As some of you may be aware, there have been some huge fluctuations in international currencies lately. In particular the Australian dollar has dropped a huge amount compared to most other currencies, including the USD$ and the Yen.
This can bring some good bargains from Australian online table tennis shops for buyers outside Australia... prices can be as much as 30% lower than they were a month ago!
Although eventually these shops will have to increase their prices because their import costs will rise as a result of the drop the AUD$, in the short term they will be selling current stock at current prices, so this should result in some real bargains if you're buying with anything but the AUD$.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
If boosters are illegal, so are Tensors!
As some of you know, the ITTF recently introduced a new rule:
“2.04.07 The covering material should be used as it has been authorised by the ITTF without any physical, chemical or other treatment, changing or modifying playing properties, friction, outlook, colour, structure, surface, etc. “
Although I believe this was initially brought in to ban any treatment of long pimple rubbers, it seems to have gone well beyond this. The ITTF is now claiming this makes tuners/boosters illegal as well, much to the annoyance of many players who assumed this VOC free alternative would be perfectly legal! Although the ITTF ONLY approved topsheets not sponges, they claim it’s impossible to treat the sponge (while attached to the topsheet) without having some affect on the topsheet. This effect therefore ‘modifies’ playing properties, making it illegal.
Many claim (and I agree) this would make German ESN factory made “Tensor rubbers” by far the closest option for those that demand a ‘glue feel’ in their rubbers, as these have some of this effect/feel built-in. Whether this ‘feel’ translates into performance, or whether a non-tensor is a better alternative to glue, is another topic for discussion, as opinion vary wildly on this subject.
However the thought just occurred to me that if Tensor topsheets are under tension, does that technically make them illegal too? Although I don’t have proof, I do believe the topsheets of these rubbers ARE under tension, judging by their very lively feel, and the “name Tensor” certainly implies tension as well
Since only the topsheet is submitted for ITTF approval, and it's put onto the sponge under tension in the factory, then the characteristics would have been changed, making them just as illegal as boosted rubbers.
Of course this will be hard to prove... but just as we would have to prove that our boosted rubber don't have a topsheet with changed characteristics, so should the Tensor manufacturer with their Tensors? Fair is fair isn't it?
NOTE: I'm in NO way proposing that Tensors should be banned, as I think they are a good product. I'm merely pointing out the flaws in logic and consistancy by the ITTF in their new rules and interpretation.
“2.04.07 The covering material should be used as it has been authorised by the ITTF without any physical, chemical or other treatment, changing or modifying playing properties, friction, outlook, colour, structure, surface, etc. “
Although I believe this was initially brought in to ban any treatment of long pimple rubbers, it seems to have gone well beyond this. The ITTF is now claiming this makes tuners/boosters illegal as well, much to the annoyance of many players who assumed this VOC free alternative would be perfectly legal! Although the ITTF ONLY approved topsheets not sponges, they claim it’s impossible to treat the sponge (while attached to the topsheet) without having some affect on the topsheet. This effect therefore ‘modifies’ playing properties, making it illegal.
Many claim (and I agree) this would make German ESN factory made “Tensor rubbers” by far the closest option for those that demand a ‘glue feel’ in their rubbers, as these have some of this effect/feel built-in. Whether this ‘feel’ translates into performance, or whether a non-tensor is a better alternative to glue, is another topic for discussion, as opinion vary wildly on this subject.
However the thought just occurred to me that if Tensor topsheets are under tension, does that technically make them illegal too? Although I don’t have proof, I do believe the topsheets of these rubbers ARE under tension, judging by their very lively feel, and the “name Tensor” certainly implies tension as well
Since only the topsheet is submitted for ITTF approval, and it's put onto the sponge under tension in the factory, then the characteristics would have been changed, making them just as illegal as boosted rubbers.
Of course this will be hard to prove... but just as we would have to prove that our boosted rubber don't have a topsheet with changed characteristics, so should the Tensor manufacturer with their Tensors? Fair is fair isn't it?
NOTE: I'm in NO way proposing that Tensors should be banned, as I think they are a good product. I'm merely pointing out the flaws in logic and consistancy by the ITTF in their new rules and interpretation.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Avalox AVX Pronte mini review
Finally got around to trying this rubber;
AVX Pronte 2.2mm Soft on a Dr N Firewall+ balsa blade
Topsheet is quite tacky and is one of the thinnest I’ve seen. It feels fairly soft too, but it’s a little hard to judge since it’s thinner. Sponge is marked as Soft, but did not really feel that soft, measured at about 39/40 deg. The Sterco seems to also have such a thin topsheet, but is totally non-tacky, and the sponge is softer.
The throw on loops for the Pronte is quite high as expected, but I had little trouble adjusting to it since the throw of my 999 Nat is high too. Speed was higher than I expected, similar to a lightly glued 999 Nat. that’s been well primed or worn in.
The thin and tacky topsheet seems to give it two definite gears which I really like. On slow brush loops it comes off very spinny, and you can feel the topsheet stretching a little, and then catapulting it back… result is a very spinny but slow loop. But when you hit through the ball a little more, the sponge kicks in and it gives quite a boost in speed with still very good spin, the balsa blade would have some effect there too. The sponge feels faster than most Chinese sponges, I suspect it’s Japanese.
