Donic BlueStar A1

Updated: Dear readers, whenever I see the “tackiness” values in the table, I wonder what exactly is being evaluated here! Because: “Tackiness” describes how well the rubber “grips” the ball and how easily spin can be generated. “Stickiness,” on the other hand, describes whether a rubber can lift and hold the ball. ; -) The Blue Star A1 (like the A2) can only hold the ball for a very brief moment, but it is extremely spin-oriented! Facts: black rubber, 2 mm, 49 g cut (156×150 mm). First test on a Huieson ZLC (outer!) — glued with solvent-based glue. Apart from the noticeably higher hardness (52 degrees) compared to the A2, this rubber feels the same “softer”! Just like with the A2, you can generate incredible spin simply by using your wrist! — which helps me immensely to play serves with incredible spin. : -P… however, this rubber is also “a bit” sensitive to incoming spin. Unlike the Dig 09c, with which I can neutralize the opponent’s spin quite easily, the A1 presents different challenges. I found its greatest strength to be the ability to pull the opponent’s shorter serves forward very early (over the table). (Definitely try it out!!!) In the short game, the rubber is more difficult to control than my Dig 09c (because of the higher catapult effect!), but the control is still very good. Secure blocking and pushing are no problem. However, when I played with the racket further away from the table, I was initially not at all satisfied. I didn’t feel comfortable with either topspins or counters, which was a mystery to me… especially after reading completely different reviews here!!! My conclusion: I changed blades. Now I’m using the XVT ZL Koto (1st & 2nd generation), faster, but softer. Result: the control has suffered too much. : (… CONCLUSION??? … Change of wood!!! ; -P Lemuria’s new “Super ALC” (– a Butterfly Viscaria SALC replica) is absolutely the right partner for this great rubber!!! — at least temporarily for ME. ; -P

What a wonderful rubber, simply spectacular! But only for the offensive-minded player. If you play an all-out attacking game, this might be one of the best rubbers available in the market. I found the topsheet a little strange; it looks slick when touching it, and also when cleaning with cotton and water. But this impression quickly disappears at the table. Using it on the forehand, it is capable of firing missiles or, if you prefer, looping eternally with a huge amount of spin. I prefer to power loop or smash; A1 is excellent for both strokes. And why did I say it is one of the best available? Because, compared with the best rubbers I have tried, A1 has the edge. T05 is great for looping, but not smashing. Same with J& H C52.5. D05 does both pretty well, but it lacks a bit of speed. I still want to try Bluegrip J1; it sounds very promising, but so far A1 is my favorite. I just cannot say anything about its durability; mine has only [had] 5 sessions.

------UPDATE------

After just 4 months, this rubber lost all spin and punch. I have had issues like that with Donic rubbers before, but it was 10 years ago, and I expected better durability with a new-generation rubber, but it remains the same. Again, when new, this A1 has incredible performance, but keep in mind you will have to glue a new sheet every 3 months. As an amateur, I must take durability into account, and this is why I just gave up this rubber. Going back to the more reliable Dignics 05.

Very good for blocking and smashing. It is very easy to shoot the ball.

What an absolute BEAST of a rubber. This on the donic original carbospeed is better than sex. Ridiculously powerful just with the swing of an arm. Requires good technique to avoid errors, as you should expect with a powerful rubber like this. The control is great for the power you get, however.

Update: After trying other rubbers, this one really stands out. It’s strange—for the speed it has, it has this compliant feeling and is easy to give direction to the ball. It’s pretty forgiving of timing errors. I absolutely love it.

Rubber has great catapult and excellent grip when new. Retained like-new properties until about 1–2 months in of near-daily play, and almost completely lost grip around 3 months. Sponge responds well to Falco Tempo, but becomes mushy with a thick-ish layer applied.

