edit - this isn't made by Daiki?  Well, now I'm super interested.

pushed out by Laxa 7 Soft in January 2018 

Mark - Tenergy 25 user

I've seen and read quite a few Japanese reviews of the rubbers and I think that most people will actually find them very accurate. The Q4 produces amazing amounts of spin, on par with Tenergy 05 or Tibhar MXP. I would like to mention that this isn't the case on all strokes, Q4 doesn't seem to give as much spin on passive strokes. Paired with my Stiga blade, it creates a huge arc that easily clears the net on all active top spin techniques. 

I found short play very easy to control but I do normally use a tacky rubber on my forehand side where I put the Q4. If you aren't used to rubbers that are sensitive to spin, you may not like this one. The under spin I am able to generate close to the table with pushes or chops is decent but I haven't been able to get as much as I do with a tacky rubber. Serving is very easy, it isn't too bouncy to play low and short length serves with plenty of spin. Blocking and smashing with it has been wonderful. 

The biggest negative I found, and other reviews I have seen seem to concur, is that it somewhat difficult to control while countering. I wish I could some clear explanation as to why I found it hard to do with the Q4 but my percentages where without a doubt down by at least 10% during counter topspin rallies, often ending with the ball diving into the net. 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LpzjokyJ-_l0fx7r6EG73nGWqerdl9Pv" rel="nofollow - https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LpzjokyJ-_l0fx7r6EG73nGWqerdl9Pv

I think calling Q5 an equivalent to Tenergy 80 might be inaccurate. From what I have heard it combines all of the spin of Q4 with all of the speed (maybe even more) of Q3.

Tenergy 80 has less spin than 05 and less speed than 64. So it's not really a 1 to 1 comparison. I'll be trying Q5 in a month or two myself to see what's up.

Yet, this official description confirms what I said:

I have just purchased two sheets of Q5 in 2.1mm and have used them for about 5 hours now.

To be honest I am still struggling to get used to them, as they are quite different to anything I have tried recently.

Q5 is a fast rubber. Compared to a brand new sheet of MXP on my friend's Butterfly Amultart, the Q5 on my Nittaku S-CZ was at least as fast, despite the blade being slower and it was faster than the older sheet of Tenergy 05 on my other friend's Garaydia ALC.

This rubber really grabs the ball and can produce an incredible amount of spin when you get it right, but it does seem quite unforgiving if the angle of the blade or your timing is even slightly off.

I am finding it a bit lively in the short game, but no more than other fast rubbers.

I am also having difficulty adjusting to the rubber for blocking, however I am sure with a bit more time I will get used to it.

Lifting backspin I was surprised that a lot of my shots went long - normally, if anything I have the opposite problem. 

At the moment I am more comfortable with this rubber on my backhand, although it is faster and harder than the sort of thing I would normally use, it does seem more of a natural fit for a backhand rubber.

The packet lists the hardness as "47", I assume this is the same scale as ESN rubbers, as I got readings of 47 or 48 degrees with my Shore O durometer, which normally gives results that are very close to the ESN rating. It feels slightly softer in use, much like a lot of rubbers that either have a thinner or softer top sheet, I think in this case the it is more due to the pimple structure and a particularly supple top sheet.

Obviously I need more time with the rubber before coming to any conclusions, but at the moment I am thinking it is probably worth persevering with on my backhand, but possibly not for me on the forehand

I do think this could be an amazing rubber in the right hands, I'm just not sure if it is right for me.

It certainly doesn't lack spin, so it could work for you, but it might be worth waiting for the 1.9mm to be available (since you use 2.0mm in your Rasanter) 

Not that I noticed. Certainly not a strong smell.

While I can't say it smells like any specific booster I'm aware of, Q5 has a very pungent odor for the first 48 hours outside of the package. I would describe it as a cross between beef jerky and burning tires. Overall, not a pleasant scent.

The good news is that by now, I really need to put the rubber right up to my face to detect any smell.

I normally use something a bit softer, but this is not an issue, although I would be interested if they bring out slightly softer sponged versions.

I am also getting on much better with it on my forehand, but I am keen to try the Q4 on this side as I think the pimple structure might be better suited to this. 

Since the Q5 apparently has an improved sponge, I wonder if they will bring out updated versions of Q3 and Q4 so the only difference is the pimple structure.

Generally, it looks like the durability will be pretty good.

Sorry I can't do a direct comparison as I haven't tried R47. 

The nearest thing I have used (briefly) is Joola Rhyzer 48.

I don't know about Q3 or Q4, but if you are coming from another ESN rubber, then I am pretty sure you would not find Q5 easier to use, at least initially.

That said, once you have adjusted, I wouldn't say it is harder to use than any other high end, fast rubber, it is just a little different.

I have tried Q5 on a Nittaku S-CZ and a DHS H301 and thought it was better suited to the H301.