I played a few games with it, and it many ways it seems similar to my 999 Nat, probably 80% of the speed of a boosted or glued up (2 layers) 999 Nat.
For serves it was tacky, which is all I would need to load them up with spin. Chopping was reasonably controllable as well.
I did not get around to trying to block or counter-loop against a strong looper, but I expect that with such a high throw, this will be harder close in, but not bad away from the table.
Did I like it, yes I did! If I ever decide to stop boosting my rubbers, it would be my #1 choice, as the sponge hardness is just about right for me (medium soft) and it has plenty of speed on loops to put the ball away. The slow spinny loops feature that is key to my game, seems to be hard to find in rubbers, an this one seems to do it very well…
We’ll try it boosted up next, will be interseting to see how it performs… hope the throw does not get too much higher…
AVX Pronte 2.2mm Soft on a Dr N Firewall+ balsa blade
Topsheet is quite tacky and is one of the thinnest I’ve seen. It feels fairly soft too, but it’s a little hard to judge since it’s thinner. Sponge is marked as Soft, but did not really feel that soft, measured at about 39/40 deg. The Sterco seems to also have such a thin topsheet, but is totally non-tacky, and the sponge is softer.
The throw on loops for the Pronte is quite high as expected, but I had little trouble adjusting to it since the throw of my 999 Nat is high too. Speed was higher than I expected, similar to a lightly glued 999 Nat. that’s been well primed or worn in.
The thin and tacky topsheet seems to give it two definite gears which I really like. On slow brush loops it comes off very spinny, and you can feel the topsheet stretching a little, and then catapulting it back… result is a very spinny but slow loop. But when you hit through the ball a little more, the sponge kicks in and it gives quite a boost in speed with still very good spin, the balsa blade would have some effect there too. The sponge feels faster than most Chinese sponges, I suspect it’s Japanese.
I played a few games with it, and it many ways it seems similar to my 999 Nat, probably 80% of the speed of a boosted or glued up (2 layers) 999 Nat.
For serves it was tacky, which is all I would need to load them up with spin. Chopping was reasonably controllable as well.
I did not get around to trying to block or counter-loop against a strong looper, but I expect that with such a high throw, this will be harder close in, but not bad away from the table.
Did I like it, yes I did! If I ever decide to stop boosting my rubbers, it would be my #1 choice, as the sponge hardness is just about right for me (medium soft) and it has plenty of speed on loops to put the ball away. The slow spinny loops feature that is key to my game, seems to be hard to find in rubbers, an this one seems to do it very well…
We’ll try it boosted up next, will be interseting to see how it performs… hope the throw does not get too much higher…
The Inventor of the Sponge Racket Deceased
Waldemar Fritsch passed away on 15th May 2008 at the age of eighty-five at his home town Bregenz. The Austrian shocked the table tennis world on the occasion of the World Championships in Vienna 1951.Fritsch remained unbeaten in the team event by using his revolutionary three millimetres thick black sponge.
Milestone in the History of Table Tennis
In Zdenko Uzorinac’s book Table Tennis Legends, Waldemar Fritsch described the genesis of the sponge as follows. “Sometime in early 1951 one of my fellow players in our table tennis club, who had been taken prisoner by the Americans, gave me a racket with very worn-out rubber. At the time you couldn’t buy new rubber linings. By chance, completely by chance, I remembered seeing a sponge-like material in the basement, so I cut it, patterned it to match the racket, glued it on the wood and tried to play with it. I hit the ball as strongly as I could and was amazed – the ball flew away noiselessly as if catapulted!”
A Multi-Talent at Sports
Waldemar Fritsch had an academic degree of political science and was a successful business man. He kept on playing for his club in the Austrian table tennis top division until the age of sixty.Dr. Fritsch was not only an excellent offensive table tennis player but a highly gifted athlete competing also in swimming athletics, gymnastics, handball, skiing and football.
Milestone in the History of Table Tennis
In Zdenko Uzorinac’s book Table Tennis Legends, Waldemar Fritsch described the genesis of the sponge as follows. “Sometime in early 1951 one of my fellow players in our table tennis club, who had been taken prisoner by the Americans, gave me a racket with very worn-out rubber. At the time you couldn’t buy new rubber linings. By chance, completely by chance, I remembered seeing a sponge-like material in the basement, so I cut it, patterned it to match the racket, glued it on the wood and tried to play with it. I hit the ball as strongly as I could and was amazed – the ball flew away noiselessly as if catapulted!”
A Multi-Talent at Sports
Waldemar Fritsch had an academic degree of political science and was a successful business man. He kept on playing for his club in the Austrian table tennis top division until the age of sixty.Dr. Fritsch was not only an excellent offensive table tennis player but a highly gifted athlete competing also in swimming athletics, gymnastics, handball, skiing and football.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Proposed ITTF ruling on tuners/boosters
We get so many questions and angry opinions on booster/tuners, that I think it's worth writing a letter to the ITTF and outlining some of our concerns... It may have to come through formal channels to get anywhere, but if we don't say anything or question yet another one of the ITTF proposed changes of rules, they'll pat themselves on the back for doing another great job 
I've started a thread with my proposed letter in a forum here:
Proposed letter to ITTF regarding the banning of boosters / tuners
I'm sick of the ITTF changing the rules on us, especially with no formal announcement, no reasons and no advanced notice, and I'm really interested to hear how this decision will actually benefit table tennis!