This is a great rubber for looping. The combination of power/speed, spin, and control is extraordinary. The ball goes where you want it, and with decent technique, you can really use your body and go for it in the strokes with immense spin, making the ball kick. The rubber has a great catapult effect, and looping with side topspin is excellent, such as the waldner hook shot. Doing this shot with the right technique can in loop-to-loop win you the point outright. This is a very fast offensive rubber, so it is important to know what you are doing. My first A1 rubber lasted for half a year maybe. I paired this rubber with the JO Waldner Gold edition.

Great rubber. Very fast with great speed and spin. Not for beginners and those with lazy strokes though! Since it’s fast and the throw angle is pretty high, you have to close the bat more when driving, blocking, and counterlooping topspin to avoid setting up an easy smash or missing the table, but it’s easier to get it over the net when looping and flicking backspin and dead balls. I have it on the backhand and forehand, and it’s super deadly when proper technique is used. It has all the speed and spin anybody could need. You need pretty solid technique to use this rubber effectively.

Update: I recently glued these on the donic original carbospeed, and what a BEAST. It became more direct/less of a high-throwing rubber when I glued it on there. It’s very dynamic, and your opponents are finished when you smash or loop with lots of spin. Good margin for error despite the mentioned features.

I use it on FH. It’s great.

I am a USATT rated ~1700, 2-winged looper. I tried this rubber in 2.0 on a few blades. Some worked awfully, e.g., on Harimoto ALC, the blade and the rubber both want to hold the ball longer, causing the ball to shoot out way too slow. On Apolonia ZLC it worked better, but still not satisfactory. I put it away for some time until I randomly put it on an IFL ZLC. It worked amazing, good grip on the ball, but shoots out the ball just in time with nice spin and arc. IFL ZLC is less stiff in hardcore strokes/loops compared to Apolonia, which gives longer dwell time and a much more friendly feeling in the hand compared to Apo. This rubber also accentuates the IFL ZLC’s surprising ability to land the ball on the table, however off I thought the ball would go. At one point I was prepared to counter a loop, then found my stroke way too late, so I casually made the stroke in an “I-give-up” attitude, yet the counter succeeded… Everything just works like an automatic geared car, blocking/opening-up/touch plays, etc. No weakness at all. Because of this amazing finding, I actually switched from Harimoto ALC to IFL ZLC as my main paddle for quite some time (until the EJ disease found me again with a Harimoto SZLC…). Overall good rubber, but needs to pair with the right blade.

For those interested in weight, cut to IFL ZLC (149×157), rubber weighs 50g, so it’s on the heavy side.

This is a simple review of the overall feel. A very good overall rubber and fast, [it] requires proper technique to handle properly—no lazy strokes. This rubber is very good for looping, blocking, serves, smashes, and counterspins. This is very good for players who use spin to their advantage in order to get the upper hand. On the FH, this rubber is very good for those who like a fast game but with good control and spin. I believe this rubber would be also good for players that [like] to make creative shots, such as myself and other young players. In short, this is a very good modern rubber for players with a good forehand and overall flow of the game.

I bought Bluestar A1 and Bluestar A2 glued on Nittaku Latika Carbon, and they are not very durable for the price that I paid. Medium arc, throw spin under Baracuda Hard sponge, 50g cut.

The Donic Bluestar A1 is a fantastic rubber from Donic. It is a modern hybrid rubber. The surface is slightly sticky, and the sponge is fine-pored and very dynamic.

There are a few benefits to the Bluestar rubbers, if you know how to use them properly. They have a high trajectory when playing topspins. The A1 has to be played actively; it is a good rubber for aggressive players. It is quite controlled and not so fast when playing over-the-table short-short or flicks. But once you start swinging, the sponge will deliver a pronounced catapult effect and a lot of speed for your strokes. You can also put a lot of spin on topspins because of the very grippy surface.

Overall, it is a premium, modern hybrid rubber and a very good choice for ambitious players! Keep in mind the hardness of 52.5°. It is a hard rubber. You need to have a well-developed technique to use the A1 to its full extent. For most non-professional players, the Bluestar A2 (or even A3) will be the better choice, because they give the same advantages as the A1 but are a bit slower and a bit softer.

