Short Pips Review: SpinLord Waran

[UPDATE] I made a quick edit of me using Waran and performing a variety of strokes at different speeds with it. I included it at the bottom of the review.

Considering there is very little information about these short pips (especially in English), I feel it important that I provide a review for SpinLord Waran.

Waran (German for Monitor Lizard) is a high speed, medium-high spin short pips with a very soft sponge and a very strong speed glue effect. When I say very soft, I don't mean butter soft like Tuttle Beijing 4 (the softest sponge I've ever used) but more along the lines of Spectol 21, maybe a touch softer.

The speed glue effect feeling on this is stronger than on any other short pips I've ever tried. This makes it LOUD. The click on this can be heard from at least 100 yards away. This provides an extremely comfortable feeling and a sense of security on active strokes that I felt was missing on other short pips I've tried; especially the more classic non-speed glue effect ones that would often feel dead and uncertain.

The topsheet has excellent grip. I use short pips on my backhand and for me to play effectively I need at least a medium-low level of spin. Once you go below medium-low spin short pips then you are using medium pips, at least in a practical sense, and I personally have a  strong distaste for how medium pips feel in my hand. I would consider the topsheet of Spectol to have medium-low spin, 802 to have medium spin, Waran to have medium-high spin, 802-40 to have high spin, and Raystorm to have very high spin. The pips have a larger diameter than 802 but is a little less than 802-40 and with a tiny bit more spacing between them. I hope these examples give a sense of what to expect from the topsheet of Waran.

Before I get into how it plays, I can't stress enough that Waran require full commitment on active strokes. It's capable of passive blocking but on active strokes like all forms of attacks, pushes, chops, and active blocks it allows no room for hesitation.

It's important to note that the high speed glue effect/ catapult effect, the arc it can produce (relative to other short pips), and the feeling when hitting can sometimes give the illusion of there being more spin then there is. However, this is where Waran gets interesting. Waran plays like both a short pip and an inverted rubber depending on the situation. During attacks and normal blocks against incoming topspin close to the table, it plays like a short pip in every classic sense of what defines being a short pip rubber. It will have a flat/ lowish spin trajectory, good sinking effect, and the high speed of the rubber tends to amplify these effects. This means that will provide a really deadly ball that's difficult for your opponent so long as you execute your strokes properly and commit to the attack. On the other hand, when your opponent blocks or pops up the ball, basically if they give you any ball with low spin, it plays like an inverted rubber and the stroke that should be used should be more inverted in style as it can generate great spin when you have time to work with ball.

This brings me to the next part, handling underspin. Pushes with Waran are quite spinny. Of course not to the level of a good inverted rubber but it is still capable of heavy underspin especially when you give a strong "chop" sort of push with it. It pushes heavier than the majority of short pips save for 802-40, Raystorm, and such. Flicking with it requires a more closed angle except against extremely heavy backspin. This means it just takes a little getting used to especially compared to most other short pips. Though, after acclimating to it flicks are not too difficult as long as you commit! Are you noticing a pattern?

As I had mentioned earlier, flat driving against topspin is a strong suit of this rubber but I personally found flat driving underspin to be very difficult. Waran favors a more loop-drive approach by adding spin to your drive. This I find it does very well, consistent, and with high power. Against very high underspin it does a great job of providing a relatively spinny opening loop that feels really great to execute.

Blocking... Blocking... Blocking is so... damn... good with Waran. Soft and slow blocks, hard and fast blocks, passive blocks, active blocks, chop blocks. Waran can block them all. Waran has gears in every one of it's characteristics and it allows you to have so much control with what you want to do with the ball. As long as you recognize the incoming spin to at least a somewhat decent level, adjust the racket angle accordingly, and take the ball early, there's no attack that Waran can't block. Just don't be stupid about it.