I would encourage everyone to read it and offer suggestions on how we can best construct the letter... An excellent suggestion by SquidTT from DTTW, was to also run a petition, so I'll look into that as well, when the letter has been formulated.
I've started a thread with my proposed letter in a forum here:
Proposed letter to ITTF regarding the banning of boosters / tuners
I'm sick of the ITTF changing the rules on us, especially with no formal announcement, no reasons and no advanced notice, and I'm really interested to hear how this decision will actually benefit table tennis!
I would encourage everyone to read it and offer suggestions on how we can best construct the letter... An excellent suggestion by SquidTT from DTTW, was to also run a petition, so I'll look into that as well, when the letter has been formulated.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Table tennis glue will kill ya!
Table tennis glue will kill you? Well if you're a fly, most definitely, heh heh! I was gluing up a bat for someone recently, and left the rubber to dry for about 1 min, while I left the room (garage). When I came back, there was a fly stuck to the rubber... obviously landed on the sticky glue! What surprised me though was that the fly was dead... all in 1 min!
I still use thinned down rubber cement to glue all my rubbers (basically most VOC based table tennis glues are the same), since I feel that for all offensive rubbers, a bit of this glue in the sponge improves perforance perminently... The water based glues and glue sheets are better for long pimple or anti-spin rubber, as they are usuallty meant to be slow and less lively.
The dead fly was a bit of an eye opener for me... obviously the stuff is very toxic, but I didn't think it would kill a fly that quick... Will I stop using the rubber cement? Probably not for now, as I still think performance is very important... but I'll be even more careful to make sure there is plenty of ventilation in the room, and a fan blowing the air away from me...
I would certainly recommend everyone else to do them same!
I still use thinned down rubber cement to glue all my rubbers (basically most VOC based table tennis glues are the same), since I feel that for all offensive rubbers, a bit of this glue in the sponge improves perforance perminently... The water based glues and glue sheets are better for long pimple or anti-spin rubber, as they are usuallty meant to be slow and less lively.
The dead fly was a bit of an eye opener for me... obviously the stuff is very toxic, but I didn't think it would kill a fly that quick... Will I stop using the rubber cement? Probably not for now, as I still think performance is very important... but I'll be even more careful to make sure there is plenty of ventilation in the room, and a fan blowing the air away from me...
I would certainly recommend everyone else to do them same!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Table tennis review website - major facelift and upgrade!
I've been spending a lot of time lately giving our main review website a face-lift to make it look a bit more professional, as I was always bothered by it's very poor looks...
In the process I've added some new features, such as a search across all our websites, which I think is really useful as it can be very hard to find things sometimes....
A few more updates and new features will continue for the next few weeks, hopefully without too many hick-ups. I've also rewritten quite a few of the guides, fixed up broken links, improved loading speed by reducing files sizes, etc... I'd love to hear any feedback on what people think of it, while I'm still working on the changes and not gone too far with the major changes.
I've also been adding a lot more reviews of other brands, like the very recent Butterfly Tenergy review, Donic JO Coppa Platin Review and Hallmark Phoenix Review. A lot more features and reviews are in the pipeline!
I've still got a few sections to complete, but most of the rest of the site is getting closer to being finished, apart from the reviews which I'll just continue to add! My aim is to make it the most comprehensive table tennis resource on the internet!
In the process I've added some new features, such as a search across all our websites, which I think is really useful as it can be very hard to find things sometimes....
A few more updates and new features will continue for the next few weeks, hopefully without too many hick-ups. I've also rewritten quite a few of the guides, fixed up broken links, improved loading speed by reducing files sizes, etc... I'd love to hear any feedback on what people think of it, while I'm still working on the changes and not gone too far with the major changes.
I've also been adding a lot more reviews of other brands, like the very recent Butterfly Tenergy review, Donic JO Coppa Platin Review and Hallmark Phoenix Review. A lot more features and reviews are in the pipeline!
I've still got a few sections to complete, but most of the rest of the site is getting closer to being finished, apart from the reviews which I'll just continue to add! My aim is to make it the most comprehensive table tennis resource on the internet!
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Donic rubber and blade combinations
I have recently spend a fair bit of time building the Donic Online Australia website, which I provide a lot more details about donic products, such as comments, reviews and hi-res pictures.
I've also added a section called Donic Solutions, where I've spent many hours trying to figure out the best Donic blades and rubbers combinations for specific styles.
I've tried to explain the reasons of my combination choices in the descriptions, so that players understand why certain combinations work well together, which can help them make decision for other rubber and blade combinations as well.
I've got a bit more work to do on the site, but it's starting to look quite nice now, and I'm sure it will be useful to some players as well...
Any comments on the site or blade and rubber combinations would be very much appreciated!
I've also added a section called Donic Solutions, where I've spent many hours trying to figure out the best Donic blades and rubbers combinations for specific styles.
I've tried to explain the reasons of my combination choices in the descriptions, so that players understand why certain combinations work well together, which can help them make decision for other rubber and blade combinations as well.
I've got a bit more work to do on the site, but it's starting to look quite nice now, and I'm sure it will be useful to some players as well...
Any comments on the site or blade and rubber combinations would be very much appreciated!
