Choosing Table Tennis Rubbers

Pedja Maric Asked 12 years ago

Hi Jeff and Alois,

I have a question about rubbers. You see, I have Tibhar Samsonov Alpha blade, I got it from a friend. He says it's an excellent blade, I think it is OFF or OFF- rated. I have done some researching, an found on some forum that this racket goes with medium to hard rubbers, no soft or tensions. What does that mean, and what kind of rubber should I use with this paddle. I am more offensive player, but I like certain amount of control in the game, let's say stability when I am forced to defend myself. Can you help me?

Jeff Plumb Answered 12 years ago

Hi Pedja,

I think people spend too much time worrying about what equipment to use and should spend more time thinking about their technique and the game of table tennis in general. I haven't used that blade but it sounds like it is good. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be good with softer rubber or tensor rubbers.

As to what rubber you should use, it really depends on your current ability and what you feel you should be using. There are thousands of good choices out there and I don't keep up with all the different rubbers. We do recommend 3 different rubbers in our store that we know are good. Mark V is an excellent rubber and great for players liking control. If you want something a bit faster, you can try Yasaka Pryde. And if you are after something really fast then give Xiom Vega Pro a go. If you don't have a lot of consistency I wouldn't recommend the Vega Pro as it's important to develop your strokes before moving to something too fast.

What rubbers are you currently using? If you are happy with them, then I see no reason to switch to a different type of rubber. As they wear out, you can replace them with a new pair of the same type.