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The Yasaka Shining Dragon is a premium table tennis rubber designed to cater to players seeking a balance of spin, control, and durability. With a robust speed rating of 21 and a commendable spin rating of 23, this rubber excels in producing heavy spins on serves, pushes, and topspins without sacrificing control. It finds its niche particularly well in modern defensive styles that require versatility, making it suitable for both forehand and backhand applications.
One of the standout features of the Shining Dragon is its tackiness, rated at 7.2. This characteristic contributes to its phenomenal ability to generate spin, reminiscent of traditional Chinese rubbers but enhanced by a Japanese sponge. The rubber strikes a fine balance, allowing players to engage dynamics effectively from both close and far from the table, thanks to its medium-high throw angle posted at 6.1. Durability is also a notable attribute, with an impressive score of 8.1 as users report exceptional longevity even after extensive hours of training, making it a reliable choice for serious players.
In terms of weight, the Shining Dragon is classified as medium, providing stability without being overly cumbersome. For players exploring alternatives, options like Xiom Vega Pro and Rakza 7 are comparable but may not offer the same level of tackiness. The Yasaka Shining Dragon promises an engaging playing experience with its unique blend of Chinese and Japanese characteristics, and significantly outperforms many competitors within its price range, typically around €50.
Durability is extremely long. After 120 hours of training, the stickiness drops by half. Over the next 90 hours, it played like a good European rubber.
Just bought a sheet of max thickness, red color for my backhand. It’s for my backup racket which is a Nittaku Barwell Fleet with a Hurricane 8 Hard fh rubber. My main racket is a Zetro Quad with Hurricane Pro 3 Turbo Orange (black) on fh and Rising Dragon (red) on bh.
World of difference between the Shining Dragon and the Rising Dragon. The Shining Dragon is maybe slightly tackier but loses its tackiness very quickly in gameplay after which it barely imparts any spin. Much slower compared to its predecessor though its on a faster blade. I’d choose the Rising Dragon any day over this. My personal opinion, though I must admit I’ve played barely 3 hours with it over two sessions.
A Chinese topsheet with a Japanese sponge. Well…interesting! First of all, the quality is top-notch; simply “a normal thing” considering the price: nearly 50 EUR!
This Shining Dragon will suit perfectly any player in search of extreme rotation with high control. Serves, pushes, topspins are really spinny! No catapult effect, unlike ESN tensors (and unlike Rising Dragon), so you need to engage a few if you want some power. This reminds one of Chinese rubbers, but with the help of the Japanese sponge, no need to engage too much^^ And no need to use booster!
This rubber is a beast at topspinning, whatever the distance to the table. However, like Chinese rubbers, the control in short game and defensive strokes is excellent: YSD has many gears. Chops are awesome: quite easy and heavy backspin.
Conclusion: not an ESN tensor, but a sort of hybrid between Chinese and Japanese rubbers. Very secure, very spinny with a medium-high throw angle and many gears. Personally, I use 2mm YSD on my forehand, as a modern defender; I use to chop both sides and to attack with my forhand when needed. It fits my game perfectly!.
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