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Donic JO Coppa Platin and Platin Soft - NEW!
Donic has just released 2 new rubbers in their tensor range, the Donic JO Coppa Platin and the Donic JO Coppa Platin Soft.
I have been very impressed with their latest ones, the JO Coppa Gold, the Desto F3 Big Slam and particularly the JO Coppa Silver, bring the best glue effect I've felt to date. These new ones promises even better glue effect an more speed.... Truth or marketing at it's best? Time will tell...
I've got got both these new rubbers on order, and will test them in a few weeks time, and will publish my review here....
I have been very impressed with their latest ones, the JO Coppa Gold, the Desto F3 Big Slam and particularly the JO Coppa Silver, bring the best glue effect I've felt to date. These new ones promises even better glue effect an more speed.... Truth or marketing at it's best? Time will tell...
I've got got both these new rubbers on order, and will test them in a few weeks time, and will publish my review here....
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Donic Desto F3 Big Slam
I had a go with this rubber on a Dawei Navigator blade the other day, wow the glue effect built into this rubber is huge!
The sponge is really soft (around 30degrees I reckon) and the topsheet thin, sensitive and very grippy. It's amazing how little effort it takes to open up with a loop with this rubber, and it's so easy to generate huge spin! I've never come across a rubber where you can generate a medium pace and very spinny loop with such little effort!
I reminds me very much of the Joola Tango, but the glue effect and sound is a LOT higher.
I think it suits a backhand more than a forehand, as it's great for an opening loop or a flick, followed by a powerful forehand. The rubber is not real fast on loops, although it hits really well, coming off fast with a very loud click.
So it suits a more control and spin based game, but combined with a faster and firmer sponged forehand, it can suit a very offensive style game. With a thinner sponge (1.8mm is the thinnest) it would work very well for a chopper, whereas with 2.0 or MAX a more offensive and very spinny game would be appropriate.
Another review and some more details can be found on the Donic Online Australia website
The sponge is really soft (around 30degrees I reckon) and the topsheet thin, sensitive and very grippy. It's amazing how little effort it takes to open up with a loop with this rubber, and it's so easy to generate huge spin! I've never come across a rubber where you can generate a medium pace and very spinny loop with such little effort!
I reminds me very much of the Joola Tango, but the glue effect and sound is a LOT higher.
I think it suits a backhand more than a forehand, as it's great for an opening loop or a flick, followed by a powerful forehand. The rubber is not real fast on loops, although it hits really well, coming off fast with a very loud click.
So it suits a more control and spin based game, but combined with a faster and firmer sponged forehand, it can suit a very offensive style game. With a thinner sponge (1.8mm is the thinnest) it would work very well for a chopper, whereas with 2.0 or MAX a more offensive and very spinny game would be appropriate.
Another review and some more details can be found on the Donic Online Australia website
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
JUIC Leggy vs TSP P-1R
I've finally decided to change over to JUIC Leggy 1.0mm from the TSP P-1r 1.2mm. Although they are similar in many ways and both excellent pips, it's one unique property of the leggy that suits my game particularly well that's helped me decide. The main differences are:
1. The main reason I've changed to Leggy is the remarkable amount of backspin I can generate from a backspin ball. if someone pushes to the LP, you can push back hard with a little flick of the wrist (which I used to be real good at with inverted) and get quite good backspin and it's easy to keep it low.. and if you keep it deep it often forces another push which you can attack, or a weaker loop which you can either attack, or get into you chopping mode. If I push the backspin ball back lightly, it reverses the spin very much like most LPs, so that option is still there.
2. Chopping away from the table both LPs play similar, with the Leggy offering a bit more reversal, but the P-1r more options to manipulate the spin as it seems to have more grip. Control is similar.
The TSP is also more durable, as they just seem to go on forever, whereas I've already lost a pip on my leggy... but this is still secondary to me and performance has to be No 1. I've been using the Leggy for about a month, and I do a lot of blocking against fast loops/hits and DO hit with it myself as well. I find it no less durable than any other pips I've tried, except the TSPs.
1. The main reason I've changed to Leggy is the remarkable amount of backspin I can generate from a backspin ball. if someone pushes to the LP, you can push back hard with a little flick of the wrist (which I used to be real good at with inverted) and get quite good backspin and it's easy to keep it low.. and if you keep it deep it often forces another push which you can attack, or a weaker loop which you can either attack, or get into you chopping mode. If I push the backspin ball back lightly, it reverses the spin very much like most LPs, so that option is still there.
2. Chopping away from the table both LPs play similar, with the Leggy offering a bit more reversal, but the P-1r more options to manipulate the spin as it seems to have more grip. Control is similar.
The TSP is also more durable, as they just seem to go on forever, whereas I've already lost a pip on my leggy... but this is still secondary to me and performance has to be No 1. I've been using the Leggy for about a month, and I do a lot of blocking against fast loops/hits and DO hit with it myself as well. I find it no less durable than any other pips I've tried, except the TSPs.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Changing to thicker sponge long pimple rubber
After having played with TSP P-1r 0.6mm for at least a year, I thought I might give a thicker (1.2mm) sponge a go. One thing I'm hoping for is to be able to generate more backspin on retrun of serves, as this can mean the difference between yuor opponent powerlooping one past you, or a slower spinny loop which is what you want...
