Spintech's Spinpower Platinum Review

 

Spintech has been known for being on the cutting edge of table tennis technology. Their new line of rubbers known as the “Platinum Series” have taken some of the well known topsheets and combined them with a new more dynamic high tension sponge. By physical appearance the sponge’s color is close to that of milk, and it feels a softer than the Spinpower sponge but not quite as soft as the Spinpower SV. The topsheet is the exact same topsheet seen on the Spinpower and Spinpower SV rubbers, but it will be interesting to see how this new dynamic sponge changes the playing characteristics of the rubber.

Spin 9.8 (9.9 when glued)

Speed 9.4 (9.4 when glued)

Control 9.8 (9.6 when glued)

**These numbers are estimated based on other rubbers in its class, please read the entire review for a more accurate report on Spinpower Platinum.

SPEED GLUE: Spinpower Platinum isn’t recommend to be glued since it is a tensioned rubber and it is suppose to play as though it has a built in glue effect. IE: Donic Desto F Series, Catapult, etc. Unlike some of the previously mentioned rubbers, Spinpower Platinum can be safe glued but it really isn’t necessary. Now when you first get this rubber, before it has been primed, Spinpower Platinum becomes incredibly soft and arguably slower. Once this rubber has been primed, it plays more like a hard rubber with a medium soft sponge. Even though the rubber might feel glued, it retains control and it has a more solid feel on attacks. There isn’t a drastic change in speed however the feel is definitely different.

SERVING: Spinpower Platinum is a serving machine, the tacky topsheet and semi-soft sponge make it ideal for serving. There is plenty of dwell time and that is what makes the difference. Though Spinpower Platinum is a high tension rubber, it is still able to play a slow and fast game without compromising each other. Spinpower Platinum really relies on the dwell to produce that extra spin that is offered by most of the other rubbers on the market.

BLOCKING: I still cannot believe how well Spinpower Platinum blocks. I would have suspected that blocking be difficult with the tacky topsheet, but that wasn’t the case at all. Whether you are lobbing or blocking close to the table, it doesn’t matter, Spinpower Platinum blocks better than most of the defensive rubbers on the market. In my opinion, Spinpower Platinum is the best blocking rubber in the Spintech line, and that is saying a lot if you have had the pleasure of playing with some of Spintech's other rubbers. The blocking playback makes it very well suited on the backhand especially for allround players who equally block and loop. Though Spinpower Platinum was designed as an attackers rubber, passive players alike can use Spinpower Platinum since it defends so well even on the hardest hits.

LOOPING: The one thing that I noticed about Spinpower Platinum is how well it loops from off the table. Most soft sponge rubbers are too mushy or not powerful enough to generate high speed and spin off the table but this isn’t the case with Spinpower Platinum. The high tensioned sponge is specifically designed for looping and this applies for both close to the table or far away from the table. I did notice that Spinpower Platinum has a medium high throw angle, therefore depending on what you play with right now, it might not be necessary to open your racket so much when looping underspin and likewise, maybe players will need to close their racket a little more when looping topspin. I noticed that carbon blades or fast wood blades looped the best since it balances Spinpower Platinum’s soft sponge while providing the extra kick that all players are looking for. However, I use an ALL+ blades and I didn’t have any difficulty looping at all. Really something to brag about it how Spinpower Platinum is able to produce all sorts of loops. From slow to fast, spiny to dead, the entire spectrum of loops.

HITTING: Spinpower Platinum’s high tension/built in glue effect sponge creates a unique feel when hitting with it. Player’s ball control will dramatically increase due to the extra dwell time allowing for a little bit more room for mistake. I don’t want to say that Spinpower Platinum hits as well as some of the harder rubbers, but it definitely has an advantage over the other soft sponge rubbers currently on the market. Unlike some of the other “Built-in” glue rubbers that don’t have enough dwell or control, Spinpower Platinum is the superior alternative on the market. Again the higher launch angle will need some adjustment on the player’s part, but in general Spinpower Platinum hit well when compared to other rubbers in its class.

PUSHING: Spinpower Platinum is capable of playing at both high and low gears. I would have expected Spinpower Platinum to pop the ball up like the other high octane rubbers, but I noticed the exact opposite. When players begin playing a control game, blocking or pushing, the rubber magnifies these characteristics. Blocks don’t go quite as long and pushes become actually slower and spinier. Sometimes players will need to push the ball harder in order to clear the net, but that isn’t as hard as learning to keep it low. The high dwell time allows for pushes to be spinier especially on an ALL or ALL+ blade. Serve return becomes much easier, assuming your opponent follows the rules and you know what is coming.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: Unmistakably, Spintech has produced another high quality rubber. Even after a month of use, I have noticed almost no sponge/top sheet breakdown and that’s hard to say when you compare it to some of the other fragile high tension rubbers. Anyone who is playing with Butterfly Catapult or maybe a glued soft sponge rubber should consider trying out a sheet of Spinpower Platinum. I noticed that Spinpower Platinum plays better on fast blades and it allows aggressive players to obtain more control without losing spin or speed. Players who don’t bother gluing because of the inconvenience can replicate that glue feel offered by the Platinum series. (Spinpower Platinum is available in 1.5, 1.8, 2.1, MAX) (This test was conducted with a 2.1mm sheet.)