Chopping is ok. Waran is very fast which can make it difficult to keep on the table but it's still capable of producing really nice chops. Though the thing is that I'm using 2.0mm. It also comes in 1.8mm, 1.5mm and OX. I'm genuinely curious to see how this rubber would play in 1.5mm. I've never tried a speed-glue effect rubber of any kind below 1.8mm and I'm sure the drop to 1.5mm would have a significant impact on how it plays. Also, I'm sure the OX topsheet coupled with a custom sponge could chop very well.

Counterlooping. Yes, I said counterlooping but there's a catch. Counterlooping with Waran, while very much possible, has a miniscule margin for error. What makes it worst though is that even if you do succeed in executing a counterloop, the quality of the ball is worst than any inverted rubber I've tried. I only bring up counterlooping because it's technically better than the majority of short pips where counterlooping is completely non existent especially on the backhand side. I try to take a chop almost any time before I attempt a counterloop with my backhand. Not just with Waran but with any short pips. So relative to inverted rubber I'd give Waran a 2/10 for counterlooping. Though relative to short pips I'd give it 9/10 for counterlooping because short pips are generally terrible at it. Everything is relative.

Lobbing, lifting, and fishing is decent. Again, it's not inverted rubber but the sponge can give it some good pop to make it back to the table. Not much else really to say about it.

Durability seems to be top notch. I've only used it for 2 months but the speed glue effect seems to be the same since day one probably because no tuner was used to achieve it. This sort of reminds me of what Xiom does; combining tension, proper synergy between topsheet and sponge, and modern high quality materials used for construction to achieve a very long lasting, if not permanent speed glue effect. Waran has one of those short pips topsheets that seem to only get better with age. I like letting it get a little chalky from use with new balls but that's just a personal preference. Every indication the rubber is giving me is that it could potentially last years before needing to be changed.

In conclusion, if there is anything that you should take away from my review is that Waran heavily rewards those who respect what this rubber is capable of by committing to strokes. When attacking or chopping, follow through, use your wrist and forearm, engage the rubber! Conversely, being timid during times when you should be active will cause the monitor lizard to turn around and bite you. This is not baby's first short pips. It requires a certain level of maturity to get the best out of this rubber.

I'm going to give these short pips a 9/10. I took off .5 for difficulty in chopping (at least in 2.0mm) and I took off another .5 because it doesn't allow much passivity outside of blocking (though this is something we should all avoid if you intend to increase your level). I love SpinLord Waran, absolutely love it. Not that I wouldn't be interested in trying other short pips given the chance but Waran has become the backhand rubber for me.

I didn't record anything of me using it as I felt no need as our Ukranian friends at TT-Maximum created a mega-test video that I've included below. They also have made a suprising number of videos for SpinLord demonstrating all of their rubbers. Check out both the TT-Maximum channel and the SpinLord channel that I've included links to.

Thank you so much if you're reading this line and made it this far. I hope my review has helped. Please do not hesitate to leave a question or comment regarding this rubber and I will be happy to try and answer it or clarify something.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8mYLZB5Jss

http://youtube.com/watch?v=P0O6t-Cg_IA
SpinLord:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCau2tx-4PEOIqCPkRvr0Ig
TT-Maximum:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Sypachevskii



Edited by GeneralSpecific - 10/26/2015 at 4:00pm

Great review GeneralSpecific. Your review makes me want to buy a couple sheets to try. But before i break out the credit card, i have a couple of questions. I use Stiga Clippa 2.0 on my bh for about a year now and finally started to feel the ball better. My form is 90% down and i can flick, loop drive, block but my consistency is not there yet. Do you think this is a upgrade to my Stiga Clippa or would it hamper me since this is a faster rubber. Thanks for your time and answers. 