I only had one session so far, of more of a social hit, but here some of my impressions:
1. Returning serves: I don't think the control has changed a lot, perhaps a little less, but I did feel I could put more spin on the ball. My returns against deeper and faster balls seemed to generate more floaters, which my opponents had more trouble with than with 0.6mm. Although this is a bonus, i need to work more on variation with this, so that I feel in control of what I'm doing...
2. Chopping: It's a little more sensitive to incoming spin, so as this rubber is already quite sensitive compared to others, it's something to be weary off. A softer touch is the answer. The positive was that I seemed to be ably to keep the ball shorter more easily, with more spin... I consider the 1.2mm quite an improvement, and it's an exceptional for chopping from mid- long distance... Control wise I think it's a little less with 1.2mm...
3. Short game: It's more lively but also feels softer with more grip... I didn't feel I had any less control, and attacking some short balls with a quick flick was a lot easier. passive shots: You simply cannot affort to simply put your bat there and hope for it to go over with this rubber. Since it's uite sensitive to incoming spin, it will grip, and can easily product high nospin balls, whhc good players will put away.
4. Attacking: A great improvement in this area! Attacking backspin became easier, which surprised me a little...the softer feel of the ruber (coz of the thicker sponge) just seemed to give me more feel and control. Counter hitting against topspin is still not that easier, but can produce deadly balls when you get the timing right...and fast too!
5. Generating spin: I could certainly generate more spin with this rubber, and had my opponent put a few into the net off a serve with it, since they still expect no-spin from a LP rubber. This abilty also shines when chopping, as you can really change and manipulate the spin easily, and produce very dangerou an awkward balls.
6. Conclusion: This rubber is not the easiest to control, mainly due to it's sensitivity to spin. , but this same property gives you control over spin, and allows you to manipulate it better. With the right strokes this rubber offers great control, and is one of hte most dangeorus long pimples out there. Going from 0.6mm to 1.2mm just enhances these properties... incorrent or passive strokes will be punished, correct strokes rewarded... I think the thicker sponge enhanced both the short game AND the away from the table chopping game, but you must use active strokes, can't just stick you bat there...
I only had one session so far, of more of a social hit, but here some of my impressions:
1. Returning serves: I don't think the control has changed a lot, perhaps a little less, but I did feel I could put more spin on the ball. My returns against deeper and faster balls seemed to generate more floaters, which my opponents had more trouble with than with 0.6mm. Although this is a bonus, i need to work more on variation with this, so that I feel in control of what I'm doing...
2. Chopping: It's a little more sensitive to incoming spin, so as this rubber is already quite sensitive compared to others, it's something to be weary off. A softer touch is the answer. The positive was that I seemed to be ably to keep the ball shorter more easily, with more spin... I consider the 1.2mm quite an improvement, and it's an exceptional for chopping from mid- long distance... Control wise I think it's a little less with 1.2mm...
3. Short game: It's more lively but also feels softer with more grip... I didn't feel I had any less control, and attacking some short balls with a quick flick was a lot easier. passive shots: You simply cannot affort to simply put your bat there and hope for it to go over with this rubber. Since it's uite sensitive to incoming spin, it will grip, and can easily product high nospin balls, whhc good players will put away.
4. Attacking: A great improvement in this area! Attacking backspin became easier, which surprised me a little...the softer feel of the ruber (coz of the thicker sponge) just seemed to give me more feel and control. Counter hitting against topspin is still not that easier, but can produce deadly balls when you get the timing right...and fast too!
5. Generating spin: I could certainly generate more spin with this rubber, and had my opponent put a few into the net off a serve with it, since they still expect no-spin from a LP rubber. This abilty also shines when chopping, as you can really change and manipulate the spin easily, and produce very dangerou an awkward balls.
6. Conclusion: This rubber is not the easiest to control, mainly due to it's sensitivity to spin. , but this same property gives you control over spin, and allows you to manipulate it better. With the right strokes this rubber offers great control, and is one of hte most dangeorus long pimples out there. Going from 0.6mm to 1.2mm just enhances these properties... incorrent or passive strokes will be punished, correct strokes rewarded... I think the thicker sponge enhanced both the short game AND the away from the table chopping game, but you must use active strokes, can't just stick you bat there...
Friday, December 28, 2007
JUIC Australia website
JUIC is a Japanese company that manufacturers professional table tennis equipment. Having tried a range of their products, I find them of very high quality, and certainly as good as any of the other top Japanese table tennis equipment manufacturers, and they've shown some great innovation for some of their products too!
Because there is so little information on their products, I've put together a little website here:
Because there is so little information on their products, I've put together a little website here:
JUIC Australia online
I've included a range of JUIC blades and JUIC rubber descriptions and reviews, and also further information on some of their unique products, like the Ecolo Expander II.
I thought it would be useful to provide some suggestions on JUIC blade and rubber combinations as well, since it can be hard to choose something suitable out of such a wide range.
JUIC has also just released a range of their Tune-up rubbers, which will be reviewed on this site shortly.
Any feedback on this site, and how I can further improve it would be very much appreciated!
I thought it would be useful to provide some suggestions on JUIC blade and rubber combinations as well, since it can be hard to choose something suitable out of such a wide range.
JUIC has also just released a range of their Tune-up rubbers, which will be reviewed on this site shortly.
