Browsing: 09c

Iâ€m not exaggerating when I say that Butterflyâ€s Dignics 09c is the best forehand rubber in the world. In true Butterfly fashion, they have been able to engineer the unthinkable.

In 2008, Butterfly released the Tenergy 05, which took the world by storm. It was decadesahead of its competition. 15 years after its release, most other manufacturers havenâ€t yet caught up to the Tenergy 05â€s quality.

It had a level of grip that was unparalleled at the time and a unique high arc that granted it great control for looping despite its blazing-fast speed.

Now, Butterfly has seemingly tricked the laws of physics once again. They have achieved nearly optimal speed, spin, and control all in the same rubber.

In this review, weâ€ll go over why I think the Dignics 09c is objectively the best rubber in the market. This isnâ€t to say that itâ€s the right choice for everyone, I simply believe that it has the best, most advanced design out of all the rubbers currently available.

I have used the Dignics 09c for around 140 hours across 3 months of training, and Iâ€ve fallen in love with it. But is it the right rubber for you? Letâ€s find out!

BUTTERFLY DIGNICS 09c REVIEW SUMMARY

Released in 2021, the Butterfly Dignics 09c is Butterflyâ€s new flagship rubber. It is a direct upgrade to their most popular rubber of the last 15 years, Tenergy 05.Â

As for its design, its crimson Spring Sponge X is very hard at 44 degrees and it has lots of inbuilt tension. The topsheet itself is medium tacky and extremely grippy. The Dignics 09c is a very fast and spinny rubber with a high arc and a very pronounced parabola.Â

The strongest attributes of this rubber are its control, its spin, and its maximum speed when looping. It excels at all kinds of loops, be it open-ups, counters close and away from the table, brushed loops, and power loops.

The differentiating attribute of the Dignics 09c is that its tacky topsheet and hard sponge make it a lot easier for the player to control the ball, as the rubber is noticeably less bouncy compared to most modern offensive rubbers. All of these attributes make it a superb rubber not only for rally play but also for 3rd ball attacks. In addition, its durability is very high.Â

The only con I could find of the Dignics 09c is its steep price. However, considering its durability, Iâ€d still say that the Dignics 09c is good value.

Perfect for:Intermediate and advanced attackers on the forehand side, advanced offensive players on the backhand side. 4-10+ years of playing.

Benefits

More control than any other rubber with this amount of potential shot quality.

Unparalleled grip and spin.

Very high potential speed.

Not bouncy.

More dwell time than most modern offensive rubbers.

Excels at all kinds of loops.

Very confidence-inducing.

Great at the short game.

Serves carry tons of spin.

Safe, high arc.

Good for blocking.

Ball slippage is non-existent, even after months of use.

Durability.

Drawbacks

Needs to be played actively.

Canâ€t fully take advantage of it unless you have high swing speeds.

Price.

About the Reviewer

Alvaro brings 7+ years of playing experience. He’s tested 20+ rubbers for Racket Insight and his style is The Controller.

About the Review

Blade Used: Stratus Power Wood
Rubber Thickness: 2.15mm
Hours Tested: 40+

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Recommended Playstyles

We recommend the Butterfly Dignics 09c for high-level attackers who want to use the best of the best out there.

Design of the Butterfly Dignics 09c

The Butterfly Dignics 09c comes in the typical Butterfly packaging weâ€ve seen time and time again.

I think it wouldâ€ve been nice if Butterfly did something different for the Dignics line considering itâ€s almost $100. In hindsight, however, I can see that our money was very well spent elsewhere, so I canâ€t complain.

Upon opening the package, we find the rubber. The version we ordered is a deep black 2.1mm sheet of Dignics 09c.

Durability and value

This is how the Dignics 09c is looking after 3 months of veryintensive use:

Both pictures were taken on the same day, under different lighting.

As you can see, the Dignics 09c is holding up wonderfully. Signs of wear are evident when the light hits it at the right angle, but it still plays at 90% of its initial capabilities and it looks perfectly fine in other lighting scenarios. Ball slippage is still non-existent if there isnâ€t too much humidity.

Other rubbers, such as the Donic Bluestorm Pro AM, or the Tibhar Evolution MX-P would have needed replacing by now (Iâ€d probably be on my 3rd MX-P by now), and the Dignics is still in very good condition.

