“A new high tech rubber from Dawei featuring a High Tension rubber and Tension sponge. It has great elasticity and is easy to control. Loops can be done with little effort, great spin and fantastic speed. It has a low loop arc and is great for hitting against spin or loop-kill"

Characteristics:

• High speed inverted rubber
• Fast spinning
• Quick attack and Loop
• For initializing attack
• ITTF approved

Ratings:

• Speed: 9.5
• Spin: 9+
• Control: 9+
• Sponge Hardness 40-44, 2.2mm

Comments:  

A rubber sheet for the professionals. This rubber has the speed and spin of a speed glued rubber sheet. Great speed and spin, and very good feel. 

User Reviews (from internet/newsgroups, etc):

Pumbaaw, I have tried many many rubbers, BTY, Stiga, starting from the most expensive ones, but still going back to Dawei, and decided to stock many of them. I've been using Dawei 388A-4.

It's no use just saying how much I like it, without saying why or how it suits my play, since different players have different styles and may find other rubbers more suitable for them. I need a rubber that allows topspin loop and flat hit at the same time. When I loop, I don't want the ball to get down to the wood so easily, and yet sinks into the rubber enough to get a good grip. When I hit, I do want the ball to get down to the wood to reduce dwell time and hence giving me control over opponent's spin. So, that means I need a medium sponge, softened by speed glue, plus a spinny top sheet, yet non-tacky. I have problem with some of those high tension rubbers that return the ball without a chance to exert spin, especially when the ball is too slow to sink in. I prefer Dawei over RITC because the hardness between topsheed and sponge is quite compatible; you don't have a hard topsheed coupled with a very very soft sponge, or vice versa. Dawei is as light as Butterfly rubbers, lighter than traditional chinese rubbers like DHS and hardsponged RITC, but not as light as STIGA Innova/Neos. Lastly, the price allows me to change the rubber more often, especially due to speed gluing, which causes many rubbers not to last, even the expensive ones.

I've played with the Dawei 388A-4 on 2.5 sponge. I preferred it without speedglue because it is BLAZINGLY fast.

Jolan, congrats! Hope you'll discover Sprung the way I did. I was astound at the way this rubber plays. Sprung gives you, on one end of the spectrum, Chinese stickiness and control and, on the other end, Euro/Jap speed and power. Finally, the one rubber that can bridge the two worlds!?

Luke, the Sprungfeder sponge is the Goldway Cannon.  It's 40 degree hardness and it is majorly fast -- especially when speedglued.  This is the most explosive glued rubber I've ever played with.  It is going to hit a faster loop than the Cream MRS.  But because of the sticky Cream topsheet, the 729 stuff will be spinnier on serves, pushes, chops.

Sprungfeder is amazing, plays like euro/jap rubbers with chinese control. Don't be afraid when you unpack the sheet, it rolls like an egyptian papyrus, but after gluing, it becomes somehow controllable and u may stick it on yr blade easily.

After reading reviews of the Dawei Sprungfeder on this forum and others I decided to give it a try and so imported a sheet of Red 2.2, 40# sponge from Hiqua to the UK. I primed it with a couple of layers of glue last night and then put 2 layers of Fair Chack on before playing. As others have noted, when you take the Sprungfeder out of the packet it curls into a scroll, however the 2 layers of glue were enough to get a respectable reverse dome. I put the Bryce FX (also speed glued) on the other side of my Viscaria to give a direct comparison of the two rubbers.

First impressions of the Sprungfeder... very good! Louder than the Bryce FX... a very loud, sharp cracking sound... definite head turner!! Performance wise, this is an excellent looping rubber with enough grippiness to rip/open at the table, and plenty of power and spin away from the table. The sponge was just hard enough to ensure that blocking was good and controlled (comparable to H3), as was flat hitting and smashing. Pushing was reasonable and probably slighty more forgiving than Bryce FX. Serving was OK... nothing special... I probably require more practice with it.

Compared to Bryce FX it is probably marginally slower, but not by much. Throw is a little higher than the Bryce FX, but again not by much. Spin generation was probably about the same although the grippier topsheet means that the Sprungfeder is slightly better at brush-ier control/placement loops than the Bryce FX. This rubber is also very playable on the backhand... the 40# sponge has enough hardness for control/placement when blocking/driving, and enough grippiness to open to the corners off serves.

All in all... a VERY good rubber, and one which I will be giving an extended run out to in the coming weeks as a possible replacement for Bryce FX (which I am very happy with also). The only problem will be sourcing the rubber as it is not available in the UK and I had to pay duty on the package from Hiqua.

GraemeW, your assessment of the Sprungfeder is right on. I've been looking for for less expensive alternative for Bryce/Bryce FX and I believe the Sprungfeder is it.

Sprungfeder is Bryce with good manner--Sort of a kinder & gentler Bryce. Almost as fast as Bryce, but more forgiving, more control. Like you I found its sponge just right in terms of hardness--A tad harder than H3, thus not plagued with H3's high throw. The sponge together with the topsheet provide a wide range of looping gear, from slow to fast, impact to brushing. This rubber can do it all.

Best kept little Chinese secret. Until now.

Copyright © 2009 OOAK Table Tennis Reviews