coppa if anything redder and very very shiny, maybe even oily looking.

The rubber doesnt feel particularly grippy to the touch,maybe about Hammond grippy, maybe even a bit less but not slick like say Tibhar rapid.

The other thing is that the rubber has that familiar pungent Japanese mark V smell, so maybe the topsheet is similar to the old Coppa.

The rubber is not as hard to the touch as I had expected.

i was expecting med+ which is also what they rate Platin(reg) and I think this rubber is a bit softer than that (more when I play with it).

The rubber comes with a more than slight negative dome which is an indication of sponge tension being built in. In fact the sheet does not lie flat straight out of the pack.

The weight is nicely positoned somewhere between heavy platin and the lighter JOGold. I was very nervous about the weight as i thought Platin was slightly too heavy for my very weak wrist so thats a plus.

How it plays?

OK so I have been prepping you guys with all the sensory elements of Coppa Speed so far and I guess its about time we all found out.

How the heck does it play?

Whats so special about this rubber anyway?

Just to be sure I played with it yesterday on two different blades Gergely and acoustic water glue and again today just to make sure of my impressions.

The Coppa Speed (CS from now on) is almost as heavy as Platin (good for power but I'm not too thrilled about the weight on my racket head).

Its definitely not as hard as Platin in fact it not only feels softer it plays softer. It has a little bit more give and the ball stays with you just a fraction better than with Platin.

I'm definitely getting more topspin than Platin just judging from the amount of balls my partners are blocking off and I would say that there's also a bit more bite on my serves as well.

I would put the speed as about the same as platin with CS having more feeling and I would put the spin as being a little bit higher.

Donic makes some claim about the flight of the ball which would suggest that CS has a higher throw, but I couldnt see it, Its certainly not as high throw as a Tenergy 05!

I put the throw as med-low slightly higher than Platin, and Hammond but lower than Gold.

CS produces brilliant put away drives, just like Platin but I had difficulties keeping my soft opening loops on the table with the extra horsepower under the sponge causing me to overhit a lot.

Counterlooping from a distance is very easy with CS as I could achieve depth on the counters effortlessly. If you can control this rubber it takes very little effort to counterloop.

CS makes no glue sound at all. Whoever claimed that its a cousin to the Boost series is way off base as Boost rubbers make more sound and have more of a catapult action that CS which seems to achieve its speed more though density  than anything else.

In terms of durability, so far it shows no sign of surface wear or marking which is a clear indication that is going to be way more durable than its German cousins Gold and Platin.

So is it worth it?

Maybe.

If like me you were caught in between Gold and Platin in terms of prefferred hardness, CS falls exactly in between the two and it still manages to produce Platin like put away drives while being able to maintain some feeling unlike Platin.

I am very tempted to tune this rubber to achieve a bit more catapult effect and maybe make it slightly softer but as everybody kows, thats illegal.tory

Only the factory can do that.

X1 Turbo Platin

The search for the perfect forehand rubber continues. We continue to shell out our hard earned cash as we continue to try out improved version after improved version hoping to find a rubber that can match what used to be our perfect combo (before Adham, of course) 
I must admit that I have been eagerly awaiting this the latest, greatest FD3 as the manufacturers Donic have been saying all the right things. 
Improved rebound (yes we need that) 
Improved durability (Indeedy we do!) 
Imagine all that plus better dwell time and more speed (Yahmon das the real big ting dere!) 
But you know, especially in the table tennis world, there's often a big gap between what is promised and what is delivered so out of a sense of duty to all, i have decided to test the new beast and share with all my beloved forum buddies (Yes, this includes you too boz) 
I will also be testing the Acuda S1, Gold X1 and Coppa Speed in medium soft sponge all while I am still in training for a couple of overseas arrangements.

