OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Hi, I'm new to this forum so please don't shoot And sorry for my English...

My friend has ordered Friction Special and I have to say I wasn't expecting that FS could be really effective in terms of spin reversal. It is red FS with 0.5mm sponge and his blade is Hallmark Aurora. I've tried few shots with it and I was suprised how well it works. My estimation is that it has at least the same spin reversal when blocking close to the table as Scalpel, maybe not as great as Original red or SuperBlock. And it is rather slow rubber...

We've tried to compare these three combos (our aim was blocking close to the table against topspin):
Aurora + red FS 0.5mm
Aurora + red Original OX
Strategy + red Original OX

It is clear that the most effective combo was Strategy + Original:
1. Strategy + Original OX ... 10 points
2. Aurora + Original OX ... 7 points
3. Aurora + FS 0.5mm ... 5-6 points

It would be interesting to see how FS plays on Strategy and in OX version too, but my friend (FS owner) is not disposed for any experiments with his beloved rubber

I hope it makes sense.

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Hallmark Strategy, Hallmark Phoenix 1.0mm, Galaxy Apollo 2.2mm

MUF - love the name. I'm intrigued as to how FS works and also how ITTF are going to ban it if it really does have friction? They can't ban frictionless pips and then go around getting rid of others just because they play like frictionless surely?

I'm getting closer to cracking on this one!

MUF: Welcome to the forum, and thanks for the feedback!

dingwol2: Well they are either frictionless or they are not, they can't be both... the ITTF will only ban rubbers with friction level below a certain level... so it will oly be banned if it is...

Perhaps some of you that bought the rubber can ask if it will be banned... The manufacturers already have the list from the ITTF telling them which rubbers will be banned...

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

Hi,

A friend of mine have Friction Special tested. His comments are posted at
http://def.kondopoga.ru/2007/05/28/prev ... ecial.html

Below briefly in English. Unless otherwise indicated all comparisons are
to Original. Both pips were on 0.5mm Hallmark sponge. Blade was Andro
Explorer.

Hey that's great feedback dusha! Thanks a lot and welcome to the forum!!!

It sound very much like a grippy pimple to me... but with the right amount of marketing, it's a frictionless pip

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

Thanks Dusha. Great info. Explorer is a ver fast blade and IMHO not really a LP blade.

In any case, I just had a try with my FS today (Red OX) and this is my brief take:

(a) Feel-the surface feels grippy and in fact, sticky. I am sure it is treated because when I fold the pips into half so that they touch each other or even when I am gluing my inverted and the pips touch the surface (since they are facing down), the pips showed what appeared to be glue streaks.

When you bounce the pips off your blade, it feels slow-not as slow as SB or Original but certainly slower then convetional grippy LPs.

Tips of the pips feels a little softer than SS but harder than Original Black.

(b) Speed-when put into blade, speed of FS is between Original Red and SS.

(c) Control-control is fairly average. Although it is not very fast, the pips produce more forward momentum than conventional FS. In effect, your shots will carry a bit further and possibly easier to attack. For me, the control on this pip is weaker than Original and SS.

(d) Spin-now I know why Steve has not given it a spin rating. Flips with these are difficult to grip and produces weakish and slowish top spin strokes. When you hit it with sidespin, it lacks the penetration and pace that conventional grippies can produce.

(e) Reversal/Disturbing-for my money, the reversal on FS is weaker then Original Red, Black and even SS. For close to the table, it blocks a little better than most grippies but with less reversal than many f-less. There are fewer wobbles than with most f-less.

(f) Style-I think this is more of an attacking pip than a controlled, heavy reversal one. It is not really suitable for chopping away from the table as I found the lack of control from mid table, either bh lifting/lobbing, to be a bit difficult to control.

(g) Conclusion-I don't think FS plays like a f-less pip (fyi i don't think the speed is similar to inferno-inferno is more f-less with some abilities to spin). But then I also do not think it plays like a conventional Chinese or Japanese LP, so I am a bit confused what would be the sort of players that would be attracted to it. If I want to play grippies, I would play my C8, 755 etc. If I want to play f-less, I prefer my Original Black or SS.

Moreover, I am curious as to how the pip will play overtime once the glue streaks disappear as I imagine it would.

>>It sound very much like a grippy pimple to me... but with the right amount of marketing, it's a frictionless pip

I just got my red ox sheet from paddle palace and my reaction is just the opposite. this is just plain a frictionless sheet with marketing stuff to get those of us worried about the ban to keep buying frictionless(and pay a premium price.)

The rubber feels rock hard when bouncing or hitting a ball. When you drag a ball across it it feels just as slick as superblock but makes more raspy noise. I think the most hallmark did is rough up the surface at a micro level and hope that might pass the ittf's test. I doubt if even ittf is that incompetent.

To my modest 1600 level touch this plays almost identical to superblock and nothing at all like 837 ox.

>> (a) Feel-the surface feels grippy and in fact, sticky. I am sure it is treated because when I fold the pips into half so that they touch each other or even when I am gluing my inverted and the pips touch the surface (since they are facing down), the pips showed what appeared to be glue streaks.

wow, this sounds like an entirely different rubber than the sheet i just unsealed and tried. mine is nothing like grippy or sticky, just very hard frictionless material, a little rougher to my fingers than superblock but has no more resistance when rubbing a ball accross or fingerspinning a ball onto it.

I was the person who posted my experience about the friction level of this rubber decrease rapidly overtime. So, please be patient. Just some good news from Steve Hall , he told me that the friction level of the FS would be ~ 0.3 ( a bit higher than the minimum limit). He will confirm it again and let me know. If it's true , I think it's will be the first option for current frictionless LP player.

That's good to hear! The majority of LP rubbers seem to be between 30-40... with some at almost 50 (probably the Yasaka Phantom 009 and such). So at 30 it will be well clear of the 25, and near to bottom of friction levels... there seems to be quite a few out there between 25-30 already though... so it won't be the only choice.

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

Haggisv, where is your list coming from?

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Custom Re-Impact OFF
Hexer HD 1.9
Hexer Pips 1.9

Member of Anastasia's Fan Club

I've Emailed you the doc I got from the ITTF

_________________
OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

Please send the list to me,too ?

Please note that even the friction coefficient is 30 but regarding to my trial, we can reapply the playing technic that we learn on frictionless LP easily. I think the spin reversal is close to Hallmark Super Special. That why I think it's will be my first choice.

Haggis - you were going to email to me too. Are you able to confirm my beloved Scalpel is for the chop? What pips currently classed as frictionless are due to survive?

It sounds like you guys got sheets that were treated/tackified. Mine shows no sign of that. Is there any chance somebody treated yours between the factory and you?