Gewo have been pushing their new Nexxus rubbers hard in the past month - lots of social media activity, pro players posing with packaging, that kind of thing.  I haven't seen a pro actually use them in competition yet, but I'm a fan of Gewo and how they've targeted their products recently so I wanted to give this a bash - Nexxus EL Pro 48 - Black - 2.1mm (Contra have sold out of their initial run of SuperUberMadnessMax unfortunately).

Pictures!  Full-size images are  https://http//s1295.photobucket.com/user/fudgeboy2000/library/TT?sort=3&page=1" rel="nofollow - here .

GNELP48 (can we just use P48 from now on?  Ta.) has a bright yellow sponge (the other sponge hardness Nexxus variants have different colours), is obviously ESN made, has medium sponge porosity, looks well made with no blemishes, has a fairly strong smell of whatever treatment ESN is using these days (not the one from the MX-P or Bluefire days - the less "tangy" one doing the rounds over the last few years).

The rubber stack above shows (top-bottom):

Rasanter R47 Ultramax

Omega VII Pro Max

Aurus Prime Max

P48 2.1

They all use the thin topsheet/thicker sponge concept (but my P48 isn't Max of course).  Looking at the pip geometry, P48 is incredibly close to Aurus Prime.  In fact, try as I might, I just can't see any difference at all.

The big visual difference is the topsheet.  R47 and Prime have the very matte-effect topsheet we've seen on many ESN offerings recently.  O7P has something different - almost a wet effect with a rippled appearance.  And P48 is different again - it's a bit shiny, and reminds me a little of old-school ESN topsheets like Rakza 7, Adidas P7, Baracuda.  Somewhere in the middle of that older look and feel and the newer matte appearance of R47/Prime.  Rubbing the topsheet of P48 with my finger even brings out a classic "squeak" noise at low pressure - just like old times.

Uncut weight is 66g which is pretty average for ESN of this sponge hardness these days (probably a touch heavier than O7P).

Cut, glued onto my regular Gewo Königsklasse Karbon blade with Rev3.

Quick bounce test shows extreme grip.  Really very high.  More than the others in the stack above, which is pretty impressive (Aurus Prime is very high in a basic bounce test, so this is promising).

P48's basic speed is pretty high.  The whole package feels quite tight - perhaps a tiny bit softer than Aurus Prime but harder, more direct and livelier than R47.  Catapult is a touch lower than Prime but shares Prime's property of having its catapult towards the top end of the gears (upper 1/3 range).  So it's precise, direct, easy to use in basic drills but with a bit of a rush at the top end.  Throw feels medium during drives - predictable, a little higher than R47 (or the Hype KR I have on my BH side).

Here's where P48 gets interesting for me, and I wouldn't be surprised if the topsheet is the main influencing factor.  While basic drives have a predictable, medium arc, looping has a profoundly high arc.  The difference is stark and was a bit of a shock.  Spin is very high and it's very easy to pick a ball up with spin from below the table.  With the same strokes (meaning mine, of course), R47 stays stubbornly low, Hype KR stubbornly medium-low, O7P flattens out on harder shots, and Aurus Prime becomes hard to handle (a bit wild).  My FH stoke can be brushy, so this suggests that the topsheet works well on thin (but fast) contacts.

All of this makes P48 one of the best ESN rubbers I've used for opening up against backspin, and the patterns of play which lead up to the opener.  YMMV of course - your stroke may give different results.

I think most of the current ESN crowd have solid short games, and this is no exception.  They tend to not have that immediate, sharp catapult that older rubbers have (MX-P) so they feel pretty inert over the table in comparison to how much power they generate under load.  P48 is good here - again, a bit easier to handle than Aurus Prime but a bit more lively than R47.  Good for aggressive flicks, easy to keep the ball short on pushes, but perhaps a bit meh when trying to add backspin to a short push.

This touches on the spin sensitivity of P48 - it's surprisingly low until you put the topsheet under load.  P48 has a really interesting way of being easy to handle when dealing with incoming spin at lower speeds (service receive, pushing exchanges, basic blocks), but having big spin when opening up and applying good contact speed.  This made it perform incredibly well when playing against defensive players.

This also had some downsides.  During pushing exchanges, I could only get high backspin if I pushed very aggressively, which also resulted in a pretty long ball.  It was the same on service too - harder to keep the ball short with high spin than any of its peers.  Not impossible to adjust, but I feel it would need work in this area for me.

