The Andro Rasanter R42 is a mid-soft, balanced tensor rubber. The Rasanter line by Andro was developed especially for the new plastic ABS ball and all the Rasanter rubbers have a great reputation for their speed and grip levels.
Among them, the R42 is positioned as the most balanced offering, supposedly having just enough power to execute powerloops as well as great touch for open-ups, flicks, the short game, and blocks.
I tested the rubber for more than 30 hours so I got to know how it plays inside out, and I even played tournaments with it. Needless to say, I quite liked it!
Perfect for: Beginner and intermediate offensive players on the forehand side, offensive players of all levels on their backhand side. 1-15+ years of playing.
Excellent
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: ULTRAMAX
Hours Tested: 10+
Recommended Playstyles
We recommend the Andro Rasanter R42 to players who want to play a controlled offensive game. It’s a great rubber for opening up and getting your attacks, blocks, and serve receives on the table with good quality.
Design of the Andro Rasanter R42
The Andro Rasanter R42 comes in a high-quality sealed package.
Inside, we can find the rubber. The rubber that we used for our testing is bright red.
If we rub our fingers across the rubber, we find that it’s slightly tacky but much less than the MX-P or Rakza 7. The Rasanter R42 relies more on the grippiness of its topsheet when the ball contacts the rubber.
The most characteristic design attribute of the Rasanter line is its Ultramax sponge. Most rubbers offered on the market, such as the popular Tenergy, have a maximum thickness of around 2.1mm.
The Ultramax Rasanters have a thickness of 2.3mm. Andro managed to decrease the thickness of the topsheet to just 1.7mm to accommodate this thicker sponge.
The Rasanter is the tensor rubber with the thickest sponge available on the market, which Andro says helps propel the plastic ball. Hence the slogan “boost the cell-free ball”.
The Ultramax sponge is lively, modern, and highly porous. On the R42, as the name implies, the sponge is medium-soft at 42 degrees, but it still feels quite firm during play. It feels medium soft but not unstable like other soft rubbers.
In addition, the Ultramax sponge was paired with the “R” topsheet. What sets the “R” line apart from the Andro “V” line is the topsheet design.
The R in R42 stands for rotation. The pimples on all Rasanter R rubbers are thick and arranged close to each other to maximize the contact area with the ball.
Surprisingly, and despite the Ultramax sponge, the Rasanter R42 weighs in at 46 grams, a slightly lighter weight than average.
If you had an 85 grams OFF- blade and attached two Andro Rasanter R42, you’d have a fantastic racket for a developing offensive player.
It’d weigh just 177 grams, making it easy to swing and it would have tons of control, safety, spin, and sufficient power to finish points at that level of play.
Another thing I want to mention about this excellent rubber is its durability. I have already used this rubber for more than two months in my main racket.
I’ve used it in dozens of training sessions and some tournaments, and it still doesn’t have any signs of wear. The durability of this rubber is exceptional.
- Weight (Cut): 46g
- Speed: Medium
- Spin: High
- Control: High
- Tackiness: Slightly Tacky
- Hardness: Medium-Hard
- ITTF Approved: Yes
- Sponge Thickness: 1.7mm, 2.0mm, or ULTRAMAX
Summary: Attack your opponent first and dominate open rallies with this controllable medium-soft offensive rubber.
Playtesting the Andro Rasanter R42
I decided to purchase this rubber for my backhand side after determining that I wanted a relatively soft rubber, but a bit harder and faster than my previous Rakza 7 soft. I must say this is exactly what I was looking for.
The Andro Rasanter R42 doesn’t feel like a traditional soft rubber, it just feels like taking a medium-hard tensor rubber and putting a slightly slower medium-soft sponge on it, maintaining the stability and grip of the topsheet.
It has good amounts of dwell time and you can feel the ball digging into the sponge before being propelled forwards.
This rubber feels lively and firm enough but with the advantages and disadvantages of a soft rubber. It’s firm enough to be used on the forehand side and its speed and spin generation are easy and intuitive, but it lacks the absolute top gears.
If I hit the ball with my maximum force, I’m not going to have a linearly stronger shot like with the Hurricane 3 NEO or the Rakza Z, for example.
