OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Is short pimple rubber with hard pips better than the one with soft pips?

I think it's all a matter of personal preference and the type of shots you want to play. I definitely think there is a tendency to concentrate too much on sponge hardness when talking about short pips rubbers though without considering the hardness of the pimples themselves which I think have just as much impact on how the "overall rubber" feels and plays.

Personally I don't like hard pimples (unless I'm using my fun hardbat set up) because I don't get much feel from them especially at slow speeds or touch shots and the ball also seems to "drop" off them more when I try to roll the ball but when you hit with them the ball can travel fast and flat and skid through at an opponent which makes it awkward for them to return. That said, I loved 563 for hitting through topspin and loops but found those pips very soft and springy in the short and slow game which made them hard for me to control.

Sorry I can't give a definitive yes or no answer other than to say it's taken me trying 8 or 9 sheets of different short pips rubbers before I found a combination of sponge and rubber which I like the feel of on my blade.

More of preference. Unlike Debater, I happen to like hard (Chinese) pips, because they feel crisp when combined with a soft sponge.

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Viscaria. H2 Neo 2.15. Tenergy 05 1.9.

All these kinds of things are questions of taste. I would say the answer is yes, if you have perfect short pip technique, especially if you play penhold. Otherwise they are really hard to use.

I prefer softer ones like Raystorm.

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Butterfly Viscaria Black tag
2.2 mm Nexy Karis M on FH and BH