Donic Baracuda Big Slam

The rubber is too soft and slow for the new plastic balls. However, it is extremely spiny and performs well with brush-like strokes.

Unfortunately, the edges break really quickly, and overall, it is not very durable. Despite these drawbacks, I have never encountered spinnier rubber; I’ve tried hundreds of options.

Review of Donic Barracuda Big Slam Table Tennis Rubber

Facts: The red rubber features a sponge hardness of 38 degrees and comes in maximum thickness. Its packed weight is 95 grams, while the uncut weight is 65 grams. On my Cybershape blade, it weighed 46 grams.

After ordering a Xiom Omega 7 Pro in 2mm as the forehand rubber for my new Lemuria “Cybershape 6,” which has an inner layer of carbon wood, I discovered that this rubber was actually perfect for my backhand side.

I began searching for a rubber that was as light as possible while producing a lot of spin. As a result, I decided to try the Donic Barracuda Big Slam in 2mm. However, I found it to be a bit too slow in that thickness, so I ultimately purchased it in maximum thickness.

Interestingly, my experience with the Big Slam was quite different from that of the regular Barracuda. The standard Barracuda, which has a sponge hardness of 47.5 degrees, feels softer, while the Big Slam, with its 38 degrees, feels harder. I noticed that the speed difference between the two rubbers is minimal; however, the normal Barracuda generates significantly more spin than the Big Slam. It’s worth noting that the “normal” Barracuda is glued on a very hard ZLC blade with a Koto outer veneer, which may affect the performance comparison.

Conclusion: Like its predecessor, the Big Slam can sometimes take on a significant amount of spin, which can lead to a somewhat uncontrolled feel during passive play. However, if you can handle your opponent’s rotation, the rubber provides a safe and controlled experience. Additionally, it produces almost as much spin as its big brother!

Addendum: The Big Slam weighs (in maximum thickness) 6 grams less than its “big brother” with 2mm. Interestingly, my two Big Slam rubbers (one with 2mm and one in maximum thickness) weighed the same!

Strangely enough, this product has none of the qualities that its big brother, Baracuda, possesses. In fact, everything feels worse. It seems as though Donic rushed it to market when Baracuda gained a lot of attention.

While Baracuda still ranks among the top 10, I believe this product is not quite in the bottom 10, but it is certainly close.

The Donic Baracuda Big Slam is relatively light, weighing approximately 46 grams when cut to a 157x150 mm blade. My impressions of the Baracuda Big Slam are similar to those of the regular version.

The Big Slam feels slightly softer, slower, and less spinny, particularly on high-impact shots. As a result, the feeling on forehand (FH) drives is solid but not particularly crisp. In contrast, FH loops feel a little crisper due to the softer sponge. This softer sponge also produces an audible click and a medium-high ball trajectory, which provides sufficient safety over the net, despite the moderate speed of the rubber.

For more details, read our full review here: http://blog.tabletennis11.com/donic-baracuda-rubbers-review.

In this review, I would like to discuss the Baracuda and Big Slam versions of table tennis rubber. The regular Baracuda offers better spin compared to the Big Slam version. However, the Big Slam still provides good spin capabilities.

Additionally, I noticed that the sponge is not as soft as advertised, which may influence its performance. Overall, both rubbers have their strengths, but the spin quality of the regular Baracuda stands out.

The game of table tennis is evolving. Starting next season, all league matches in my country, from amateur to professional, will be played with poly balls. (Professional matches have been using poly balls since 2014.) Blades are becoming stiffer and stronger, generating more power, while rubbers are getting slower, softer, and a bit grippier.

For my setup, I chose this rubber for my Donic World Champion 89 Waldner blade. I opted for the softer Big Slam for my backhand (BH) and a standard rubber for my forehand (FH). The combination is nothing short of amazing. I want to point out that I am using the rubber unboosted, although I may consider boosting it if its performance starts to decline.

This setup offers a fantastic ALL+/OFF- speed, accompanied by remarkable control. Even though the rubber is primarily spin-oriented, it performs well in other strokes, too. The spin is comparable to the Tibhar MX-P, with a bit more than the M2. While the overall speed does feel slower during play, the blade provides ample OFF power when I smash.

My experience with this rubber has been that it is very linear. My opponents have commented that it is slightly easier to play against than the MX-P, which is faster and rougher. However, due to the excellent control it provides, I can execute counterspins on any loop with decent speed. The spin sensitivity is also quite forgiving.

My blade weighs 92.4 grams, and with the rubber, the total weight is under 180 grams, which is considered a medium/light blade. Despite this, it does not feel squishy on such a stiff blade. This rubber is ideal for a spin-oriented attacker or a drop-shot style of play. While it sacrifices a little speed, it offers a tremendous amount of spin in return.

This rubber is definitely not suitable for a hard blade. The sponge is too soft, resulting in a sensation where it feels like the ball hits the blade directly. Additionally, it does not provide as much grip as the regular version when brushing the ball.

The rubber is very spiny and offers excellent control. It provides sufficient speed, making it suitable for offensive blades. This sheet is particularly appropriate for OFF+ blades.

I love the original Bara on the forehand side, but I have recently replaced it with Bluefire M3. However, Bara BS remains an excellent choice for the backhand side.

The Bara BS is slightly softer than the original Bara, but it is not as soft as the other Big Slam versions; Vario and F3 Big Slam are much softer in comparison. The throw is lower, the speed is slightly less, but the spin remains very high. This suits my backhand well, and I find it a bit easier to use than Acuda S3 on the backhand side due to the easy access to spin and its slightly deader feel in the short game.

Overall, I believe it is an excellent choice for the backhand. I agree with everything NS mentioned in his or her review above.

This rubber offers a great balance of offensive options. When used at maximum thickness, it is perfect for powerful topspins.

I have this rubber on my backhand, and it seems to be performing better for me than the regular Baracuda. This could be because I tend to play more loop drives on my backhand, and the lower throw angle of this version suits my style perfectly.

In terms of speed, it is very slightly slower than the regular version, but the sound it produces is really nice, and the feel is better, likely due to the softer sponge. The top sheet is the same as the regular Baracuda, so it maintains the same level of grip.

I didn’t have to adjust my backhand stroke when switching from the regular Baracuda to this version, which I really appreciate. So far, I love it for my backhand.

I am still testing it for aggressive serve returns, so I may provide more feedback soon. However, I don’t anticipate many surprises, as it features the same top sheet.

The rubber is not as soft as it should be. I still prefer the Acuda S3, which offers more speed and spin.

I’m quite disappointed. As a Donic fan, I was very happy to hear that Donic finally released this rubber. However, after using it for a few sessions, I found it to be slower and with a lower throw angle than the Donic Acuda S3. :(

There isn’t much to say about this rubber. It is softer than the original Baracuda, which brings with it the common advantages and disadvantages associated with softer rubbers.