The 10 Best Forehand Rubbers You Can Buy To Improve Your Game In 2025

For most of us, our forehand is our biggest weapon. It’s where we win most of our points.

That’s why it’s absolutely critical to have the right forehand rubber that works perfectly with your playing style.

Based on years of coaching and playing, as well as hundreds of hours of dedicated equipment testing, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite forehand rubbers. 

Choosing a table tennis rubber is unique to every player, so it’s impossible for us to suggest the same rubber to everyone. However, we’re confident that at least one rubber in this list will be perfect for your game.

Comparison of the Best Forehand Table Tennis Rubbers

Image	Product	Why We Recommend	Price
Top Overall	Butterfly Dignics 09c	Medium tacky and extremely grippy topsheet. Very hard and dynamic Spring Sponge X. High throw angle.  Tons of gears.	Check Local Seller PriceCheck Amazon Price
Top Speed	Butterfly Tenergy 05 Hard	Extremely grippy topsheet. Very hard and fast sponge. Medium, direct arc. Built for powerlooping.	Check Local Seller PriceCheck Amazon Price
Top Looping	Butterfly Tenergy 05	Unique high arc. Tons of speed and spin. Great safety when looping.	Check Local Seller PriceCheck Amazon Price
Top Value	Nittaku Fastarc G-1	Incredibly durable. Very grippy topsheet. Fast, medium-hard sponge. High throw angle.	Check Local Seller PriceCheck Amazon Price
Best Intermediate	XIOM Vega X	Grippy topsheet. Fast but linear sponge. Medium-hard. Medium-high throw.	Check Local Seller PriceCheck Amazon Price
Best Beginner	Yasaka Rakza 7	Grippy topsheet. Medium-fast, medium-hard sponge. Medium throw. Good durability.	Check Local Seller PriceCheck Amazon Price
Best Chinese Style	DHS Hurricane 3 NEO	Very tacky topsheet. Hard sponge. Limitless speed potential. Completely linear.	Check Local Seller PriceCheck Amazon Price
Top Low-Cost	Yinhe Mercury 2	Very cheap. Tacky topsheet. Medium throw. Medium speed.	Check Amazon Price
Best Short Pips	Yasaka Rakza PO	Very spinny pips. Very fast sponge. Quite durable.	Check Local Seller PriceCheck Amazon Price
Best Defensive	Butterfly Tackiness Chop II	Medium tacky topsheet. Medium hardness sponge. Very slow. Low throw angle.	Check Local Seller PriceCheck Amazon Price

You can also check out our detailed list of the best table tennis rubbers on sale today.

In-Depth Forehand Table Tennis Rubber Reviews

Without knowing your unique table tennis experience, style, and skill level, it’s almost impossible for us to get our recommendations perfect. That’s why we add ‘player styles’ to each of our recommendations, so you get a clear idea of whether a rubber is suitable for you.

If you haven’t already, go and find out what your player style is.

I’ve had my coaching qualifications since 2012 and have seen players make some crazy equipment decisions, so here’s my top advice when choosing your next forehand rubber:

• Don’t just choose the fastest or spinniest rubber you can find. Choose rubbers that you can be consistent with.
• Do replace your rubbers on a regular basis (every 4-6 months) or their performance will degrade.
• Don’t change your rubbers just before a major tournament. They always take a few weeks to get used to.
• Do consider brands that aren’t as well known. Brands like Xiom, Yasaka, Andro, and 729 produce some incredible rubbers (often at cheaper prices).

Before we do a deep dive into the top 10 forehand rubbers, there’s a common debate on whether Chinese or European rubbers are best for using on your forehand.

Personally, I prefer to recommend European rubbers as they are more forgiving to players without perfect technique, and they don’t require boosting. However, it’s fair to say that boosted Chinese rubbers are often cheaper, last longer, and can be extremely effective in the right hands.

Best Overall Forehand Rubber – Butterfly Dignics 09C

Recommended For:

The Dignics 09c is the best forehand rubber you buy, as it puts together the most desirable characteristics of the two previous best forehand rubbers of the past years: Tenergy 05 and Hurricane 3 NEO.

Playing characteristics

Dignics 09c has the speed, safety, high arc, and explosiveness of the Tenergy 05, paired with the monstrous spin and dwell time of the Hurricane 3 NEO.