So normally I play with chinese style rubber on my forehand and rozena or Mantra H on my backhand, I actually prefer Rozena due to being more lively. My blade is a Joola Vyzaryz Trinity which I love since it has good speed for slow chinese rubbers has an excellent handle and good control and spin too.

So switching from 729 battle 2 gold and Tibhar K2 to Mizuno Q5 was a pretty big deal. Tibhar K2 is really fast, sticky and has a hard sponge (54deg). 729 Battle 2 has a 40 deg sponge (I would rate it around 50 deg, or maybe even a bit lower on Shore C), with sticky topsheet, but it is slow.

I like chinese and hybrid rubbers because they don't drop the ball on loopkill and they are easy to use for over the table forehand flicks, and of course you can keep the ball low with them if you decide to just push a serve return. (and they are on the light side too)

I am a power player, I loop kill if possible, and push if not possible, occasionally I do a semi-acceptable loop. I don't put too much faith in loops since they can be countered hard and then I have serious issues.

Anyway hybrid rubbers like Tibhar K2 in my opinion are excellent for current game (FH), fast, aggressive, controllable etc etc. And I say this while I really despise ESN manufactured rubbers.

Okay back to topic about the Q5...

I glued it on with 2 generous layers of DHS No 15 glue on the sponge, and 1 layer on the blade. I will start with the detriment... It was 55g cut to the Joola Trinity blade with some edge remaining. That is heavy... Detriments end here unless we count the charcoal smell of the rubber. (not booster, just I guess the manufacturing process makes it like this)

On positive note this rubber is absolutely polite. It is a gentleman, so easy to use. Super good grip and spin, the sponge is perfectly hardened and bounces really efficiently aka fast, it might be actually faster than MX-P, bit it is so polite, it gives you so much holding feeling that you can control everything. I never had the feeling where the rubber is taking over my shot when I didn't need it to, and when I needed the power it just gave it to me. Granted I only have like 150 minutes of playtime in it but I absolutely love it.

Pushes are really low and consistent, I never once pushed up a high ball even after using chinese rubbers before.

I can almost do the same loop kill as with chinese rubbers, maybe I need to pull up a big higher to clear the net. In this aspect I guess it's weaker than K2, but on other aspects it's so much more usable.

Spinny opening loops are far superior to K3 or Battle 2.

Counter loops are fantastic, the grip is great, the ball never slips. Speed is even better, control is fantastic.

I tried one of my teammates T19 and in hindsight I would cry blood if I purchased T19 instead of Q5.

The sponge has so much hold that it would be very suitable for backhand too.

I think with fewer layers of glue, the weight could be reduced to 51-2g. And then it could be a serious contender for both FH and BH, and as far as I understand Q3 should be lighter and even faster.

Honestly if I had 2 T19 on my racket I would burn them for 1 sheet of Q5... It's really so much better.

Super kudos to Mizuno and Sumitomo for designing and manufacturing such an excellent rubber.

If the durability is good (which I read is pretty darn excellent too) the 60 EUR price tag should not scare anyone away. ESN rubbers for 40-60EUR have absolutely no chance to compete. K2 is awesome, especially for 26USD from prott, but I wouldn't even take a glance at it in the shade of Q5 for 60EUR. Tenergy? Dignics? Nope. Rozena? For 33USD??? Difficult choice. For BH I think Rozena is good, but I'd take Q5 any day. I would actually try Q3 which has lower weight.

Sorry for my usual long rant. Hope you found it educational. 

I have switched from H3N 39 (5 years), to Q5 (1.5 years) to T19.

Q5 does not have a very high gear like H3N and it does not have a comfortable mid gear like T19. It plays between MX-P and MX-P 50 with slightly better topsheet grip.

Compared to T19 or D80 for BH:

1. Not enough forward momentum for BH

2. Heavy 50-51g cut to BTY head, compared to 46-47g for T19

3. Too hard feeling

4. Not good for counters, flat hits and passive blocking

For FH:

1. Only complaint is lack of high gear compared to H3N, T05 and D09C

2. A bit too bouncy in short game, less compared to Tenergy but more compared to Dignics 05, 80, or 09C

The durability of the topsheet is quite poor and it loses grip after 80-100 hours of play. Tebergy and Dignics topsheets last a very long time, probably twice as much for Dignics and 1.5 times for Tenergy.

Throw angle is medium high, like Tenergy 80, lower the D09C.

Its a good rubber when you compare the price to ESN latest gen like R53, etc. The quality however is not as good as Dignics series.

 

I honestly don't remember what I wrote previously and I don't even wanna read back to get bias, but here are some of the things I noticed during the past 40+ hours of play.

It is really spin insensitive, blocking with it is really good. It has awesome bit though, so over the table countering is excellent, but racket angle needs to be closed or the ball will go long. It doesn't slip at all.

