Gambler mech-tek predator rubber?
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Topic: Gambler mech-tek predator rubber?
Posted By: richrf
Subject: Gambler mech-tek predator rubber?
Date Posted: 05/06/2018 at 8:32am
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Hi, I'm playing at a local University and sometimes I'm asked for recommendations for more inexpensive rubbers and blades. Anyone have any experience with the new Gambler Mech-Tek Predator rubber? Reactivity, grippiness, durability? Thanks. |
Replies:
Posted By: vanjr
Date Posted: 05/06/2018 at 2:16pm
| I now have it on my FH in black. Good grip. Not overly reactive to spin. Not real high rebound. I have not had it long enough for any idea about durability, but it does not look like a fragile topsheet. I also think it is not particularly heavy. I like it. No significant tackiness. It is a good deal at 14 dollars. |
Posted By: richrf
Date Posted: 05/06/2018 at 2:40pm
Thanks! Would you say it is closer to a basic Mark V type rubber, or a tuned rubber like a Tensor? Thanks again. |
vanjr wrote:Posted By: JimT
Date Posted: 05/06/2018 at 8:11pm
Almost entire new Gambler line - Zero, Big Gun, Mech-Tek - are relatively medium speed rubbers. I think it's best they are used on harder blades, not on soft ones. Unless you play close to the table and want more control on your fast, powerful shots. ------------- Single Ply Hinoki Club, Founding Member Say "no!" to expensive table tennis equipment. Please... |
Posted By: richrf
Date Posted: 05/06/2018 at 9:07pm
Thanks JimT. Would you then place then inbetween Mark V or Sriver rubber and something like a Karis with linear characteristics and little speed our spin dynamics? |
Posted By: vanjr
Date Posted: 05/06/2018 at 10:16pm
| It is not a tensor, but a definite step beyond sriver/markV. Harder sponge. They are pretty linear. |
Posted By: rocketman222
Date Posted: 05/06/2018 at 10:47pm
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I have it on a test blade with LP on the other side, this is a crazy good rubber, I will go as far as saying that this a super cheap alternative to Andro Rasanter R47.
------------- http://www.bladesbycharlie.com/models/hinokighost" rel="nofollow - BBC Hinoki Ghost http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=74126&title=feedback-rocketman222" rel="nofollow - My Feedback |
Posted By: richrf
Date Posted: 05/06/2018 at 11:54pm
| Thanks everyone. Interesting comments. I may buy a sheet you see if I can recommend it to some of the students next term. I expected to hear that it was a fairly ordinary rubber. If it has some extra dynamics it would be great to have more reviews. Seems like a deal. |
Posted By: cole_ely
Date Posted: 05/07/2018 at 8:23am
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It's pretty good. Call it a cross between focus3 and outlaw but better. Very good qc. ------------- Wavestone St with Illumina 1.9r, defender1.7b Please let me know if I can be of assistance. |
Posted By: piligrim
Date Posted: 05/07/2018 at 8:28am
| only Zeropong sell it? |
Posted By: cole_ely
Date Posted: 05/07/2018 at 9:21am
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It's their brand. Several sell it including me, but it all goes through ZP. ------------- Wavestone St with Illumina 1.9r, defender1.7b Please let me know if I can be of assistance. |
Posted By: cole_ely
Date Posted: 05/07/2018 at 9:23am
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My concern is that the black will be out of stock in a week. That's the typical pattern when a zp rubber gets hot, then how will the second batch be? ------------- Wavestone St with Illumina 1.9r, defender1.7b Please let me know if I can be of assistance. |
Posted By: piligrim
Date Posted: 05/07/2018 at 9:42am
they charge for shipping to Canada more then rubber cost. it does't make sense. how much you charge for shipping to Canada? |
Posted By: richrf
Date Posted: 05/07/2018 at 11:19am
Thanks Cole. How would you characterize the dynamics of the rubber relative to Mark V or a Tensor. Is it tuned or does it need tuning? Thanks! |
Posted By: sadius
Date Posted: 05/07/2018 at 1:29pm
| Mech-tek is faster and lively than Mark 5 and Sriver. More spin, more speed. Medium arc similar to T80. I am using it on BH. Good for push, block and drive. |
Posted By: richrf
Date Posted: 05/07/2018 at 1:59pm
Sounds like a very smart strategy. If indeed the rubber offers more desirable dynamics than Mark V or Sriver at half the cost, it is definitely a good alternative. The only major disadvantage would be replacement if there isn't another run. Anyone know of the cut and/or uncut weight? |
Posted By: Chicobo
Date Posted: 05/07/2018 at 2:51pm
Could you elaborate on this? As someone stated above, Gambler did release 3 rubbers simultaneously - Zero, Big Gun, and Mech-Tek similar to Yinhe. ------------- Stiga Genesis x2 on Nexy Rubicon Galaxy Moon/Air Illumina Alpha on Andro Temper Tech Off- USATT 1620...Learning to play vs long pips |
Posted By: vanjr
Date Posted: 05/07/2018 at 9:05pm
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ZP has been on that 14 dollar price point for a long time. Inflation alone should have added something. Cole is of course right. The key will be how will the second batch play.