Because of this, and because of the Dignics 09câ€s incredibly high performance, I believe that the Dignics 09c is an acceptable value despite the high price.

If it lasts around 5-6 months at around $80-90 per sheet, I donâ€t think itâ€s as expensive as it may initially seem. Assuming it lasts me 6 months, itâ€s an even better value proposition than a $50 rubber with average durability (3 months of intensive use).

$90 may seem outrageous for a table tennis rubber, but we have to keep in mind that Butterfly does all of the R&D and manufacturing by themselves, while most other manufacturers outsource these processes to a German factory (ESN).

Key design attributes of the Butterfly Dignics 09c

The topsheet of the Dignics 09c is extremely grippy and medium tacky, and its sponge is an intense crimson color. The spong definitely rates as ‘hardâ€.

Butterfly states the Dignics 09câ€s hardness to be 44 degrees. In ESN terms, thatâ€d be well above 55 degrees, maybe even above 60.

In practice, the Dignics 09c plays at around 50-52 degrees ESN. I didnâ€t feel that it plays as hard as Butterfly states its hardness to be.

The Dignics 09c features an absolutely groundbreaking design. Butterfly states that it was designed together with Timo Boll, who tested many prototypes until they settled on the current iteration.

About the Dignics 09c, Timo stated: “(itâ€s) a rubber of a totally new type. I have long wished to play with such a rubberâ€, and “Iâ€m very happy to play with this rubber, because this is for sure the best rubber I ever hadâ€. (source: Butterfly)

I have to say I completely agree with Timo. It is indeed a completely new rubber, and itâ€s also, in my opinion, the best rubber available.

The Dignics 09c managed to blend the sponge and topsheet wonderfully. With hybrid rubbers, itâ€s hard to get the balance quite right. Butterfly absolutely nailed it with the 44-degree Spring Sponge X and the 09c topsheet.

What makes the Dignics 09c truly special is that it has the dynamismof the fastest European rubbers together with the spinand controlof the best Chinese rubbers.

European rubbers and Chinese rubbers have always been thought of as complete opposites. We even wrote an article explaining how different European and Chinese rubbers are.

The Dignics 09c was released to bridge the gap between these two worlds, and it has the advantages of both types of rubbers.

In fact, Butterflyâ€s slogan for the Dignics 09c is: “An advantage from overcoming a paradoxâ€, the paradox being that the Dignics is a very fast and dynamic rubber while having tons of dwell time and control.

This is why I said that Butterfly “tricked the laws of physics†in the introduction of this article. How does the Dignics 09c achieve this effect?

There are two factors that make it possible, the very hard and fast sponge, and the medium tacky topsheet.

Starting with the sponge, 44 degrees is so hard that itâ€s difficult to wrap our heads around that number. Itâ€s such a high number that itâ€s hard to believe, honestly, especially considering how it plays.

For reference, Ma Longâ€s forehand rubber is 42 degrees (on the same scale), and itâ€s said to be one of the hardest rubbers there is.

It seems completely outrageous to me that Iâ€m playing with a harder rubber than Ma Long, but according to Butterfly, thatâ€s whatâ€s happening. However, DHS rubbers play a lot harder because of their spongeâ€s high density.

My theory is that because of the very porous design of the sponge, its advanced technology, and its very fast nature, the rubber plays a lot softer than it actually is.

If it is indeed 44 degrees (weâ€d have to test it with a durometer), in theory, weâ€d get access to more gears than with virtually any other rubber in the world. In practice, it certainly does have plenty of gears.

This is the genius behind the Dignics 09câ€s design. Butterfly thought outside the box.

They created a very fast, incredibly hard sponge that doesnâ€t play that hard because of its speed and its design while retaining the gears of an extremely hard rubber.

In addition, the tacky topsheet helps slow down the ball, granting the player much more dwell time with the ball when performing difficult shots.

In practice, the Dignics 09c is very controllable in the short game because of its hardness and how the topsheet kills speed.

Itâ€s also very controllable for countering and opening up, as its safe high throw gives a lot of clearance over the net, itâ€s very stable and predictable due to its hardness, and again, we have a lot of dwell time due to the tacky topsheet.

And, when you swing hard, the very fast and insanely hard sponge shows its true colors: You can get tons of speed and spin behind your powerloops.

