Stiga DNA Pro H

DNA Pro H 2.1mm black

As a cutter, finding a suitable rubber for forehand can be challenging. I finally chose DNA Pro H, and I’ve been extremely pleased with it for quite some time now.

This is a potent ESN tensor with a 50° hard sponge. Surprisingly, the feel is excellent - not overly stiff and ultimately well-balanced.

The close-to-table game is superb. DNA Pro H offers versatility, exceptional control, and remarkable grip. I can truly sense the ball on the racket while pushing.

Chops require some adaptation due to the rubber’s inherent power. However, once adjusted, they become enjoyable, consistent, and effective, thanks to the grip and control.

Opening topspin is a dream come true. It latches onto the ball with incredible force. Activating the turbo is effortless (I had to be cautious initially to avoid igniting it too soon, particularly while chopping).

Unleashing the power with DNA is exhilarating. The mid to far distance game is highly satisfying, delivering a crisp feel.

Conclusion:

DNA Pro H is an exceptionally spinny and powerful rubber with multiple gears and a distinctive touch. I highly recommend it.

Forehand Rubber Review

This rubber excels as a forehand option. It provides a balance of speed, blocking, and spin that suits my gameplay. When paired with the Stiga Carbonada 290 frame, flat hitting becomes effortless and swift. Chopping control is also impressive. However, its speed may prove excessive for use as a backhand rubber.

I tried this in 2.1mm on a DHS Power G5 blade (Forehand). I’m coming from DHS H3N Commercial and 729 Battle II Provincial harder versions. This one is a totally different rubber, but it worked just fine for me.

The main difference comes when brush looping. The DNA grips the ball, but there isn’t that direct kick or catapult feeling that you get with Chinese rubbers. Instead, the ball sinks into the sponge, giving the feel that “this loop wasn’t any good”, but the spin is there. Perhaps a bit slower than H3N/BII in that stroke.

More flat hits are faster than the Chinese rubbers, and I feel better control doing them. The short play and services feel fine as well. No problem doing short pushes and short spinny services.

Over all a very nice controlled rubber with good speed and spin, but as said, I’m used to harder Chinese rubbers on the forehand. This rubber is a bit on the heavy side. Weight 54g cut to normal blade.

This was very disappointing. I looked forward to changing a Stiga rubber with spin. But only Truls has gone from Stiga Mantras to this yet, nobody else. And the other day he hinted that he will be coming back to Mantra. It’s the spin…always the spin when it comes to Stiga…Stiga Sponsored players will go back to Mantra, better rubber, but even worse spin.

Better feeling and much easier to use than T05/T05FX and especially T05H.

Perhaps a little bit less spin, but since it is easier to generate the spin, it won’t matter much in a match situation.

Faster than T05FX and slower than T05H.

I found T05H quirky in lower (not lowest) gears which caused a loss of control.

Feels much safer with DNA Pro H and more balls land on the table.

Haven’t tried anything quite like T05H for perfect hits though.

Blocks with DNA Pro H, both passive and active, are much easier to execute since the topsheet is less sensitive to spin.

Feels weird, nothing to go to really. All has been done, and it has been done better. To even compare this with MX-P, MX-S, Fastarc G-1, Andro Rasanter R47, or the likes is almost a crime.

And I like parts of this rubber’s play. But Magna TX and Magna TC is better. If Mantra would have had some spin, it has become great. It’s just that with Stiga. They cannot deliver it.

How many roads must a man walk down to find some spin in Sweden? (Even if this is German-made, and all the other Japan-based. They can’t get it!)

They have (save Nittaku, the best blades in the world, its a solid ground company since 1937 I think it is. Even in the golden era of the 70-90s medal era, Yasaka got to do their rubbers Mark V.

I mean, this is probably Stiga’s best rubber, except for the…yeah, right, spin. And as we all know, speed is nothing without spin. For you guys that doubt, there is spin. There is especially speed, but a lot better rubber to choose from than this.

I am using DNA Pro Hard both sides max thickness on a newer 93 gram Innerforce Layer ZLC blade flared handle. I have used all sorts of setups and right now it seems Hurricane 3 Neo Provincial/national blue sponge both sides or Tenergy 80 is best for me. So I took a leap of faith with the very little reviews out there and glued it on.

First training session the rubbers not as slow or controlled offense as some stated. Maybe it is due to the blade of choice but I will be honest this isn’t not some slow rubber. Serves and serve returns were fairly easy but I didn’t notice any drastic increase in my spin rather I could keep the ball lower than usual.

I love it on my backhand as punching through the balls are deadly. The rubber is very direct and has a high margin of error and gives me the same confidence as my previous setup to lift up backspin and any short balls. The dwell time for this rubber was surprising as this is a Soo called harder rubber with softer feel. Forehand smashes and spin incorporated on drives is above normal creating a violent arc for me and winning me the points.

The sponge is still brittle like MXP and cutting will always require a new sharp blade head as I made the mistake of believing it was harder type sponge unlike the tibhar evolution series. I will say this I will be playing tommorow 11/23 in my tournament and then I will see how it holds up and update this review. Also it isn’t light per se I think on par with MXP if not maybe 1-3 grams lighter depending on how much glue you guys use. I will for sure never go back to MXP due to the inconsistent catapult and weird characteristics.

Update 11/24/19 I personally don’t think it plays well for my forehand it is too soft and I can barely send long shots away from the table with this. The backhand this is a great rubber and blocks well. So unfortunately I will either be selling the black rubber or something to a clubmate because I personally didn’t like it.

Review: Table Tennis Rubber

In this video, we’ll be reviewing the [name of rubber]. This rubber is marketed as a [marketing claim]. It’s a [type of rubber] rubber with a [hardness] hardness. It’s designed to provide [desired playing characteristics].

We’ll be testing it out on a [type of blade] blade. We’ll be testing it out on a [forehand or backhand] and a [short or long] play style.

We’ll be testing it out on a variety of shots, including [list of shots].

Based on our testing, we found that the [name of rubber] [general findings]. It’s a great option for [players who would benefit from this rubber].

Overall, we highly recommend the [name of rubber]. It’s a great option for [players who would benefit from this rubber].

I switched from DHS Hurricane 3, wanting to get some ease of use in my forehand. DNA Pro H is all I need in a rubber. It has great grip, comparable to Dignics. The speed and spin are 95% of Tenergy 80, with less catapult, making it easier to control.

Blocking and punch shots are nice, but the focus is on spin. Service is okay at best, not giving as much spin as Hurricane. Serving short is still easy, but you can’t go through the rubber to get spin like H3.

DNA Platinum H is faster and more lively, but I prefer the deader feeling on my forehand. DNA Pro H is great.