Field Guide: Hurricane 9 Apple Green vs. Hurricane 8-80, the Differences
This installment’s subject: the DHS Hurricane 9 Apple Green (the Dazzling Purple performs the same).
One: Quick Take
- The reform breeze blows everywhere, and the DHS Hurricane 9 arrives in four colors. Blue and pink are positioned for the forehand, green and purple for the backhand. Today’s guide covers the most eye-catching of them, the Apple Green.
- The Hurricane 9 Apple Green is built mainly for control plus speed. As soon as I touched it, I knew the Hurricane 9 Apple Green uses the same number-80 sponge as the Hurricane 8-80: soft, springy, and full of resilience, with a real sense of weight too. Specs are 37 degrees 2.1mm, bare weight with film 72.3g, which is on the heavy side. Priced at around 120 yuan.
Two: Where Do the Hurricane 9 and the Hurricane 8-80 Differ?
Someone will ask: since they both use the number-80 sponge, what’s the difference between the Hurricane 9 and the Hurricane 8-80? The answer is about to be revealed:
- The Hurricane 9 uses a high-tack topsheet, while the Hurricane 8-80’s tackiness isn’t as strong as the Hurricane 9’s. So in actual use, the Hurricane 9’s control is slightly better than the 8-80’s, but its ball release is also a bit more sluggish than the Hurricane 8-80’s.
- To some degree, the Hurricane 8-80’s release is crisper, more like an outer rubber with a touch of tackiness, while the Hurricane 9 is more like a domestic rubber with a high-springiness sponge.
- Overall, if you can accept the colors of the Hurricane 9 series, along with the weight, it’s still worth a try. Personally, I lean a bit more toward the Hurricane 8-80.
PS: Everything in the Mushroom Field Guide is my own subjective impression. Rubbers vary from sheet to sheet, and blade pairing changes things too. Comments and corrections welcome.