11 Best Table Tennis Rubber 2019: The Ultimate Buyer’s Guide (Update)

You know:

Table tennis is an extremely fast-paced sport and having a quality racquet is extremely important.

Fact:

Good quality table tennis rubber can make a difference to your gameplay.

It is essential to make sure that you know about proper table tennis rubber.

We decided to create a table tennis rubber buying guide that you can use to help improve your game.

Here are some of the Best Table Tennis Rubbers we suggest and the things you should look for.

If you are looking to get a quality low-priced rubber, you may want to consider getting this hard rubber sheet design. The design comes in both a black and a red color and is suitable for regulation ping-pong balls. The rubber is designed to help increase the speed of your shot thanks to a thin design.

One of the main reasons you might want to consider this design is because PF4 rubber was used by thousands of Chinese players. If you want a cheap design and a great table tennis rubber for beginners, here are some pros and cons of this rubber sheet design:

If you need a moderately thick rubber design that allows you to really have some control over your spin, you should consider going with this low-priced rubber sheet.

The model comes available in both a black as well as a red color so that you can make sure your paddle is fully covered. This rubber design allows you to be able to hit the ball at a relatively high rate of speed, but with a decent amount of control.

If you are willing to pay a moderate price in order to get a rubber that offers a balance of both speed and spin, you might be interested in picking up one of these rubber designs.

The design comes in both black and red so that you can outfit your entire paddle. The company rated the rubber and this possible regarding both the speed and spin that allows.

The design got a 10 for speed and an 8 for spin, which is impressive.

If you don’t have a whole lot of experience under your belt, and you have a reasonable budget, you might want to consider getting one of these designs. The design is meant to allow beginner and intermediate players to be able to use it.

This essentially says that the model will enable you to be able to get a decent amount of control of the ball and it doesn’t make the ball travel at an insane rate of speed.

Mark V is not a rubber that a professional with considering, however, it is an excellent rubber for someone who is looking to do some learning improve their game.

If you are willing to spend a little bit more money on a rubber to help you be able to get better performance in your shots, you should consider getting this rubber design.

This table tennis rubber for intermediate players allows you to be able to get a lot of speed, a lot of spins and a decent amount of control. The rubber design has a long lifespan and is attached to the paddle using a high tension design to help maximise your ball speed.

If you are looking for a huge amount of speed and a lot of spin on your ball, you should consider getting one of these rubber sheets. This design has some pretty incredible ratings in both speed and spin, which is ideal if you are an experienced player.

It is important to note that this design is also only available in red. The model may not offer the best control; however, if you are an experienced player you should have no problems being able to use this rubber sheet on your ping-pong paddle.

If you are looking for a moderately priced rubber that has a good chunk of control and a tremendous amount of spin, you should look no further than one of these rubber products.

The design comes in both a black as well as a red color so that you can outfit your entire paddle this brand. Another great thing about this brand is that you can pick between two different thicknesses so that you can get something that suits your playing style.

Getting into the higher priced rubber designs, you are going to find that they almost always have some outstanding ratings. This model, in particular, is relatively thick to help you to be able to get maximum control of the ball.

Hurricane 8 is an ideal table tennis rubber for backhand shots as a result of the excess control. The design comes in both red and black so that you don’t have to mix-and-match.

Another great thing about this model is that they are made by a well-known manufacturer, which means you don’t have to worry too much about the quality of the unit.

If you are looking for a rubber design that allows you to be able to get a huge amount of speed and a lot of spin on your ball, you should think about getting this one. With almost perfect ratings for speed and spin, you will be able to blast the ball directly past your opponents.

Sigma II Pro is applied using high tension to increase the speed of the ball as much as possible and to give you the best possible chance while at the table.

If you are looking to get a rubber that allows you to be able to receive satisfaction the bowl, you might want to consider this design. This company prides itself on the nice sounds that come off of a ping-pong racquet containing this rubber.

The rubber allows for the user to get a ton of feeling when they hit the ball resulting in a lot of ball rotation and a huge amount of speed.

If you are looking to be able to get the maximum amount of speed from your shots, and have a high budget, you should think about getting this rubber. With a fantastic 14 rating for speed and a 9.75 rating for spin, you will be able to blast or spin the ball past your opponent as you need.