These are the attributes that professional players like so much about the Dignics 09c.

In terms of weight, the Dignics 09c weighs in at 50 grams when cut to my Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC.

Speaking of the Fan Zhendong ALC, Iâ€d like to mention that the Dignics 09c is best suited for fast composite blades. I wouldnâ€t use this rubber on OFF- blades and below. It pairs best with OFF blades and above.

The Dignics 09câ€s base speed isnâ€t very high, and it isnâ€t a bouncy rubber, even on my Fan Zhendong ALC.

When we say that the Dignics 09c is a very fast and dynamic rubber, weâ€re referring to the power you can get when looping. Looping at 80% power and above yields great results in terms of speed. However, if you donâ€t swing hard, the rubber is very tame and controllable.

Because of this moderate base speed, Butterfly states that “since Dignics 09C is very good at holding the ball, it will be a well-balanced racket when combined with an outer-ply artificial fiber blade that has a high reaction†(reaction meaning speed).

They recommend the Dignics 09c for fast, outer composite blades, and I agree with them.

I wouldnâ€t pair it with my Tibhar Stratus Power Wood (all wood OFF- blade), as it would suffer from a lack of base speed.

Specifications

• Speed: High
• Spin: Very High
• Control: High
• Tackiness:Medium tacky
• ITTF Approved:Yes
• Sponge Thickness:1.9mm or 2.1mm

Summary:Overpower opponents with serves, receives, loops, and counters with the ultimate hybrid rubber.

Playtesting the Butterfly Dignics 09c

The Dignics 09c is a truly special rubber, and we can feel it from the moment we start playing with it. Its high throw angle, its hardness, and its extreme grip make it a very fun rubber to use.

One feels compelled to swing harder and harder to get more speed and spin, and the safe, high arc this rubber produces makes you feel like youâ€re always in control.

Itâ€s honestly quite difficult to miss wide from mistimings because of how much dwell time we have when looping. This is something that happens to me quite often with faster rubbers, but it never happens to me with the Dignics 09c.

I have exclusively used the Dignics 09c on my forehand side. I can see why professional players also use it on the backhand side, but I donâ€t think Iâ€m at a level in which I can activate its very hard sponge enough to get speed on the backhand side.

Iâ€d only recommend the Dignics 09c for the backhand side for very advanced players who can powerloop consistently on that wing. Otherwise, you wonâ€t be able to produce as much speed as with bouncier rubbers that have more base speed.

Driving and looping

Once you start driving the ball with the Dignics 09c, youâ€ll notice the rubberâ€s moderate base speed. The Dignics 09c isnâ€t a fast rubber when driving. The tackiness of the topsheet plays a major role in the stroke because the sponge isnâ€t activated much in this type of shot.

When driving, the Dignics delivers a relatively neutral, very hard feel on the hand. The trademark high throw is also present on these forehand drives.

It is only when we start looping that we can understand why the Dignics 09c is such a special rubber.

The Dignics 09c is the best looping rubber in the world according to many of the best loopers in the world.

Fan Zhendong, Timo Boll, Tomokazu Harimoto, Kristian Karlsson, Marcos Freitas, Dimitrij Ovtacharov, and Dang Qiu are some of the best players in the world, and they are currently using the Dignics 09c.

Looping with the Dignics 09c is all about managing how much you brush the ball versus how much you hit into the sponge.

If you activate the sponge and hit through the ball more, the harder sponge is activated to a higher extent, resulting in tons of speed. If you graze the ball more, the spin of the tacky topsheet takes over.

This is not only applicable to the Dignics 09c, it is also the case with most other rubbers. The more you activate the sponge, the more power you get, and the more you graze the ball, the topsheet plays a bigger role.

The difference with the Dignics 09c is that this effect is taken to an extreme.

The sponge of the Dignics 09c is hard and fast like no other sponge, and the topsheet of the Dignics 09c is grippy and spinny like virtually no other topsheet.

This is why its maximum speed and spin values are so high.

However, if you graze the ball and you donâ€t activate the sponge that much, you get more of the dwell time of the tacky topsheet, instead of activating the fast sponge. This gives much more control when playing open-ups and spin shots.

Itâ€s almost like you have two different rubbers in one. When opening up, when brush looping, and when counterlooping, you have the dwell time, the control, and the spín of Chinese rubbers.

