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The Hype around the Hype around National H3 |
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zeio
Premier Member Joined: 03/25/2010 Status: Offline Points: 10833 |
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Posted: 08/01/2017 at 2:59pm |
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Ever since the recent discussion on knockoff National H3, in which yours truly was regarded as deranged, which in all honesty was an understatement, I've felt a strong urge to start this thread.
Who here feels National H3 is all hype? |
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Viscaria FL - 91g
+ Neo H3 2.15 Blk - 44.5g(55.3g uncut bare) + Hexer HD 2.1 Red - 49.3g(68.5g 〃 〃) = 184.8g |
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rocketman222
Gold Member Joined: 01/06/2007 Location: Walnut Creek,CA Status: Offline Points: 1152 |
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I do not doubt the existence of this mythical rubber, I only doubt how easy it is to get one without getting ripped off, also price is more than tenergy, so not sure.
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Fulanodetal
Gold Member Joined: 06/28/2013 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 1226 |
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Having tried several rubbers on my FH, my personal experience tells me it is not hype. I know anecdotal evidence is NOT data, but I'm not trying to establish a universal truth here. I only found a piece of equipment that Im happy with.
However, it will not be a fit for everyone. It is a demanding sheet. It demands good technique. FdT
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HuLimei
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DreiZ
Platinum Member Joined: 06/01/2009 Location: New York, US Status: Offline Points: 2574 |
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Having tried provincial h3 neo, which has considerable differences from the commercial in terms of quality, i dont doubt national h3 exists...
... but at the prices ive seen it being sold at... its a total rip off.
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Ovtcharov Innerforce ALC 85g
FH/BH: Glayzer 09C 2.1mm USATT: 1725 |
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Hozuki
Super Member Joined: 01/22/2017 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 477 |
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First of all, there is no such thing as the one and only national H3. National implies that it is made specifically for CNT members. So you have to expect that they get custom sponge hardness and top quality top sheets and sponges. NH3 exists as official items for sale though, without a doubt. I even saw them on sale during WTTC Düsseldorf in the DHS/Nittaku Shop. But obviously for regular customers, it is mainly a marketing ploy to make money based on hype. It is very characteristic for China though, that the same strategy is copied by other chinese sellers to advertise 'national' tenergy .
So you need to differentiate a bit here, it's somewhat in between an authentic product and a hype based cash grab. And btw: If you don't act deranged, there is a good chance you won't be called as such. |
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Fulanodetal
Gold Member Joined: 06/28/2013 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 1226 |
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We seem to always fall into pedantic arguments about semantics.
Without knowing how you define "hype" I would argue it is the knock off H3 that is used to take advantage of the so called "hype". The ones I have bought and used, were better than all the other rubbers I did try on my FH. Since I tried for myself I know its not hype. BTW, the sheets last me more than a year. FdT.
Edited by Fulanodetal - 08/01/2017 at 4:37pm |
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tom
Premier Member Joined: 11/18/2013 Location: canada Status: Offline Points: 3016 |
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How much better would the nationals that you tried than provincial (specify if B/S)? It would help if you assign a rating out of 100 on each of the characteristics you would care to compare
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Fulanodetal
Gold Member Joined: 06/28/2013 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 1226 |
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Tom:
If you have tried H3 provincial B/S version, then the national is marginally better, given the difference in cost. I'm not a pro, so perhaps a pro would say there is a big difference between provincial and a national. You will have to try for yourself since I don't do reviews the way some other users do, I'm just not good at it. Compared to the commercial orange sponge ones, it is vastly better!! I have tried the commercial version and had given up on Hurricane 3. Until a friend who was a pro gave me a H3 National to try!! He insisted on me trying it since I had such a bad opinion of the commercial H3. He uses it as well of course. Sorry I can't make a full review. I believe you can find reviews elsewhere. But nothing beats experimenting yourself. FdT
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tom
Premier Member Joined: 11/18/2013 Location: canada Status: Offline Points: 3016 |
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Fulanodetal
Gold Member Joined: 06/28/2013 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 1226 |
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well:
spin : in my estimation commercial (os) H3 would score 4. provincial (bs) would score an 8 and National (bs) would score a 9 out of 10. speed: commercial (os) would be at 4, prov (bs) would be at 8 and Nat (bs) would be at 8 out of 10. I have not tried the orange sponge provincial. I have not seen them actually. Only Blue Sponge Provincial. FdT.
