Friendship/729 Battle 2

I have been using 4-5 sheets of H47 rubber for the past 1.5 years, and I have tried boosting it with Rev3 Extreme Booster. Boosting the rubber increases the throw angle and makes the sponge livelier, which is beneficial for backhand shots.

I was interested in playing with tensor rubbers like MX-S because they are faster on small wrist movements, counters, and blocks. However, I had difficulty countering spinny opening loops when I was late. The B2 rubber excels in this area, allowing for effective counter looping even against backspin. The Rakza Z EH rubber offers similar capabilities but with fewer gears. The B2 rubber produces insane loop kills against backspin and offers higher top speed than MX-S and Rakza Z EH, even when used with the Donic Appelgren Allplay blade. I currently use the B2 rubber unboosted, which results in a very low throw and trajectory. Consequently, more upward motion is required when playing against backspin.

After 1.5 years of use, all sheets of the B2 rubber maintain the same level of tackiness, indicating its durable topsheet. A 157x150 sheet weighs approximately 47g. My primary blades are the Waldner WC89 B2 and Fastarc C1.

This rubber is highly recommended compared to other Chinese hard sponges (such as Hurricane 3 Neo 40 degrees) if you have experience with both European and Chinese rubbers.

The sensation of where the ball bounces on your blade is significantly more pronounced than with Hurricane 40 degrees due to the slightly softer sponge. It’s not as bouncy as European rubbers, but it offers a versatile range of low and high power. This is ideal for controlling the point and varying the speed and pace to unsettle your opponent.

Serves are exceptional, as the catapult effect is not overwhelmingly high, while the spin remains significant. Applying one layer of baby oil or mineral oil on an outer layer ALC Butterfly blade is advised.

This version is the 39 degrees orange sponge that I used. I also tried the 40 degrees B2 blue sponge, but found it too fast and lacking in feel due to its hardness. I recently purchased the 39 B2 degree blue sponge in the hope of experiencing improved feel.

I started playing with this rubber over a year ago. Once I was used to it, I loved it so much. My first two sheets lasted a very long time and the tackiness lasted long too (bought in China). Now, shipping from China is more difficult, so I ordered new sheets in Germany.

I got 4 sheets (also with a blue sponge). However, none of them are tacky and they only pick up the ball for less than a second. My old sheets picked them up for 15-20 seconds. Without the tackiness, producing spin is significantly more difficult. This makes it hard for me to make a proper review. It’s like I have two completely different rubbers to review.

I really like this rubber. It’s on par with H3N in terms of spin and control, but it’s faster. It’s slower than Big Dipper, but spinnier. It’s very similar to Bloom Power.

This rubber has everything you need for a powerful and spinny forehand looping rubber.

Fantastic rubbers. I have played with this BATTLE 2 NORMAL VERSION FH rubber for a long time. If you use a Chinese style that always brushes the ball, this rubber is your deadly weapon.

The hard sponge and the tacky topsheet make the ball spin with a lower arc than any other rubber, even most DHS rubbers. I love this.

The control is unbelievable, so high class. You can do push and chop very confidently due to its much dwell time. If you are used to buying Chinese rubbers, I recommend you buy this more due to its durability. While DHS rubbers always have a problem with the topsheet detaching from the sponge easily after many uses, this rubber does not.

Low price, high quality. Full stroke players only, such as Chinese Top Players.

Joola Rhyzm B2 Rubber Review

With B2, I can stick the bat on a mirror but not on the ball - you must play every shot!

On my backhand, it’s so spin-sensitive (even more than H3) that I couldn’t rally with it until I put it on a T11+ blade.

With a T11+ blade, there’s less dwell time and therefore lower spin, making B2 the superior choice for me over H3.

The B2’s high spin can be both an advantage and a disadvantage in my game. If this extremely tacky and spinny rubber suits your playing style, get it and overwhelm your opponents by playing aggressively.

I tuned this rubber and it is slower than Neo H3 tuned, but this may be due to the hardness. My Battle 2 has 49 degrees, which I believe is harder than the H3 39º on the DHS scale. This may be similar to 41 for DHS. I do not recommend the 49º hardness unless you have a good technique and a hard surface blade. If you have a soft surface blade and the version with 49º hardness, it will need tuning.

I prefer more flexibility, so I would recommend the 45º hardness. Battle 2 is the tackiest rubber I have tested. It provides great rotation spin, making it suitable for backspin and serves. It offers good control, but the spin is average if not tuned. I have tuned it myself.

What I like about this rubber:

• Very forgiving and lots of control (boosted)
• Lifting backspins are very controlled and spinny
• Counter looping and counter topspinning are so much easier and more powerful
• Very cheap

For me, this is the best forehand rubber so far.

However, you might dislike it if your skills are poor.