When you powerloop and you hit through the sponge, you get the dynamism of European rubbers.

Here are some clips of myself looping for speed with the Dignics 09c in a recent league match:

In this video, we can see 2 of the key points weâ€ve talked about before:

1) That the Dignics 09c is actually very, very fast provided that you swing hard enough, and

2) That the Dignics 09c doesnâ€t play as hard as its 44-degree rating would indicate, given that with a non-professional swing speed, we can activate the sponge enough to get very fast shots.

Here are some clips of myself looping for spinwith the Dignics 09c in tournament and league games:

In these clips we can see how simple it is to win points out of sheer spin when we utilize the grip of the Dignics 09c to our advantage.

The main downsides to the Dignics 09c when looping are 2:

1. To reap these benefits, you need a high swing speed.

Even though the sponge of the Dignics 09c plays softer than it is, itâ€s still very, very hard. In addition, its base speed is not very high so in order to activate its sponge to get high-speed loops you need a relatively high swing speed.

The same happens when opening up and when brush looping, in order to get the monstrous spin this rubber is able to generate, you need to swing fast enough.

Otherwise, you wonâ€t be able to get the incredible speed and spin this rubber is able to generate, and you might be underwhelmed by the Dignics 09c.

2. It needs to be played actively.

Players using the Dignics 09c wonâ€t be able to just flick their wrist and get good quality on their shots like you can with the Tenergy 05 and most fast European tensor rubbers. This is also why I canâ€t use it properly on the backhand side.

If you want to utilize the Dignics 09c to its fullest potential, you need to move and execute the weight transfer properly.

If you do all of this, I think that the Dignics 09c is a very forgiving rubber because of its high grip, its safe, high arc, and its moderate base speed.

Because of its arc, grip, and lack of bounciness, the Dignics 09c is ideal for opening up and counterlooping.

Open-ups are made very easy with this rubber, and they carry tons of spin. It is very easy to clear the net and the ball then dips down a lot more than with less grippy rubbers.

As for counterloops, the Dignics 09c is ideal because of its hardness, its arc, and its dwell time. You get a lot of time with the ball, a lot of safety over the net, and very good stability.

Playing away from the table requires a bit more effort but itâ€s great nonetheless. When you swing hard, you can get tons of speed and spin on the ball.

Another factor to keep in mind is that, when youâ€re at mid and long distances, you have a lot more time to set up your strokes.

Using this rubber, I find that Iâ€m very comfortable looping at mid-distances since I have more time to set up a higher-quality loop, resulting in more speed and spin.

As for flat hitting, itâ€s more than good enough. Tacky rubbers are usually terrible at flat-hitting, but this isnâ€t the case with the Dignics 09c.

With the Dignics 09c, if you hit into the hard sponge and the blade, youâ€ll get more of them than youâ€ll get off the tacky topsheet.

Flat hitting with the Dignics 09c and the Fan Zhendong ALC is actually very good. I can just hit into the hardness of the rubber and the blade and get very good speed and stability.

Serve and receive

Serving and receiving are two of the differentiating attributes of the Dignics 09c. Lots of professional players are using it because of how easy it is to play out the short game.

Starting with the serves, though, it is excellent at generating spin. Serves carry a lot more spin than your average rubber.

In addition, it isnâ€t very bouncy and it has a medium tacky topsheet. It is the ideal rubber for serving because of its high grip and its high dwell time.

With the Dignics 09c, you can load serves with spin and place them wherever you want easily.

Active serve receives are great with the Dignics 09c. I liked forehand flicking with the Dignics as its hardness instills a very nice sense of confidence.

Passive serve receives with the Dignics 09c are better than with most other high-performance rubbers. It is a bit strange at first, but, when you get used to it, itâ€s one of the best rubbers in the market in terms of maximum speed compared with the ease of playing out the short game.

The Dignics 09c may be sensitive to incoming spins but its lack of bounciness makes every passive serve receive a lot easier.

Touching short with the Dignics 09c is superb once you get used to the topsheet and sponge combo.

I found that when my opponent served backspin and I didnâ€t activate the sponge enough, that is, I grazed the ball with low acceleration, the ball would fall into the net because the tacky topsheet absorbed the spin.