The easiest way to wrap this up is to compare to the other rubbers I used over the last few weeks during my sessions with P48.  If you:

- Like R47 for its rock-solid stability during drives but wished it had a higher arc when attacking or when pushed away from the table.

- Like Aurus Prime but it's a bit too fast/powerful at times.

- Want a pretty fast, high-arc, medium-hard rubber without high spin sensitivity in the passive game.

It's too early to tell anything about durability, so shrinkage and topsheet wear is an unknown at this point.  I really want to try this one out in Max as well - Contra list their restock date as mid-July.

I was looking to switch from R47 to Aurus Prime over the summer to get a bit more looping performance for next season, but as of today I feel that P48 is a better option for me.  It's a really good rubber - well done Gewo.

These are all well-known rubbers.  Never heard of this 05 or 64 you mention...  

There is always a danger when talking about throw - throw is just the way the rubber responds to my strokes, and it may be different for another player.  But still!  IMO:

R47 <= 64 <<< Aurus Prime <= 05 <= P48

R47 and T64 are pretty close for me - I can get a bit more arc out of R47 with a brush loop, but it's splitting hairs.  The other three are noticeably higher and are very close, although 05 carries more spin (and is much more spin sensitive also).

For me, P48 seems to have the highest throw of a non-tacky rubber I've used for a long time (I remember some weird outliers like Bluefire M3 being higher), but beware my individual experience. 

I confused myself with the abbreviations there.  P48.  Now fixed.

I think so.  It isn't the obvious smell on MX-P, but it has the same kind of smell you get with Aurus Prime, the Rasanters and so on.  Hard to say if that's a booster or just part of the manufacturing process.  I'll chime in if I see any shrinkage over the next few weeks.

Hello have you testet the nexxus xt pro 48 too ?(it should be faster and have a lower throw)

or can someone compare the Nexxus EL 48 with the older gewo hype el pro 47,5 or gewo hype 50 xt pro (very good rubber, softer than you think)

Correct!

I started with the Gewo, but I had a really bad league match with the combo where I just couldn't keep the ball on the table.  I moved it to a Nexy Arche which helped a bit, but after another few weeks of using the Nexxus I have to say that I'm putting it to one side.

It has some stand-out properties (the arc and spin on a well-hit loop is quite something), but I've found it too hard to use.  If my timing is slightly off, it seems quite unforgiving for some reason.  Sure, it's fast, but that's not the end of it - I find it hard to maintain the right kind of ball contact.  If I get the contact angle/speed wrong, I find the net or the ball goes long.  In that sense it seems quite demanding, and probably beyond my skill level.

I've started to put some hours into Omega 7 Asia now and while that's just as fast, it seems much more forgiving when I don't get good contact on the ball.  Ultimately, I should just go back to my usual R47 because I play better with it.

This could well be it.  I may have become lazy with my stroke after using softer topsheets for a while.

For players with well-grooved technique, it's going to be a top rubber.

The Nexxus sponge is pretty standard ESN 48 degree, but the topsheet feels pretty stiff and tight, so it gives the impression of being relatively hard when compared to its peers (unlike Omega 7 Pro, which feels much softer for example).

It's trickier to compare directly to Genesis II, being more of a tacky, chinese-made hybrid type.

Our club is Gewo sponsored and we had the opportunity to test all the new Gewo stuff.

I didn't really try much, except the ELP48 and the Hype XT Pro 50 on the new Bence Majoros and Alvaro Robles Blades. I would say the ELP48 is a very good rubber, arc is quite good, high enough even on those fast hard 7plys with low throw. Grips the abs ball really well. It's quite fast, but control is not bad.

The throw is lower than of the Hype XT though, that one has ridiculous high throw and felt a bit softer despite the sponge hardness. The blades btw are both rather uncontrollable for amateurs IMO, especially Bence is super fast and super hard.

Over the last week, I started beating some players that I hadn't beaten in the past. A few people started asking what rubber I was using now. I showed it to them and none of them knew what it was. I haven't seen anyone else around Ho Chi Minh City playing any Gewo rubbers. It just isn't a popular brand here. When they looked at the brand name, I think they just assumed it was just some cheap brand. Their faces kind of looked baffled. lol I asked them if they wanted to give it a try and all of them were very surprised after using it. Everyone wanted to know how much it costs and where they could get it. lol  

nv42 wrote: If durability wasn't a concern, ppl can get confused between the ep48 and mxp, both have strengths and tradefoffs with respect to how they play, but the ep48 wins hands down in terms of durability. Kinda have a hunch that the new hexer grip and pgrip are andros version of the nexxus line.