The rubber sheet had been mounted on a one-ply Hinoki blade (8.5 mm). For attack, topspin is excellent.

Review:

This is an excellent rubber, offering both great speed and spin. However, it is not recommended for beginners or players with lazy strokes.

Due to its high speed and throw angle, you will need to close the bat more when driving, blocking, and counterlooping topspin. This will prevent you from setting up an easy smash or missing the table. On the other hand, looping and flicking backspin and deadballs will become easier.

I use this rubber on both my forehand and backhand. When used with proper technique, it is deadly. It provides all the speed and spin you could ever need. However, it is crucial to have solid technique to use this rubber effectively; otherwise, it can be difficult to control.

Tianjin Hurricane 3 Neo National Blue Sponge

This rubber is comparable to the Hurricane 3. However, it requires more effort as it’s easy to shoot the ball out due to its speed and high throw angle. Caution is needed when blocking and countering.

Despite its grippy nature, the short game touch is not as good as the Hurricane 3 (national blue sponge, boosted). However, it still outperforms bouncy rubbers like Tenergy 05. This rubber falls between T05 and H3, resembling a Eurojap tensor designed to mimic the Chinese style of play with increased speed.

The tackiness rating in some reviews appears to be exaggerated. While the rubber is tacky, it is not enough to consistently lift the ball, though you can feel the stickiness.

Overall, this rubber is suitable for aggressive forehands, similar to the style of Ryu Seung Min.

Very fast rubber

The rubber is very fast, but the spin is not better than T05 (9.9 is not realistic!). The maximum red color weighs 50g. The spin and speed are excellent, and it behaves like EU rubber.

Control

The control is quite special because a flat touch leads to a slow block, but a block with a slight angle leads to a bouncy reaction. So it might take some time to adjust and benefit from such a capability observed on Presson WC89 (SZLC) with spruce as top wood.

Blade compatibility

It was too fast on this SZLC blade, too fast on TB ALC or Viscaria. I am trying to find an OFF- blade to handle this super-fast rubber. Maybe a blade with a speed of 8.5~8.7 might be better than a speed of >9.0.

Review Text:

This rubber is exceptionally fast, making it ideal for blocking, smashing, and hitting. However, it exhibits a peculiar behavior when looping the ball.

Despite generating significant spin, the trajectory of the ball remains remarkably straight. This characteristic may prove challenging for mid-aged amateurs and requires a skill level comparable to school team or higher to fully harness its potential.

While the throw angle is high, the ball’s trajectory lacks the desired curvature I prefer for looping, akin to Xu Xin’s technique. This straight trajectory presents difficulties in controlling the ball’s entry into the table.

While this rubber may align with modern preferences, it does not suit my personal style. Consequently, I have reverted to using Z1 Turbo, which better aligns with my desire for a more pronounced curve when looping.

Need a fast, accelerating swing to execute loops/loop-drives.

The sponge is hard; slow swings don’t work. Heavier than most German-made stuff, similar in terms of durability. Easy to “lift” underspin close to the table. Counter-looping is the best feature. Probably for FH.

Super

Heavy and expensive are not all the cons. Surface durability is not good as well. Considering its price, not recommended.

Good for FH.

Hard feeling. Similar to Chinese rubbers. Very fast and responsive, but hard to master for amateur players.

Not very fast. Good spin, but not incredible.

This is a great hybrid on par with Tibhar K3, Joola ZGR, Dignic 09c. However, its durability is not great, only lasting about one month before the topsheet started showing pimples.

I have been using the latest and fastest Donic rubber that comes out, and so far, this is the fastest one that I like. The rubber is strong. It doesn’t tear easier than Bluestorm series rubbers. The sponge is harder too, but it has very good control when blocking. This rubber is for advanced players. If you are looking for your ball to curve when looping, this rubber is not for you. If you are just learning to loop, this rubber is not for you.

This is a good rubber; it has enough speed and tackiness.

