Review by LawOCG (with thanks):(Please note the majority of this review is done without speed glue to get a
accurate review of the rubber, Speedglue will dramatically improve this rubbers
performance as I will explain later on)
The focus 2 out of the packet looks very different to any other 729 sheet
youve seen before. Friendship have redone the labelling on their Focus line, The
logo's look very nice and the overall appearance of the topsheet is promising.
The topsheet is very thin with long pips underneath them, the topsheet has a
supple elastic look to it and it reminds me of a cj8000 topsheet which is very
nice. The topsheet is not tacky like the other 729's out but its
"Grippy", Its stickier than jap rubbers but its less tacky than
traditional chinese rubbers. The sponge on the Focus 2 is fairly hard and I
would rate it around 42-44 Degrees out of the packet, the weight of the rubber
is very light. Although I don't have a scale to measure it I would rate it as
the same weight as a lot of jap rubbers out at the moment, which is quite light.
When counter-hitting and blocking with the focus 2 I instantly noticed a
large speed boost from my previous rubber which was the Faster III. The
combination of a supple/elastic topsheet combined with a fairly hard sponge
allows the ball to be struck very hard straight on without it topping out as
easily as most friendships out at the moment. I must mention that the throw on
this rubber is fairly low, Even lower then the faster III. For blocking this
rubber is a dream, the ball is controlled and any topspin thrown at you can be
controlled with ease and will rarely bounce out. Most of the time blocks are
very solid and penetrating, but be warned it takes time to adjust to the low
throw.
Looping is where this rubber shines. When you loop at a normal controlled
pace, there doesn't seem to be anything special at all. The rubber behaves well
and lands where you want it to. When you start to pick up the pace, its really
starts to shine. The harder you loop the more apparant the second kick is. Power
loops with the focus 2 are beautiful to execute as the arc is very low but at
the same time there is a immense amount of spin on the ball. Loops that are hit
hard penetrate and will frustate any player because of its different trajectory(
namely being Fast, low and very spinny).
But now..... onto the most crucial factor. This rubber can perform
mid-distance and long distance!!. I was counter-looping against a ex top level
buddy of mine. Against glued up bryce fx, the focus 2 held its ground.
Counter-looping with the focus 2 is superb, when the ball is struck at the right
angle counter-loops are enormously fast and have loads of spin on them. This is
confirmed as the other player will hesitate on the re-loop because of the sheer
volume of spin on the ball.
Speedglue - When the focus2 is glued up you can expect about 20% more spin
and speed and increased looping potential.