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Posted By: cole_ely
Date Posted: 05/09/2018 at 2:10am
I charge actual shipping. They've changed all international shipping so that unless it's documents it has to go as a package. I think that means anything's going to be $15. It's that up to 2 lb. There might be a lower rate for one sheet if it's under 4 grams or rather 4 ounces I should say. To answer another question, I just weighed a Mech Tech Red 2.1 at 62g ------------- Wavestone St with Illumina 1.9r, defender1.7b Please let me know if I can be of assistance. |
Posted By: piligrim
Date Posted: 05/09/2018 at 7:55am
I tried to buy one rubber and got $15 for shipping Sub-Total: $14.00 Zone Rates (Shipping to CA): $15.00 Total: $29.00 |
Posted By: cole_ely
Date Posted: 05/09/2018 at 7:08pm
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From zeropong? ------------- Wavestone St with Illumina 1.9r, defender1.7b Please let me know if I can be of assistance. |
Posted By: piligrim
Date Posted: 05/09/2018 at 7:41pm
yes |
Posted By: vanjr
Date Posted: 05/10/2018 at 7:21am
While I agree those shipping costs are too high (maybe ZP needs a Canadian distributor-what say ye Megaspin and Tom?) if you think that you got a rubber worth 30 dollars (and I think that is a reasonable argument depending on how long it lasts which is still too early to tell) it is still an OK deal. Better deal yet if you combine it with more rubbers or some of the FLC blades or my newest favorite gambler vector hinoki blade. edit-megaspin does sell gambler rubbers. this should be settled quickly with an email/phone call or two.
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Posted By: cole_ely
Date Posted: 05/10/2018 at 4:15pm
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it's going to be 15 no matter where you buy it (outside of canada) I would imagine, because that's the actual cost of shipping ------------- Wavestone St with Illumina 1.9r, defender1.7b Please let me know if I can be of assistance. |
Posted By: piligrim
Date Posted: 05/12/2018 at 4:31pm
for $30 I can get Bluefire with free shipping 
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Posted By: JimT
Date Posted: 05/12/2018 at 10:39pm
Yes, but if some Canadian store/dealer would sell Gambler rubbers, the S&H overhead would be much lower since he/she would buy and ship them in bulk. Are there any decent Canadian TT stores which could be asked to carry Gambler brand? ------------- Single Ply Hinoki Club, Founding Member Say "no!" to expensive table tennis equipment. Please... |
Posted By: cole_ely
Date Posted: 05/13/2018 at 2:48am
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Didn't ppgear sell it when Arthur owned it? ------------- Wavestone St with Illumina 1.9r, defender1.7b Please let me know if I can be of assistance. |
Posted By: JimT
Date Posted: 05/13/2018 at 1:21pm
Never played with Karis. They are certainly a bit slower than, say, Outlaw, or Palio Aeolus (or AK47). I guess you can boost them up to get a better speed but then what's the point, you could do the same with Sriver or Mark V and many others. How about weight of Mech-Tek? Big Gun was pretty heavy. Zero with the lightest sponge (regular) was relatively lighter, but I am not sure about Mech-Tek. ------------- Single Ply Hinoki Club, Founding Member Say "no!" to expensive table tennis equipment. Please... |
Posted By: bbkon
Date Posted: 05/14/2018 at 2:11am
I m thinking if this rubber is spinny and soft to put 2 in a ALL blade and have a light raquet |
Posted By: cole_ely
Date Posted: 05/17/2018 at 4:15pm
The 2.1 is like 62g ------------- Wavestone St with Illumina 1.9r, defender1.7b Please let me know if I can be of assistance. |
Posted By: mizzao
Date Posted: 05/24/2018 at 11:58pm
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I like Mech-Tek. However the latest sheet I got from ZP had http://photos.app.goo.gl/cWUyi7GLat9Khrwt2" rel="nofollow - strange dimples in it after gluing . Note how the surface is not smooth, but there is a shallow "valley": https://photos.app.goo.gl/cWUyi7GLat9Khrwt2 I didn't inspect the rubber carefully before gluing but noticed there were air bubbles between the film and rubber (never saw that before). The ZP people said it was my fault for gluing the rubber wrong and not waiting for the glue to dry before attaching, and that this also happens with Donic Bluefire. However I've glued many sheets of rubber and have never seen this problem. Did I do something wrong or are they pulling my leg?
