EQUIPMENT GUIDE

RUBBERS

The Voice Of The Bat

The rubbers are your chance to really express yourself. While a blade can last many years, rubbers generally lose their qualities around 6 months of regular play. Many players make subtle changes to their rubbers when they feel they need small changes in their game, but rather than changing options regularly we generally recommend to try and stick to a setup once you love it and spend your time training to improve with what you’ve got!

The major things to consider when buying a rubber is what ‘type’ of rubber they are, and how ‘thick’ and ‘hard’ the sponge is.

Control Rubbers
These rubbers are suitable for beginners or those with a more ‘all round’ style of keeping the ball on the table. Many of them use older technology and a fairly soft sponge, and as a result are generally cheaper.

Best sellers: Yasaka Mark V (Black/Red), Yinhe Mercury 2 (Black/Red)

Tensor Rubbers
This is the type of rubber that most players use. Tensor rubbers emerged in the late 2000s, where the rubber is stretched with tension over the top of a sponge with ‘air pockets’ or chemical treatment that makes the ball bounce off like it hit a trampoline. This is attractive to players who love speed or don’t want to put as much effort into having fast and spinny shots. Most suitable for the backhand side. Big range of sponge hardness but most players choose ‘medium-hard’ (around 47°).

Best sellers (more control & durability): Nittaku Fastarc G1 (Black/Red), Butterfly Rozena (Black/Red), Yasaka Rakza 7 (Black/Red)
Best seller (more speed): Butterfly Tenergy 05 (Black/Red), Joola Dynaryz ACC (Black/Red/Purple), Tibhar Evolution MX-P (Black/Red)

Chinese ‘Tacky’ Rubbers
Chinese rubbers generally have a very hard sponge combined with a sticky/tacky topsheet. What this means is a rubber that emphasises a lot of spin, but requires proper technique and power into the ball to get the quality out of it! Suitable for players who prioritise spin or are training with efficient and powerful technique.

Best seller: DHS Hurricane 3 (Black/Red)

Hybrid Rubbers
Hybrid rubbers have become quite popular in the 2020s, with modern technology combining a tacky/grippy topsheet with a more bouncy sponge: a hybrid. These rubbers emphasise spin, and with a harder sponge than tensors, require more power and technique into the ball – but not as extreme as Chinese rubbers. More suitable for the forehand side, as it is easier to generate power on this side. Many of our players use a hybrid on the forehand and a tensor on the backhand.

Best sellers (tacky hybrids): Butterfly Dignics 09C (Black/Red), Yasaka Rakza Z (Black/Red), Tibhar Hybrid K3 (Black/Red)
Best sellers (grippy hybrids): Butterfly Dignics 05 (Black/Red), Butterfly Glayzer (Black/Red), Joola Dynaryz AGR (Black/Red)

Short Pimples
Brief description of short pimples..

Best sellers (spinny short pips): Nittaku Moristo SP, Yasaka Rakza PO
Best sellers (non-spinny short pips): 729 Friendship 802-40

Long Pimples
Brief description of long pimples..

Best sellers (non-grippy, good for blocking): Tibhar Grass Dtecs, Spinlord Dornenglanz
Best sellers (grippy, good for chopping): Butterfly Feint Long 3, Dawei 388D-1, Yinhe Neptune

Brief summary of sponge hardnesses
Most rubbers range from 37° to 55° sponge hardness. The softer the rubber (smaller number) the longer the ball can stay on the bat and more easily produces spin, and is usually bouncier, but when striking powerfully reaches its maximum threshold sooner. The harder the rubber, the more power is required to compress the sponge to generate its speed and spin, and is less bouncy, but has a higher maximum threshold that can be unlocked to produce more quality with the right technique.

Brief summary of sponge thicknesses
Our coaches recommend using ‘Max’ sponge thickness in all rubbers for the majority of playstyles – as a result, we only stock ‘Max’.