Any feedback on this site, and how I can further improve it would be very much appreciated!
Monday, December 03, 2007
Spinmax reviews, tests and FAQs
I'm becoming quite a fan of Spinmax, and use it regularly now. I've done quite a few test and experiments, to determine how well it work, and what the differences are between the original Spinmax Red and the new Spinmax Aqueous.
Instead of writing another article on it, which will probably just get lost and forgotten, I've set up a little website on a subdomain, with descriptions of the products, instructions on how to use it, and a FAQ section for new users or those that may want to try it;
I will continue to do more Spinmax reviews and tests and try it on different rubbers, and will add any further questions to the Spinmax FAQ section. Feel free to ask questions here or within a section of the table tennis forum so that questions (and answers) can be added to the FAQ section.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Is JUIC Ecolo Expander II still worthwhile?
With the introduction of a variety of VOC free speed glue alternatives, some have said that the JUIC Ecolo Expander II (EEII) is no longer a viable option for those looking a little more performance out of their rubber.
I don’t agree and I do think the EEII has it's place, but it can't compete in terms of speed glue effect. It really depends on what you’re looking for and what you expectation are… and the trouble is… most people don’t know…
For those that currently speed glue their rubbers with a few layers, and looking for a VOC free alternative, I would not recommend the EEII, as the effect is simply not strong enough. These people would be better off looking at other VOC free alternatives, like the VOC free glue Falco Tempo Unlimited or sponge treatment liquids like Falco Tempo Booster or Tibhar Clean Tuning, as the effect of these really is very close to several layers of speed glue.
However for those that perhaps use a light layer of speed glue, or have not glued before and are looking for a little extra performance of their rubber, the EEII is a very good option. It stretches the rubber quite a bit, and softens the sponge by a few degrees, and it does have the feel of a lightly glued rubber. Also don’t forget that the effect of EEII is pretty much permanent for the life of the rubber, so you treat it once, and the effect remains for a few months! Not only that, but since the liquid is very thin and spread out so easily, only very little is used per application, so a single bottle may well last you for many years!
I think part of the problem is also that people do not know how to use the EEII properly or do not fully utilize it’s potential. The instructions provided by the manufacturer are quite brief, and there are quite a few variables that that affect the performance. Not only that, but the liquid is very thin, and if you’re not careful it can leak to the topsheet which does not do it any good. However when used properly with a few simple precautions, it’s quite easy to apply, and can be very effective.
Another property of the EEII that is often overlooked is how it can soften and loosen up a sheet, that may otherwise be quite stiff and takes time to wear in. This is most common among a range of Chinese style rubber. A simple EEII treatment will immediately make the sheet more responsive / dynamic. Yet another useful property is that it makes the sheet more reactive to glue… although I don’t know if this applies to VOC free glues. So as a pre-treatment for a rubber you’re going to speed glue, it is not bad option.
So in my opinion the EEII is still a very good product, but simply not for everyone. The cost is low compared to any other type of rubber enhancing products, and a single little bottle is likely to last you for years.
I don’t agree and I do think the EEII has it's place, but it can't compete in terms of speed glue effect. It really depends on what you’re looking for and what you expectation are… and the trouble is… most people don’t know…
For those that currently speed glue their rubbers with a few layers, and looking for a VOC free alternative, I would not recommend the EEII, as the effect is simply not strong enough. These people would be better off looking at other VOC free alternatives, like the VOC free glue Falco Tempo Unlimited or sponge treatment liquids like Falco Tempo Booster or Tibhar Clean Tuning, as the effect of these really is very close to several layers of speed glue.
However for those that perhaps use a light layer of speed glue, or have not glued before and are looking for a little extra performance of their rubber, the EEII is a very good option. It stretches the rubber quite a bit, and softens the sponge by a few degrees, and it does have the feel of a lightly glued rubber. Also don’t forget that the effect of EEII is pretty much permanent for the life of the rubber, so you treat it once, and the effect remains for a few months! Not only that, but since the liquid is very thin and spread out so easily, only very little is used per application, so a single bottle may well last you for many years!
I think part of the problem is also that people do not know how to use the EEII properly or do not fully utilize it’s potential. The instructions provided by the manufacturer are quite brief, and there are quite a few variables that that affect the performance. Not only that, but the liquid is very thin, and if you’re not careful it can leak to the topsheet which does not do it any good. However when used properly with a few simple precautions, it’s quite easy to apply, and can be very effective.
Another property of the EEII that is often overlooked is how it can soften and loosen up a sheet, that may otherwise be quite stiff and takes time to wear in. This is most common among a range of Chinese style rubber. A simple EEII treatment will immediately make the sheet more responsive / dynamic. Yet another useful property is that it makes the sheet more reactive to glue… although I don’t know if this applies to VOC free glues. So as a pre-treatment for a rubber you’re going to speed glue, it is not bad option.
So in my opinion the EEII is still a very good product, but simply not for everyone. The cost is low compared to any other type of rubber enhancing products, and a single little bottle is likely to last you for years.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Update on Falco Booster on Globe 999 National rubber
I wrote earlier about using the Falco Booster on my Globe 999 National rubber, and how I was very impressed with it. Well I've used it for over 2 weeks now, and the effect is still great! I feel it's really helping my game having a glued up rubber that feels the same all the time...
