Friendship/729 Faster 3 (Fenghun 3)

One of the best rubbers I’ve used.

I’ve been using this rubber for 3 months now, with Tenergy 05 on FH and the Yinhe N-9 blade.

To be honest, it’s really good rubber for its price ($12). It has very good control and good speed, but its spin isn’t so good, at least not when compared to Tenergy 05. It’s also not as tacky as reviews say, and after 2 months, it already lost almost all of its tackiness, so it’s not that durable.

I’m probably going to go with 729-08 Provincial next to test that one out.

Don’t be misled by reviews like I was.

It is not tacky by any means. The throw is low. The speed and control rating are probably about right, but the spin is not high. I even did the standard spin test: bouncing while angling the blade in hand, which gives an immediate approximation of throw and spin. When I actually got to play with it, my opinion didn’t change. I might try Higher III next…

Very good soft rubber

This rubber has a soft feel and provides very good control. It is a good choice for players who want a rubber that will give them plenty of touch and feel on the ball.

Very good rubber. I use it with a DHS PG7 blade and play with a speed and quick attack style. I am not a good looper, but with the assistance of this amazing speedy but loopy rubber, it definitely helped me a lot by generating more spins. I will buy more of them again when I go back to China.

I’ve bought it for a test. My first impression was “hmm, it looks like a high-quality product”. My rubber is black, 2.2mm thick sponge. When I unpacked it, I said “pretty heavy”. And it really is. After that, I noticed the sponge is kinda hard (should be 38°) But Chinese rubbers usually are harder, so I wasn’t thinking about it. I didn’t know if it is supposed to be used with a water-based glue (I noticed there is an inscription “2008” on the lower part of the rubber, so I thought it is).

After that, I glued it on my blade with a water-based glue and tried to play. It had no speed at all, it was very, very slow for an attack rubber. Additionally, it’s a throw angle was very low. After that, I tried it with a classical speed glue. Now I know this is a speed glue rubber (if you don’t have the speed glue, you need to use a tuner). It was very very different and much better. It had a good speed, nice spin, lower throw. Speed glue softened the sponge so it’s feeling was softer and better. Pretty nice rubber after all, but you have to use the old speed glue or any kind of tuning. If you like Chinese style rubbers and use proper tuning, you’ll like it.

EDIT: You have to use it with a Chinese style blade (for example Yasaka Extra Offensive or Avalox P700. I tested both and it was excellent). It didn’t work well with European style off carbons for me.

Among 729 rubbers, this one performs most like Euro-Jap. The German sponge has something to do with it. This is quality rubber. Do not expect high speed since the sponge is slower than Sriver, but it is not slow either. Good off the table, performs well in many ways. Recommended.

Very happy with this rubber. It offers great control with good speed and spin. The tacky surface allows for spin on soft plays.

I am using the Xiom Athena RSM Platinum (J-pen) blade, which provides a balance of defensive and offensive play.

I prefer the F3 to the Butterfly Tackifire Special Soft. I have yet to try the Tackifire C soft.

Very nice rubber, the best I have tried. However, it is a little hard for me.

It is awesome.

Best Friendship rubber I’ve tried. It has really good control while being the fastest of all the 729s. It’s the same usual tacky-spin rubber. I even noticed a huge difference between the RITC Faster and Faster III. Get the Faster III. It feels so much better, faster, and with more control.

Great looping capabilities, but only suitable for Chinese-style playing techniques. Spiny characteristics are evident only when struck with significant speed.

I found this rubber similar to other 729 rubbers, except that it is slightly better off the table. I have not tried it with speed glue. It is a high-quality product. However, it is a bit heavy, especially if you are using it with a large-headed blade. I cannot see many people using it in maximum thickness on both sides of a large blade.

Been using this rubber for 6 months now. It’s been giving my game the edge it needed for my loops and speed.