Friendship/729 Bloom Speed

I tried this rubber on my forehand, mainly for looping. Red 2.2mm H45. I’m coming from DHS Skyline TG2 NEO 2.15mm H39.

Compared to my Skyline, this rubber is a bit slower but offers about the same level of control. The tackiness is slightly less, and when I loop, there’s not as much catapult effect as you get from Skyline/Hurricane NEO rubbers.

On the positive side, when looping, it’s much easier to keep the ball on the table than with the faster DHS Hurricane NEO Rubbers. This is not a bad rubber at all, but for me, it’s a step down.

The best thing about it is that it’s quite light. I felt a big difference in weight compared to the Skyline. Weight cut 2.2mm H45: 44-46g.

Excellent Sticky Rubbers

These rubbers offer exceptional stickiness, providing enhanced control and spin. The speed is sufficient for power play, allowing players to generate significant rotation. As technique improves, the ball’s velocity increases proportionally.

Control and Performance

The rubbers demonstrate excellent control at a high level of play. The sponge is dense and durable, yet softer than Bloom POWER, providing a balance between firmness and responsiveness. The top layer is soft, contributing to the rubber’s exceptional stickiness.

Suitability for Backhand

These rubbers are well-suited for use on the backhand. Their combination of stickiness, control, and moderate speed allows players to execute a wide range of shots with precision and power.

This rubber is not suitable for open hand style playing or normal European topspin style. It is a great rubber for most people, but not for me.

Conclusion: This rubber produces a high throw angle for me and is a little bit bouncy. My style is better suited to a rubber that produces more arc or power.

Bloom POWER H47, red: 70g uncut weight.

Bloom SPEED H47, red: 60g uncut weight.

This rubber is not a typical Chinese rubber with a very thin tacky topsheet and moderated catapult effect. Instead, it is medium heavy, very spiny and powerful.

It offers easy serve return and short game, and is reasonably low sensitive to incoming spin. Flat hit is possible.

Interestingly, the SPEED version is not faster than the POWER version. However, it has a higher throw and more rotation for 40+ poly balls.

Overall, the SPEED version is very usable rubber, with similar performance to Palio AK47, but with slightly different advantages. Still, the Palio HK1997 Gold remains the standard for the reviewer.