Instead, this rubber shines on medium acceleration shots, where you can generate a lot of spin and good speed without requiring very large strokes.
The Rasanter R42 is ideal for flicks, short counters on the backhand side, and safe forehand shots. It is an easy rubber to use.
I wouldn’t use it on my forehand side because there are harder rubbers that can give you more and more power when you hit hard. I was able to play reasonable 3rd ball attacking shots, however, they sometimes lacked the speed and spin a more attacking rubber can generate.
The idea of this rubber is to be unbeatable in the open rally because of its good performance and high consistency. It’s not a speed demon.
It is not the stereotypical medium-speed rubber that is incredibly soft, like the Xiom Vega Europe or the Rakza 7 Soft.
It is also not like the other archetypal bouncy soft rubbers with which you can generate a lot of spin with almost no effort, such as the Tenergy 05 FX.
The Rasanter R42 lies just in between. It’s a bit harder than both rubbers mentioned above, a bit more linear and less bouncy than the Tenergy 05 FX, and faster than the Xiom Vega Europe.
Driving and looping
The forte of this rubber is offensive shots.
Unlike other soft rubbers, the Rasanter R42 feels firm enough to hit drives and punch-type shots with great effectiveness.
To exemplify my point, let’s look at the following clip:
The great virtue of this rubber is to be able to mix punch-type shots with open-ups and loops seamlessly. The rubber has a relatively high speed but not to the point where control is lost.
The R42 has tons of control. It’s very easy to play shots exactly where you want them, which is crucial in table tennis, especially on a backhand rubber. I found that aiming down the line, to the opponent’s elbow or cross-court was incredibly easy and accurate.
The Rasanter R42 is very effective when taking shots over the bounce. You can hit the ball with confidence and the rubber offers plenty of clearance over the net.
This, added to its control, makes it so that a game based on well-placed quick counters and punches over the bounce is very efficient.
In contrast, I would not buy this rubber if your game is one of powerloops, you have a lot of force in your strokes and you rely on sheer power and long strokes to hit winners against your opponent. This rubber doesn’t have that much power from away from the table, either.
Its strong suit is close to the table or a few meters away from it at most. That is why it is ideal for the backhand side, or also for the forehand side of beginners or intermediate players.
Speaking of forehand loops, in the next clip I’m a couple of steps away from the table and you can understand what I’m talking about. The rubber feels safe, controllable and loops travel with adequate speed, but it’s hard to hit hard shots from afar.
The R topsheet shines when performing open-ups. It bites the plastic ball incredibly well. Tons of spin can be generated with this rubber in all kinds of loops, especially on open-ups.
After everything we said, you will already have an idea of how this rubber works.
In short, it is well balanced between speed and control and has very good spin. Additionally, it feels firm enough to go for punch-type shots and is very good for open-ups.
It is the ideal rubber for those players who have conventional backhand strokes, and who use their backhand as a consistent shot that can progress points in their favor instead of trying to hit outright winners.
Serve and receive
In the service and receive department, the rubber behaves quite well.
In terms of serves, the spin levels generated are above average, but sometimes it was difficult to load the serves with spin and at the same time leave them short, as can be easily done with a Hurricane 3 NEO for example.
Regardless, it’s a pretty good serving rubber.
Where I liked the R42 was when receiving. It’s a bit bouncy but perfectly controllable. It has the perfect speed so that flicks carry good power and touching the ball short is not that complicated.
Speaking of flicks, performing backhand flicks with this rubber is very confidence-inducing due to its extremely high levels of grip, and it has very good clearance over the net.
Ball slippage is non-existent with this rubber so you can just close your racket angle and graze the ball while flicking, in a similar fashion as when opening up.
Blocking and chopping
Blocking is a strong suit for this rubber. Chops can be done occasionally but I wouldn’t consider them a virtue of this rubber.
Blocks feel firm and controllable, while also being fast enough to bother the opponent. Active blocks with this rubber are also very effective and they can swing the point in your favor.
Chopping with this rubber was just OK. I felt that the rubber popped the ball up very high when chopping against spinny shos. It depends a lot on personal preference but I prefer harder and slower rubbers for chopping.
