Donic Slice 40

The table tennis rubber has very little spin.

On the Donic Defplay, this is a very good backhand rubber. It is much less spin-sensitive than Tackiness C and excels at serve returns, chops, and has far better looping ability.

While it is usable on the forehand, it can bottom out when looping at times. They should have made a slightly thicker sponge version; a 1.8 mm sponge would be perfect for the forehand.

The stickiness of the rubber fades over time, and it requires constant cleaning to maintain its performance. I use Spinmax Aqeous, which does the job nicely.

As an update, the new version, Slice 40 CD in 1.8 mm sponge, is now out, and my resistance to trying it is becoming futile.

Red 1.5 Review

The Red 1.5 rubber is an ideal choice for all-around or defensive play styles. It excels at blocking and provides excellent control for both chops and loops. As a player who employs an all-around style with a lot of blocking, I have found that this rubber works exceptionally well in conjunction with anti-spin rubber. It can be hard to discern whether the ball has significant spin or if it is coming off as a reversed or knuckle ball.

One of the standout features of the Red 1.5 is its high spin potential and remarkable control, making serves with the Slice 40 particularly effective.

In terms of offensive play, this rubber can generate impressive topspin and powerful smashes. While it is somewhat slower than specialized offensive rubbers, it remains effective for executing kill shots.

Durability is another strong point of this rubber; it lasts a long time even with regular use.

Overall, the Red 1.5 rubber is reliable for both offensive and defensive strategies.

After a few hours of play, everything I mentioned earlier has been confirmed. I decided to experiment by putting a sheet of 1.5mm rubber on my backhand. The results were impressive; the rubber allows for nice chops and offers great control. My looping ability is sufficient, and I found that well-placed flat strokes can disturb my opponent’s balance. With the BF M2 on my forehand, I am able to effectively finish off forced high returns.

In my first update, I noticed that close to horizontal orientation strokes are necessary when compared to the M3. You simply need to push your bat in the direction required. The control is enormous, as I suspected; this might be due to the 1.5mm thickness of the rubber. To my great astonishment, lifting underspins has proven to be quite easy. I often catch my opponents off guard with the difference in speed between my forehand (BF M2) and backhand (Slice 40), complemented by my really heavy chops. I can’t help but irritate them with my shots! :D

I have this rubber on a Stiga Tube Carbo OFF blade, using it as my backhand rubber. For my forehand, I have a fast Rakza 7. Even though my blade is supposed to be slightly heavier, this combination makes the racket feel feather-light. (I got mine pre-assembled, so I cannot provide the specific weight of the Slice 40.)

Although this rubber is relatively slow, the fast blade compensates for that, making the overall setup faster. It creates the perfect balance with my offensive forehand. The difference in speed compared to my forehand really catches my opponents off guard. I can easily push short serves, and once I lift the backspin with my forehand, I can continue the topspin attack with this rubber.

The control offered by this rubber is exceptional. I can execute pinpoint topspins to the two corners of the table with great precision. Overall, this rubber is an excellent way to tame a fast blade.

This rubber offers impressive consistency and pinpoint accuracy when used for backhand chop and slice, as the name suggests. Deft touches are a delight, making it easy to apply varied spin, which often catches opponents off-guard. This feature is especially beneficial if you have an attacking game to which you can switch in an instant—I’ve found it effective to use this rubber on the flip side of an attacking forehand.

Although it is quite slow, flat hitting provides enough speed to secure a point, and the incredible control allows for accurate placement at speed. It is also good for executing close-to-the-table, arching, spinny backhand loops. Furthermore, I have found its durability to be better than that of the more offensive Donic rubbers I have used.

Overall, I have very little to criticize about this product.