I suspect it will last till the end of 3 weeks, after which I'll remove it and re-apply 1-2 layers of booster to see if I can get the same effect. Less booster is supposed to be required to get the same effect, so hopefully I get right or close to it, so that I can get a consistant effect for life of the rubber....
I will update again after the next application of the booster...
I suspect it will last till the end of 3 weeks, after which I'll remove it and re-apply 1-2 layers of booster to see if I can get the same effect. Less booster is supposed to be required to get the same effect, so hopefully I get right or close to it, so that I can get a consistant effect for life of the rubber....
I will update again after the next application of the booster...
Monday, November 12, 2007
Review JUIC Neo Anti
I tried this rubber last weekend since a friend kindly lend me his bat to try (cheers mate!)
This rubber has a very slippery feel on the surface, but the topsheet is thin and the sponge is very soft. JUIC description of the rubber is given below, and I find this quite accurate:
'Juic Neo Anti kills the spin of your opponent's ball, and with its dead, slow speed gives incredible control. But the elastic surface combined with special sponge gives the added element of tricky spin when the ball is hit hard.'
For chopping the control of this rubber is excellenet, similar to long pips, but it does not allow as much variation as some of the grippier long pips out there. Still I felt I could generate some spin, and it had decent spin reversal.
Close-in it blocks remarkable well against fast loops... it seem to take the pace out of even the hardest loops, and return it real slow, mid-table with no spin. The soft and slow sponge is no doubt the key here...wish they used this sponge on some long pimple rubbers.
Similaryl against slow loops, attacking them with a quick closed-bat action (as I do with long pips) worked very effectively.
Against slower spinny shots or serves, if you make light contact the spin reveral is big and it's very insensitve to incoming spin. Hit a little harder and it grips a bit, and it seems to take a lot of the spin off.
Against no-spin it's very easy to control and keep low. I could attack quite well with, but hitting it to hard does not work, since the real soft sponge just bottoms out, and you're hitting with the wood. You can certainly lift the ball with it if you dig the ball in a little, and attack with a slow mild topspin...
This rubber is far more versatile than the antispin rubbers I've tried before, and gives you a lot more options that just getting the ball back... Although it's not a long pimple rubber, it's properties are a lot like it, much closer than they are to inverted. The real slow sponge is something I look for in long pimple rubbers, but does not seem the common.
This rubber would have to be a real contender for those that are used to slow frictionless rubbers, and are finding it hard to adjust to the much faster and springier grippy long pimples...
For more details see here writeup here: Review JUIC Neo Anti
This rubber has a very slippery feel on the surface, but the topsheet is thin and the sponge is very soft. JUIC description of the rubber is given below, and I find this quite accurate:
'Juic Neo Anti kills the spin of your opponent's ball, and with its dead, slow speed gives incredible control. But the elastic surface combined with special sponge gives the added element of tricky spin when the ball is hit hard.'
For chopping the control of this rubber is excellenet, similar to long pips, but it does not allow as much variation as some of the grippier long pips out there. Still I felt I could generate some spin, and it had decent spin reversal.
Close-in it blocks remarkable well against fast loops... it seem to take the pace out of even the hardest loops, and return it real slow, mid-table with no spin. The soft and slow sponge is no doubt the key here...wish they used this sponge on some long pimple rubbers.
Similaryl against slow loops, attacking them with a quick closed-bat action (as I do with long pips) worked very effectively.
Against slower spinny shots or serves, if you make light contact the spin reveral is big and it's very insensitve to incoming spin. Hit a little harder and it grips a bit, and it seems to take a lot of the spin off.
Against no-spin it's very easy to control and keep low. I could attack quite well with, but hitting it to hard does not work, since the real soft sponge just bottoms out, and you're hitting with the wood. You can certainly lift the ball with it if you dig the ball in a little, and attack with a slow mild topspin...
This rubber is far more versatile than the antispin rubbers I've tried before, and gives you a lot more options that just getting the ball back... Although it's not a long pimple rubber, it's properties are a lot like it, much closer than they are to inverted. The real slow sponge is something I look for in long pimple rubbers, but does not seem the common.
This rubber would have to be a real contender for those that are used to slow frictionless rubbers, and are finding it hard to adjust to the much faster and springier grippy long pimples...
For more details see here writeup here: Review JUIC Neo Anti
Falco Booster on Chinese hard sponged rubbers
My usual Globe 999 Nat (black) was showing signs of wear, so it was time for a new sheet, and I decided I'd give the Falco booster a go on this, and see if it would be a good enough substitude to my Tibhar Rapid Clean Deluxe speed glue, which I won't be able to us as of middle of next year...
I put 3 layers of booster on it over 2 days. The dome was big, basically touching on the ends. After 24h (after the last layer) it still had a decent dome but was coming down, so I glued it down with the Falco Water glue. The dome was still quite strong especially with this firmer sponged rubbers, so it still lifted slightly on the tip but did not lift further... I'll wait a little longer next time...and will take more care putting enough glue on the tip of the blade...
Well the booster softened the sponge heaps, and stretched it at least 5mm in both directions. I was VERY happy with the performance, it felt as good as with the Tibhar RCD. The sponge had softened at least as much with the booster as with the RCD, probably a little more considering it was the 1st gluing. With the RCD it usually softens more after a few gluings, so it will be interesting to see if the booster softens it more as well. Speed and spin wise it felt just as good. I will now see how long it lasts... but I have finally found a good substitude for my Tibhar Rapid Clean Deluxe...
