The 8 Best Butterfly Rubbers

If you’re browsing the market for new rubbers, Butterfly is a brand you should absolutely check out. Their rubbers are some of the first I went to when I reached an intermediate level. While more expensive than other brands, Butterfly are renowned for having exceptionally high-quality products. This has made them popular with pros and hobby players alike.

In this post, I’ll cover the top Butterfly rubbers currently available, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Butterfly Rubbers Comparison

Why Choose Butterfly?

As one of the most popular table tennis manufacturers in the world, Butterfly has been at the forefront of rubber production since it released the revolutionary Sriver series back in 1967. Many of their rubbers are in contention of being the greatest rubbers of all time. As a result, they are perhaps the most commonly used among professionals who demand the highest quality possible.

Even at an amateur level, Butterfly rubbers remain far more popular than the competition. According to Megaspin, seven out of the top 10 best-selling rubbers are Butterfly made. Those figures speak for themselves!

Butterfly’s current popularity is largely due to the properties of their most offensive rubbers. They are incredibly fast and spinny, which gives players a competitive edge. Butterfly has really nailed down pimple geometry and continues to improve its rubber technology, a great example of this was the upgrade from Spring Sponge to Spring Sponge X.

Read More: Measure Rubber Hardness

Top Butterfly Table Tennis Rubbers of 2023

Butterfly Tenergy 05

Specifications

• Speed: 9.3
• Spin: 9.4
• Control: 8.3
• Thickness: 1.7, 1.9, 2.1 mm
• Hardness: Medium-hard
• Rating: 9.3

Pros

• Very spinny
• Very fast
• Large arcing loops

Cons

• Hard to control
• Expensive

Kicking things off with the best Butterfly table tennis rubber review, we have Tenergy 05. Since its release in 2005, it has proven incredibly popular with professionals and high-level amateur players, and for good reason. The rubber is one of the fastest and spinniest out there. So if you have the skills to tame its lively style, it can really help up the levels of your offensive game.

Characterized by a high throw angle, it produces loaded arcing loops that help you attack from any position. When forced away from the table, its catapult effect comes in handy, giving you the explosiveness to establish your will. The issue is that the rubber becomes difficult to predict when you start to hit the ball super hard. It will take some time before you can get all of these balls onto the table consistently.

The other drawback to Tenergy 05 is its price. It’s certainly more expensive than its competitors from other brands, and whether it offers any distinct advantage from these rubbers is up for debate.

Read More: Butterfly Tenergy 05 Review

Butterfly Tenergy 64

Specifications

• Speed: 9.4
• Spin: 8.8
• Control: 8.5
• Thickness: 1.7, 1.9, 2.1 mm
• Hardness: Medium
• Rating: 9.3

Pros

• Very spinny
• Very fast
• Powerful smashes

Cons

• Hard to control
• Expensive

If Tenergy 05 isn’t quite doing it for you, perhaps its softer brother will do the trick. The Tenergy 64 Butterfly rubber for table tennis uses the same top sheet as Tenergy 05, but the sponge has a different pimple arrangement, giving it a softer feel.

The pimples are longer compared to Tenergy 05. This allows the ball to dig more into the sponge, making it less sensitive to incoming spin and giving you more control. It’s also quicker than Tenergy 05 in areas such as smashing. Due to its reduced spin, T64 plays more directly, but you should still feel right at home looping from a medium or far distance.

While Tenergy 64 is a bit easier to control than Tenergy 05, it’s still hard to control compared to many rubbers on the market. That’s simply the price you pay for the fastest and most spinny rubbers. And again, the main issue with Tenergy 64 is the price. It’s pretty expensive, in my opinion. For a similar rubber, you could check out the Tenergy 80.

Read More: Butterfly Tenergy 64 Review

Butterfly Spin Art

Specifications

• Speed: 8.6
• Spin: 9.3
• Control: 8.9
• Thickness: 1.9, 2.1 mm
• Hardness: Hard
• Rating: 9.3

Pros

• Fast
• Very spinny

Cons

• Too hard for a lot of players
• Heavy
• Expensive

At 48 degrees, Spin Art is one of the hardest rubbers you can get, so it certainly has an acquired taste. As a result of the hardness, one might expect it to have blistering pace, but this is not the case. While it is pretty quick, the area it excels is spin, hence the name.

Interestingly, Spin Art plays more like a Chinese than a Japanese rubber. It has similar levels of hardness, spin, and even close levels of tackiness to Chinese rubbers. Therefore if you enjoy the likes of the Hurricane series and want to try out a Butterfly rubber, Spin Art is the best you can get. The presence of Spring Sponge tech also means you get elevated pace compared to most Hurricane rubbers, a quality that makes Spin Art less taxing to use.

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Butterfly Dignics 09C

Specifications

• Speed: 8.6
• Spin: 9.4
• Control: 9
• Thickness: 1.9, 2.1 mm
• Hardness: Hard
• Rating: 9.1

Pros

• Very spinny
• Fast
• Newer rubber series

Cons

• Might be too hard for some players
• Expensive

Released in 2020, the Dignics 09C Butterfly ping pong rubber is much newer than Tenergy 05. Designed to cater to the plastic ball, it has a new top sheet that is engineered to hold the ball longer. Like Tenergy 05, it has crazy high levels of spin, making it a top rubber for looping. In fact, according to the Butterfly rubber chart, it has the most spin of any of the rubbers they make. However, it is noticeably slower than Tenergy 05, which has advantages in the control department.

