Andro Rubbers as Described by Japanese Shop

I recently came across some interesting descriptions of Andro Table Tennis Rubbers on Jasupo, major Japanese table tennis products online shop so I thought I would share some of them.

Andro Revo Fire

The Andro Revo Fire is described as feeling and sounding the same as if you had used glue.

Product Features:

• Speed: 101
• Spin: 102
• Control: 84
• Density: Med

For the hardness of this rubber, it is written 45 on the packaging. If it is correct, then the sponge should be very hard.

The most common hardness for the rubber is 47. However, the actual sponge found is very soft, probably about 40.

This rubber has a thickness of 2.3mm on the sponge. But compared with the thickness of the DHS Hurricane 3 Neo, it feels less thick than the DHS Hurricane 3 Neo. So don’t be scared by their numbers when buying German rubber.

When pressing the rubber surface, it is not very soft, and the rubber surface feels hard. The rubber surface structure is thinner. The density of the pimples are higher, the pimples are smaller, and the space between them also relatively larger.

Theoretical analysis, the speed should be slow, and the control is not very good, but it is good in terms of spin.

Andro Roxxon 330

The Andro Roxon 330 says it hits like a dream but the description is pretty straightforward, mentioning the “Tensor Bios technology”.

Product Features:

• Speed: 81
• Spin: 89
• Control: 86
• Sponge Hardness: Soft

Andro Roxxon 500 Pro

Roxon 500 Pro rubbers are described as being the lightest of the series and the standard among top pros.

Product Features:

• Speed: 115
• Spin: 107
• Control: 74
• Sponge Hardness: Hard

The density of pimples of this rubber is lower. The straight row is 20 and the horizontal row is 10. The size is 52mm x 43mm. My previous plasma rubber is 51.5mm x 42.5mm. Which mean the pimples arrangement is more sparse.

The surface of the rubber and the sponge are sandwiched when the ball gets in contact with the rubber. So although the sponge is harder, the feel of the ball will be softer.

But there will be more sweet spot for traction and the ball will have more dwell time. The ball rotation in the table is much stronger. It seems that this is a high-speed rubber. But the sparse rubber is generally offering less elasticity. Because there is not enough support to transmit the impact into the sponge. So it needs to have a superelastic sponge as a backing.

Andro Roxxon 450

Product Features:

• Speed: 110
• Spin: 105
• Control: 75
• Sponge Hardness: Medium

The Roxon 450 has the same top sheet as the 500 Pro but is described as providing better stability and control.

Andro’s Impuls Speed has described as the softest rubber Andro offers and provides the best control for beginning players.

The Roxon series is the highest-end rubber of Andro. You can find the word ITTF and the number 03-001 printed on the right side of the rubber packaging.  It represents the unique number of the inorganic era rubber.

The same as the previous generation PLASMA (470/430/380) series, ROXON is also divided into 500 and 450. To distinguish the rubber, you need to know that the higher the number, the hardness of the sponge and the faster the speed you will get. So you can choose the rubber that you wish to have by seeing their numbers.

The difference is that PLASMA still has a short service life. The shortcomings of easy rupture, ROXON’s gluing is much stronger, it is not easy to rupture if you hit it on the table. It is highly durable, and it is not easy to oxidize even without using a protective sheet.

Andro Plasma 430

The Andro Plasma 430 is described as something good for any offensive player, while the Plasma 380 is good for players who like an especially soft sponge.

Product Features:

• Speed: 105
• Spin: 103
• Control: 80
• Sponge Hardness: Medium

It is not offering good spin when I try to do a serve. The sponge is hard which make the rubber doesn’t have good traction on the ball. The glue is sturdy and cannot generate good spin for the ball.

However, it is beneficial to use the rubber to make a long sneak attack. The speed and placement are very satisfactory. Therefore, it is difficult to say whether it is good or bad for getting less spin with this rubber. It all depends on personal preference.

When playing attacking strokes with the rubber, it can give you very large elasticity. Because of this, I dare not to do a too powerful shot. Which cause me to have a low hit rate.

When playing with a power shot, it can give me quite a stable feel. The power that it offers me is really amazing. The feel is very solid as well.

The Andro Plasma Women is described as the first table tennis rubber designed just for female players. The description on Jasupo’s site is a little bit funny using Japanese emoticons and describing the rubber as a “prince riding a white horse”.

It also says that this rubber is so good that women who use it won’t have to do any of that exhausting muscle training in order to use it. The final word on this particular rubber is that it doesn’t explicitly say the word “women” on it, so even men can benefit from this great piece of equipment.

The Revolution Quad 420, 450, and 480 are all listed as well, the Quad 420 is recommended for beginner and mid-level players. The Quad 450 has a sponge of medium softness and is suited to any level player. The 480 is described as extremely hard and designed with top-level players in mind.

The description that really stands out here is the one for the Agro Plasma Women because of the way the shop really goes out of its way to write in a girlish style, while the English language Agro site has a very serious tone.

I don’t know which type of marketing would appeal to Japanese female table tennis players, but it was kind of funny to read a table tennis rubber described as a kind of “Prince Charming”.

If you are looking for Andro rubbers, you can find them at Megaspin.

Warren Davies