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Last updated: July 26, 2023
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Table tennis has the benefits of most high-energy games but without the downsides that come with them, such as collisions. This is why it’s no surprise that the people who enjoy playing it invest in the best equipment such as high-quality rubber just to improve their game.
Long pips rubber is critical to your gameplay and highly influences whether you dominate the game. They’re especially important for defensive players and allow you to neutralize or reverse oncoming spins. We have reviewed 5 of the best long pips rubbers as well as the most essential factors you should consider when making a purchase such as sponge thickness, speed, spin, & control, pip hardness, and durability. Check out our complete guide below!
How you start your game highly determines whether you control the entire match. For instance, if you make a strong first attack, there’s a high chance that your opponent will spend the rest of the game trying to catch up. The Butterfly Feint Soft Table Tennis Rubber is exactly what you need to top the match.
This rubber pip is all rounded and balanced, which is why it’s our top pick. It’s a great beginner option if you’re an aggressive defensive player and is a great and consistent long pip. The Butterfly Feint Soft Table Tennis Rubber offers a great variation of spin and is perfect for hitting against topspin.
Why did it make our list?
We loved how consistent this long pip is and the fact that it balances out all the most important features to improve the quality of your game. It also manipulates the opponent through its high spin inverted rubber and is great for chopping against topspin drives.
What is not ideal about it?
Even though this long pip rubber has all the important features, there have been complaints that it’s slow. We also noticed that it’s sometimes difficult to control fast shots because the ball springs off very quickly. Overall, it’s a great buy that strikes the ideal balance between price and functionality.
If you’re a chopper, then there’s a high chance that one of your worries is chopping so hard that you get off the table. Well, the Butterfly Feint Long III Table Tennis Rubber takes care of this for you and gives you unparalleled control. This rubber is flexible and gives you the ability to manipulate spins.
The Butterfly Feint Long III Table Tennis Rubber is a great fit for defensive players. It gives you the ability to transform a dead floater into a deadly backspin by manipulating the spin with ease. This rubber also has a lot of firepower and is an amazing high friction defensive long pip.
What stands out?
We loved how easy it was to manipulate spins and transform them into heavy backspins that get the opponent baffled. We were also impressed by the flexibility of the rubber and its grippiness but noticed that this rubber was not suitable for passive blockers.
What cons did we manage to find?
Compared to other rubbers, the Butterfly Feint Long III is very slow. We also realized that it was difficult to return serves, especially long, no-spin serves. All in all, it's a great buy, and we'd recommend it for people that love a consistent and steady chopping game.
The Butterfly Feint Long II Table Tennis Rubber is one of the most underutilized rubbers these days and yet one of the best. It has several fine qualities, one of which is a dense sponge that gives you more control when dealing with spiny balls. This pip is long and skinny, so it bends easily at contact and makes it easy for you to confound your opponent.
This long pip rubber is specifically designed for defensive players as it has consistency and a wide range of spin that will have you sending powerful balls back to your opponent. Their true power lies in being able to produce a variety of shots, but you have to put in the work.
Why are we impressed?
We realized that with a good chop, you could easily play an impressive defensive game. This long pip rubber is great for low-level table tennis players or beginners as it offers all-around gameplay. It can, however, still work at high-level table tennis with some work.
What negatives must you be aware of?
Even though the Butterfly Feint Long II is a great rubber, it doesn't reward passive play and is not as forgiving as some of the rubbers in the market. We also realized that despite the wide range of spin, returning serves was a bit challenging. Overall, it's a great rubber.
Tibhar Grass D.TecS is one of the most popular long pip rubbers across the world, and it’s not hard to see why. Players love its powerful ability to reverse spin, especially when they’re blocking close to the table. This gives you the ability to control the pace of the game without losing control.
This long pip rubber is a solid choice for players that use fast attacks and long-distance chopping. Players that use long pips push blocking style, in particular, will enjoy the construction of this rubber, especially the fast pip top sheet and the tensor sponge at the bottom. This makes it easy to put away loose balls.
Why did it make our list?
We were impressed by how easy it was for us to manipulate the amount of spin using this long pip rubber. We noticed that it was a bit fast and that it made it difficult for the opponents to keep up, making it a great option for players that prefer offensive games.
What is not ideal about it?
Despite being one of the most popular options in the market, this long pip rubber is not a great option for beginners. We noticed that they'd have less control and would have a hard time playing with it. It's, however, a great fit for intermediate and expert players.
The Curl TSP P4 Table Tennis Rubber is highly favored by tennis players across the globe, partly because it was developed by Mr. Koji Matsushita, who is one of the most respected tennis players in the world. This special rubber is the latest invention on the TSP Curl long pips rubber and has amazing control and offensive capabilities.
This long pip rubber is best suited for defensive players. It has been specifically designed to allow you to stiffen your opponent by throwing back threatening spins and hitting strong attack shots. The Curl TSP P4 Table Tennis Rubber also allows an impressive amount of control thanks to its specialized soft sponge.
What are our favorite features?
We were impressed by the way this long pip rubber maintained a strong balance of offensive and defensive capabilities. You can easily throw back strong shots at your partner without losing control and throw them off using deceptive spins.
What could be better?
