Victas V11 Extra review

Same here. I used to play with Tenergy 64 in the past but the price became a reason to change to something more affordable.

Thanks for your review

I have read somewhere that the idea behind V11 is to be a lighter version off V15 with similar performance.

Weight is something that is always a concern for me, and I'm glad that they released a good rubber that is on the light side.

I had a sheet of V15 some 3 years ago and I also know a coach who uses it on his BH with a layer of Falco Long on a Viscaria but his FH is still T05FX. He used to play in Italy and Austria as a pro about 20 years ago. He had T05FX on both sides but since Butterfly's prices have risen to the levels of an alternate reality he decided to get something good but a lot cheaper.

Maybe some people remember Tibhar's white sponged rubber, 1Q-XD. They launched it around 2013-14 but for an unknown reason they let go of that line of product and they kept pushing the MX-series instead. The 1QXD is very similar to Victas's V15. Funnily enough, Tibhar's ITTF registration number of 1Q is 015. Victas never dealt with MX-type of rubbers and I have a feeling they have reserved for themselves the formula of 1QXD.

So I agree that the V15 is a good rubber but there is nothing to mystify about it. One of my teammates uses it on his FH on a Fang Bo carbon blade. It is controllable, not too springy but spin levels are the same as other German rubbers. I personally prefer MXP over V15E.

V15E vs V11E:

My teammate says he prefers the V15, because it is more direct. The ball does not draw such a high curve over the table and therefore he finds it more suited to his game.

Arc on loops: V11E > V15E

Speed: seems more or less equal but let's say V15 is faster because of the directness

Topsheet stiffness: V15E > V11E

Spin on FH slow loops: V11E > V15E

Spin on FH power loops: more or less equal

Please bear in mind that they cater for different strategies and they require a somewhat different stroke because the V15E is more direct.

It's unclear from your review whether you've tried V>15 before, but everything you're saying about V>11E can be said about its bigger brother as well. I've been using V>15E for many months now (2 years to be exact) and I love it for its crazy spin and linear behavior. 

My 2600-level coach said one time that V15 is right there between a H3 and T05 in terms of spin. 

I was curious whether Victas has come up with something really new this year. I have no way of knowing whether this rubber is any similar to Xiom's Omega VII Pro but the two rubbers' descriptions coincide with regards to the lighter weight and there seem to be some other common points.

I tested it in max and I was a bit afraid that it was going to be a week rubber because its uncut weight was only 62 gramms (171x171). When I held it and shook it it seemed to be more elastic than standard ESN rubbers which added to my reservations. The sponge looks like it is a standard porous white Victas sponge, nothing special here. Unfortunately we only managed to put it on a custom-made ALL blade that is very light and slow so do not regard this test as complete, I will definitely try it on a faster OFF blade in the coming weeks. No tuner was applied onto the rubber.

After just a couple of hits my doubts went away quickly and I was pleasantly surprised by its power. It's hardness is about the same as other ~47 degree rubbers but it works strikingly differently compared to the usual German rubbers.

Some key differences to other ESN rubbers (Donic Bluestorm Z1, Z2; Gewo Nexxus 48, EL Hard 50 and 53; Tibhar MXP; Joola Dynaryz):

- it bites the ball a lot more than any of the above

- in its original state, it is spinnier on loops than any of the above

- loops can have a greater arc than from any of the above

To my mind, ESN rubbers have been alike in the recent years: they achieved speed through a flat trajectory with spin levels not as high as Tenergy 05. With the Victas V11 Extra, there seems to be change, which I welcome. While with most ESN rubbers you had to be a bit more careful not to hit the ball into the white of the net, the challenge is he reverse with the V11E: you have got to pay a little extra attention not to hit long. It is not difficult to do though.

It looks like it is a very enjoyable rubber if you have good looping technique and footwork. I would not recommend it to anyone who cannot handle Bluestorm Z1 or the likes.

Speed: I would say between Donic Bluestorm Z1 and Z2, maybe closer to Z1

Feel: its extreme bite sets it apart from most current ESN rubbers, I think it is more reliable

Short game: perfectly doable

Spin on slow loops: I hazard to say that is slightly spinnier than than the rubbers I listed above

Spin on faster loops: I hazard to say that is slightly spinnier than than the rubbers I listed above

The tradeoff for these  good qualities is that it is a bit slower than a Z1.