I went through three sheets, all black. Two of them are 45-degree hardness, and one is 47-degree hardness. The sponge is more lively than Hurricane 3 Neo (H3N). The top sheet feels softer and lets you wrap the ball better when looping. It plays like a dream when new.

After two weeks, when the tackiness on the sweet spot wears out, it can be inconsistent, depending on where the ball contacts the rubber. I feel it is more suitable for the forehand. They weigh 48g after cutting, which is comparable to H3N. Overall, it plays better than H3N, but it is less durable.

Good forehand rubber for brush looping. It does not have the same kick as you get from DHS Hurricane NEO series or Yinhe Big Dipper. Weight cut, 2.1mm: 52g.

Review

I play the 49 degrees version on a Primorac blade. I used to play with Tenergy rubbers, but I switched to this rubber and I will never go back. My consistency has improved a lot, as well as my overall forehand technique. The rubber forces me to use proper footwork and strokes.

It’s easy to generate slow spin close to the table and to loop from several meters away. The dynamic range of speeds is amazing, which makes it easier to place the ball accurately. When I attack fast, I always feel like the ball can go even faster if I hit it harder. Drop shots are nice because if you don’t apply power, the rubber doesn’t produce it, which makes the ball dead and surprises your opponent.

The rubber is very sticky, but the stickiness remains as long as you clean it regularly.

Speed - The harder you hit, the harder the ball goes. It’s as simple as that.

Spin - A lot of spin if you use a proper stroke.

Control - I consider the rubber to be very controllable since it’s not a tensor. A slow ball does not jump far away, but a fast ball will jump faster. With a little dwell time, you will have less time to handle the ball.

Overall, this is the best rubber for $20.

UPDATE:
This rubber is the best and trendiest Chinese rubber I have ever used on forehand. It is a power loop monster. Absolutely monstrous for the plastic ball with Falco Long Term Booster for full-fledged power looping shots. The National version with blue sponge is probably somewhat faster than the commercial one with orange sponge. The commercial orange sponge can be boosted (3-4 layers of Falco, waiting for more than one week) into a very fast, kick sponge type of rubber, similar to tensors if you get it right.

Boosted on a fast blade (carbon or wood type, depending on playing style), it is probably the best 729 rubber for the plastic ball era. Kourous’ review is very accurate and thorough, although I find the flat hit smashes very fast when boosted and feel no speed limit disadvantage in this respect.

Battle 2 is surprisingly light considering its sponge density. I had some fears that it would be as heavy as 729-08 or DHS Hurricane NEO 2, but I was totally wrong. This is an advantage for most players. Battle 2 is, for example, much lighter and way better in all respects than 729-08 and likely 729-08 ES too.

Battle 2 requires full commitment and determination for all shots, but then you get much reward. Battle 2 will keep the same characteristics if protected in thin plastic and if the surface is cleaned very often with a clean new kitchen wipe sponge just used for that purpose.

The rubber is a favorite due to its overall character of adaptation to poly balls, low price (change often), nice cunning, and diving loops, nasty kicks on slow loops, fast enough overall, and huge backspin possible on, for example, serves, which gives many “easy” points. Battle 2 is very enjoyable and a great choice if you like Chinese polyball era rubbers.

Black, 2.0 Unboosted

Used on the forehand of a Stiga All-round Classic, this rubber is hard and tacky, producing very good spin. The hardness took some getting used to, and in the end, it proved too difficult for my playing style.

To my surprise, the speed was very good, especially when my weight transfer and timing were on-point.

Overall, I would recommend the Battle 2 if you’re looking for a top-quality Chinese rubber with great value for money.

Great rubber with very respectable speed and great spin. I’m using the red 2.1mm as a FH rubber and am very happy with it. The tackiness has remained pretty much the same after about 4 months of playing 7-8 hours a week.

It pairs well with my OFF blade, but you’d better have good technique because it is pacier than most Chinese rubbers and is noticeably faster than my 729-08 black 2.1mm. It has been great for my spin offensive forehand, and I highly recommend this rubber!

This rubber excels in looping and counter looping techniques. However, it requires more effort and body movement to counteract backspin. During rallies, it offers excellent speed, but it tends to be quite bouncy when blocking. It is a highly effective attacking rubber. Among 729’s rubbers, it is likely the most impressive option.

For $15, this rubber is an undeniable steal if you have both a fast carbon blade and a tub of booster.
Initially, the rubber is very tacky, which initially frightened me because I anticipated it to be extremely slow. To my amazement, it was reasonably fast but lacked catapult. Consequently, I could exert most of my strength, generating incredibly powerful, low-arching topspins with tremendous kick using only approximately 75% of the effort required with H3N. The sole drawback of this rubber is the same as with all tacky rubbers; to maximize its potential, you must maintain an aggressive stance and excellent positioning.