Edited by Fulanodetal - 08/01/2017 at 6:19pm |
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zeio
Premier Member Joined: 03/25/2010 Status: Offline Points: 10833 |
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Very good point. In the same way Frank Schreiner doesn't understand the Chinese market because he is too far away from China, it follows that yours truly doesn't understand the European market for the same reason. Yet, the notion that the name National H3 indicates the set of characteristics the manufacturer intended to achieve in a knockoff is what yours truly can't get his head around, leading to his less-than-graceful demeanor. The very reason behind that was made clear early on:
The National H3 custom-made for CNT is off-limits to the public. The National H3 circulated in limited volume through official channels is likely close, but not the same thing. Same story for the Provincial H3. The mass-market H3 is a different animal. What does this all mean? It means the knockoff National H3 is hardly comparable to the real deal other than looks, which is the only aspect that "the manufacturer" intended to achieve. But I digress. The true intention behind this thread is to prove the hype of the hype of the mythical existence and some more. Are you ready? Edited by zeio - 08/01/2017 at 7:46pm |
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Viscaria FL - 91g
+ Neo H3 2.15 Blk - 44.5g(55.3g uncut bare) + Hexer HD 2.1 Red - 49.3g(68.5g 〃 〃) = 184.8g |
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onehander
Member Joined: 07/17/2015 Location: CA Status: Offline Points: 71 |
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This is in regards to the Hurricane 3 National (non-Neo).
The quality of this rubber is very likely the highest of all rubber out there, not just compared to other Hurricane/Skyline rubber. I can see similarities of the topsheet quality between commercial and provincial, with small imperfections on the topsheet. Provincial typically feels more elastic. National is a completely different quality. It's perfect with no defects, and all the make, model, number fonts are sharp, distinct, and precise. It is made to be boosted, and it is very easy to boost. Once boosted, it's power is linear and as powerful as T05, with a better touch and short game. There is no foul smell like commercial H3. The National team uses the same quality level H3 rubber, but individualized to the players' specific needs like hardness and thickness and tuning level. You can get this white package H3 National for ~$50 - $60, which is less than T05. I have not used the National H3Neo, but I find no reason to with H3 National being so good already.
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danieldangz
Silver Member Joined: 06/10/2013 Location: California Status: Offline Points: 571 |
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Is it Orange sponge or Blue Sponge?
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young dude
Member Joined: 03/28/2017 Location: Midwest US Status: Offline Points: 97 |
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When you say they last a year, is that with monthly boosting too? And how many hours / week do you play? Thank you.
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zeio
Premier Member Joined: 03/25/2010 Status: Offline Points: 10833 |
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The following pictures were first posted on Feb 2, 2017 by th16888, a well-known collector in China.
