Loki Arthur Europe

Table Tennis Rubber Review: Europa

Updated!!!

Facts: The black rubber weighs 93 g in its original packaging and 70 g uncut with foil. It weighs 48 g when measured at 157 x 150 mm, and it is stated to have a sponge hardness of 40 degrees.

I have been testing this rubber on various blades for two weeks now. The stickiness of the Europa is roughly equivalent to that of a hybrid rubber. At first, it seems very slow, but this perception does not hold true during play. When the ball hits the rubber, it produces an unusual, somewhat dull sound, especially in comparison to the Chinese rubbers. This gave me the impression that the Europa is softer than the Chinese rubbers; however, this was not later confirmed.

Since I have had a shore meter for a long time, I decided to check the sponge hardness. To my surprise, I found that the “Europa” measures only 39 degrees on the Chinese scale, instead of the 40 degrees claimed by the manufacturer. This translates to approximately 50 degrees on the international scale.

Conclusion: This is an interesting and very inexpensive rubber. It is easy to control, with above-average spin. However, its speed leaves something to be desired, making it more suitable for very fast blades or for use on the backhand side. It is certainly also excellent for tuning!

Addendum: Even though this rubber is marketed under the name “Europa,” it is more reminiscent of a typical “Chinese rubber” with less stickiness!

I tried this rubber as a backhand option, but it somewhat lacks the rebound required for a good backhand rubber. While it isn’t slow—it’s medium-fast—it still doesn’t provide the bounciness I look for in a quality backhand rubber. In comparison, the AK47 and even Loki’s own T3 feel better to me.

The rubber has a slightly tacky surface, but this tackiness wears off completely after a while. Additionally, it is quite heavy, although it is lighter than the Arthur Asia.

This medium rubber performs exceptionally well. The sponge is medium hard, while the topsheet is medium, which allows the inverted pimples to break easily, resulting in a nice grip on the ball.

I highly recommend it for backhand play; it excels at easy flips, and both active and passive blocks work like a charm. While it is not as springy as the Diamond version, you don’t need to engage the sponge as much to achieve spin, thanks to the rubber’s superior grip.

However, due to the medium soft topsheet, there isn’t much spin sensitivity. I would not recommend it for forehand strokes if you enjoy driving from mid to far distances, as it lacks the grip for those hard drives. In my experience, the RXTON 5 performs significantly better in that regard.