GeneralSpecific wrote: 42andbackpains wrote: Great review GeneralSpecific. Your review makes me want to buy a couple sheets to try. But before i break out the credit card, i have a couple of questions. I use Stiga Clippa 2.0 on my bh for about a year now and finally started to feel the ball better. My form is 90% down and i can flick, loop drive, block but my consistency is not there yet. Do you think this is a upgrade to my Stiga Clippa or would it hamper me since this is a faster rubber. Thanks for your time and answers.  Stiga Clippa is one of the do everything, jack of all trade short pips that fit in with 802 and Spectol. I switched from Spectol 21 to Waran and while Spectol and Waran both feel like short pips, they both play and feel very differently. It should be the same case with Clippa. Waran is going to give you more speed at all times, similar spin on flat hits against topspin, and more spin against dead balls and backspin. Waran might be more difficult to use that Clippa but that's because Clippa is especially easy to use like 802 is. Though, and I hope this makes sense, while Clippa will have more control, Waran has a better control to speed ration. The speed of Waran would indicate that it should be much harder to control than it is when compared to rubbers of a similar speed. So yes, you will lose some control but not as much as you might think. So, if you find yourself at times struggling to reach a certain level of speed when you are late to the ball (a problem I found with many pips), Waran is a great choice. If you feel that Clippa isn't giving you enough spin, Waran is a great choice. If Clippa's older sponge feels dead to you and you want a more modern glued feel, Waran is a great choice. If you like how Clippa feels and don't want to lose that feeling, stick with Clippa. If you think the relative increased sensitivity of Waran might cause you too many unforced errors (depending on your level and style), stick with Clippa. Though if I were you, maybe order one sheet instead of buying a stack, play with it for a while and see where that takes you.

GwaiLo wrote: What is a short pip rubber with the most spin?  I want to try some short pips out.

SpinLord Waran's little brother SpinLord Degu is even spinnier of a topsheet with an even softer sponge. There's also Rakza P.O if you want a harder sponge.

If you want a more classic non-speed glue effect short pips with high spin then Raystorm is probably the spinniest. Though like I said, it's a slower, more classic sponge.

GeneralSpecific wrote: 42andbackpains wrote: Great review GeneralSpecific. Your review makes me want to buy a couple sheets to try. But before i break out the credit card, i have a couple of questions. I use Stiga Clippa 2.0 on my bh for about a year now and finally started to feel the ball better. My form is 90% down and i can flick, loop drive, block but my consistency is not there yet. Do you think this is a upgrade to my Stiga Clippa or would it hamper me since this is a faster rubber. Thanks for your time and answers.  Stiga Clippa is one of the do everything, jack of all trade short pips that fit in with 802 and Spectol. I switched from Spectol 21 to Waran and while Spectol and Waran both feel like short pips, they both play and feel very differently. It should be the same case with Clippa. Waran is going to give you more speed at all times, similar spin on flat hits against topspin, and more spin against dead balls and backspin. Waran might be more difficult to use that Clippa but that's because Clippa is especially easy to use like 802 is. Though, and I hope this makes sense, while Clippa will have more control, Waran has a better control to speed ration. The speed of Waran would indicate that it should be much harder to control than it is when compared to rubbers of a similar speed. So yes, you will lose some control but not as much as you might think. So, if you find yourself at times struggling to reach a certain level of speed when you are late to the ball (a problem I found with many pips), Waran is a great choice. If you feel that Clippa isn't giving you enough spin, Waran is a great choice. If Clippa's older sponge feels dead to you and you want a more modern glued feel, Waran is a great choice. If you like how Clippa feels and don't want to lose that feeling, stick with Clippa. If you think the relative increased sensitivity of Waran might cause you too many unforced errors (depending on your level and style), stick with Clippa. Though if I were you, maybe order one sheet instead of buying a stack, play with it for a while and see where that takes you.

Hi general i wonder if this pip will be good for someone who plays with moristo and hexer but i want something like 802 i tried uranus poly and booster ev but its was unstable for me when blocking its odd because i could play with maximum sponge 802 boosted and off + blades.will be waran good for cpen?