OK so I unwrapped my red max sheet and the first thing I observed was the colour of the Platin X1 was a bit dull not as shiny as its Japanese cousin Coppa Speed but a little more brilliant than reg Platin. 
The smell was very muted , very plasticy unlike the pungent stench of Jap made Donics like Coppa and Coppa Speed. 
The new sponge, which is said to be porous al la Tenergy and Baracuda is a little rough but nowhere as rough as the aforementioned rubbers. To tell the truth, its a little in between. 
Now Donic is advertising this rubber as med+ which puts it directly in line with Coppa Speed which I found a bit too hard but out of the package I have to disagree. This rubber feels softer than that, medium and probably med- to my touch. 
Certainly the topsheet is softer than the old Platin topsheet probably as soft as JO Gold. Maybe the sponge is medium+ but the combination of topsheet and sponge for sure is softer than regular Platin. 
I didnt get to play for long with this rubber today as I injured my back so I'm just going to give my initial impressions and maybe when I get back I will give a summary and more detailed review and analysis. 
The weight of the Platin was average so i was pleased with the overall balance of my bat (I dont like heavy rubbers) 
FH counterhit was really nice because of the bouncyness of sheet, better than gold for sure good speed minimum effort natural glued up Bryce FX or glued up Hammond good feel with a rich solid linear feel. 
FH Blocks were easy as a breeze, no surprise reactions from the rubber very predictable and controllable without me having to force the block (Platin) or ease off on the block (Coppa Speed), the natural rebound of the rubber made it a very easy blocking rubber. 
The drives against the block were pretty spinny and fast but did not have the penetration of Coppa Speed max. Donic gives both rubbers 10++ ratings but here I have to give Coppa Speed the edge. 
Counterloop was very very controllable because of the topsheets foregivingness and bite, but I had to work harder at overpowering my opponent unlike with Coppa Speed which rules at that distance in the power department but certainly does not have the control of the Platin X1. 
My serves were certainly more effective , the rubber gives a great deal of bite while the sponge assists harmoniously for kick serves. My practice partner actually put quite a few of my serves off the table and in the bottom of the net and this is a guy who is used to my serves. So based on that I'd have to say Platin X1 rules in the service department. 
Its too early to say how durable this rubber is going to be but I did not obsevre any ball marks and signs of wear and tear like when I am using JO Gold for even 15 minutes. 
The most disappointing area of performance of Platin X1 was driving against heavy pushes. Coming from Coppa Speed s harder sponge I am in the habit of demolishing pushes with overwhelming power. Not so with the Platin X1. I had to use a more brushing action instead of blasting through the ball. The good part of that was that I produced so much topspin that not a single drive was blocked on the table! 
The sound of the rubber was rich and rewarding, the overall feel was as close as I have come to the feeling of a properly glued up rubber. The catapult effect is definitely there even more so than say in T05 or T64 without the excessive high throw or the extra weight. 
Sorry I couldnt be more extensive but I will probably say more when I have had another few sessions with it. 
I'm very pleased with this rubber its a quantum leap over its immediate predecessor I have to give a two thumbs way up to Donic for this one. 

Baracuda..an earlier review

I'm going to keep all these old reviews here so this is the one I did from Baracuda a while back....

I have been trying to find reviews of this rubber from Donic for a while now and although I have seen a few threads mention the thingy nobody seems to have given a review at all!

 

The word on the street is that the rubber shares the same DNA with fellow newbies Hexer and Nianmor all being products of ESN.

 

From pictures I have seen of the sponges of all these rubbers they all look very similar (suspiciously similar) to the Spring sponge used in Butterfly's super rubber 'Tenergy'.

 

Now heres my deal on Tenergy (well at least 05 and 64); nice muted glue feel, good speed, really good spin, too high throw, and most of all way too heavy.

Rubber weight is a deal breaker for me so I have been waiting for Tenergy light (now going to be called T64FX in 2010).

 

So in comes Baracuda, with Donic making claims of super spin and high arcs etc, sounds very tenergistic to me ( not necessarily a good thing).

Straight out of the pack the red rubber has a lot of sheen and looks to be more synthetic rubber than the natural rubber in tenergy closer to boost topsheet.

It doesnt seem to have as grippy a surface but its grippier than any other tensor I've ever tried.

The banana yellow sponge feels very rough to the touch just like Tenergy and the whole sheet is noticeably lighter than the T64 which is also in my bag.

The whole rubber has a jelly like feel to it just like the tenergy as well. when you shake it, you can fell the whole vibration in it, something that was previously unique to the Tenergy up to now.

Ok so how does it play?

Well tonight I'm taking the Baracuda out for a spin (pardon the pun) so Ill be posting my findings soon.

Here is the news.

Donic makes a big deal about the flight of this rubber and the vicious spin its supposed to impart.

They give it a 10+ for spin and a 10- for speed.

I think they are about right on the spin (maybe a 10) but I cant see 10- for the speed. I didnt find the Baracuda at all fast, it lacks bounciness and its not even close to Butterflys Spring sponge at all. I give it a 9- for speed.

Donic is usually quite reliable in thier own rubber ratings but on this rubber I gotta say its slower than that.

I made a couple of loop drives and I can confirm it does have a high throw( not quite the exaggerated cartoon loops from T05, but pretty arcy) I mage a couple of sidespin loops and my partner commented on the viciousness of the spin and the curve.

So its pretty spinny, i was hoping for more power because, hey man, In this no glue era, I'm not exactly looking for more control, I'm looking for power!