Using for forehand

good

Goma extremadamente rápida con mucho spin y buen control.

Esta goma es ideal para quienes prefieren un estilo de juego ofensivo. Ofrece un control excepcional, lo que permite colocar la pelota con precisión y potencia. También produce una enorme cantidad de giro, lo que dificulta que los oponentes devuelvan los golpes. En general, es una excelente opción para jugadores que buscan maximizar su potencial ofensivo.

Review of A1 Table Tennis Rubber

I highly recommend this rubber as a forehand replacement for C1. It provides a successful upgrade, resolving key issues while maintaining desirable characteristics.

The hardness of A1 is measured at 52.5 degrees, while C1 claims a 60-degree sponge. However, A1 feels slightly softer than C1 but harder than C2, making it an ideal substitute for those who find C1 too firm. Booster oil can soften C1’s sponge, but it does not address its excessive weight.

C1 is incredibly heavy at 90 grams uncut. When paired with a blade like the STIGA CyberShape Carbon (86 grams), the overall weight reaches an astonishing 195 grams.

In contrast, A1’s sticky top sheet, similar to C1/C2 and Chinese rubbers like DHS Hurricane 3, provides excellent grip and topspin capabilities. Its speed is slightly faster than C1, delivering a satisfying “crispy” feel during smashes.

In summary, A1 solves the substantial weight issue of C1 while preserving its grippy top sheet. Its slightly increased speed enhances offensive play. It is an excellent choice as a forehand rubber, particularly for those seeking an alternative to Hurricane 3.

Deep, heavy angle on the back end of the table with good touch on the short game. Catapult effect is apparent on strong shots, but touch game on closed short pushes is controllable. Linear, doesn’t shoot down off the paddle, but leaves high on a topspin stroke, giving you a safe feeling. I like this and will be sticking with this as my FH rubber. Recommended for all-out FH topspin attacking. This rubber has really surprised me; it is indeed in a category of its own, and I’ve yet to ever try a rubber like it. I feel very confident all-out attacking with this on my forehand. If you like Dignics 09c and boosted Hurricane 3, give this a shot for the value and for the need to not boost. Fair warning, it’s very heavy, however.

Update 1/31/2023: Still going strong and hasn’t lost its tackiness. This rubber definitely can hold onto the ball, but has plenty of power. I have a feeling once this gains traction it will become very popular. I can say honestly it’s my favorite forehand rubber right now, and all I’m using, and probably in my top 3 of all time. You gotta try this!

Update: I like this rubber so much I got a sheet for my backhand too.

On the BH side: My initial impression is it’s a lot like Hurricane 3 on the backhand, but faster. Very small margins for error on technique too, just like Hurricane, probably due to the hardness of the sponge, so this isn’t forgiving at all, but you will be rewarded with good technique with power and spin and kick. Shots flew long when contact wasn’t correct. Punches seem to work well.

Deep Heavy Angle:
On the backend of the table, this rubber provides excellent control for short game shots, allowing for good touch. It exhibits a notable catapult effect on powerful strokes yet maintains controllability during short pushes.

Linearity:
The rubber’s linear trajectory prevents it from diving down from the paddle, enabling high topspin strokes with a sense of security.

Recommendations:
Highly recommended for aggressive forehand topspin attacks. It offers a unique combination of properties, setting it apart from other rubbers. The player feels confident with all-out attacks on the forehand.

Comparison:
Comparable to Dignics 09c and boosted Hurricane 3, this rubber provides similar performance without the need for boosting. However, it is quite heavy.

Update (1/31/2023):
The rubber maintains its tackiness and powerful performance over time. It is predicted to gain popularity as its exceptional qualities become more widely recognized. The player considers it their current favorite forehand rubber and among their top three of all time.

Backhand Use:
On the backhand side, the initial impression suggests similarities to Hurricane Three, but with increased speed. It demands precise technique due to its hard sponge, rewarding good technique with power, spin, and kick. Incorrect contact leads to shots going long. Punches seem to perform well with this rubber.