(by Darryl Tsao)

Dignics 05 is a high performance rubber made for advanced players. This rubber represents the new generation of table tennis rubbers for the current game. It also appeals to a wide range of playing styles. The top sheet is rather grippy, and the sponge is fairly hard. I have been using and enjoying this rubber on my backhand for the last year. As usual, testing is done on my Viscaria blade.

My first impression of Dignics 05 is the grip and “bite” feeling of the rubber is exceptional. The ball is well controlled with spin. However, it doesn’t have the crisp feeling I like, especially on the forehand. Once you start looping, you might feel that the arc is rather low, and you might have to accelerate upwards a little bit. An advantage of this rubber is that it follows your racket swing very precisely, giving you higher precision. The quality is very high with more ability to apply spin than speed or power. Another key advantage to Dignics 05 is that it has many gears, so you can change the pace on the ball with ease. However, once you need to add full power to the ball, the rubber may feel a little bit sluggish. It may feel like the ball is sinking into the rubber, but not springing out.

Where this rubber really shines is on the backhand side. It has everything: speed, spin and control. It doesn’t have the problem where the trajectory doesn’t follow the bat’s angle precisely. This rubber also has an ability in that it is incredibly easy to borrow power from the opponent, but sometimes you will find that the arc is rather low in doing so. For topspin, this rubber is almost flawless. Some minor problems I have with this rubber is its underspin capabilities. It is almost too easy to hit the “base” of the rubber. When you hit this base, the arc becomes very low, and the ball starts to shake a little bit. I also find that I have to accelerate upwards quite a bit to lift the ball over the net for underspin. Flicks and receive are great, with an ability to keep the ball very low, but the arc won’t be as safe as a Dignics 09c. Overall, this is probably one of the best rubbers on the market. A very safe choice for a wide range of players. However, for me, it feels a bit soft. Other than that, this is an almost perfect rubber suited for the modern offensive player who likes to play close to the table.

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