And, when I contacted the ball slightly too thickly, the sponge would get activated more and its high throw would show more, resulting in me popping up the ball.

Touching short is stranger than with other rubbers, but, when you get used to it, itâ€s definitely easier than with other offensive rubbers.

Pushing long is not an issue because I consistently use roughly the same swing speed and I already know how to angle the racket and how to hit the ball to get the result I want.

Blocking and chopping

Blocking with the Dignics 09c is quite good.

It isnâ€t as good as grippy rubbers because itâ€s slower and more spin-sensitive, but itâ€s actually very easy to control and fast enough to trouble opponents with active blocks. I think blocking with the Dignics 09c is quite underrated.

Its main strength when blocking is that itâ€s easier to control fast shots with this rubber than with most other high-performance rubbers. For that, the Dignics 09c is excellent.

As for chopping, the Dignics 09c is quite good. I donâ€t chop too often, but when I do, Iâ€m able to put a lot of spin on the ball and control it properly.

You get quite a bit of dwell time with chopping and the grip is superb. I wouldnâ€t really recommend it to choppers but itâ€s a good rubber for chopping every so often if the situation arises.

Alternatives to the Butterfly Dignics 09c

Overall reflections on the Butterfly Dignics 09c

The Butterfly Dignics 09c is, in my opinion, the best rubber currently available because of its incredible design. Itâ€s very hard to fathom how the Dignics 09c is one of the best rubbers for power looping and touching short at the same time.

In fact, the Dignics 09c is one of the best rubbers for looping, counterlooping, opening up, serving, and playing out the short game.

Itâ€s one of the spinniestrubbers available, it has one of the highest maximum speeds you can find, it has tremendous control, more than adequate dwell time, and a safe, high arc.

I still find it hard to believe that Butterfly managed to combine all of these advantages into one single rubber.

The main disadvantages of the Dignics 09c are that itâ€s very, very expensive, it needs to be played actively, and it needs relatively high swing speeds to be utilized properly.

Hence, the Dignics 09c is the perfect choice on either wing for offensive players who have high enough swing speeds, play an active game, and can afford to pay for it.

Alvaroâ€s a qualified ITTF Level 1 Coach who’s been playing Table Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked within the top 50 in his native Argentina. He loves to compete in provincial tournaments and is always looking for ways to improve. Alvaro made his favorite memories with a racket in hand, and he joined the RacketInsight team to share his passion with other players!

Blade: Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC | Forehand: Butterfly Dignics 09c | Backhand: Butterfly Tenergy 19
Playstyle: The Controller

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Released in 2023, the Butterfly Glayzer 09c is the latest addition to Butterflyâ€s rubber range.

Priced at roughly USD $50, the Glayzer 09c is among the more affordable options you can choose if youâ€re looking for an offensive Butterfly rubber.

Butterflyâ€s reputation when it comes to rubbers is just unparalleled. They have been on top of their game for more than half a century, starting with the Sriver, then Bryce, Tenergy, and Dignics. All of these rubbers were, and continue to be best sellers around the world.

Thatâ€s why the new Glayzer line-up became the center of attention in the months after its release but does the Glayzer 09c live up to the hype? We thoroughly tested it for hours to find out.

BUTTERFLY GLAYZER 09c REVIEW SUMMARY

The Butterfly Glayzer 09c is Butterflyâ€s more affordable hybrid rubber. The Glayzer 09c features the same medium tacky topsheet as the one present on the Dignics 09c. Its Spring Sponge X is medium-hard and relatively lively, but it is very toned down by the tacky topsheet, hence, the Glayzer 09c isnâ€t a particularly fast rubber. Its main advantages are a safe high arc, tons of control, lots of dwell time, and an unparalleled level of grip. Its main disadvantage is that you might find it a bit too slow depending on your level, your style, or your choice of blade. The Glayzer 09c is a very balanced rubber that caters to rally players more than 3rd ball attackers. It is the ideal rubber if you like to control and spin the ball while enjoying a great margin of safety over the net. It is also a great rubber for serving and receiving, two of the most important parts of table tennis. The Glayzer 09c is a good offering for the All-Rounder and the Controller playstyles.Â

Perfect for:Beginner and intermediate level attackers on either side of the racket, all-rounders of all levels, and defenders.

Benefits

Immense control.

Great safety over the net.

Easy to use.

