Tenergy 25 for close to table, WHY? please explain

i have tried 9 butterfly rubbers so far, including tenergy 05 which i kind of dislike
3 DHS rubbers, 2 792 rubbers, 2 yasakas
also read every possible review/thread on tenergies over the years

recently tried to record myself playing and realized my shots are really slow with spinart

one thing i do not understand is why butterfly recommends tenergy 25 for close to table play
given it has the least spin of the 3 tenergies

if you are not familiar with the 3 tenergies, they all have the same sponge
T25 has biggest pips (bty recommends for close to table) rated highest speed
t05 medium (all round)
t64 smallest (bty recommends for far from table) rated highest spin

bigger pips = more speed and smaller pips = more spin does make sense, what doesn't is why is speed valued more close to table?

i understand t25 may be easier to control pushes to be lower due to less bounce on touch shots
but for close to table play i value flicks and initiating first loop above all else

and t25 having a high speed/spin ratio does it make opening shots more difficult to land?
wouldn't t64 be a better choice to initiate attacks?

i am getting older and it's not a good idea to win points on far to table rallies, just a few backhand with placement and a forehand finish if i get it right is ideal

blocking is also an important part for me, i understand t25 is probably best for blocking close to table out of the 3

please explain why bigger pips is better for close to table besides service return, pushes, and blocking, does it help with flick and opening loops as well? thank you so much for your time guys

even if you never played with tenergy family, theoretical speculations are also welcomed


Edited by strikewzen - 01/01/2012 at 11:13am

I have played with 05, 05FX, 25 and 64. I cannot make a scientific explanation why bigger pips work better for close to table, but my conclusion is 25 works best among those. You can hit harder with 25 and land more shots. This maybe because of lower throw, I don't know, but this is how I feel. 

many people don't agree with butterfly ratings. For close to table, I like Tenergy 64 for the backhand and Tenergy 05 for the forehand. Tenergy 25 is a little better at service return, but doesn't shine in other areas like 05 and 64

I am not sure this is relevant to your question, but one thing my coach (trained in Bejing) once told me is that speed conquers all. While spin gives greater margin of error, the best way to counter spin (e.g. serve) is via speed. A good loose flick in the wrist coupled with a quick upward movement in your body may generate the speed that you need for your close play. In this case, faster equipment will augment your close in play. 

Edited by richrf - 01/01/2012 at 3:46pm

Attacking short balls at and over the table with a low throw rubber is much easier and that's why it's recommended for that style of game. No one using T05, even the pros are able to play that style of game with 05. With any T05 user you roughly know what to expect even before you get to the table, you could say the same about someone using Hurricane 2 (in the opposite)

strikewzen wrote: one thing i do not understand is why butterfly recommends tenergy 25 for close to table play given it has the least spin of the 3 tenergies

You just answered your question. If you play close to the table, you are committing yourself to winning points based on speed, hence t25 would be a better option. Now, that does not mean that you will not produce spin. You will of course, and the difference in hands of a good player who understand what he is doing to the ball is probably not significant between the rubbers.

Its not a matter of thickness of pips - thicker pips just don't allow the ball to sink into the topsheet too much, so the sponge is more engaged. Its not a trick just some physics and logic.

There is a graph somewhere on butterfly web site that shows what each rubber does best. T25 seems to be better at short game as well, which again is more suitable for close to the table style of play.

I have never used T25 myself but I have used 05 and 64 and I thought that 64 was very good for close to the table.  I am by no means a smasher, I loop mostly.

 From Butterfly :
Speed: T64 > T25 > T05
Spin: T05 >T25 > T64
--------------------------

High throw: T05 > T25,T64
Control: T25 >T05,T64

Thank you -- I got confused when the OP was saying T64 was rated highest in spin, but it is actually the lowest. Here's the ratings from BTY:

25 is spinner than 05, this is true from what i tested as with the specs. it can produce more spin for a short game eg looping backspin but for slightly further away from table the rubber fails. it cannot produce the arc needed for the ball to cross the net at far table.