Longer lasting higher performance rubbers?

Also Tensor rubbers do not last as long as they are made with more tension in the topsheet.  I can't imagine any new generation type rubber lasting 150 hours much less significantly longer without losing very significant performance.  If you can get over 50 hours and still have peak performance you are doing great.  If you want to use a rubber for long periods of time do not get any tensor or new generation rubber as when they do lose their performance they lost it dramatically as they maintain most of the speed but lose much of their spin making it difficult to keep the ball on the table.  I think in your case sticking to regular Mark V would be a much better option. 

Thanks for the suggestion @hungry cow.

@bard romance. I do know if players, at least one of whom is reasonably ranked at 2100, who play with their Mark V rubbers for extended durations. I'm just checking whether there is some rubber with a bit more performance after the chemical effects are gone.

Thanks all.



Edited by richrf - 11/20/2017 at 10:56am

Just one word - Baracuda Or T05 if the price is not a problem. Both are pretty durable, and perform quite well even being worn.

Edited by al_111 - 11/20/2017 at 11:03am

Int terms of performance to lifespan think of them like car tires.  If you want a high performance road gripping tire it wont get nearly as much mileage, and if you want a tire that will last you 75,000 miles it wont have as much grip and performance.  Same basic principle with rubbers.  Especially when it comes to anything tensor, speed glue effect, factory boosted, etc.  But if you are a club player with no tournament ambitions those high performance factors that limit rubber life will probably hurt your game more than help anyways as in general the higher the peak performance of a rubber the harder it is to control, especially in the short game and when under pressure.  I am your average player with a 15,000s tournament rating and play significantly better with Mark V or Hurricane than any of the "high performance" rubbers.

@al_111 Thanks very much for the suggestions. One thing that I do not enjoy about T05 is loss if feeling and control that I experience when it is new. Maybe it will feel better when it is older? I'll try to track some down. Thanks for the Barracuda suggestion. I believe an old friend of mine once recommended it also.

@hungry cow Thanks for your insights. I share your perspective. For my purposes, less equals more as long as I can stay in the point.

BeaverMD wrote: ]But if you really want durability, get a really fast blade and stick some Chinese rubbers on it.  Easy Mark V replacements are LKT Rapid series, AssassinS and DefenderS from ColesTT, Gambler Outlaw, buy my favorites for Mark V or Sriver replacement are Dawei Inspirit or Palio CJ8000 Both sides loop version 36-38 degrees.

Thanks for the suggestions. Older Tenergy may be a reasonable approach since I am trying to find a higher performance Mark V. Thank you for your advice.

Baracuda tends to flake around the edges at 3-4 months for me. I swap mine out every 3 months but keep the other as a backup and it seems to be okay for that. It does lose some spin as the top sheet isnt as grippy but fine for a backup.

I also don't take very good care of my equipment and it's very dry where I live. I just accept the need to change my rubber 4 times a year.

richrf wrote: bard romance wrote: richrf wrote: Thanks for the suggestion @hungry cow. @bard romance. I do know if players, at least one of whom is reasonably ranked at 2100, who play with their Mark V rubbers for extended durations. I'm just checking whether there is some rubber with a bit more performance after the chemical effects are gone. Thanks all. Remember that extreme examples are usually the exception and not the rule. What ZingyDNA said is correct. I don't think these are extreme examples. It is largely a function of style of play. For me, touch and control are fundamental (which I actually lose with boosting), but it would be advantageous to have somewhat more performance than what Mark V can deliver. An older Tenergy may be a reasonable alternative, since the sponge and topsheet are of good quality. Interestingly, I initially thought that Rozena was basically an under-boosted T05, but after some reading, I think it has a lower quality top-sheet.

Sounds like a personal choice but surely not a necessity. 

richrf wrote: @ Bard Romance I actually think the problem is not with my feeling or touch, but that I am playing a sport where it has become somewhat a habit to change equipment every few months. This is what is extreme. Is there any other sport like this? I can't think of one.

Tennis

I don't know if you would consider Karis M a high performance rubber because of its extreme linearity, but the stuff lasts for ever; actually it really doesn't begin to play right until you have about three weeks on it.  Then it just goes and goes and goes.

Baal wrote: I don't know if you would consider Karis M a high performance rubber because of its extreme linearity, but the stuff lasts for ever; actually it really doesn't begin to play right until you have about three weeks on it.  Then it just goes and goes and goes.

Thanks Baal, for reminding me of this possibility. I remember reading one of your reviews describing the long durability of Karis. It probably is made by the same factory as Calibra with updated characteristics. For a good mix of spin, control, and middle distance speed, would you recommend a good 5-ply like Infinity VPS, a 7-ply, or some composite blade? Thanks!

richrf wrote: @ Bard Romance I actually think the problem is not with my feeling or touch, but that I am playing a sport where it has become somewhat a habit to change equipment every few months. This is what is extreme. Is there any other sport like this? I can't think of one.

icontek wrote: bard romance wrote: No rubber is going to last 2-3 years if you play with any regularity and at any level above novice. Rich Dewitt might disagree with you. But he is a special kind of player.

"Everyone has multiple sports jerseys, tennis players use different rackets or similar rackets strung to similar or different tensions with various combinations of strings and natural gut and different balls are used at different tournaments as well. Golf players also change equipment as it suits them."

Pro golfers do not typically change clubs during a season. They are on an endorsement contract. Some try different putters, but not usually woods and irons.

Some amateur golfers do change clubs frequently. Many do not. I have played the same golf clubs for many years.

The big difference between golf and tt is that any motivated golfer can find a pro shop and use a swing analyzer to get objective data. The analyzer will tell you if you hit a new club longer,straighter, higher, lower. You can determine the optimal specs for your swing speed. For the vast majority of amateur golfers, the optimal specs are not remotely close to what pros use.

Same for tennis, if you want to make a change, there are ways to get data. Can you hit serves at 120+ mph, FH at 100+ mph, and BH at 90+ mph? If not, then playing with Federer's exact specs is a terrible idea. Fed added length to his frame last year and said it took him several months to adjust to the change.







Edited by qpskfec - 11/20/2017 at 5:17pm