Dignics 09C uses Springe Sponge X technology, a newer version of the Spring Sponge tech that Tenergy 05 uses. It also uses a completely new pimple arrangement. This is, in part, why Dignics 09C feels so damn hard. It is harder than Tenergy 05 Hard, meaning it is a bit of a niche rubber-like Spin Art. Due to its hardness, we think it’s a better fit for the forehand than backhand.

Another quality that might surprise you is its tackiness. Unlike most rubbers by Butterfly, which have little to no tackiness, Dignics 09C is fairly tacky. We should note, however, it’s not on the level of most Chinese rubbers but tacky all the same.

The biggest drawback to this exceptional rubber is its price. It’s even more expensive than Tenergy 05, so while the quality is high, it provides poor value for money.

Butterfly Dignics 05

Specifications

• Speed: 8.9
• Spin: 9.4
• Control: 8.8
• Thickness: 1.9, 2.1 mm
• Hardness: Medium-hard
• Rating: 9.1

Pros

• Very spinny
• Fast
• Newer rubber series

Cons

• Expensive

Building upon the popularity of Tenergy 05, Butterfly took the same pimple code and transferred it across to the Dignics line to essentially give players a new and improved Tenergy 05. Whether this is the case is up for debate, but undoubtedly Dignics 05 is a top-quality rubber in its own right. Dignics 05 has a slightly deeper bounce than Tenergy 05, and according to Butterfly’s testing, offers a 22% greater arc and 3.4% more power than T05.

If we instead turn our attention to the difference between Dignics 05 and Dignics 09C, there are not that many — they have similar levels of spin, and Dignics 05 is a bit quicker. The main differences are that 05 has a very low tackiness, a harder sponge, and also, Dignics 05 has a lower throw angle (but still pretty high).

Read More: Butterfly Dignics 05 Review

Butterfly Rozena

Specifications

• Speed: 8.7
• Spin: 8.5
• Control: 8.7
• Thickness: 1.7, 1.9, 2.1 mm
• Hardness: Medium
• Rating: 8.9

Pros

• High spin
• Fast
• Well-priced

Cons

• Not as fast or spinny as top rubbers

Think of Rozena as a toned-down version of the Tenergy series. Shooting for “tolerance”, Rozena offers high levels of speed and spin but superior control compared to the most offensive rubbers. It sports the same Spring Sponge technology present in the Tenergy series, but instead has a dazzling rose dye added to make the sponge pop!

While Rozena is not quite as lively as the likes of Tenergy and Dignics, it is still very offensive, making it a good choice for advanced and ambitious intermediate players. Perhaps what is most alluring about Rozena is its price. It’s pretty damn cheap, which is rare for a rubber from Butterfly. It is a super choice if you want an offensive rubber and are on a budget.

Read More: Butterfly Rozena Review

Butterfly Feint Long II

Specifications

• Speed: 4.8
• Spin: 5
• Control: 8.4
• Thickness: 0.5, 1.1, 1.3 mm
• Hardness: Medium-soft
• Rating: 8.7

Pros

• Versatile
• Deceptive
• Very well-priced

Cons

• Poor attacking ability

If you’re in the market for a long pips rubber Feint Long II could be just what you are after. It has more control than a lot of other long pips rubbers and is a lot trickier to play against than the standard inverted style. With a bit of practice, you can alter your chops between almost no spin, moderate backspin, or heavy backspin, making you a nightmare to play against.

Another factor to consider is that Feint Long II is ridiculously cheap. It is the most affordable rubber on this list, so even if you just want to try it out and are unsure if it’s for you, the small investment is definitely worthwhile.

Butterfly Sriver

Specifications

• Speed: 8
• Spin: 8
• Control: 8.5
• Thickness: 1.5, 1.7, 1.8, 2.1 mm, Max
• Hardness: Medium
• Rating: 8.5

Pros

• Inexpensive
• Good speed and spin
• Easy to control
• Available in many thicknesses

Cons

• Not lively enough for most advanced players

Sriver is one of Butterfly’s best-selling rubbers of all time. Released way back in 1967, over 20 World and 70 European Championships have been claimed with Sriver. With such wide usage at the top level, with Sriver you know that you are getting a world-class rubber. The issue is that technology has moved on a lot since 1967. As such, the top players now require faster and spinnier rubbers to keep up with the modern game.

Nevertheless, Sriver is still a great buy. It’s more fitting for intermediate players than advanced players nowadays. What I like about Sriver is the wide availability of rubber thicknesses on offer. The sponge ranges from 1.5 mm to max, giving you more control over how you want your Sriver rubber to play. For defenders, the thin 1.5 mm option is optimal, while for attackers, 2.1 mm or even max are super options.

A benefit of it being so old is that Butterfly has significantly reduced the price of Sriver. It costs less than half of Tenergy 05, which is pretty incredible!

Read More: Butterfly Sriver vs Mark V

Conclusion

Butterfly rubbers are among the highest quality you can purchase. While some are very pricey, others are inexpensive compared to the rest of the rubber market.

Unsurprisingly, the best Butterfly rubber for us is Tenergy 05. Long considered the greatest rubber of all time, Tenergy 05 is one of the most offensive rubbers available. It is capable of insane levels of spin and speed, an excellent performer across the board, and a super option for advanced players.

On the other hand, if you do not feel ready to tackle the aggressive properties of Tenergy 05, perhaps try Rozena instead. It’s still damn fast and spinny, but it is certainly more manageable. Rozena is also priced superbly as far as Butterfly rubbers go. At half the price of Tenergy 05, it’s a great deal.

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