Serves were pretty decent, maybe about the same as I got from the Boost TP I've been trying lately short game and blocking were really natural feeling , no challenge there, very predictable very stable but I found after my session I was very tired from trying to swing harder to get some juice out of the Baracuda.

There's a little sound too but not as loud as Tenergy, its a bit muted.

Not for my forehand.

Maybe a good backhand rubber even though I like a bit more bounciness there also.

I think this rubber is probably better for all those intermediate players who are buying Tenergy and having a difficulty controlling it as the Baracuda handles incoming spin quite easily in comparison.

So there it is.

What I'm using now and why

Here's my current setup:

Blade : Butterfly Gergely Carbon

FH: Donic Acuda S1 (Black) Max

BH: Donic Coppa JO Silver (Red 2.0)















I choose the Gergely blade because its hard but the cypress top layers give it a nice soft feeling and good sensitivity. the weight is perfect @ about 90 gms. I get plenty of power from it while its still sensitive enough for me to return services and block incoming stuff. I cant block well with elastic springy blades so I have to use a firm blade, The unique squared handle is easy to keep exactly in position which rounded handles tend to move around too much for me.
The Acuda S1 has proven to me to be the perfect attacking rubber for me. Everyone knows I've tried almost every rubber known to man, but I can tell you that I'm very picky about rubber weight and so I am not too excited about many of the current superheavy rubbers which are coming out lately (yes, Bluefire, Yes Tenergies, Hurricanes). I have had to switch from the red Acuda because the performance difference between the red and the black.
The black is way superior, so different that , for me, it can mean the difference between winning and losing.
Serves are better, drives are more powerful, everything is better with the black.
I'm just saying.
Consequently, I have been forced to switch my trusty black Silver to red. Its been difficult as the black is also better for the silver. My backhand game has become a tad bit less reliable but the trade off for a unstoppable forehand and free points off service is certainly worth it.
In the next month I will be trying baracuda as a possible backhand rubber replacement for red silver (also maybe Acuda S2)

Bluefire M1 Review

So for the last week or so I've been testing the Bluefire M1 on my backup blade. I decide that for this particular rubber it would be a disservice if I relied and reported only my initial impressions for a couple of reasons.

There have been a lot of rumors circulating around including one that the only thing different int he rubber was the colored sponge.

Not true.

The first thing I noticed was the rough grainy texture of the sponge with the enlarged pores. Quite bigger than the pores on the earlier rubbers like tenergy and the acudas.

The overall sheet was seriously heavy, I would put the weight at. The same as Tenergy05 which makes it a deal breaker for me as I'm notoriously not good with heavy rubbers.

The other thing that jumps at me is that the sheet reeks of chemicals; specifically it smells of the very stuff that most of the Europeans have been tuning their tenergys with. I have a bottle and I can confirm,it's the same stuff!

This gives some clues as to why the sheet is heavy and perhaps also why tenergy is so heavy. These sponges are laced with oils or boosters maybe?

So how does it play?

I found M1 to have a softer feel than I expected. The sponge hardness is 47.5 which is the same as Acuda S1 but for me it felt a bit softer. I felt the top sheet was really tight and thin, much gripper than its acuda predecessors to the touch. The overall feel was that on every stroke or serve the sponge was always engaged which gave the rubber a very consistent feeling.

Looping with the M1 was very very easy. It produces a very consistent brush loop with a very predictable output for input swing. I didn't find it to be the fastest or the spinniest rubber, it's about the same speed as T05 and maybe about as spinny but I think it's arc is less pronounced. My practice partners seemed to have less difficult blocking my loops even though whenever I powered through with maximum force they would block off.

I think the M1 is superior in power drives but still falls behind the S1 in this area.

I didn't like the fact that, like t05, I had to work a bit harder for my points than I did with the Acuda.

I can see why Bluefire is touted as a being close to T05; they share similar characteristics, perhaps this was by design.

Services were good but unexceptional, I got more spin than from Acuda turbo but way less than Acuda S1,my current favorite. I didn't find that the top sheet would bite into the ball like Jap rubbers or tacky Chinese rubbers do,and this resulted in less spin output than I wanted.

So petermoo, is this your new forehand rubber? (drum roll, drum roll) Absolutely not.

I'm not looking for a tenergy substitute, this rubber is similar though. Down to the very weight.

I prefer the Acuda S1 better more powerful drives and spinnier services.

I can't play with heavy rubbers. I failed with H3, Tenergy, and now with Bluefire. If all the high performance stuff is all going to be this heavy, you can safely rule me out.

In summary, Bluefire M1: good consistent looping rubber, great drives, good serves, decent spin, heavy weight , nice pretty blue smelly sponge.