Do Chinese rubbers have to be boosted?

igorponger wrote: IMPORTANT REMINDER. 1. Given the genuine Tenergy, applying boosters will degrade Spring Sponge dramatically. 2.   Once you apply boosters on fake Tenergy (china-made cheap replicas) the boosting is a benefit. Japan's top-players never boost Tenergy. Never. http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=44843&title=boosting-the-tenergy-sponge

If it's true it more or less proves what I was saying. Boosting just makes the sponge softer, that's it, and there really is no reason you can't make a sponge like that to begin with.

bbkon wrote: igorponger wrote: IMPORTANT REMINDER. 1. Given the genuine Tenergy, applying boosters will degrade Spring Sponge dramatically. 2.   Once you apply boosters on fake Tenergy (china-made cheap replicas) the boosting is a benefit. Japan's top-players never boost Tenergy. Never. http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=44843&title=boosting-the-tenergy-sponge you re wrong japanese do boost

indeed they do

no. it's just not made to last. pros change their rubbers daily.

Fabian1890 wrote: well that's common with the blue sponge and that's one of the reasons why it's not for sale to the public

tom wrote: http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13656&title=bubble-in-my-new-red-donic-f1-rubber my problem looks like the sheet in the Oct 3 2007 picture by "Mafia"  except larger.  I find the rubber dumps more balls into the net than usual.  Do you guys still play with a rubber in such a condition?

Lightzy wrote: No, still doesnt make sense. What's the difference between a boosted sponge and an initially soft sponge?

Hozuki wrote: Better elasticity, more speed and more spin.

Full circle... lol

Lightzy wrote: Better elasticity is exactly the property of a softer sponge relative to a hard one, isn't it? More speed and spin, that doesn't make sense either. It'll have more speed if the sponge is harder, not softer, and then only at a certain range of power on the stroke, while on other strokes a softer sponge will have more speed and spin. Not following this 'critical thinking' at all (?)

You are comparing apples with oranges.
My points refer to the comparison of a harder sponge that was boosted and now is as soft as another initally softer, not boosted sponge. Does it make sense now?

Better elasticity is exactly the property of a softer sponge relative to a hard one, isn't it?

More speed and spin, that doesn't make sense either. It'll have more speed if the sponge is harder, not softer, and then only at a certain range of power on the stroke, while on other strokes a softer sponge will have more speed and spin.

Not following this 'critical thinking' at all (?)

How does it blend the advantage of hard and soft sponge if it makes the hard sponge softer

Lightzy wrote: tom wrote: Lightzy wrote: Short answer: No Long answer: Yes would you want to elaborate on the long answer? It was a joke :) But ok, here's the explanation I heard which makes no sense to me so feel free to correct it: Boosting basically changes the sponge, expanding and thus softening it. Making it a softer more elastic sponge. Chinese forehand rubbers' sponges are traditionally rock hard (h3, h3neo etc). So you boost them to make them softer and more pliant. This makes no sense to me because why not just make a softer sponge

The changed spin/speed ratio is indeed the iffy thing here.
But I think it depends on the type of rubber you boost.

Rubbers that generate spin mainly by sponge sinking method tend to keep their ratio more intact after boosting than rubbers that primarily generate spin by the topsheet, as latter mainly increase much more in speed than in spin. So with tacky chinese rubbers you don't really need to boost if you can hit hard and want to win the point mainly with spin. I see more advantages to boosting the average spongy BH-type rubber.

As for blades, it depends. The advantage in spin generation of wooden blades diminishes compared to a medium flexy 5+2 blade as you increase hitting power. So again it comes down to whether you have enough power or not.

Sure, professionals even boost H3s, but my guess would be that they benefit more from the increased speed to put away shots than from increased consistency from not boosting.

Lightzy wrote: Short answer: No Long answer: Yes

Short answer: No
Long answer: Yes

 The ones that you can buy, yes.

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Edited by tom - 11/07/2017 at 12:01pm