Friendship/729 God-Favored (SST)

729 SST God-Favored Table Tennis Rubber Review

In search of a replacement for my 729FX that offered enhanced looping capabilities, I recently tested the 729 SST God-Favored in black with a 1.8mm sponge.

Upon using this rubber, I was immediately struck by its exceptional control. It significantly improved my game, particularly in executing straight shots and loops.

Despite its impressive qualities, the 729 SST God-Favored remains relatively obscure and deserves greater recognition for its superior performance.

Review

This is a very hard rubber with no dwell time. The topsheet marks easily, and after just a couple of 2-hour training sessions and a couple of matches, it looked like a season-long rubber.

This rubber is not suitable for backhand play. I have it in Black 2.2mm and have tried it on a couple of Yinhe Carbon blades (Off) and one all-wood Yinhe blade. I couldn’t adapt to this rubber.

It would suit a player who relies on first-ball topspin smashes on a flexible blade. Avoid this rubber if you want one with feeling.

Tianqi Spirit Review

I own this rubber with a 2.0mm sponge, which is notably firm. I use it on the forehand side of a Hao Shuai 1-sided Carbon blade, paired with Long Pips on the backhand.

My aggressive playstyle revolves around flat hitting on my forehand, occasionally incorporating chops and loop drives. The Tianqi Spirit excels at flat hitting, providing control even from mid-distance. Chop blocking, pushing, and flicking are also relatively straightforward.

However, this rubber falls short for looping. The stiff sponge severely limits dwell time, resulting in a loud impact sound even on gentle brushes. Consequently, it’s not suitable for slow loopers. As such, I intend to experiment with the Gambler Outlaw and Higher III rubbers.