Good choice for either side of the racket.

Very confidence-inducing.

Ball slippage is non-existent.

Good for serving and superb for receiving.

Relatively low weight.

Drawbacks

Not the best rubber for hitting outright winners.

Lacking in speed for all-out attacks.

About the Reviewer

Alvaro brings 7+ years of playing experience. He’s tested 20+ rubbers for Racket Insight and his style is The Controller.

About the Review

Blade Used: Stratus Power Wood
Rubber Thickness: MAX
Hours Tested: 10+

Recommended Playstyles

We recommend the Butterfly Glayzer 09c to players who want to control the game with spin and placement.

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Design of the Butterfly Glayzer 09c

The Butterfly Glayzer 09c comes in a high-quality sealed package. Hereâ€s the Glayzer 09câ€s package next to its siblingâ€s, the regular Glayzer.

Upon opening the package, we find the rubber. The version we ordered is a black 2.1mm sheet of Butterfly Glayzer 09c.

The topsheet of the Butterfly Glayzer 09c is very grippy and medium tacky. It can pick up the ball 5-15cm every time, but the ball quickly falls off the rubber.

Because of its tackiness, the Glayzer 09c comes with a sticky protective film, something Iâ€d never seen before on a Butterfly rubber.

It is noticeably tackier than your typical European rubber but not as tacky as Chinese rubbers such as the Hurricane 3 NEO, the Yinhe Big Dipper, the 729 Super FX, or the Yinhe Mercury 2.

Its tackiness level is slightly lower than that present on the Yasaka Rakza Z.

Its hardness should be very, very hard. According to Butterfly, the hardness of the Glayzer 09c is 42 degrees, which would put it at more than 53 degrees ESN. We have written a complete guide on rubber hardness if you want to learn more about the topic.

Even though this rubber should be hard as a brick, it really isnâ€t, or at least it doesnâ€t play like it is.

Upon pressing the rubber, we feel that itâ€s towards the harder side, but, for example, the Hurricane 3 NEO we tested was much, much harder, and that rubber was 39 degrees.

I would estimate the Glayzerâ€s true hardness anywhere between 47.5 and 50 degrees ESN.

The Butterfly Glayzer 09c isnâ€t difficult to play with, as most hard rubbers tend to be. On the contrary, the Glayzer 09c was developed with beginners and intermediate-level players in mind.

The Glayzer 09c is, essentially, a slower, softer, more controllable version of the Dignics 09c.

When comparing the Glayzer 09c to the Dignics 09c, Butterfly states:

“It is easier to use for players who are not confident in their swing speed, and it is also easier to maximize the potential performance of the rubber.â€

As for its weight, the Glayzer 09c is quite light, especially considering its hardness range, as it weighs in at just 47 grams when cut.

Specifications

• Weight (Cut):47g
• Speed: Medium
• Spin: High
• Control:High
• Tackiness:Medium Tacky
• Hardness: Medium-Hard
• ITTF Approved:Yes
• Sponge Thickness:1.9mm or 2.1mm

Summary:Take control of open rallies with this high-throwing hybrid offering.

Playtesting the Butterfly Glayzer 09c

Before analyzing the rubber, I must mention that we tested the Butterfly Glayzer 09c on a Tibhar Stratus Power Wood, our usual testing blade.

I felt like the Glayzer 09c didnâ€t have enough “pop†for my playing style and level, especially when I used it on my forehand side. It was veryhard to hit shots past my training partner, a very high-level player.

I like more dynamic rubbers, such as the Butterfly Tenergy 05, Butterfly Dignics 05, and others, much better for my forehand side than the Glayzer 09c.

This rubber provides much more control, dwell time, and safety than all of these rubbers, but if you have many years of training under your belt, you wonâ€t need the extra control of this rubber.

In fact, the extra dwell time you get with the Glayzer 09c made it feel a bit sluggish for me when looping. Time and time again, I felt like I wanted the ball to shoot off of my racket quicker, so I didnâ€t feel this rubber was the right one for me.

However, I can see how this rubber would work wonders for many, many players.

If you think about it, the same dwell time that made the Glayzer 09c feel “sluggish†for me, will help lots of beginners and early intermediates land balls on the table that they wouldnâ€t have with other rubbers.

The most important thing in table tennis is putting the ball on the table, and the Glayzer 09c is the ideal rubber for that.