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Posted By: cole_ely
Date Posted: 05/25/2018 at 10:06am
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I've not seen any of that. ------------- Wavestone St with Illumina 1.9r, defender1.7b Please let me know if I can be of assistance. |
Posted By: 1dennistt
Date Posted: 05/25/2018 at 2:01pm
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I've not seen that either, but I have a very small sample size to judge by. Have you tried to take it off and reglue to see if that helps? ------------- Donic Waldner World Champion 1989 ZLC (Inner), Donic BlueStorm Pro (Red) Max, ????? (Black) 1.8 mm) |
Posted By: cole_ely
Date Posted: 05/25/2018 at 3:09pm
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I notice the plastic cover is crinkled like you put it down once, peeled it up and reset it. Or is that plastic wrinkle at the top part of the overall problem? Hard to see. ------------- Wavestone St with Illumina 1.9r, defender1.7b Please let me know if I can be of assistance. |
Posted By: vanjr
Date Posted: 05/25/2018 at 7:41pm
What did you do to press the rubber? That looks like what I have done when the overlying weight I use to "press" the rubber is slightly irregular. I just repress it with a flat, heavy book and things are fine. I suspect the sheet plays fine.
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Posted By: mizzao
Date Posted: 05/29/2018 at 9:21am
It arrived in the package with large bubbles between the film and the topsheet. Once I glued and pressed it down, those bubbles got compressed into "crinkles". I've never seen such bubbles before, hence why I thought this sheet was problematic.
I pressed it down on a flat marble countertop with the handle hanging over the edge. By "repress" do you mean re-glue? What is the best way to line up a rubber properly with the blade when re-gluing? The rubber plays OK, despite the dimple in the middle. It seems to add some randomness to my shots—not going exactly where I'm aiming, although I'm not sure if that's because of the rubber or because of me :) On the forehand I have Gambler Burst with Thor's Hammer—just a fantastic rubber. I'd describe it as an almost-boosted Hurricane/Skyline that can counterloop. Still has quite a tacky surface, so it can serve spinny and loop over the table. But has so many gears, from a light short push that barely goes over the net to fast long-distance spinny counterloops. For $14 these rubbers are the real deal.
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Posted By: cole_ely
Date Posted: 05/29/2018 at 11:03am
OK, was it sent in a box or in a flat? Maybe it got bent. Packaging looked OK? ------------- Wavestone St with Illumina 1.9r, defender1.7b Please let me know if I can be of assistance. |
Posted By: rocketman222
Date Posted: 05/29/2018 at 4:13pm
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After using this rubber for a few weeks, I can confirm the following observations In 1.7 thickness - Speed - Definitely around that of baracuda and faster than baracuda. Spin - Pretty spinny, not as much as baracuda, but definitely around that of vega pro In 2.1 thickness - Speed - Pretty fast and similar to rasanter r47 Spin - Again like r47 and hard to crack through the topsheet Quirks - This rubber feels too spongey and lacks much feel on 2.1, it requires a higher racket speed than what I can generate, however its an amazing rubber in 1.7 for my level and feels plenty fast and has decent spin. ------------- http://www.bladesbycharlie.com/models/hinokighost" rel="nofollow - BBC Hinoki Ghost http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=74126&title=feedback-rocketman222" rel="nofollow - My Feedback |
Posted By: vanjr
Date Posted: 05/29/2018 at 5:05pm
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I do have a small dent in one of mine that does not affect play. I just did not notice. I have 2.1 and it is clearly harder than elp or T5 both in max. I think it blocks niceky |
Posted By: mizzao
Date Posted: 05/30/2018 at 11:24pm
Sent in a plastic envelope - $1 shipping by ZP for rubber-only orders. Packaging wasn't damaged. They sent out a replacement though which is nice. I'm just playing with a little bit of extra randomness on my BH right now, but will see how the next sheet plays once I'm tired of this one.