This rubber design comes in both black as well as red, and when in stock, you can grab this rubber in both a  1.9 mm and a 2.1 mm design.

If you are looking to get the top-of-the-line performance rubber on the market, you’re definitely going to want to have a look at this design. The unit has extraordinarily high ratings for both speed and spin, and it also comes in two different thicknesses to suit your needs.

If you want to get one of the best table tennis rubber for spin, you should definitely at least look at this one. The unit is available in both a red and black rubber design, which means you will never have to mix-and-match if you decide to spend the money on this quality rubber.

Price

One of the hardest things to decide upon if you’re thinking about getting a new rubber for your paddle is the price that you are willing to pay for one.

If you are a highly experienced ping-pong player, you may want to have a higher budget to be able to buy a quality rubber that matches your skill set. However, if you’re rubber panels are just getting old, you may want to consider getting a cheaper rubber for your paddle so that you can continue to be able to play ping-pong recreationally.

To give you an idea of how much money you’re going to have to pay to be able to get a new rubber, you will find rubbers as low as $20 to as high as over $100 for a higher end design.

Type

Rubber will almost always have some pimple design to increase the tackiness and overall feedback of the paddle. Pimples are essentially small rubber divots that help you with various parts of your game.

• If you have short pimple rubber on your ping pong paddle, you are likely to be able to have fast counter hits. 
• Long pimple rubber designs are recommended for defensive ping pong players. They help you to be able to return shots with more spin on them.

The other main variable for pimples is if they are facing inwards or outwards. If you have pimples facing inwards or in other words a “pips in” rubber design, you strike the ball on a smooth surface of the rubber. The benefit of this is that it allows you to be able to hit the ball in a more accurate manner using the stroke you desire.

An outward facing design or a pips-out rubber is used by experienced players who know their opponents weaknesses or their own weaknesses and want to play a specific type of game to take advantage of that.

Technique

One of the best ways to be able to determine the blade rubbers that you should be purchasing is by looking at your playing technique. By deciding you’re playing technique, you will be able to get a rubber design that better suits your style of play.

Here is a breakdown of some of the most common playing techniques and what rubber you should look for if you use one of these techniques:

All around

If you are relatively new to the game and are looking to be able to develop your all-around game, it is recommended that you get a relatively thin sponge and a rubber design that has moderately sized inward facing pimples. This will give you the best opportunity to be able to control your ball, no matter the type of shot that your opponent sends at you.

Attack

If you have a little bit more experience behind your belt, you might want to get a paddle that allows you to be able to have an offensive style of play.

If you have a little bit of experience, it is recommended that you get a bit of a thicker sponge. It is your choice for whether you want to go with an inward or outward facing pimple design, however, you might want to remember that an inward facing pimple design is the most common.

Defense

If you are looking to play a defensive game and have some experience under your belt, you might want to consider getting an outward facing pimple design. This will allow you to be able to play against your opponent strengths and maximise your feedback. These designs can be hard to get used to.

Experience Level

If you are an experienced ping pong player, you are going to want to look more closely at ping pong racquets than the average person. There are lots of things that you should look at to determine if a racquet is up to your standards.

If you play professionally, it is essential to make sure that your racquet meets regulation requirements. Look for things like the ITTF logo on your racquet as well as your overall racquet rating. Cost doesn’t always equate to quality, which is critical to keep in mind when you are choosing a new paddle.

Changing Your Rubber

If you play ping-pong on a regular basis, it is essential to keep in mind that rubber does deteriorate over time. As rubber ages, it collects dust particles, and it is exposed to things like heat and light which causes the rubber to lose grip.

If you play ping-pong on a regular basis, it is recommended that you change your rubbers out at least once a year. The more you play, the more you’ll have to change out your rubber.

If you notice unexpected changes to your game, this is one of the first places that you should look for damage as it can have a significant impact on your ping-pong game.

Brand

One thing that can be a difficult decision for you when choosing a table tennis rubber is the brand that you are purchasing from. There are all sorts of brands available on the market, and it is vital to make sure that you buy a quality brand.