Not really. Andro's eqiuvalent of Nexxus is Rasanter, i.e. thin topsheet on a thick sponge (max = 2.3 mm). Hexer Grip and Powergríp follows a more traditional line with a regular topsheet and a sponge thickness of max 2.1 mm. Topsheet of Hexer Grip and Powergrip is made of 100% natural rubber, so durability should be very decent...

nv42 wrote: So the hexer line don't have a thin topsheet on a thick sponge? The nexxus topsheet felt similar to the older gen esn rubbers (transparent and grippy) compared to all the new gen opaque /matt topsheets. The gewo hype kr feels like a rasanter equivalent, similar topsheet and playing feel.

See, it is about the concept we are talking about here. How a specific rubber feels or looks like is irrelevant in that context. The concept of thin topsheet/ thick sponge (Andro Rasanter, Donic Bluestorm etc.) vs. "regular" rubbers (Evolution, Tenergy, Hexer etc.)! Thin topsheet relative to the max. sponge thickness I should mention...

The brands decided to counter the speed loss by the plastic ball by increasing the thickness of the sponge, but since a rubber is only allowed to be 4mm thick at maximum, it means that the topsheet has to be thinner...

Andro started this concept with the introduction of Rasanter, Tibhar and Donic followed up with Aurus Prime/Select and Bluestorm respectively. Some time later Joola introduced Rhyzer 48 and 43. And now Gewo introduced their version. All of these rubbers are produced by ESN in Germany and all are marketed by the different brands like Andro, Donic, Gewo etc. as having a thin topsheet and thicker sponge (up to 2.3 mm).

If the new Hexer Grip and Power Grip would be part of that concept, the rubbers would also be available in ultramax (or whatever you wanna call it) of 2.3 mm. But they are only available in 1.7, 1.9 and 2.1 mm, hence they cannot be part of that line of products. And again: it is not important in that context how Hexer Grip/Powergrip or Hype KR feel or look like; it is just a fact that they are not following that kind of (production) concept like Nexxus, Rasanter etc.

You forgot one thing, the mic drop. 

I did not find the appropriate emoticon for that

But seriously, it was not my intention to come off as rude or impatient or anything like that. I just felt it was somewhat important to point out that Hexer Grip and Powergrip are not Andro's equivalent to Gewo's Nexxus line for the reasons I mentioned in my last post.

Nevertheless I'm interested in the Nexxus 48 myself and ordered a sheet form Contra. Will probably get it within the next few days and test it on the Tibhar Akkad as well as the Xiom Feel ZX1, my main blades currently.

No problemo. Good to see, you're not having any hard feelings...I didn' t mean to be rude in any way

Tried for the first time this afternoon (2 hours) the following setup:

Viscaria

FH Nexxus EL PRO 48 2.1mm black (64g uncut)

BH Nexxus EL PRO 43 2.1mm red (62g uncut)

The EL PRO 48 seems to be a great rubber, powerful, very spinny, great control and feeling. It seems to be a keeper. Very easy to lift heavy backspin with it, powerful and confident on counter topspin, blocking very intuitive, a great rubber. To be confirmed in the next weeks anyway. It seems overall better then the Omega 7 Pro and probably better then the R47 too.

The EL PRO 43 on the backhand was a bit of a disappointment, not very spinny, not easy to lift backspin, yes the power is there but the rubber seems to be not very linear and not easy to control. Maybe I have to test it more. Also the red topsheet, being very transparent, reminds me some old days topsheets and not the newest one. For instance both omega 7 Europe and R42 had better topsheets for sure, allowing more spin and being very predictable.

I'll have chances to elaborate more on them. For the price I've paid, the EL PRO 48 is outstanding.

Regarding the shrinking issue, ever since I applied very softly the roller when gluing, I have not had this issue any more, with any rubber.

802 40 never has the same sponge, some 804-40 come with a sponge that cant be boosted

Dear guys, I'm at the third training day with the EL PRO 48 and I can confirm: great rubber! Incredibly easy to lift backspin, great control and power with control. I've ordered another one for next substitution, I'm gonna keep it for the rest of the season.

