Which Colored Inverted Rubber Stands Out Most?
1
The Hurricane 9 is the byword for colored Hurricane. It comes in peach pink, vigor blue, dazzle purple and fruit green. Especially the first two, there is a hint of forcing sentiment for the sake of a new verse. I even feel they do not surpass the regular Hurricane. Apart from the color, they have no reason to exist. The surface friction is so-so. The dazzle purple and fruit green are essentially the colored version of the Hurricane 8-80. Although the Hurricane 8-80 is slow, its friction performance and transparency are decent.
2
The best blue should be the V>22 Double Extra and V>15 Extra. In “Two Ma Talk” we discussed the influence of dye, which can be big or small. But simply put, both blues’ ball-grip is quite good, and flicking with them is fairly smooth. Especially the V22 — its general reputation is good. High error-tolerance, easy ball-grip, high safety lifting underspin, decent spin, and it does not easily catch spin. From the backhand-rubber angle alone, it is close to a god-rubber, like the Lin Gaoyuan ALC or Carbon 45 among rubbers.
3
The most impressive pink is Szocs’s backhand Quantum X PRO pink. A medium-hard 38-degree cake sponge. The spin is not especially strong, but the wrapping feel is very comfortable, with give-and-take. Flicking is fairly light and easy, and defense is fairly steady too. For players whose backhand demands balance but whose ball quality is not especially fierce, it is a good choice.
4
The F1 also has blue and pink, but I have not played them. From the flicking angle, the F1 is very satisfying, and fast too. If you use push strokes well, its spin and no-spin variations are easy to push out. Note: to push spin with the F1, do not add power and push deep — point-push. The F1 can actually pull very spinny loops too, but side-loop is best; looping the side of the ball is easier to pull off. Among domestic blue rubbers, Yinhe’s Blue Moon is also decent value.
5
At the 2022 WTT Doha challenge, Aruna once knocked out three Chinese national players in a row, and for a time the green Venom series became famous. Aruna himself uses Venom 53 on both sides. Compared with Andro’s Rasanter R53, these two have similarities. Both are very sharp ripping half-long underspin. In topspin rallies, you can also feel ample power. By comparison, the Venom series feels to grip the ball deeper, with steadier defense; the Andro feels slightly faster. The Venom 48 should be the most praised in the series. The Venom 45 leans soft, gripping deep, but also loads up easily and is very steady when you fire. The Venom 53’s forehand is decent, but the backhand may be a bit too hard for amateurs to control.
6
Joola’s Maestro CMD blue meets many basic backhand needs. Fairly light, suited to penhold reverse-backhand. A metallic sound, blazing speed. It is a high-density German rubber, yet the wrapping feel is quite obvious, and loop-driving is great too. I always feel this blue has more sense of power than the red.
7
For mid-priced backhand, the Jingang ACC blue impressed me deeply. If I were a Joola-signed player, I might consider playing this on the backhand. The sponge has some of Tenergy’s jelly feel; the feel is a hard-to-soft progression — you could say, the more you fire, the more confident. And the speed really is fast. The flaw: this sponge is a bit brittle, so peel it off with extra care.
8
Grape 450 pink. Its performance is not explosive — just the light, linear type. Slightly coarser pips than the F1, but with slightly larger spacing, so friction and ball-grip are a bit better. Pushing is not very spinny, but it grips the ball more than traditional high-density German rubbers like the F1. Easy to drive through, steadier on outer aramid-carbon blades. Overall, the friction and first-speed are just right — middle-of-the-road steady. Those who like it really like it; those who do not find its ball quality bland.
9
Spell PRO colored version. I actually have not played it since launch. I played the red Spell PRO XH before — its elasticity and ball-release speed are both better than the Chilong, although the Chilong’s surface friction is a bit better. But the Spell PRO also has the classic Japanese-rubber wrapping feel, with quite nice spin. After gripping the ball, it also releases with decent explosiveness.