I wrote a detailed review on the Booster here:
Falco Tempo Booster review
I put 3 layers of booster on it over 2 days. The dome was big, basically touching on the ends. After 24h (after the last layer) it still had a decent dome but was coming down, so I glued it down with the Falco Water glue. The dome was still quite strong especially with this firmer sponged rubbers, so it still lifted slightly on the tip but did not lift further... I'll wait a little longer next time...and will take more care putting enough glue on the tip of the blade...
Well the booster softened the sponge heaps, and stretched it at least 5mm in both directions. I was VERY happy with the performance, it felt as good as with the Tibhar RCD. The sponge had softened at least as much with the booster as with the RCD, probably a little more considering it was the 1st gluing. With the RCD it usually softens more after a few gluings, so it will be interesting to see if the booster softens it more as well. Speed and spin wise it felt just as good. I will now see how long it lasts... but I have finally found a good substitude for my Tibhar Rapid Clean Deluxe...
I wrote a detailed review on the Booster here:
Falco Tempo Booster review
Thursday, October 18, 2007
New pimples website - PIPS
With a group of friends we've started a new website dedicated to pimple rubbers and players:
"Pips is a table tennis equipment site set up by a group of like-minded table tennis players that are keen to educate the table tennis community about long pimpled and other pimpled rubbers. We feel these rubbers add great diversity to our game, and it's something that should be embraced, and not frowned upon or dimissed as a 'cheater's rubber'. "
There are already some excellent articles on the website, and more in the pipeline. We will also continue to add more reviews on new and old pimples rubbers. The latest news will also be added shortly.
Please have a look at the site and read through the articles, and any feedback would be very much appreciated! Please be brutally honest, we won't take offense!
If any of you would like to contribute, that would be awesome! We're not just after people with highly technical knowledge or high level players...Contributions like any of the following would be just as great:
It would also help if some of you can promote the site a little... This can bring more people to the site and hopefully will bring more contributors... which is better for everyone! I'd really like this to be a website that is an authority on pimples rubbers, and something that all us pip players can feel part off! Thanks to everyone who's already contributed so far!
Cheers!
"Pips is a table tennis equipment site set up by a group of like-minded table tennis players that are keen to educate the table tennis community about long pimpled and other pimpled rubbers. We feel these rubbers add great diversity to our game, and it's something that should be embraced, and not frowned upon or dimissed as a 'cheater's rubber'. "
There are already some excellent articles on the website, and more in the pipeline. We will also continue to add more reviews on new and old pimples rubbers. The latest news will also be added shortly.
Please have a look at the site and read through the articles, and any feedback would be very much appreciated! Please be brutally honest, we won't take offense!
If any of you would like to contribute, that would be awesome! We're not just after people with highly technical knowledge or high level players...Contributions like any of the following would be just as great:
- Funny pimple stories
- Simply pimple strategies that work for you (just a paragraph can be enough)
- Some pimple history - Finding any graphics / pics for the site
- Anyone with a little website design experience that can make the site look a little better than our current very basic effort.
It would also help if some of you can promote the site a little... This can bring more people to the site and hopefully will bring more contributors... which is better for everyone! I'd really like this to be a website that is an authority on pimples rubbers, and something that all us pip players can feel part off! Thanks to everyone who's already contributed so far!
Cheers!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Review of AVALOX AXV MO 0.5mm long pimples
AVALOX AXV MO 0.5mm
First impressions:
The rubber looks of pretty good quality. The only words on there are AXV, MO and 'made in China'... I'm not sure what the story is between the names Avalox and AVX, but that does nto matter for this review.
The colour of the rubber seems a little orange... I've seen a few rubbers like this, so it does not appear to be an issue.
Pimple size looks close to maximum length... perhaps a touch shorter, but does not look a lot different to 955 or TSP P-1R. Tips are rough and feel quite grippy. the pimple are a little stiff, probably a grade stiffer than the 955 and a fair bit stiffer than the P-1R.
They are spaced out more than both the 955 and TSP though...
I've only had a bried hit with it so far, and found it to be quite nice alround but a little faster than both the 955 and TSP. From the bried hit i had I immediately noticed it's quite good for hitting and blocking, but I'd need to adjust to the speed for chopping...
I'll get onto spin reversal and disturbing effect when I've had another hit with it...a good hit against a looper is what i need...
Part 2:
This rubber plays quite nice alround... and does not feel too different to the Galaxy 955.
For chopping it's faster and offer a little less feel and control, but still very good.
Spin reversal is fairly good too... the stiffer pimples seem to help here. It does offer good control against fast loops as well, which I only found in the 955 before. It is particularly good for hitting though... attacking backspin and hitting through spin seemed particularly easy.
It blocks well, but because it feels a little springy, drop shots are not as easy... It seems not all that sensitive to incoming spin, again the stiffer pips seem to help here...
In summary it's a good all round long pimple rubber, suitable for both chopping and attacking. It's best feature is the control offerred on hits, and it's relatively insensitivity to incoming spin.
I'm planning to have another go with this rubbers... haven't quite figured it all out yet...
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