In the plastic ball era, sticky sets have a new living space. In the past, the sticky sleeve was more often shown in the forehand position. Now, the backhand position also has a sticky sleeve figure, “two-sided crazy” is a good representative. The proportion of Hurricane 3 or Hurricane 8 on the backhand is gradually increasing in the national team. How to make up for the “lost spin”, backhand with sticky sleeve is really a good way. It is also beneficial to strengthen the arc ability and control.
But “sticky” is only one of the conditions, the new era also requires enough “fast”. This is a new requirement to cope with the high-speed era.
If we compare the field of sticky rubbers to a jungle, the DHS Hurricane series is the titan of this jungle.
1.DHS Hurricane 3 Blue Sponge
Hurricane series has been dominating the sticky set market for 20 years. In the national forehand share once reached more than 95%. So far, it is still hard to find a set that can match the overall quality of Hurricane 3, and it is difficult to achieve such a high balance of spin, speed, and power at the same time. In the battle between orange sponges and blue sponges, the blue sponge is more popular among Chinese people, and gradually, the fame of NEO blue sponge is better than others.
Of course, considering the pricing of NEO Blue Sponge National Wild, in fact, the organic version of the Blue Provincial Wild is the best selling in the amateur field, and the cost performance is relatively outstanding. There are also a lot of fans of Orange Sponge’s Provincial Wild and National Wild. Comparatively speaking, the Orange Sponge Hurricane 3 has a natural arcing ability, is less dependent on glue, has lower power requirements, and is easier to master. The blue sponge Hurricane 3 seems a bit meatier if not filled. However, the control is more delicate on the table and the power ceiling is higher. Players with high power levels can consider Blue Sponge.
If you consider the price/performance ratio, then the Pou Mad 3 is the most amazing one. When it comes to a simple entry-level board, people often think: the forehand must be the Pound 3. Although the feel is a bit stiff when it is not filled, after filling it with oil or rubber, it is alive and well. Considering the price point of the Pou Mad 3, it is really worth the money.
The Hurricane 8 is the Hurricane with better elasticity and better penetration; Tianji 3 is the representative of continuous arcing, and Tianji 2 (the blue sponge Tianji 2 came out later) is the one with precise control and more powerful single-board killing power.
So to say, there is a Hurricane / Tianji for you. And their ball quality and forgiveness rate will not let you down. Not only the forehand position but also the backhand position Hurricane 3-50, Tianji 3-60, Hurricane 37 degree soft, Hurricane 8 also continue to bloom.
- Butterfly Dignics 09c
Relying on the years of experience accumulated on the Spring Sponge sponge on the Tenergy series, Butterfly launched the Spring Sponge X sponge on the Dignics series. At the same time, this new cake sponge was combined with a sticky rubber surface to create Dignics 09c, which is currently used by national players in many countries.
The overall style of Dignics 09c is more robust than Tenergy 05, which has a strong spray feel. The rubber surface has a very fine feel, and it is easy to start the downward spin, and the back draw and backhand are also quite high on the table. So the overall style is not particularly brutal. However, because of the high hardness of the rubber, the support is not bad.
Currently, Bo uses D09c on his forehand and backhand, and Lin Gaoyuan’s backhand and Ochalov’s forehand as well. This shows the confidence in this rubber’s lethality. The stickiness is not very strong, but the spin is not bad, and the speed is also very good.
VICTAS Triple Double Extra
This is the new Victas sticky set. Made in China, it has a very strong sticky surface, comparable to Hurricane 3. As a new backhand rubber from Takashi Tanba, Triple Double Extra (TD for short) has a strong arc control and ball holding ability. However, unlike Hurricane 3, TD is close to many top astringent rubbers in terms of speed. It can be said that it is a sticky set that can pull through the opponent by speed. It is a combination of high elasticity, high-density sponge, and high viscous surface.
The popularity of sticky sets in the plastic ball era is a common trend. However, there are some differences between Chinese and foreign brands, such as Hurricane 3, which is driven by spin and speed. While foreign brands, many of them still focus on speed.
