The Butterfly Dignics 09C is a linear rubber that allows a mix of strategies to be utilized. It excels at high impact driving shot types from close to the table and mid-distance, i.e., loop drives, counter drives, pancake-type flicks, and aggressive blocks, while also offering good control in the short game. Players who predominantly execute soft and spinny topspins, will prefer the Tenergy 05 instead. Also, the lack of a strong catapult, means that players must expect to use considerable physical effort when playing far from the table. This is a top-end rubber that will appeal to advanced, expert, and professional players.

The Butterfly Tenergy 05 is a bouncy rubber that excels in topspin-oriented game styles. As a FH rubber, it is best suited as a looping machine from mid-distance but can also easily be used as a FH rubber by modern defenders far from the table. Its characteristics render it particularly useful as a BH rubber, as it facilitates flicks and loops. The soft and bouncy nature of the T05 will render short game, counter-driving, and aggressive blocking a little challenging for some players.

For more details and comparisons between these two rubbers, read the full written review and/or watch the video reviews

The Butterfly Viscaria is an outstanding composite blade and it is clear why it has been used by – and continues to be so popular with – many professional and advanced-level recreational players. It offers a unique blend of dynamic properties on high-impact strokes, absorbing capabilities on passive strokes, extended dwell time providing sufficient clearance over the net on topspin shots, and a crispness that allows the player to feel the ball. The Viscaria is a blade for advanced and professional players employing aggressive strategies. Read the full review here.

The Harimoto ALC is an interesting limba-based 5+2 ply offensive blade that is moderately bouncy, which will suit two-winged loopers of nearly all levels who play from mid-distance and like to produce shots with softer trajectories and greater clearance over the net. Read the full review here.

The DHS Hurricane 301x blade is a great blade for skilled aggressive two-winged loopers, and especially for those using the traditional Chinese set-up, i.e., a tacky slow FH rubber and a springier non-tacky inverted BH rubber, while it is less well-suited for players using short pips. The feeling upon striking the ball is markedly sharper and more carbon-like than with the regular DHS Hurricane 301, which in turn feels far “woodier” and more hollow.

Read the written TT11-syndicated review here.

I am very excited to announce the first exclusive The Pong Professor equipment review, which is on my backhand rubber, i.e., the Spinlord Waran II short pips. I have received many questions about this rubber over the past couple of years. Check out the video or the full written review.

I am very impressed with the recently released Tibhar Bernadette Szocs Signature 1 blade. More than any other 7-ply blade that I have tested, the Szocs 1 strikes the “right” balance between power, subtle stiffness, catapult effect, and dwell time, to allow for powerful and controlled looping, a precise short game, and high consistency when blocking.

Watch the video review that I prepared in connection with the detailed written review for Tabletennis11.com.

The Tibhar Dynamic JC Darko Jorgic is an outstanding 5+2 ply composite blade and my favorite Dyneema-fiber-containing blade from Tibhar. It is definitively a blade that is geared towards advanced-to-professional level aggressive players. It offers the stiffness and solidity of 7-ply all-wood blades that I need for my BH short pip driving/blocking style, yet it has the flexibility that facilitates FH topspins, all while offering excellent control in the short game. This is a blade that can be used from all distances. Get all the details here.

The Tibhar Hybrid K3 is an awesome hybrid rubber. Its grippy and slightly tacky top-sheet ensures a firm contact with the ball, facilitating high throw loops and spinny pushes. Its medium-hard and fast sponge provides the right balance between absorbing capabilities for passive blocking and catapult for lightning-fast counter-drives and smashes. This is a top-end rubber that will appeal to advanced, expert, and professional players, employing an aggressive game strategy and who do not want to commit to using slower and more physically demanding Hurricane 3-like rubbers.

Read the review here.

The Tibhar Dynamic J7 is an excellent addition to Tibhar’s range of all-wood 7-ply blades. It is noticeably slower than the Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition and also slightly slower than the Bernadette Szocs Signature 1. The J7 feels slightly stiffer and linear than the other two. However, these differences are marginal. Of the three, the J7 is probably the least suitable for hard and slow Hurricane-like rubbers, and the most suitable for being paired with faster European and Japanese rubbers. Players with a controlled offensive style, playing closer to the table and enjoying a sharper feel will gravitate towards the J7, whereas more players preferring a bouncier feel will choose the BSS1, while those wanting higher top-end speed and playing a little further out from the table will enjoy the SFPBE.

Read the review here.

Keeping rubbers free of dust and dirt is essential for optimal spin generation and consistency, but did you also know that the topsheet deteriorates through prolonged exposure to air? Rubber protectors and blade boxes can slow down this process, but wouldn't it be great if there was a product that could clean a rubber and revert mild oxidation if it had already occurred? In this video, I cover a couple of "household" approaches towards this end, as well as an inexpensive easy-to-use professional product that I have been using for several years now with outstanding results. The product? Revolution #3 Rubber Cleaner and Rejuvenator. It is very effective at not only cleaning the topsheet, but also bringing life and tackiness back to it. A couple of drops ever so often, wipe dry using your hand, and that's it.