The hardness is in between T05 and T05 hard. The spin capability is higher than T05 hard, so it is higher by T05 by a pretty significant margin. It has excellent bite too.

D05 feels harder by a lot but the spin capability is only marginally better. In fact D05 feels kinda similar hardness as D09c, or is it my imagination? Spin capability is D05 is really good, D09c doesn't give that huge advantage... I digress, since I tried both D05 and D09c on others racket so take it with some salt.

Actually I feel that with Q5 you can incorporate some chinese style loop kills fairly well but you can do under the table open ups with really good quality. But the serve handling with Q5 is such a joy. It's really easy to use and play with.

Another interesting topic is that it doesn't get dusty. Like H3 or tacky rubbers get dusty just by looking at them. But Q5 is really good in this regard. You don't need to wipe it off like every point. I literally don't even care about it in a set.

So the bad things are... It's heavy, still around 51-2g. Well it's a good thing too since it means it's not boosted. If it was boosted it would get lighter over time like ESN rubbers.

The very edges of the rubber got some splits where there is no wood supporting it. So I guess the rubber sheet is a bit fragile but really only at the parts were there is no wood under it. On the actual play surface there are no such splits, in fact it looks very new.

I may have been a bit harsh on T19 before. I think it is a good upgrade over Rozena. It has similar hardness and more speed, spin is similarish. The touch is very very close.

Q5 is different ballpark tho and I will defend this. Q5 is between the Tenergy series and the Dignics series, and for lower than Tenergy prices it is really fantastic.

So in case you are wondering about buying ESN (andro, Joola, Donic, Xiom, Gewo), Tenergy or Dignics or Mizuno Q series: you should forget about ESN, discard Tenergy, maybe consider Dignics.

I am absolutely torn if I should get Q3 for my backhand as a Rozena upgrade or go with D80 or D64. I haven't tried Q3 nor D64 but it is a really hard choice to make and I really couldn't give a rats ass about the price of each.

Nice little easter egg is that I use the Mizuno logo on the FH side to place my thumb on and during serve it gives me extra pressure on my thumb. That extra grip enables me to make better serves with better spin.

This is really sad, because in 2 months the rubber became kind of useless and it did during a league match actually. It's ok I managed to just ignore it and play well but  occasionally the ball hit the bubbled spot.
And it's a bit weird too since there is no visible bubble like on chinese rubbers, it's just the sound and feeling that changes when you hit that spot. (softer, clickier)  I have to say I did give the rubber absolute hell but I did not expect it to bubble.

If you don't use extreme force in your strokes I think it should be fine, but I am accustomed to H3 and similar chinese rubbers so I can't help it.

Since my Rozena is getting about 350-400 hours of play already I have ordered D64 for BH and since now I have to use a H3N as backup on FH I've ordered D09c for FH. I really whish D09c can take my power on long term. I think for normal players Q5 will be fine for maybe even a year. The rubber has great mechanical grip, just like Rozena, and the sponge has no factory boosting and it kept the same performance in the tested 2 months. It is really a shame it can't handle my power.

I would say that those who like G-1 will like Q5 and may prefer Q5. But Q5 did not strike me as something out of this world - only a slight upgrade to G-1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6giCNMlnj4" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6giCNMlnj4

The sheet I have actually weighed roughly the same as the sheets of Q5 I have had (67g vs ≈68g) and measured the same hardness with my durometer (47° Shore O), however it does feel slightly softer in use.

Initial impressions are positive, it is along similar lines to Q5, but a bit more linear and predictable. I found Q5 pretty durable, so if this genuinely twice as durable, it should last a very long time.

did you like Q Quality?

In a word - Yes

I think it suits faster blades very well, as it a little slower than Q5.

Very easy to use, good potential for spin, not too bouncy.

I intend to try it on my main set up over the summer, assuming the availability improves 

It's a shame about Q5, hopefully they come up with a replacement once the supply chain issues return to normal

Hi Sedis

Could you please compare Q Quality with others famous rubbers? Just to get a better idea how it plays.

And what about durability, was it noticeably more than avarage?

Thank you very much

It's been a while since I used it, but from memory it was more like other Japanese rubbers such as Stiga Mantra. I wouldn't be surprised if the new Mantra Pro Medium is very close to it, but I haven't tried it yet to confirm.

The top sheet is a little more 'matt' in appearance than Q5, but still very grippy. It actually seems to show marks a little more than Q5, however these do not seem to affect performance at all. 

I didn't use it for long enough to test the 'twice as durable as Q5' claim.

At least it probably won't just be a harder spongejob, Mizuno has been really good at tweaking the pimple structure every time they released a new Q series rubber.

I hope it will be like the V>20, grippy, stretchy thick topsheet with small pips. Just Sumitomo made and not ESN.