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Posted By: 1dennistt
Date Posted: 05/31/2018 at 11:36am
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It is an interesting rubber, I don't think it feels as hard during play as my Donic M2, but the spin and speed are fine, may even be easier to generate spin in some shots. I haven't used it enough to form any firm opinions yet, but I haven't changed my strokes any, and everything just works. It may not be a direct replacement for my M2, but it is close enough to switch back and forth without any real issues. I plan on playing with it more extensively in about a month, when I will have a better opportunity to evaluate it. ------------- Donic Waldner World Champion 1989 ZLC (Inner), Donic BlueStorm Pro (Red) Max, ????? (Black) 1.8 mm) |
Posted By: cole_ely
Date Posted: 05/31/2018 at 12:55pm
All's well that ends well ------------- Wavestone St with Illumina 1.9r, defender1.7b Please let me know if I can be of assistance. |
Posted By: richrf
Date Posted: 05/31/2018 at 3:15pm
| Anyone know of any videos of this rubber on action? |
Posted By: mizzao
Date Posted: 06/02/2018 at 12:26am
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I got tired of the random hitting Mech-Tek on my backhand and glued a new rubber. It (mostly) doesn't have any dimples or pits in it, except a couple small ones near the logo. The sweet spot is nice and flat. This time I tried very hard to spread one thin, very even layer of glue on blade and sponge. Then I pressed it very carefully. Maybe this is just a hard rubber to glue properly, I don't know... Anyone heard of difficulties gluing large pore rubbers like the Bluefire because of the sponge absorbing the glue easily? Maybe that is what is causing the dents once it is pressed...because the sponge is glued together.
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Posted By: WingTT
Date Posted: 06/19/2018 at 3:24pm
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I got a sheet of red 2.1 for my backhand a few days ago. The sponge is just way too hard for me to backhand flick underspin. It just goes into the net. So no go for the backhand. I'll try using it for forehand and see how it works out. |
Posted By: DLC1325
Date Posted: 06/20/2018 at 1:10am
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Just got back from using MechTek Predator on my Donic Zhou Yu Two Cpen (Ebony outers, a lot like Ebenholz V) for RPB. I only bought the rubber to put on another blade I was selling, but thought I'd give it a go. To the touch it feels much softer than MX-S and Skyline 3-60, but it plays very close to S3-60 without being tacky, but very grippy. I can see why it has been compared to R47. It kind of has that Ultra Max feel and has the violent dip at the end of its trajectory. I would say the throw is upper medium, slightly lower than S3-60. 3rd ball RPB looping created heavy spin that my opponents struggled greatly with. Probably not as spinny as MX-S, but plenty of opponent balls went long. Plenty of speed as well, just under ESN levels. Played pretty well on my FH too. I am extremely surprised at MechTek's performance for such low dollars. Win for Gambler. ------------- http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=75309" rel="nofollow - My Feedback |
Posted By: DLC1325
Date Posted: 06/20/2018 at 1:11am
Oh, and RPB flicking was a dream.  ------------- http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=75309" rel="nofollow - My Feedback |
Posted By: vanjr
Date Posted: 06/20/2018 at 7:15am
| Most people could care less, but I have found I can actually chop off the table with pretty good control with mech tek in max sponge on the blades I have it on. Nice to have that ability for an occasional change of pace/surprise. |
Posted By: Tsunami_72
Date Posted: 09/03/2018 at 9:55am
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This rubber is, IMO, very dependent on the blade for characteristics. I tried a sheet of red 2.0mm on my Gambler Fire Dragon Touch (another experimental product testing from the Gambler line that I absolutely LOVE - adequately taking over spot of JOOLA Rossi Emotion) and the trial was a total flop - it felt heavy and dead on this blade. But then I put it on a stiffer blade (Gambler Zebrawood IM8) and it literally came to life. Not very fast, but not disappointingly slow either, generates great spin on serves and pushes, loops and drives feel predictable and stable. For $14 it's absolutely worth a try. ------------- Fire Dragon Touch FH - Rakza 7 Red 2.0mm BY - Rasanter R42 Black 2.0 |
Posted By: mizzao
Date Posted: 01/13/2019 at 12:39am
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I recently saw that Gambler recently released the X3 Diamond with Gearz sponge. This is another mechanical grippy rubber that folks are using on their backhand, but it's so new that I haven't been able to find any information online. How does the X3 Diamond / Gearz compare to Mech-Tek Predator? Faster/slower? Harder/softer?
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