It is less tacky compared with 729-08 ES, but the speed is faster and has more power, which is more suitable for the new ABS 40+ poly ball. It has a lot of control. If you use DHS H3, it is very easy to get used to it.

It is ideal when you are actively using your own power instead of relying fully on the power of the sponge. The blue sponge version is even better in terms of power and speed, especially when you apply oil-based booster to it.

I don’t have enough words to describe this beauty. It is a dream come true for a flat hitter, a smasher, or a destroyer. This rubber is for a player who takes no nonsense and attacks spins, loops, and even hard smashes. It’s for a player who counter-punches and destroys opponents, a player with a violent, destructive mindset that can’t be tamed or trained. It’s an uncontrollable beast waiting to be unleashed.

After 4-5 hours of play, the extreme tackiness wears off a bit. That’s when the rubber comes alive. An insane Chinese dragon awakes from a deep slumber.

So if you are a street cat, a raw fighter, or a table tennis club geek with a nasty attitude who wants to destroy all club players, this rubber was made for you!

To the 729 Friendship and happiness… Burn your T-energy…
Go get this $20 Chinese rubber for your iron plated, nuclear rated forehand. You’ll never play with German or Japanese rubbers ever again. It’s my guarantee!

I have H47 rubber for backhand (BH) and H49 rubber for forehand (FH) on a Sanwei Dynamo paddle. The BH-H47 combination feels great for looping, smashing, and blocking. I had some trouble chopping strong backspin, but after making some adjustments, it improved.

Due to my poor FH technique, the H49 does not feel as good. I felt that H49 might be too hard for me. I turned the paddle and used H47 for FH, which improved my FH performance. However, when I did this, my BH play started to struggle a little bit.

I used to play with H3 Neo for $120. Now, I play with Battle 2 for 1/6 of the price. After some adjustments, Battle 2 performs at least the same, if not better than H3 Neo.

Battle 2 is an imitation of NEO Skyline TG2, but with reduced speed and spin. Battle 2 retains the tackiness and throw angle of TG2, offering similar advantages in close table games and disadvantages away from the table.

However, Battle 2 differs from TG2 in its softer hardness rating. Battle 2 comes in 45, 47, and 49 degrees, while TG2 has a higher hardness rating of over 50 degrees. For users who found TG2 to be too hard, the softer Battle 2 may be a more suitable option.

It’s worth noting that there is also a “provincial” Battle 2 rubber, which has the same hardness rating as TG2. However, this provincial version is significantly more expensive than TG2, making it a less cost-effective option.

DHS Hurricane 3

Simply amazing! Deadly spin!

Very fast with the right stroke, technique, and blade. A good combination is Viscaria, Spirit, or the DHS King 3.

Lasts at least 2-3 times longer than Tenergy 05 and gives much more spin.

Review text:

Blade zjk ALC, my FH for the past 1-2 years. I came from H3 Neo prov 40deg, Tenergy 05, Victas 15 extra… I changed from tacky to grippy rubber because I felt tacky tires me out so much, even though I like it a lot. I read a lot of good reviews for this rubber, and my liking for tacky rubber made me want to try it, considering it’s cheap compared to my previous rubber. Why not give it a try?

On my 1st day trial… BOOM! I beat 2 guys in my club whom I never could beat… at least for the last 1 year.

My impression is that this rubber is good for FH, just like H3 neo. You still have to swing correctly to release its potential, but it’s not as demanding as H3 Neo. It has more speed than H3 Neo prov, and spin is slightly lower than H3 Neo prov, but you can still make heavy spin serve with this rubber. I think I’ll stay with this rubber for a long time. I want to try the provincial version, hoping it’s more enjoyable than the commercial one I have.

Best Chinese Rubber with Excellent Grip and Speed

This Chinese rubber stands out for its exceptional stickiness, which makes it easy to control during close slice and serve. The stickiness allows the ball to stay on the rubber surface for a brief moment longer, resulting in strong spin.

Consistency and Longevity

Although there may be slight variations in stickiness between different batches, the rubber consistently maintains a high level of grip. Additionally, with proper care, the stickiness can be enhanced by letting the rubber rest with covering for a week. Even after prolonged use, the rubber performs admirably, making it a durable choice.

This is the best rubber for hard blades. It has great tackiness and control. It’s easy to place the ball exactly where you want, which is especially useful for backhands. It excels with polyballs. I have used it on a Yasaka Carbonmax 3D and found it easy to loop, topspin, and block. It also provides excellent net play.

This rubber is slightly harder than H3neo, but it’s also more affordable, costing around $19. It’s a good option for players who want the properties of H3neo National. The rubber quality is excellent, and the pimple size is slightly larger than Tenergy 05. This requires some adjustment when playing close to the table.

When used with a hard blade, the rubber sinks into the sponge. It generates great catapult effect on counter topspins. Serves are also excellent, especially when hiding the backspin. This is the best Chinese rubber I have used.