All of this aside, I would have liked to try the Glayzer 09c on an outer carbon blade.

Composite blades are usually lower-throwing and bouncier than their all-wood counterparts.

Iâ€m sure that I would have liked the Glayzer 09c much better for my style of play if I had tried it on a Viscaria or a similar blade, as it would have made the rubber feel much more responsive and direct.

Combined with the OFF- 5-ply Stratus Power Wood, the Glayzer 09c made for a very balanced, controllable, safe, and spinny all-round/offensive setup. It just wasnâ€t fast enough for me.

Driving and looping

The key word when trying to describe the Glayzer 09c on offensive strokes is “safetyâ€.

It doesnâ€t matter how hard you can hit the ball if you canâ€t get it on the table consistently. Consistency comes first, and power comes after.

If youâ€re still at a point where you canâ€t consistently hit loops while moving, or open up without fear of overshooting the table or dumping it into the net, the Glayzer 09c will help you greatly.

The Glayzer 09c is a very good rubber for driving as it feels neutral on the hand, it isnâ€t all too bouncy and it produces a high arc over the net.

I would have liked a bit more speed and a slightly lower throw for the more direct shots such as driving, punching, or blocking, but the Glayzer 09c is a fine rubber for driving the ball regardless.

In terms of looping, the Glayzer 09c is a superb rubber for the right player.

From the first loop, I felt that I had tons of time with the ball and that the rubber bit the ball superbly.

The grip you have with the ball and the time you have upon contact really does make you feel like youâ€re in total control of the incoming speed and spin.

A feature I liked about the Glayzer 09c is that Itâ€s hard to miss the table left or right.

With bouncy rubbers, you might miss wide if you contact the ball too early or too late. With the Glayzer 09c, this effect isnâ€t as pronounced, as the lower speed level doesnâ€t penalize you as much if you mistime the ball.

With some rubbers like the Tibhar MX-P, as soon as the ball engages with the sponge, it shoots right out. If you make an error, you will not get the ball on the table.

The Glayzer 09c has the opposite effect. It seems to grab the ball for very long (due to its tackiness and lack of bounciness), and then shoot the ball out where you want it to go.

To show how fast and spinny loops are with the Glayzer 09c on an OFF- blade, I decided to shoot footage of myself looping at 100%, 75%, and 50% power.

In the first clip, you can see that you can produce great shot quality if you hit the ball with a lot of acceleration.

However, in a real match setting, itâ€s quite difficult to find chances to loop with 90-100% of your total power. Most times, you will loop anywhere in the 60-80% range.

Once I started hitting softer and softer, my (advanced) training partner noted that my shot quality was lacking and that he could return the ball very easily. The ball had not much speed or quality to it.

A 75% power loop would be outright dangerous with an MX-P or a Tenergy 05. With this rubber, it was a lot harder to miss the table, but my loops didnâ€t pose any threats to my advanced partner.

If youâ€re a beginner or an early intermediate, however, your opponents wonâ€t be very good at blocking and defending, so you can have all the advantages (safety and control), while still being able to hit shots past your opposition.

In terms of open-ups, the Glayzer 09c is quite safe, but it doesnâ€t produce as much quality as top-tier offensive rubbers.

It is hard to miss the table because of its dwell time and its arc, but itâ€s hard to generate speed against backspin balls that are usually slow.

The Glayzer 09c benefits from incoming pace, and thatâ€s why itâ€s spectacular for counterlooping. It is by far one of my favourite rubbers for counterlooping Iâ€ve ever tried.

The main problem I found with the Glayzer 09c is that itâ€s hard to generate pace on the ball.

If our opponent gives us a bit of speed to work with, this rubber is one of the best table tennis rubbers you can choose. Counterloops with the Glayzer 09c are more than fast enough because we can use the speed of our opponent against them.

We benefit from a safe high arc, tons of grip, tons of dwell time, a tacky topsheet that ‘catches†the ball, and a hard sponge that stabilizes the counterloop.

When countering away from the table, this rubber is also very good, but it suffers a bit from its relatively slow base speed.

Counterloops more than 2 metres away from the table lack power when compared to most modern offensive rubbers but itâ€s easy to get the ball on the table.

