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Friendship/729 SP Transcend is a versatile table tennis rubber known for its impressive spin and control, making it a favored choice among players who prefer an active style of play. With a tackiness rating of 7.8, this rubber features a highly sticky topsheet that greatly enhances spin potential, particularly on serves and when performing loops. The rubber excels in close-to-the-table situations, allowing athletes to deliver precise counter drives and generating significant backspin on pushes. However, it should be noted that its speed is more moderate at 11, meaning it requires a more deliberate force to unleash powerful shots.
The weight of the Friendship/729 SP Transcend rubber is categorized as medium at 5.5, which contributes to its excellent control features without feeling excessively heavy on the paddle. The sponge hardness of 6.8 offers a fine balance between feel and aggressiveness, lending itself well to various playing styles. Players often report that while the rubber performs admirably for spins and controlled shots, it is less suited for fast, flat hitting or aggressive smashes when compared to other alternatives.
In terms of durability, this rubber stands strong with a rating of 7.3. Many users have observed that even after extended use, the tackiness and performance levels remain impressively high, making it an economical choice for players looking for longevity. If you are considering alternatives, rubbers like the Friendship Geospin Tack and various versions of Hurricane may also be worth exploring for a different feel or performance characteristic.
An excellent rubber with a very low price!
SETUP:
Blade: Yinhe Pro Feeling
FH: 729 SP Transcend
BH: Mark V
This is a typical Chinese tacky rubber. It’s perfect for players who prefer active shots with lots of control.
SPEED:
This rubber is not particularly fast. However, when you hit hard, it goes like a rocket. The speed is linear with effort. The slightly slower speed has the advantage of keeping the ball on the table. It’s a bit slower than H3 Neo.
SPIN:
The spin is excellent, better than any non-tacky rubber. It’s much spinier than MX-P or El-P, but less spinny than H3 Neo. The service spin is exceptional, especially for high-toss serves. Ghost serves are easy to execute, and pushes are great, containing a lot of backspin. Looping underspin is easy, but not as easy as with non-tacky rubbers.
COUNTER DRIVE:
This is where this rubber excels. Close to the table counter drives are awesome. You won’t miss a single drive if you hit just before the top of the bounce.
SMASH & BLOCK:
These shots are okay but not as good as with non-tacky rubbers.
The rubber is very durable. I’ve been playing with it for one and a half years, and it’s still tacky. Just clean it regularly.
OVERALL:
This is a great rubber, but you need to play actively. If you try a passive shot, you’ll either miss or end up on the back foot.
The Transcend sponge on the black sheet from ZeroPong is not hard – it’s medium. I was expecting a harder sponge based on some of the reviews here.
The rubber is very tacky. This, along with the not-so-hard sponge, slows down the ball, even on a fast blade. So you can hit hard and generate a lot of spin with good control, but if you just want to kill the ball, there are better choices.
Serves are very spinny, of course.
So if you want to play a spinny game close to the table, this is a great rubber, but for smashes, or playing far from the table, a harder sponge would be better. Maybe that’s available with this top sheet somewhere on the planet!
Tackiness and Spin
In my search for the stickiest and spinniest rubber, I opted for this one. While the topsheet boasts excellent tackiness, the sponge, contrary to expectations, proved to be extremely hard.
Demonstration Video
A YouTube video demonstrates the rubber’s remarkable ability to hold the ball indefinitely. However, my black rubber failed to replicate this feat.
Recommendation
Overall, I would recommend exploring the Friendship Geospin Tacky instead. Priced similarly, Geospin’s rubber offers comparable tackiness with a noticeably softer sponge.
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