A cut sheet of 2.1 mm weighs 42-43 grams. The rubber also comes in 45, 47, and 49 hardness. Currently, only 47 is available. If I can obtain 45 and 49 hardness, I would use 49 on FH and 47 on BH.

To use this rubber effectively, you need strong shoulders and body action. It pays off in rallies, and I have managed to win 8 out of 10 points against opponents.

After 2 months of usage, this remains my favorite Chinese rubber. It excels in loops and counter topspins. There is no need for boosting, and the sponge breaks in after 2 weeks, extending its longevity. I use this on my forehand.

I have heard rumors that this rubber may be discontinued. If so, I urge 729 to make it slightly lighter and improve its marketing. My current setup includes Rakza 7 on BH and Battle 2 on FH with YEO Power 7. Once Rakza 7 wears down, I will replace it with Battle 1 on BH.

Review:

Bat: Galaxy W-6
Position: Forehand

This rubber generates significant spin, noticeably more than my regular playing partners’ bats. Balls often sail off the table to the sides, sometimes by several feet due to the immense spin. It offers excellent control and versatility. When playing close to the table, moderate effort is required, but it excels when smashing or looping.

Despite my initial hour of playtime, my errors are minimal and primarily attributed to my aim rather than the rubber’s performance. For its value, I highly recommend this versatile rubber for a well-rounded playing experience.

Review of Battle II Rubber

Introduction

As a top-grade player in my state, I recently transitioned from Euro/Japanese rubbers to Chinese due to the new plastic balls. After testing various Chinese tacky rubbers, I found Battle II to be my top choice, with DHS Hurricane 8 as my second preference.

Equipment

I used the Battle II rubber with a Stiga Infinity VPS blade. I have not tested it with other blades.

Properties

Grip/Tackiness: High

Performance

Forehand Loop on Topspin: Very consistent, with minimal errors.

Forehand Loop against Backspin: Exceptionally effective; the best rubber I have tried for this purpose, resulting in only 5 misses out of 100 consecutive attempts in practice.

Serve: Produces excellent short serves with substantial spin.

Return of Serve: Very good, although Hurricane 8 slightly surpasses it in this area.

Speed: Reasonable for an offensive player; faster than Hurricane 8 and most Euro/Japanese rubbers when looping.

Look and Durability: Impressive for a $20 rubber, maintaining its initial characteristics after 3 weeks.

Production Quality: I encountered an inconsistency in the top edge of the rubber after cutting, likely due to packaging.

Recommendation

I recommend Battle II to all offensive loopers. It offers exceptional consistency and forgiveness. The only minor downside is its performance on smashes or strong, fast loops, but this may be attributed to my transition from Euro rubbers. Overall, Battle II is a fantastic rubber that has enhanced my enjoyment of table tennis.

Conclusion

Battle II is one of the best rubbers for forehand-oriented offensive players. It is highly consistent, forgiving, and offers excellent performance in a variety of aspects. Despite its minor drawback when smashing, it is an exceptional rubber that is well worth considering.

This rubber provides good tackiness, resulting in excellent spin generation. It offers a good throw angle, allowing for precise placement of shots. Despite being tacky, it also offers relatively good speed, exceeding my expectations.

I am currently using B2 rubber with a 1.5mm sponge, primarily on my backhand, purchased from a German shop. It is important to note that I have boosted this version to achieve optimal performance. As an experienced player, I prioritize control and prefer shorter rallies, which this thin, boosted B2 enables me to achieve while providing more than adequate power and speed. The quality of my serves has significantly improved, earning me numerous points.

I have tested other variations of B2 (national and provincial), but I find the thicker sponges difficult to handle. I am currently experimenting with B2 red and Bloom Power in 1.8mm for my forehand. Although I need more time to draw a final conclusion, my initial impressions are positive.

La utilizo con esponja 2.0 para el FH.

Esta goma es fantástica para rozar. Su superficie es pegajosa y pensada para generar efecto. Esta es la versión comercial y, por ende, más básica (frente a la provincial o nacional). Sin embargo, responde muy bien para buscar spin y para cortar. Su bloqueo también es bueno.

Claramente no es una goma muy rápida pero tampoco lenta.

Ideal para iniciar en el mundo de las gomas chinas. Debes tener en cuenta que no tiene efecto tensor ni catapulta, por lo que debes mejorar tu técnica o la bola se irá a la malla.

The rubber performs exceptionally well in play, contrary to popular opinion. It provides significantly faster and more spin-generating performance than most people claim. Additionally, it offers excellent control, making it a standout choice for forehand rubber.

This rubber requires 5-10 hours of warm-up before it becomes fully responsive. Once it’s warmed up, it provides excellent spin, flicks, and loops. However, it may result in a slight loss of power. To compensate for this, it is recommended to use the rubber on a carbon blade.