DHS Hurricane 3 Neo Provincial (Blue Sponge)

Rubber description:

The DHS Hurricane 3 Neo Provincial (Blue Sponge) is a premier table tennis rubber designed for serious competitors looking to enhance their offensive gameplay. This rubber is renowned for its exceptional spin capabilities, rated an impressive 9.2, making it a favorite among advanced players. Its medium-hard sponge (sponge hardness 7.8) offers great feedback while generating substantial topspin on loops and serves. Unlike its commercial counterpart, the Provincial version provides a livelier feel, resulting in enhanced speed (8.2 rating) while maintaining excellent control (8.5 rating).

One of the standout features of the Hurricane 3 Neo Provincial is its tackiness. Rated 8.3 for tackiness, it excels at gripping the ball, allowing for dynamic topspin shots. However, this characteristic can be somewhat double-edged, requiring players to maintain consistent cleaning to ensure optimal performance. Those who sweat significantly or neglect upkeep may find the rubber’s effectiveness diminished over time.

In terms of weight, the DHS Hurricane 3 Neo Provincial is on the lighter side (6.4), making it easier to handle during intense matches. While its durability (7.7 rating) is impressive, players should note that the rubber can become less effective if not properly maintained. For those seeking alternatives, the Butterfly Tenergy series and other European rubber options like Donic’s rubbers provide different playing experiences, though they may lack the specific spin dynamics found in the Hurricane line. This rubber is a powerful tool for advanced players specializing in looping and aggressive styles, demanding good footwork and technique to fully unleash its potential.

Recent Reviews

#1 — February 2023

Review text:

Putting this rubber on forehand side of Viscaria, unboosted. I still remember the 1st day I used it, this rubber was extremely slow that I needed to hit very hard and nearly injured my shoulder. But eventually this rubber behaves “more normally”.

Definitely a hard rubber, but the feeling is more like a slower, “very hard” euro/jap rubber. Compared to commercial, I think it has less tackiness (still able to pick up ball for a fraction of second), but more bouncy.

Serve is very spinny with good technique, short return especially push can be performed with abundance of control. Slow spinny opening has monstrous spin, but only with plenty of acceleration and fine touch to brush the ball and control the arc.

The only way to fully utilize this rubber’s offensive properties is by using effective weight transfer. Definitely not for players who mainly use their arm and wrist to generate power. Coming from years of using tensor rubber, it took me months of diligent practice to start getting used to this rubber.

Throw angle is rather high, but the arc is very low and flat. Combination of this rubber and Viscaria needs excellent technique to control the spin and arc. Requires very good care! Very susceptible to be dirty, which will alter the feeling greatly.

#2 — February 2023

Hurricane 3 is a bit slow compared to any other brands in FH, but it has monstrous spin. It is only suitable for advanced users and FH looping playing style.

Use Hurricane 3 only if you are good at generating force when you are FH looping. Otherwise, go for D09c or other European sticky rubbers.

#3 — May 2022

Everything said about this rubber is true. It’s a delight and a dangerous weapon in the hand of a worthy player. Full commitment loops are a breeze with this, and no wonder Ma Long and co. use this rubber. It’s not easy to play even though it’s not fast, but you have to brush every ball otherwise the ball quality is not good or, worse, you failed. It’s my second favorite Chinese rubber behind Friendship’s Battle 2. Both are the best of the best when it comes to Chinese rubbers.