JUIC Shenron table tennis rubber review

Review of JUIC Shenron

Review by JimT (published with permission)

I have just equipped my extra paddle with Juic Shenron on BH so here's my first impression:

1) Bought Shenron Black 2.0 for my BH side. Used EE I for 48 hours (not extremely generously but enough as a tiny bit of it was still on the surface at the end of 2 days). Then put it on using regular glue as suggested by JUIC

2) Surface is not as tacky as DHS H3 I have used before but comparable to Btfy Sriver FX

3) To produce more spin (as with H3) you need to apply more wrist motion but again at least as good as SFX

4) Much better in control than H3 - had almost no problems with short slices, pushes and even a few chops

5) When attacking from BH has a bit less traction than H3 but once you adjust your aim it feels quite fine, definitely better than SFX

6) mid-distance game is pretty good; blocks are as good as before - no complaints there - again, this is just a first impression, and I am not yet used to this new setup.

All in all looks to me so far like a good compromise between control-oriented SFX and spin-speed oriented H3. If you are an all-out offensive player who almost never wants to push or slice, go with H3/H2. If you are an all-round player attacking only ever so often, then use SFX or similar. As for me, I try to attack and block but once in a while I have to wait for the other player to make a mistake or even switch to defense when forced to do so - in this case you need good control which is especially important when your blade is fast and not very high on control.

I will be able to say more in a couple of weeks, I hope.

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I did not hear any considerable changes in sound from my previous setups but then again... as long as the other qualities are nice I do not care that much for the sound per se. As for the feel, it's too soon to say. I hope to play again today and then on Friday and I will know more.

Weight is reasonable - definitely lighter than DHS Hurricane 3 I had before that. Notice also that I used 2.0, not MAX

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Now the sound is coming in - certainly much more "twack" when you hit the ball. However, the same could be said about FH - so it must be both rubbers settling down after a few days...

All in all, it's shaping up quite nicely - attack from the left becomes more consistent but that's probably more due to the fact that I am starting to get used to the new rubber so I learn what and how...

Spin on BH has improved as well, but suprisingly control is still the same so my short game didn't suffer. Sometimes a short push goes astray but that's just cause my motions still come from playing with Btfy AG with SriverFX for so long (that is a highly controlling ALL+ blade with two nice high-control rubbers).

More improvement and reporting will follow, I hope.

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Man, I like this rubber better and better. It's "settled down" a bit on the blade and i played it more by now.

Since all this stuff (reviews) and likes/dislikes is highly subjective and dependent on the style, i should stop for a second here and describe my game in general terms:

I am much more stable on my BH than on FH - I would say that I use BH side twice as much as FH. When I attack from right, then occasionally I even miss the ball entirely which is something that never happens to me on BH. I guess I am OK on the right but that's not the side that wins me most of the points.

Therefore I need a lot of control on the BH - Shenron provides that, no doubt, practically as good as my old trusty Sriver FX; i can even chop with it if necessary.

What is more important, when I attack from the left - and my favorite style there is a very fast and low attack when opponent gives me a chance by sending a relatively flat ball - then Shenron is by far the best rubber I ever had. It is fast, it provides spin (not tons of it but quite enough) and it handles the ball very confidently.

Now blocking - superb! Once you get to know it and adjust your angle accordingly (just a little) it blocks extremely well. What I especially like is that if necessary you can execute a fast and very low block; but regular blocks in midair can be done just fine too.

Same can be said about looping from mid-distance. The only thing which I, myself, am not totally comfortable with is a medium or high-throw loop from close to the table - but that is usually my fault, as I often do not have enough time to properly judge the opponent's spin and adjust the angle of the motion accordingly... got room to grow there.

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