Friendship/729 Battle 3

First training with DHS 301 and Battle 3.
Excellent control in blocking and short / long push. Very easy to generate spin and counter-attack.
Also very impressed with the smashes consistency even from a very low ball height (could also be the blade helping …).

This surprisingly good performing rubber is available in 38, 39, and 30-degree sponge hardness. I tested a 39.

Out of the box, the rubber has a smooth sponge surface and a very strong, unpleasant smell. At the bouncing test, the rubber feels slow due to its tackiness. However, when you start playing, it showcases all its excellent abilities.

There’s a slight catapult effect, but not as pronounced as with tensors. Every stroke succeeds well, from short to short, serves, counterattacks, and topspin. This rubber is a successful blend of European/Japanese and Chinese brick-hard rubbers, with a soft and tacky rubber surface.

The biggest pro of this “hybrid rubber” is its price. It’s a good option for those who don’t like pure Chinese rubbers or the tensor catapult effect.

My number one forehand rubber! It beats all H3 variants and any other Chinese rubber I have tried to date. With 40°, one or two layers of Seamoon, it is absolutely amazing. Not only do I play better with it, but I can also hit more shots with more speed, spin, placement, and confidence. Its durability is very good, as it remains as good as new after several months of use. Moreover, it comes at an excellent price. Initially, it needs some time to break in, like many other Chinese rubbers, so be patient. I wouldn’t change this rubber for anything else. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes Chinese rubbers on their forehand.

Edited Setup:
Sold old setup: Battle 3 (B3 39) FH + Battle 2 Prov. Soft 37 (B2P 37) BH on a Yinhe T11S. Replaced with B3 40 + GoldArc 8 50 on V14 Pro.

Older Setup:
B2P Blue Sponge (B2P BS 39) FH + B2P (38 orange sponge) BH on Yinhe Y13.

NOTE: B2P 37 is virtually as linear as B2P 38 on Y13

Comparisons:
Firstly, B3 39 and 40 are slightly different/better than B2P BS 39 in the following areas:

• Mid-speed power (more for 39)
• Tackiness, which increases service/touch spin (but somehow not spin sensitivity?!?)
• Forehand power drives and power loops

All three have the power for big forehands rallies beyond mid-distance. The mid-speed power boost of B3 39 is only really noticeable because B2P BS has near perfect linearity (which I personally think is very nice and prefer).

HOWEVER, B3 40 loses some (but not all) of this mid-range speed, so now I get the best of both. This means blocking with B3 40 and B2P BS 39 is slightly easier vs. B3 39 (but it’s not significant).

Durability and Performance:
After B3 39 “broke-in” (about 10 hours), it gained some dwell and started power looping nicely. V14 Pro has more dwell than T11S (and is basically just as fast), resulting in the +1 harder B3 40 looping the best of all three. B3 40 seems to have required less “break-in” (~5 hours), and the effect is less significant. In both cases, though, the result was similar to mildly boosting, but without the durability issues that involves.

Summary:
Battle 3 (39) and Battle 2 Prov. (Blue Sponge 39) are more similar than different, and the harder B3 40 seems to combine the advantages of both. All are S-Tier FH rubbers.

NOTE: My speed ratings are based on maximum effort, forehand drive + power looping. You DO NOT need “perfect technique”, however, they do feel slower than tensors if you play with less topspin.

The B3 39 rubber is an extraordinary setup with Yinhe Y15, B3 FH and Z2 BH. Compared to the BH rubber, it is very easy to accept solid backspin serves. In one word, it is Awesome Battle 3.

This is the best rubber I’ve ever owned. It’s perfect for my playing style. The spin and control are amazing, and it’s very durable. I’ve been using it for months now, and it’s still in great condition. I would definitely recommend this rubber to anyone looking for a high-quality product.

Blade: Butterfly Andrei Mazunov FL (“BAM”) (98g).

FH: Battle 3 40H (“B3”) (50.5g; 2 layers of booster on B3, 1 layer on blade).