Edited by bbkon - 09/29/2015 at 10:53pm

GeneralSpecific wrote: bbkon wrote: Hi general i wonder if this pip will be good for someone who plays with moristo and hexer but i want something like 802 i tried uranus poly and booster ev but its was unstable for me when blocking its odd because i could play with maximum sponge 802 boosted and off + blades.will be waran good for cpen? Hey bbkon. I'm not able to comment on Moristo or any of the Hexer pips as I've never used them. However, disregarding the sponge and speaking strictly on the topsheet, the topsheet seems like it could fit nicely between 802 and 802-40 in terms of how much grip and spin it can generate. Though, 802 and 802-40 are cylindrical while Waran is a bit conical but I'm not sure if that means anything to you. There's no comparison to be made with the sponges. Waran has a very soft, very high quality sponge that has a permanent speed glue effect. Nothing like the garbage sponges Friendship often puts under their pips that are dead and inconsistent. Waran has the potential to be used with Cpen but your question is a little vague in that I don't know what you're looking for. I use shakehand using short pips on my backhand and I'm not someone who ever twiddles my pips to use on the forehand. SpinLord's video that I posted in my review shows that it's capable of being a very strong forehand rubber in the right hands albeit the demonstration was done with shakehand. I don't really play much Cpen but as long as you like a soft sponge, very high speed, medium high spin, and some more sensitivity than 802, it should play just fine. Though many people, myself included, like a firmer sponge on the forehand. I hope that helps.

I m looking something like 802 with tension sponge some spin and control and knuckle efect .most modern sp are like inverted how is rakza po?

GeneralSpecific wrote: Waran has more spin than 802 but less spin than 802-40. Waran is definitely very capable of a knuckle ball. A friend of mine had remarked that my attacks were stranger than when I used Spectol because the extra speed had amplified the short pip effect. So it all depends on the type of stroke you use with Waran. If you are flat hitting through topspin you can lay down some nasty shots but if you top spin dead or underspin balls then you will get a somewhat spinny loop. I had a brief hit with Rakza PO and I do not think you would like it. It is very spinny with a medium hard sponge. If I ever use short pips on the forehand (which I don't plan on) Rakza PO would be a top choice for me because that is what I would look for in a forehand short pips. You seem to want to avoid such high spin short pips so I don't recommend Rakza PO.

GeneralSpecific, which site did you use for your purchase? Thanks

GeneralSpecific wrote: tabletennis11.com

42andbackpains wrote: GeneralSpecific wrote: tabletennis11.com Thanks

Thank general for the info

tuco wrote: Hi General, have your tried any of Dr N's short pips?  how would you compare Waran to Tornado Ultra, Leopard or Killer?

I've never tried a Dr. Neubauer short pip. I briefly tried the Desperado long pips on a friend's blade (I'm not very good at using long pips though). Many of the pips were missing after about 1 or 2 months and I think I've read that Dr.Neubauer short pips also have poor durability in that they wear out quickly or maybe that they slow down after a short period. I forgot what exactly. This has turned me off from the idea of ever purchasing them.

Crazy sound. Like back in the glue days...I would be curious to try them solely for that reason :)

Does this rubber have the weakness of spectol off table ? On fh mainly.
My teammate from college uses spectol. Recently went from 1700 to about 1750-1800 usatt I believe.
Beat him last friday 3-2 set count. About 22 23 games.

I will recommend him this rubber if it can bypass spectols attacking weakness against long balls.

Its hard to explain from the point of view of an inverted only player.

I was asking if its a long ball to his sp fh , can he loop with warran? Because he really struggles with spectol when I give him long balls.
He isnt necesarrily at mid distance. Just that the ball is much further away from the net.

Did that help?

GeneralSpecific wrote: So you mean deep balls. If that is the case then it is more a problem with his technique. I personally can't attack with pips on the forehand but I used Spectol on the backhand before (boosted) and deep balls are not a problem. Even unboosted I can still attack consistently but unboosted classic short pips were slow and didn't have good feeling on attacks for me. You can check out the megatest video of Waran to see if that gives you anymore information because they test it on both forehand and backhand. They even manage to do some counterlooping with it from mid distance on the forehand. They weren't very threatening counterloops, which falls in line with what I wrote about counterlooping with Waran in my review, but they still managed to keep them controlled and consistent.

Hi how s the arc of wRan compared to 802? You claim you can do a lot of variation seems like spinpips. Maybe?