We noticed that it takes some time to get used to its friction, but once you get them covered, you can easily give players at your level a run for their money. This rubber is also quite pricey and has a different feel, but it's worth every dollar you spend on it.
Things to Consider
Here’s an interesting fact about table tennis; even though its origins are unclear, according to the BBC
Trusted SourceTable tennis - factfileTable tennis can be played in either a singles or doubles format and involves using a small round bat to hit a lightweight ball back and forth across a table divided by a net.
www.bbc.co.uk
, it was first played in the 19th century in England as an alternative to badminton. This game has significantly grown since then, and it’s estimated that currently, there are over 300 million recreational and competitive players.
If you’re one of the tennis enthusiasts and are looking for the best long pips rubber, a couple of factors that you need to consider. Check out our complete buying guide below!
Benefits of Long Pips Rubber
There are three main types of pips rubbers: short, medium, and long. Contrary to popular beliefs, long pips rubbers aren’t just used for receiving hard serves. One of the main benefits is that you can easily chop and defend with them. They also allow you to get away with some mistakes, such as incorrectly reading a spin.
When playing with long pips rubber, if you’re getting a lot of heavy spins, you can easily chop them back, and the bat will handle most of the incoming spin. They also allow you to turn heavy topspins into powerful backspins, which makes it challenging for the opponent to attack back. This is one of the features that you won’t get with the other rubbers.
Long pips rubber is mainly used for easy chopping heavy spins and effective defence.
Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of using ling pops is that they allow you to do loads of weird stuff. For instance, while these aren’t textbook moves, you can perform weird pokes and jabs if you’re close to the table. This allows you to confuse your opponent, giving you an upper hand in the game.
You should, however, note that despite the above advantages, you’ll have a hard time making attacks. You also are not in a great position to do open-ups or loops.
How to Pick the Best Long Pips Rubber
Choosing the ideal long pip rubber is an overwhelming task. We may have boiled down your options to the best five models in the market, but even then, you need to choose one based on your gameplay and preferences. Here are the top factors you should consider when purchasing a long pips rubber.
Sponge Thickness
Long pips rubber are available in various thicknesses, and this affects the control and speed performance of the rubber. Thick sponges, generally those that are 2.0mm or more, are great for fast offensive play where less control of the ball is required. Rubbers with thin sponges between 1.9mm and 1.5 mm, such as the Butterfly Feint Soft Table Tennis Rubber, are great for an all-rounded play. Rubbers that are less than 1.4 mm thick, such as the TIBHAR Grass D.TecS Table Tennis Rubber and Butterfly Feint Long III Table Tennis Rubber, can also be used on short piped rubbers.
You may notice that some rubbers are labeled ‘Max.’ This is an indication that they are the maximum thickness that specific manufactures make, but they’re usually within the 4.0mm limit specified by the ITTF.
Speed, Spin, Control
Before you can choose a long pips rubber, you need to first understand your playing style. When it comes to speed, there are several speed, spin, and control ratings, including slow, medium, fast and superfast.
If you’re an offensive-style player that favors smashes and topspins, you should go for rubber with a high-speed rating. If you prefer looping and spinning, you should go for rubber with a high spin rating.
Defensive players, on the other hand, that prefer blocking, chopping, and using underspins, should use slower rubbers that give them more ball control.
Pip Hardness
As you select your favorite rubber, you should consider the degree of sponge hardness or its density. Rubbers that have a hard sponge do not allow the ball to sink too much into the bat, and therefore the spin produced is low. This kind of rubber is great if you prefer speed over control or primarily use offensive play. If you, however, prefer offensive play but with a spin, you should go for softer sponges.
The softer rubbers allow you more spin and less speed
Make sure you first develop your playing skills before selecting the best rubber. You can, however, change the rubber if, after a while, you notice or feel that it’s not the best for you.
Durability
Rubbers are a form of investment, and you don’t want to go for a brand that will wear out after a few hours of use. Go through user reviews on various buying sites and pay close attention to the average time the rubber is likely to last you. It’s better to buy a slightly expensive rubber that will last you a long time than an affordable one which you have to replace every month.
Price
While this isn’t a major consideration, the price should also play a minor role in your purchasing decision. Go for a rubber that strikes the ideal balance between affordability and functionality. If you already have a budget, analyze various models within your preferred price range and then go for a rubber that gives you the best value for your money.
Other Features
Some of the other features that you should consider include:
Reverse rubber: some table tennis rubbers have the pips facing inwards, which means that you’ll be striking the ball with the smooth side of the rubber. These types of rubbers allow you to develop your strokes and give you more control. They’re also highly popular and are preferred beginners.
Pimples out: this is a type of rubber when the pimples are facing outwards, so you use the pimple surface to strike the ball. They are highly preferred by advanced players, especially those that prefer an offensive play.
Long pips are perfect for defensive players and are ideal for spin reversal. This is because they effectively return oncoming sins and can easily be used to manipulate the opponents.
Table tennis can be played in either a singles or doubles format and involves using a small round bat to hit a lightweight ball back and forth across a table divided by a net.
Ping pong: the rise of sociable table tennis | Fitness | The Guardian
Table tennis is rediscovering its Victorian parlor game roots, with mass-participation games in bars and clubs attracting a new generation of players. Paul Torpey reports