We also tried the Glayzer 09c on the backhand side. The Glayzer 09c was at least as good on the backhand side, if not better.

I really liked how you can brush on top of the ball and you can benefit from the Glayzerâ€s grip and high arc.

Topspinning with the Glayzer 09c on the backhand side felt great as itâ€s hard to miss the table and you can generate very good spin with it.

If your backhand relies on looping with spin and control, the Glayzer 09c is a superb option.

You may lack some acceleration, but if youâ€re not the type of player who powerloops on the backhand side (letâ€s face it, most of us arenâ€t!), this is a very good rubber to choose, especially if youâ€re a beginner or an intermediate level player.

Serve and receive

Serving and receiving are very good with the Glayzer 09c.

In terms of serving, it is great. Serves carry good amounts of spin, about the same as with most modern offensive rubbers.

One thing I really enjoyed about the Glayzer 09c is that the ball stays in the rubber for longer and it doesnâ€t shoot right out, so itâ€s very easy to control the depth and placements of your serves.

In terms of receiving serves, the Glayzer 09c is phenomenal. Itâ€s very good for both active and passive serve receives.

With a passive serve receive, the Glayzer 09c is excellent because of its tackiness and its sponge hardness.  It was very easy to touch short, and it was also easy to place my pushes wherever I wanted. The control when pushing was superb.

For receiving serves actively, the Glayzer 09c worked best when performing backhand flicks. Backhand flicks are made easy with the Glayzer 09c because it isnâ€t too fast, it has tons of grip, and, most importantly, it produces a high arc.

Blocking and chopping

Blocking with the Glayzer 09c is one of the rubberâ€s core strengths.

As weâ€ve mentioned, the rubber is hard, stable, and not overly bouncy. In addition, the medium tackiness makes it easy to absorb the incoming speed of the opponentâ€s shots.

Hereâ€s a video of me blocking my opponentâ€s attacks. Even though heâ€s powerlooping with a lot of speed, I was able to block his attacks very comfortably.

In fact, I felt like the rubber was capable of handling even more power. If I had to block a professional playerâ€s attacks, the Glayzer 09c would be the rubber Iâ€d choose to do so.

In terms of chopping, the Glayzer 09c fared very well.

The Glayzer 09c is a great chopping rubber because it’s hard, medium tacky and it isn’t that fast.

It wasn’t hard for me to control my chops because of the Glayzer’s ability to neutralize speed.

The ball stayed longer on the rubber than with most other offensive rubbers, and it really made a difference when it came to chopping.

However, the relatively high throw also made it so that I had to take a bit of care not to leave the ball too high, or otherwise, my opponent would be able to smash it.

I think the Glayzer 09c has the potential to be a great chopping rubber if you practice with it and get used to its throw angle.

Alternatives to the Butterfly Glayzer 09c

Overall reflections on the Butterfly Glayzer 09c

If youâ€re looking for a fast, dynamic, bouncy rubber, this is not it.

However, if youâ€re looking for more control, dwell time, safety, and spin, the Glayzer 09c could be a very good choice.

This rubber proves that you donâ€t always need the fastest and spinniest gear available, especially if you arenâ€t an advanced player.

The Glayzer 09c is much better than most ultra-offensive rubbers in many categories other than all-out attacks.

This is a superb rubber for controlling the ball when looping, blocking, and opening up. As a result, you will feel like itâ€s very hard to miss the table.

If you are a beginner or an intermediate-level player who wants to improve their consistency, this is a very good option.

Also, if you’re an all-rounder who enjoys controllable, safe, high-throwing rubbers, the Glayzer 09c is just perfect.

I wouldn’t recommend this rubber for advanced attackers nor for powerloopers, as it lacks the explosiveness needed to hit shots past strong opposition. If you’re any style other than this, you could consider the Glayzer 09c, as its high grip, high arc, and high dwell time make it a very good rubber for a wide array of playing styles and levels.

Alvaroâ€s a qualified ITTF Level 1 Coach who’s been playing Table Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked within the top 50 in his native Argentina. He loves to compete in provincial tournaments and is always looking for ways to improve. Alvaro made his favorite memories with a racket in hand, and he joined the RacketInsight team to share his passion with other players!

Blade: Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC | Forehand: Butterfly Dignics 09c | Backhand: Butterfly Tenergy 19
Playstyle: The Controller

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