The EB NCT V shown is one of the two blades LXX used to achieve her Grand Slam. FH rubber is DHS National H3 Custom-made. BH rubber is BTY T64 Custom-made, AKA "SP". LXX prepares two EB NCT V(known as Mark 1 and Mark 2) before a match and picks the one that feels better. The Mark 2 was kept at LXX's parents home in her hometown Anshan. LXX gave it to the OP as a gift after learning of his hobby, on the condition that it not be sold, to serve as a testimony of table tennis history. LXX also gave the OP a set of N68, National H3 and T64. When someone asked about the Carbonado 145 that LXX "used" at Rio, OP replied saying LXX told him that the handle and blade are separate. Stiga gives her 150 blades each time, from which she picks out not more than 5, must be 95g and above. On the T64, though hard to make out due to the compression artifacts, what looks to be the characters "非賣品"(meaning not for sale) with the Butterfly logo and some text below can be seen in the top center. Near the bottom, two lines that look to be "MDSP-トクアツ-2。1mm"(トクアツ => tokuatsu, extra thick) and "----KJ----". On the H3, other than the usual alphanumeric, "李晓霞"(LXX) is laser-printed, followed by the word "Rio". "国 2.10/40"(National) is where they're supposed to be. A cursive "李"(Li) can be seen on the top left corner. It comes with a layer of primer, AKA "打底层". Edited by zeio - 08/01/2017 at 11:50pm |
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Viscaria FL - 91g
+ Neo H3 2.15 Blk - 44.5g(55.3g uncut bare) + Hexer HD 2.1 Red - 49.3g(68.5g 〃 〃) = 184.8g |
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Fulanodetal
Gold Member Joined: 06/28/2013 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 1226 |
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to young dude:
I initially do not boost. after about 10 months of use, IF I feel the rubber starting to lose performance I may add a single layer of booster, and glue the rubber to a secondary blade. I use new a virgin sheet on my main blade. Sometimes I can use the rubber more than a year without boosting. I was practising 5 times a week, now I can only do about 4 times a week. I get training with a coach once a week. I use my secondary blade twice a week, my main blade also twice a week, and especially when training with my coach. Both blades are Butterfly Viscaria. In fact I have 5 plus a TBS, but mostly use two of them. I decided to stop boosting because a couple of the sheets developed bubbles. Also boosting shortens the lifespan of your rubbers. Most sheets never developed any bubbles. FdT Edited by Fulanodetal - 08/01/2017 at 10:42pm |
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al_111
Member Joined: 04/05/2017 Location: Ukraine Status: Offline Points: 55 |
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The National H3 out-of-package clearly has better playing characteristics than commercial, so it's not ALL hype. The matter questioned by those speaking about hype is the proportion in which (1) initially different composition of the topsheet/sponge and (2) factory tuning contribute to that fact, and, in case the latter being of significance, how much Nat H3 is better than properly boosted commercial.
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BeaverMD
Gold Member Joined: 11/09/2007 Location: Maryland, USA Status: Offline Points: 1897 |
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First, I wish to say that I appreciate zeio's contribution in this forum, especially the stuff that needs translation/interpretation from non-English media. I wouldn't characterize him as deranged. As for the question: Who here feels National H3 is all hype? Short answer from me is I do feel it is MOSTLY hype but not ALL hype. Disclaimer: I'm not a Chinese rubber user/expert. Every now and then, one would get my attention and I will buy it and I have done this for years with Friendship, LKT, Haifu, Palio, Globe, of course DHS, and several others. I also have several clubmates who use Chinese rubbers and I have tried their rackets. So for the most part, I can be considered an "outsider" for this question so take my response with a grain of salt. Actually, I've never even tried a National H3 so what do I know (We're talking about non-Neo, right? The one with the white package with red Chinese characters?). But here are my reasons for thinking it's MOSTLY hype: 1. This is only a generalization but users of Chinese rubbers seem to follow what the CNT is using. In the Ma Wenge/Wang Tao era, people wanted to use Avalox and TSP. During KLH/LGL it was Globe 999 and Stiga. And of course, with Ma Lin and WLQ, it was still Globe 999 with speed glue and I guess it transitioned to DHS post-glue ban? I would love to know the story of how DHS scored this gig actually. How much guanxi did DHS have to provide to Cai Zhenhua? :) My guess is if Ma long switched to Brand X, we will then be discussing the National, Provincial, Commercial, Regular, Extra Crispy, Honey Mustard version etc. of that rubber. 2. DHS does not seem to care about all the confusion in the market. Maybe they have official announcements in Chinese media but I'm really disappointed in all of these confusing versions and packagings. To me, they seem to enjoy it when recreational players are discussing these mythical versions. And why not? It's working. But it would be nice if they said "ok, here's what Ma Long uses. It's a special topsheet and the sponge Super Formula DHS 42 degree blue sponge. We will manufacture a limited amount for $100 a sheet. You can only get it from authorized dealers online and physical stores on this list." Or they can say "It is not available to the public because Ma Long uses a super hard sponge and it is not suited for everyone. We have manufactured a version that is softer and easy to use for purchase." Sure, there would still be counterfeits but they are doing something to minimize it. I suppose players tolerate DHS more because it's somewhat cheaper? 3. To me, Chinese rubbers are not optimal without speed glue or tuning. In the speed glue days, I liked 729 Faster (white package with airplane), all LKTs, and Cream MRS. The only rubbers I was able to play without speed glue/tuning were TG3 Neo, 729-2 Sensor, and BW2 (already factory tuned) on a OFF+ blade. So if you need to tune H3 National, what's the point? Or even all the other versions of H3 Neo and non-Neo for that matter, if you will tune it anyway, what's the point? Why not save money and buy 729-5 or LKT Rapid Speed or SST Pro Team or Air Scirocco and tune it? See number 1. So for these reasons, I think DHS promotes the marketing hype. Again, I wish to emphasize that I am not a Chinese rubber user/expert. Let the flaming begin LOL! |
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berndt_mann
Gold Member Joined: 02/02/2015 Location: Tucson, Arizona Status: Offline Points: 1719 |
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I would not characterize zeio as deranged. A bit eccentric, perhaps, but isn't everybody who plays table tennis competitively?
