Friendship/729 Focus 1

Weight cut, 2.2mm H42: 45g.

This rubber is the perfect choice for backhand players who play close to the table and excel in attacking with their backhand. It also provides exceptional control and allows for various speed variations, enabling both active and passive blocking.

The rubber’s hardness makes it well-suited for defensive play at the second or third position, particularly when chopping with the forehand. It allows for extremely low throw angles against topspin drives.

Furthermore, this rubber boasts exceptional durability, offering excellent value for money.

It’s important to note that the speed of a shot should primarily come from the player’s legwork, body rotation, and stroke, rather than relying solely on the equipment.

Very good control, but it lacks speed, even though it has enough spin.

I purchased this rubber based on positive reviews. However, upon using it, I found it to be slower than anticipated. Despite its good control, the throw angle is relatively low, necessitating adjustments. This rubber is suitable for players prioritizing control. Chops and pushes are effective, while blocking is excellent. Topspins require greater effort, particularly with the plastic ball. It appears that none of the reviews here were written after the implementation of the plastic ball.

This is an excellent rubber for all-around play with maximum sponge. It allows for a wide range of shots, including excellent control. Notably, it empowers players to create powerful serves.

We placed this rubber on both sides of a preassembled Joola Carbon Pro racket belonging to a friend (the racket initially featured 4you rubbers). His game immediately improved. His pushes skimmed the net effortlessly, and his blocking became highly controlled. I had to test it for myself. The control is exceptional, spin is commendable, and while it may be slightly slow, it remains an excellent rubber.

I prefer this rubber to Focus 3 Snipe because it has more control but is slightly slower than Focus 3 Snipe.

It’s a very nice rubber for anyone. The only problem is speed, but if you have a long swing, you can create solid speed for a long game. It’s for spiny loops, controlled blocks, short games, and chops.

Compared to Sriver and Cream Transcend, this rubber is slower but has more spin. It allows for more precise shot placement.

The rubber is forgiving, allowing for variations in swing without significantly affecting shot consistency. Its strength in spin and control (but not speed) makes it suitable for initiating third-ball attacks through looping or chopping. However, its performance may lack speed and aggressiveness in extended rallies beyond the fifth ball.

After years of using Butterfly Sriver, I changed to 729 Cream Transcend, a slightly better rubber in most areas, at a significantly lower price. Then, based on other reviews, I decided to give Focus 1 a try. I would say that this one is much less aggressive compared to Cream Transcend or Sriver.

If you are developing techniques or need a very controllable rubber, this might work for you. However, if you have used Cream Transcend or Sriver and need more attacking power (faster, spinnier loops), then this is NOT for you.

Nice rubber!

It has a higher throw, a soft feel, and is less sensitive to incoming spin, yet nicely spinny in game.

The sponge is slow, of course, so pair the 2.2 mm with at least an OFF blade.

The serve is not special, but otherwise this rubber performs very well.

So far, it is my favorite among 729 rubbers (I’ve tried more than ten 729 rubbers).

All-Off Class Belage

I use 1.8 red on the backhand and 1.8 black on the forehand.

The backhand rubber provides more spin, while the speed is about the same as the red rubber.

It offers superb control when chopping, looping, hitting, and blocking.

I had it on the forehand and backhand of a Tulpe Allround wood blade. The black rubber has a green sponge and the red rubber has a cream-colored sponge. It has a very high dwell time and spin, and it is very controlled. However, if you unload with it, you can generate quite a bit of speed. I would suggest this rubber to modern defenders with an emphasis on control or offensive players who prefer a backhand loop over a block.

Probably a solid 42-degree sponge. It offers good control but is not particularly fast. You can generate enough spin for an all-around spin game, but this rubber excels at flat hitting and countering.

Slightly heavy, so it’s not recommended to pair it with two sheets of 2.2mm thickness on your blade. Service performance is mediocre.

I use it as a harder sponge for backhand on a medium-soft carbon blade.

It’s one of the best options for the price. An excellent choice for amateur players who have progressed beyond the casual level. It also performs well for semi-professionals. However, it’s not suitable for beginners.

For professional players, it’s recommended for backhand play.