Friendship/729 Battle 2 Provincial Gold

Review:

This hard rubber necessitates boosting. Post-boosting, it delivers exceptional spin and speed while maintaining solid control. Its speed surpasses that of Battle2 Provincial Blues Sponge, but control is marginally reduced. Additionally, despite boosting, flat hitting remains an issue with this rubber.

If maximizing power from topspin is your priority, then this rubber is highly recommended.

Yinhe Jupiter II Review

I recently unboxed the Yinhe Jupiter II and attached it to my Yinhe V-14 Pro ALC blade. I chose the Red version with a thickness of 2.15mm and a hardness of 40 degrees. I compared its performance to DHS Hurricane 3 NEO H41 Commercial and 729 Battle II Provincial rubbers.

The most noticeable difference I observed upon installation was the weight. Yinhe Jupiter II is lighter than its predecessors (63g uncut and 47g cut), resulting in a 6g weight reduction in my setup.

In terms of playability, the Jupiter II strikes a balance between Hurricane 3 NEO’s catapult effect and the crisp feeling of Battle II Provincial. It lacks the extreme bounciness of Hurricane 3 NEO, but offers a more direct response than Battle II Provincial, possibly due to its lighter weight.

Initially, the Jupiter II exhibited a high level of tackiness. However, after several cleaning sessions, it became slightly more bouncy and less tacky. I will provide further updates after additional playtime.

Updated: 2024 July 20

Blade: Nittaku Factive Carbon (“NFC”) (81g)

Forehand (FH): B2 Gold 40H (“B2G”) (50.5g; 3 layers of booster; gained 2.5g over 3 weeks likely due to moisture absorption)

Backhand (BH): Moon Pro (45.5g) replaces AK47 Red (41g) for a heavier setup (177g).

Performance:

• B2G has surpassed its initial peak on 2024 Jun 28 and continues to improve until July 19.
• Speed: Equal to or greater than Jupiter Asia 3 H40 (“J3”) (47g)
• Tackiness: Significantly higher than J3
• Backspin serve: Superior to J3
• Mid-far looping: Equal to or greater than J3
• Spin and arc: Superior to J3
• Throw: Higher than J3 (requires a smaller angle due to the stiffer NFC and harder B2G combination)

Limitations:

• Lifting/flicking against backspin serve: Inferior to J3

Additional Notes:

• B2G offers better control, serve, and loop than J3.
• Flat hits have a lower success rate with B2G (requires brushing rather than flat smashing).

Updates (2024 Jun 12):

• After 3x1 hours of play over a week, the rubber has broken in and improved its controllability.
• Tackiness is maintained (clean with water and palm after each session).
• High-quality top sheet.

This rubber generates so much spin.

Review of B2 Gold Table Tennis Rubber

Blade:

• FH: 729 Battle 2 Gold
• BH: Yinhe Jupiter 3 Asia

Sponge Hardness:

• Hard (54 on ESN scale)
• Feels harder than Gewo Coddex 54 due to the stiff topsheet

Topsheet Characteristics:

• Super grippy
• Low tackiness (similar to new H3)
• Some variations in tackiness exist (watch the review by “Roning-Team” on YouTube)

Comparisons:

Speed:

• H3 Neo National BS 40 = Gewo Coddex 54 >= B2 Gold > Stiga Mantra H > H3 Neo 39 > 729 Geospin Tacky > Reactor Tornado V5

Spin:

• H3 Neo National BS 40 >= B2 Gold > H3N39 > GewoC54 > 729 GT = RT V5 = Stiga Mantra H

Arc:

• GewoC54 > H3N39 > StigaMH > 729 GT > H3NNat BS40 = RT V5 > B2 Gold
• Easiest to create an arc with: B2 Gold = H3NNat BS40

Serves:

• B2 Gold > H3NNat BS40 >> all other rubbers mentioned

Short Game:

• B2 Gold = H3NNat BS40 >= all tacky rubbers mentioned > Stiga Mantra H

Dangerous Balls to Return:

• H3NNat BS40 >= B2 Gold > H3N 39 > others

Control:

• Unboosted: H3N 39 > B2 Gold > Stiga Mantra H > H3NNat BS40
• Boosted: B2 Gold >>>> H3N 39 > 729 GT > H3NNat BS40 > GewoC54

Durability:

• B2 Gold retains its grip, speed, and non-bubbling properties after 70 hours of play

Conclusion:

• B2 Gold is exceptionally grippy and powerful.
• Requires a fast, stiff blade (e.g., outer ALC like Viscaria).
• Boosted B2 Gold provides exceptional control while maintaining its speed and spin characteristics.

This rubber review is based on Butterfly Harimoto Inner Force ALC, C-Pen. As I prefer tacky rubbers for my FH, I have used it on FH and Dignics 80 on BH.

Compared to Victas Triple Double Extra (black-Max), this rubber is relatively light yet as fast and as tacky. I believe the top sheet is quite similar between these two rubbers. Spin is top-notch like usual tacky Friendship rubbers.

Previously, I used DHS H3 Neo provincial blue sponge 39° (Boosted), but this Battle 2 Gold version is faster, better, and offers many gears too!

The main advantage is that this rubber is quite cheap (value for money) compared to those rubbers. I have used quite a number of FH rubbers such as Andro C48, Victas Ventus Extra, DHS H3 National, H3 Neo Prov., Btfl Tenergy 05, Yinhe Moon Pro, etc. But so far, I like this one a lot as my main FH rubber!

It is a very good do-it-all rubber. It is not fast enough to prevent you from being able to play a slow game around the net, and it has enough top-end speed for an all-out offensive game or an effective kill shot.

If you are an offensive player who varies your game between speed, spin, and pushes, and likes to use modern tacky Chinese rubbers that have many gears, are quite light, and are faster, you should try this!

Butterfly H301 Rubber Review

I tested the Butterfly H301 rubber without using a booster on a hard blade. Compared to H3neo, the H301 felt significantly faster. The serve was a particular highlight, inspiring confidence for every ball played with bottomspin.

The rubber exhibited a balanced combination of control and speed. It played slowly during short shots and accelerated when applied with more force. For the affordable price, it offers impressive quality.

Unlike H3neo, the H301 does not have a strong smell. However, it was slightly inflated from factory packaging, resulting in a temporary stickiness that dissipated quickly without affecting gameplay.