Besides, his command of Chinese, English and Japanese is pretty damn good, from the standpoint of one whose English isn't bad, whose Mandarin is deteriorating, and whose Japanese is limited to konichi wa, komban wa, and hakko no naka ni nani aramas ka (I would not bet that I got that last phrase right). Disclaimer: I don't know squat about National H3, having been a British Leyland hard rubber man from 1997 to 2005. I don't think that there was a National H3 back then.
Edited by berndt_mann - 08/02/2017 at 7:45pm |
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bmann1942
Setup: Mark Bellamy Master Craftsman blade, British Leyland hard rubber |
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Fulanodetal
Gold Member Joined: 06/28/2013 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 1226 |
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"Disclaimer: I don't know squat about National H3, having been a British Leyland hard rubber man from 1997 to 2005. I don't think that there was a National H3 back then."
Just last night I was watching the final between Wang Liqin and Ma Lin back in Shanghai 2005. Still an amazing game!! Yes I believe Wang was in fact using a Hurricane III on his FH. Sponge was a dark blue one. But I cannot confirm. FdT
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berndt_mann
Gold Member Joined: 02/02/2015 Location: Tucson, Arizona Status: Offline Points: 1719 |
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(Fulanodetal) Just last night I was watching the final between Wang Liqin and Ma Lin back in Shanghai 2005. Still an amazing game!! Yes I believe Wang was in fact using a Hurricane III on his FH. Sponge was a dark blue one. But I cannot confirm.
FdT Well whup me upside the head and call me Kong Linghui. This could be true. As anyone who knows his table tennis from a hole in the ground can affirm, the only way to become a champ at this sport, recent past or present, is by using some version of Hurricane. And yes, FdT, I am aware of Poe's Law. That's why I generally don't use emoticons. Also, other than the good old ad hominem, I frequently resort to the ad antiquitatem in my posts. In most cases this argument is considered to be a logical fallacy, but not when referring to what's happened to table tennis.