Buying from a well-known brand is much more likely to be able to produce a quality product. Some popular table tennis rubber brands are TIBHAR, Butterfly, YASAKA, DHS, Killerspin, YINHE, Gambler, DONIC, STIGA, Nittaku, and XIOM.

To identify a quality brand, it is a good idea to investigate the various products that they manufacture. If you can find one bad product from a manufacturer, you should avoid purchasing from them. If they are willing to produce one bad product, which could potentially ruin their name, you never know what you are buying if you decide to get a rubber from them.

It is always better to be safe than to be sorry.

Table Tennis Rubber F.A.Q.

What is a table tennis rubber?

A table tennis paddle is made out of a laminated wood material. Table tennis rubber is essentially the rubber coating that goes on top of the paddle to help the player be able to hit the ball to the location that they desire. The rubber helps the player be able to feel the ball, hit the paddle more accurately and therefore helps the player to be able to play better.

Why does the hardness of a rubber sheet matter?

The hardness of the rubber sheet plays a significant role in making sure that the ball goes to the location that is desired. A harder rubber material will allow the player to be able to put more force behind the ball, while a lighter rubber material will slow down the ball to allow the player to be able to perform more accurate shots and more difficult shots.

What is a high tension/pre-tensed/tensor rubber sheet?

If you are looking to be able to get a table tennis racquet that allows you to be able to get the most force behind your shot, you should try to look for a high tension or a pre-tensed rubber sheet. A sheet that has been pre-tensed is permanently stretched before being glued onto the paddle. This technique helps to reduce the amount of energy that is lost when the ball impacts the paddle, resulting in you being able to hit the ball at a faster rate of speed.

What is anti-spin rubber?

If you are looking to return a straight shot to your opponent, you might want to consider getting an anti-spin rubber paddle. This design is made to attempt to reduce or eliminate your opponents spin on the ball. This technique is produced as a result of having an inverted rubber design. The design is quite slippery resulting in the ball being able to hit off the paddle at a fast rate of speed, which results in the ball continuing to spin while changing direction.

Table tennis rubber black vs red

One thing that you should know about table tennis paddles is that they are regulated to be of a specific colour. Both sides of a ping pong paddle are different colors, and it is this way for a fundamental reason. If the ping pong paddle was the same color all the way around, it would be hard for the opposing player to determine the type of shot you were shooting.

Having different colors allows an opponent to easily be able to determine forehand and backhand shots as well as to be able to determine the type of spin put on the ball with ease. The regulation color of table tennis rubber is for one side to be a bright red color and the other side to be black, which you might want to keep in mind.

Table tennis rubber online purchase

If you’re looking to purchase a new rubber for your paddle, you can pick up one from Amazon or some other official websites.

Table tennis rubber thickness explained

When you’re trying to figure out which ping-pong rubber is the best for you, it is essential to consider the thickness of the sponge when making your decision.

If you get a thick piece of sponge, you are going to be able to play a more offensive game. If you are looking to play defence, you might want to consider getting a thinner sponge design.

To give you a rough idea of how thick of a sponge you should look for, a thick sponge is generally considered two millimetres thick and above, while a thinner sponge is regarded between one and 2 millimetres in thickness.

Table tennis rubber tackiness

Tackiness is something you may want to consider when you’re buying a ping-pong paddle or a new rubber. The more grip that a unit has, the easier it is for you to be able to control the ball. However, you will sacrifice some speed as a result of having more grip on your racquet.

It is essential to make sure that you play to your strengths, whether that be speed from a paddle with little grip or spin from a paddle with more grip and a thicker rubber design.

To Conclude

We hope that this article has helped you to be able to decide what type of table tennis racquet you want to purchase. With all of the many options available, it is essential to make sure that you set a budget for yourself and get someone else to judge your ping pong techniques. Different techniques indeed are more accessible to accomplish if you have the proper rubber. We wish you the best of luck with finding a quality racquet and a nice rubber design and the best of luck in all of your future ping pong games.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4633256/

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.948.8831&rep=rep1&type=pdf

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall04/baksh/history.html

http://users.wpi.edu/~smflanagan/files/STEM/LitReview.pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269345114_Study_on_Preparation_of_NRBR_table_tennis_bat_rubber

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705816307548