The EL PRO 43 on the backhand is not that bad but not great either. Good on topspin but not very good at lifting backspin...I'll probably come back to R42 on bh.

Hi,

so generally is xt 48 better than el pro 48?

Could you please compare high throw, block, spin, linearity?

Thank you

If you really meant this:

HarmonicTT wrote: I'm only at 1400-1500 range rating wise

Then, I have this to say:

Good for you that you found something that works!

I tried T05 2.1 both sides on my Apolonia ZLC. The catapault / non-linearity while blocking was way above my playing level (currently at 1925 - 2000 as a standard 2-winged looper). 

I don't know - both seem pretty good to me IMHO. 

The Omega V Europe is more conventional and very powerful & spinny (perhaps the most out of all 45 deg rubbers out there). A 2500 rated well-regarded French forum member here described this as a more powerful T05. 

The Acuda Blue P2 is lower throw (much like T64) and has atleast as much spin as Bluefire M2 / T64 (except with a much better grip) from mid-distance. It has quite low initial catapult. Also, the topsheet is softer / thin and the rubber is very light. Both of these characteristics (low initial catapult, soft / thin topsheet) make this ideal for bouncy blades.

I'm also around the same level. I had the same problem with T05. When playing players at my level or below, it wasn't really a problem. When playing 2100+ level guys, I really noticed this issue. I don't have that problem with T80 in max sponge. 

I must admit, I actually used Omega IV Europe. I'm not sure if V was any better, I didn't try that one. I also didn't care for T64, it didn't suit my style. I tried P2 for about a week and i just couldn't make it work for me. All of my usual practice partners said that my spin with P2 was super low compared to other rubbers I've tried. Maybe it wasn't a good match with my blade? 

So do you play with xiom omega IV euro now?

Don't you considere xiom omega vii euro?

but the price is way too much here!

I'm looking for the closest replacement to T80 and I found El48 to be a match I think, at least on paper!

thank you in advance

I got me a sheet about a month ago. It has some smell but not that of MXP or the Bluefires.

The first three weeks were awesome in terms of attacking play but it somehow died around four weeks of use. During the first 3 weeks it produced shots that are beyond the abilities of MXP but after that there is a significant drop in performance. I will test it for a couple of hours to see if this decrease has stopped.

I agree with Eric on everything he says.

As some stated, the rubber is really fast when you fully engage the sponge. It's kind of Innerforce rubber . OTOH, as a former MXP user, all I can say it's so different. This one has got a harder topsheet and MXP feel softer & bouncier, but they're really different so it's not an upgrade version of anything, just different.

The pros: 

The throw angle when close to the table tends to be really low. The ball flies almost straight with an annoying lows arc like Chinese rubbers. 

The service returns are indeed more accurate that other ESN older classics as MXP/M1...  Because of the harder topsheet which feels quite dead.

Pushes are also easier to control them as well as ball placement in the short game but you must to shake your wrist or chop harder to have a decent amount of spin. In other words, the mechanic spin is lower than top ESN old gen product (once again:  because the harder topsheet).

Topsheet looks durable, or at least i think so.  The grip is great and services have got a fair amount of spin. 

Drawbacks: it's not an easy rubber to use and personally I don't feel that soft as some people were saying. In spite of the thinner topsheet,  It's still a hard rubber for advanced players and it feels harder  than any T05 or regular MXP. It requires a period of adaptation and getting used to the racket angle specially at blocking game which is rather different than older gen rubbers 

The throw angle it describes it's quite flat and most of balls will land on the third zone or will go out of the table so you must be careful with that. It's difficult to land your shots close to the table or even in the middle of the table. Coming from M2 or EL-P, this Nexxus 48EL is noticeably harder and different.

Sometimes i feel the ultramax sponge has a weird behaviour.  At mid power strokes you can feel it might be slow, but when you hit hard then its ridiculous fast or it bottoms out without any apparent reason.

To be honest I struggled  taming it properly with my RW, so I had to switch to something slower like ZLC and even then, it was still quite fast and plenty of power. I don't recommend this to anyone lower than 2300. 

I can't imagine how fast and powerful might be 50° or 53°, imo these rubbers are only for pros.  Some user said that there's no reason to user fiber blades or fast blades with these new gen rubbers....  I'm fully agree with him. These super fast rubbers suit perfectly  slow 5 plys blades ALL+/OFF- speed. There's no justification to go for fibres because they're already fast enough for any amateur.