Alternatives to the Andro Rasanter R42
The Tenergy 05 FX is a step up from the Rasanter R42. It’s faster and spinnier while retaining good touch and control.
The Donic Baracuda is just like the Rasanter R42, but a bit spinnier, and harder. Both are very safe and controllable.
A medium hardness, balanced offensive rubber. It’s similar to the R42 in terms of control, but it’s slightly harder and faster.
Overall reflections on the Andro Rasanter R42
This rubber is, without a doubt, an excellent rubber to play a balanced offensive game close to the table. I would recommend it for the backhand side of just about every offensive player I know. It’s hard to go wrong with this rubber.
The R42 is a very cohesive rubber that bridges the gap perfectly between many rubbers on the market and I would recommend it to a very broad spectrum of players.
Some may prefer a little more hardness or a little more speed, but this rubber is perfectly suitable for the close-to-the-table modern backhand stroke, and for beginners and intermediate-level players on their forehand side.
Another thing I wanted to mention is that this rubber is very good on hard blades and those with carbon fibers, on those blades this rubber bites the ball in a sensational way and makes the whole setup have a more manageable speed and a more balanced nature.
In the next clip, you can see everything we talked about in this review but combined. On my backhand side, I progress points by using well-placed open-ups, drives, loops, and punches, until I can get an easy chance to win the point with my forehand.
One of the many players for whom I would recommend this rubber is myself! I’ve been using the Rasanter R42 on my backhand side for these past few months and I’ve been loving it 🙂
Alvaro’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
Hi,
Thanks for your analysis. I am looking for my son a FH similar as T05fx, as bouncy and easy to spin. He tried it for 1week training in the Tahiti federation and love it.
He is a strong backhand player and i am looking for something like the hard rubber rhyzm from joola.
Thanks again
Hello,
He can go for the Tenergy 05, it’s harder than 05fx, bouncy, and easy to spin the ball with. Rozena is also a very good choice, it’s like a Tenergy with more control. The Rasanter R47 is another rubber I really like with those characteristics.
Cheers,
Álvaro
Hey Alvaro,
I love your equipment reviews, really comprehensive! Thank you!
I’ve been using this rubber on my BH for several months now and it is indeed an excellent choice. I’ve been able to develop my stroke with this rubber, I’m tempted to go for something with some more gears for my next choice but I it is so safe I’m reluctant to give it up!
Keep up the great work here, great resource to have access to.
Thank you for the nice words!
I upgraded from the Rasanter R42 to the Butterfly Rozena and it felt like the proper step up. It’s a bit harder, a bit faster, and a bit spinnier, but it’s still medium-soft and very controllable.
Cheers,
Álvaro
Hi Alvaro,
Can you please give your thoughts on this set up;
Blade – Viscaria SALC
FH – Rasanter C48
BH – Rasanter R42
Thank you
Sounds like a good racket for an intermediate/upper intermediate offensive player and above 🙂
Cheers,
Álvaro
thanks…. hope you make review for rasanter C48 as well…
I hope so as well!
Cheers,
Álvaro
Hello. First of all, I want to thank you for the content you write, which is always very complete and clear, which helps us amateur players a lot.
I would like you to make a brief comparison here in this chat, comparing the R42 with the G1, or the R42 with the regular Glayzer.
I am an intermediate player, I adapted well with the G1 and Glayzer, but close to the table I have difficulty blocking loop drives, the ball usually splashes off the table. Another difficulty is the drive attacks close to the table, I throw the ball off the table a lot.
In your opinion, do you think the R42 will help me in this regard? Or do you recommend any other option?
Thank you in advance.
Hello Thyago,
Thanks for your nice words! Yes, the R42 is perfect for what you want, the softness gives a lot more feeling and control, and it’s slower than both options you mentioned, so it will be better for controlling the ball when blocking hard shots.
Cheers,
Álvaro
Thanks for the nice review Alvaro.
I was wondering if you think that the R45 would work if the R42 feels to slow and the R47 feels a bit to fast?
Cheers,
Albert
Hello Albert,
I haven’t tried the R45, but the Vega X or the Rozena should fit the bill.
Cheers,
Álvaro