The Victas Triple series is divided into TD, TE, and TR according to hardness, which gives different choices for different levels of players, and different types of “sticky” for both forehand and backhand.
4.XIOM China Light
In the Omega 7 series of JIUMAI’s “Smart Buster”, China Light is quite special. It is a sticky set, but it is not as sticky as Tadao 2, but the sponge has inherited the outstanding ball-wrapping feeling of the Omega 7 series. Not only does it rely on the fierce stickiness and frosting to create spin, but it also relies on the warmth of the sponge to gulp. It can be said that there is rarely a sticky jacket that is so good at creating spin. The ball can be eaten very deep, but at the same time it is not hard to penetrate, and it hits out very fast.
In the early years, Jiao Mang came out with the sticky set Vega China, until now, still has many fans. It’s not as fast as Hurricane 3, but it’s faster and has a low power threshold, so it’s very manageable for junior players. Later came out Tadao 2, which is the same as Vega China, with the same sticky surface and small air hole sponge, but with a more flexible style, better elasticity, and a more obvious sense of power amplification. From Vega China to Tadao 2 to China Light, Jumbo has designed suitable internal energy sticky covers for different levels of players.
5.TIHBAR Hybrid K1 Collector’s Edition
Jumbo has gained a lot of fans in the K1 series. It is easy to drive, good on the table, has a good arc, and has strong internal energy. From Red K1, Blue K1, National K1 to the Collector’s Edition Purple K1 and the high-density sponge K2, these sticky sets are loved by amateur players. Relatively speaking, Red K1 is suitable for the backhand because of its softness; the other ones are fine for the forehand. I would recommend the Purple K1, which is not as high as the National K1, but has slightly better power and feel than the Blue K1.
When pulling continuously, the arc feeling is very stable, and the combination of speed and rotation is good in the process of holding. Although it is not the fierce style of Hurricane 3, for many amateurs, the stability, forgiveness, and relatively light style of Purple K1 is a very popular choice.
6.729 Blue Sponge Pentium II
The outstanding performance of the entire 729 Pentium series of counter-rubbers is reminiscent of the “fine combination” (729 rubbers with Ned sponges) that rode the world 20 years ago. The provincial team version of Pentium II was first divided into the orange sponge and blue sponge, similar to Hurricane 3 series. Gradually, the sales of blue sponge Pentium II were better. The internal energy feeling is outstanding in the domestic sticky rubber. The feel is also closer to Hurricane 3, so many people use it as a substitute for the inorganic era. At present, many amateur masters use it.
Pentium II also has a gold version of Pentium. The grip of the rubber surface is stronger, the sponge is relatively hard and solid, only 40 degrees 2.15mm is the parameter. It is not very flexible, so you have to use it with a softer and more flexible base plate. Last year, 729 launched a new version of Pentium: Pentium MAX, which is more flexible than the previous Pentium and has a faster speed, and is easier to play through. It is suitable for both forehand and backhand. When played on the backhand, the light and fast style is comparable to many astringent jackets. It has created a wave of Pentium and was once sold out of stock.
7.JOOLA Golden Tango Power Sponge
This sticky cover from Yura is made of a medium-hole rose cake sponge. So it is very elastic. The skin of the rubber is very thin and the particles are short, so it is surprising to rub the ball up when rubbing thinly; after power is applied, there is a sense of amplification, the arc is elongated and the power is increased. It is very much like Hurricane 3 in both aspects. Golden Tango Power Sponge is a tough sponge, it doesn’t penetrate at once, and the sponge’s kinetic energy is quite strong.
In the new ball era, how to balance the elasticity and hardness of the sponge is a problem. Golden Tango Power Sponge does a good job in this area. It creates a soft, flexible, and transparent feel, but not lacking in support. For a foreign brand that has been producing sticky sets for a long time, Yura has always had an insight.
In addition to the above brands, Galaxy also has outstanding features in the Jupiter and Beidou series of sticky sleeves, and many Korean team players use them as the first choice for their forehand. Donic’s “Tight Grip” V1 and R1 have also received significant praise.