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bmann1942
Setup: Mark Bellamy Master Craftsman blade, British Leyland hard rubber |
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zeio
Premier Member Joined: 03/25/2010 Status: Offline Points: 10833 |
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Well, I actually don't mind being called deranged, and thought it had a nice ring to it to kickstart the thread. Here is to address some of BeaverMD's questions. DHS came back into the limelight in the late 90s, after Friendship 729 had a run-in. According to DHS: H2 was designed for Wang Liqin and Yan Sen, for the 40mm ball. H3 was designed for Liu Guozheng. TG 2 was designed for Ma Lin. TG 3 was designed for Wang Hao. The G888 is said to be the predecessor of the Hurricane series. The first-ever model to be sold as "套胶"(a combo rubber in which topsheet and sponge are glued already) in China in 1998. There is no doubt DHS is riding on the confusion to drive sales. Confusion creates discussion. Discussion creates buzz. So long as DHS knows and makes it clear Hurricane 3 is the industry-leading model in tacky rubbers, people will keep forking over their money. It won't benefit them to let people know what the CNT play with is different and off-limits to the general public. Butterfly denies the existence of Tenergy SP. This is true of all brands and manufacturers. They want to make you believe you're getting the same thing. DHS does make an effort in curbing counterfeits. A report was posted by an official staff on Tieba in early 2017. On the DHS official site, there is a list of official brick-and-mortar resellers, some of which also host an online store. It's a never-ending battle. Knockoffs in the making On the issue of tuning National H3, it is believed National H3 takes booster better than the lower tiers. If people feel the need of getting National H3, they are likely much more serious than most about quality and performance. The very reason behind tuning is for better performance, right? In much the same way, if people are serious enough that they need to use Tenergy, it wouldn't make sense for them to use Tear Mender to stick it on, right? 8/15: Fixed image. Edited by zeio - 08/15/2017 at 3:19pm |
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Viscaria FL - 91g
+ Neo H3 2.15 Blk - 44.5g(55.3g uncut bare) + Hexer HD 2.1 Red - 49.3g(68.5g 〃 〃) = 184.8g |
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AndiHL
Member Joined: 05/23/2017 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 38 |
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Don't want to create a new thread although I have a question concerning the provincial version:
Are there real differences towards the commercial versions? Or in other words: If an unboosted NEO H3 has the following points control: 10 speed: 10 spin: 10 What would be the points for untuned NEO H3 provincial?
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ThePongProfessor
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I will be testing a H3 Neo National from Tabletennis11.com shortly and I am very excited.
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zeio
Premier Member Joined: 03/25/2010 Status: Offline Points: 10833 |
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10+ for all, if you insist. Meant to write something on this, but got held up by something else. Here is a picture comparison of the sponge at 540x by magazine Ping Pang: Click to enlarge There is also difference in the topsheet. Edited by zeio - 08/15/2017 at 3:48pm |
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Viscaria FL - 91g
+ Neo H3 2.15 Blk - 44.5g(55.3g uncut bare) + Hexer HD 2.1 Red - 49.3g(68.5g 〃 〃) = 184.8g |
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jk92
Super Member Joined: 09/29/2015 Location: Toronto Status: Offline Points: 389 |
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What are the findings, in summary? Im not sure what to make of the magnified sponge photos
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Timo Boll CAF Penhold
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zeio
Premier Member Joined: 03/25/2010 Status: Offline Points: 10833 |
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They look at impurities and foaming(pore size) in the sponge. National and Provincial have way less and are much more even than Commercial.
National is said to go through 8 rolls during rubber mixing. Provincial is said to be 4 rolls. |
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Viscaria FL - 91g
+ Neo H3 2.15 Blk - 44.5g(55.3g uncut bare) + Hexer HD 2.1 Red - 49.3g(68.5g 〃 〃) = 184.8g |
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cole_ely
Premier Member Joined: 03/16/2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 6898 |
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Here are some questions nobody's been able to answer:
1. If dhs has this magical formula that's much better, why don't they push it to every tom/dick/harry like tenergy does? Why would you limit it to odd Asian distributors and such but not to an authorized distributor like Zeropong? Tom has told me many times they claim they make no such thing. 2. Surely they do make rubber for the national team...would regular players like it? Would real NT rubber come tuned or would each member have his own tuning preferences? If the rubber was really for the NT, why would it come in individual commercial packages? yes they're fake, and yes they're better (to the common player) than the dhs stuff
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Wavestone St with Illumina 1.9r, defender1.7b
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penholderxxx
Super Member Joined: 09/19/2016 Location: Asia Status: Offline Points: 451 |
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I do not know if they are fakes ( and that the retailers are aware of it if they are fakes ) but the dhs h3
( neo and non neo ) national and provincial; in blue and 'yellow' are readily available in malaysia. Price can be about 5.5 times the ' commercial ' variety. Even more expensive than your top range tenergy ! penholderxxx
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Iloveplayingtabletennis
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