BH: AK47 Red (38.5g, intentionally left a 1 cm gap from the handle to reduce overall blade weight to 187g).

After a year of using a 170g setup to nurse an injury and build up sufficient muscles, I have reverted to my first professional blade, the A. Mazunov FL. After the first two hours of play today, the B3 rubber has slowly broken in.

Perhaps it pairs well with the stiff (7.5) and hard (9) blade. I suspect it has increased in these two characteristics naturally over the decades. This configuration actually plays and feels better than my lighter configuration with Nittaku Factive Carbon.

Compared with Battle 2 Gold H40 (B2G) and Jupiter Asia 3 H40 (J3):

Weight: B3>B2G=J3

Speed: B3>B2G>J3

Tackiness:

• B3 (can hold ball for 5s)
• B2 (3s)
• J3 (1s)

Update on June 4: B3=B2=J3 for tackiness (wore off, cannot hold ball, but still grippy).

Backspin serve: B3>B2G>>J3

Mid-far looping: B3>B2G>=J3 (I suspect the heavy, stiff, and hard BAM has significantly contributed to the better looping and all other playing characteristics of B3).

Spin and Arc: B3>B2G>>J3

Throw: B3>B2G>J3

Lifting/Flick against backspin serve: B3>>J3>B2G

B3 has near-perfect control, serve, loop, and even flat hits. I think I am sold to both the BAM+B3 combination.

B3 should outlast most other rubbers with their R&D and when only water and palm are used to wipe off dust after each session. Best under USD$20 rubber from AliExpress.

Review:

This rubber is exceptional. Compared to Friendship’s Bloom Power, it offers superior control. Its speed is comparable to European-style tensor sponges such as DHS Gold Arc 8, but it retains a high level of controllability.

Furthermore, this rubber excels in both offensive and defensive play. Its controlled spin and speed make it suitable for a wide range of players, from beginners to advanced.

Overall, this rubber is highly recommended for players seeking a balanced combination of speed, spin, and control.

The rubber itself is similar to the Battle 2 Provincial Blue Sponge.

Booster smell vanished after 3 weeks. I did not rate consistency and durability because only time will show.

Quite smelly but very spinny rubber.

The smell can be a bit overwhelming at first, but it does dissipate over time. Once you get past the smell, you’ll be rewarded with a rubber that produces a lot of spin. This is thanks to the tacky surface of the rubber, which grips the ball well and allows you to generate a lot of spin on your shots.

The rubber is also quite durable, so it will last you a long time. Overall, this is a great rubber for players who want to generate a lot of spin on their shots.

Tried out 40 degrees Battle 3(B3)

I tried out 40 degrees Battle 3(B3) on forehand for one day (Going to keep going at it), normally playing with BS Hurricane 3(H3) Neo 40 degrees National. I boosted both with haifu yellow 1 thick layer.

B3 sponge feels harder after boost

The rubber is much softer, and every so slightly skinnier pips. I can move the rubber with my finger and see the pips move back and forth. In comparison, Hurricane 3 Neo rubber pips don’t move separately from the sponge in the same manner. The H3 BS 40 sponge appears to move more and feels a bit more elastic than when you interact with the sponge during hitting.

When looping

The trajectory of B3 is only a small amount of degrees higher, I believe because of the slightly skinner pips. The spin from H3 feels a bit higher, but it feels like you’re using the sponge, and it grips the ball more. I believe as I break in the B3 sponge it will become softer and spin will increase.

Other observations

The rubber is shiny and smelly like old Hurricane 3 rubbers. I let it air for 2 days and it reduced a lot. Wierdly enough its still feels pretty similar to H3, slight less spin, not by much, better feeling, slightly faster, easier for my to push and loop from back spin. I forgot to measure weight, but it’s also similar to H3.

Excellent in spin and control.
Better than the H3 equivalent and 729 B2 blue sponge provincial.