The Dignics 09c is capable of looping and counterlooping with great speed, spin, control, and safety, which simply no other rubber can replicate.

This is why the Dignics 09c is currently used by the best professional players in the circuit, such as Fan Zhendong, Timo Boll, Dimitrij Ovtcharov, and Dang Qiu, among many others.

These professional players have mentioned that they value the Dignics’ control, as its sticky topsheet grants them more time with the ball. What they value most is the ease of the short game and counterlooping, two of the most important aspects of high-level play.

For more information, read our detailed review of Dignics 09c.

Who Dignics 09C is suitable for

We recommend the Dignics 09c for players who train a lot and want the best of the best performance available. This rubber is designed for the offensive player who plays an active game and wants to dominate their opponents with a wide variety of topspin shots.

The only two key disadvantages of this rubber are that it requires good technique to get the most out of it because of its hard sponge, and its steep price.

If you can handle it and you can afford to pay for it, Dignics 09c is comfortably the best forehand rubber you can purchase today.

Benefits

• Unparalleled control and safety.
• Lots of dwell time with the ball.
• Superb grip and spin.
• Limitless power reserves.
• Great durability.

Drawbacks

• Very steep price.
• Not as explosive as the Tenergies.
• Not the best for flat hitting.

Best Forehand Rubber for Speed – Butterfly Tenergy 05 Hard

Recommended For:

If I had to define the Tenergy 05 Hard with one word, it would be “danger”. The Tenergy 05 Hard is the fastest table tennis rubber I’d recommend to any player.

Playing characteristics

The Tenergy 05 Hard, as its name implies, is a very hard rubber. It is a rubber made for the advanced power looper who has sound technique and wants the best rubber in terms of producing the highest shot quality possible.

The arc it produces is also fairly direct. In contrast to its predecessor, the Tenergy 05, the ball doesn’t make as high as an arc. The Tenergy 05 Hard shoots the ball straight towards the opponent’s side.

The downside to this is that you don’t have as much clearance over the net as with other rubbers, but you shouldn’t need this extra safety if your technique is sound and you have good footwork.

In practice, it’s hard to hit shots out of position with the Tenergy 05 Hard, as its high speed means you have little dwell time to control the ball properly.

This is the price to pay for all that added speed: the loss of control. If you don’t need the extra control, the Tenergy 05 Hard is a superb rubber, and that’s why it’s used by Taipei #1 Lin Yun-Ju.

Who is Tenergy 05 Hard suitable for?

We recommend the Tenergy 05 Hard for advanced offensive players who want the maximum performance out of their rubber, both in terms of speed and spin. 

This rubber is for the player who wants the maximum speed possible to end the point outright and is able to handle the loss of control that comes with it. Not sure if it’s the right Tenergy rubber for you? We have you covered with our detailed Tenergy comparison.

Benefits

• Unparalleled offensive potential.
• Very direct.
• Superb for active blocks and flat hits.
• Great for 3rd ball attacks.

Drawbacks

• Less control than most other offensive
  rubbers.
• Hard to touch short.
• Steep price.

Best Forehand Rubber for Looping – Butterfly Tenergy 05

Recommended For:

The Butterfly Tenergy 05 is and has been, the trademark rubber for looping in table tennis for more than 15 years. Timo Boll, Zhang Jike, Ma Long, Dimitrij Ovtcharov, and Jun Mizutani, among many others, have used this rubber for years.

Playing characteristics

The Tenergy 05 has been the most popular table tennis rubber ever since its release, and for good reason.

When we reviewed the Tenergy 05, we noted 4 key attributes about this rubber:

• Its grip is outstanding, so you can generate tons of spin, and the ball will never slip out of your racket.
• Its sponge is medium-hard, so it has a very high speed potential without being too difficult to use.
• It is very fast, but it’s not too bouncy.
• Its trademark high arc gives the player a very high margin for error.

All of these characteristics combined make for the perfect looping rubber.

The Tenergy 05, however, isn’t a very forgiving rubber if your technique isn’t consistent. Even though it does give you great safety over the net, the Tenergy 05 is a very fast and spin-sensitive rubber, so you do need good technique and timing to use it correctly.

For more information, read our detailed review of Tenergy 05.

Who Tenergy 05 is suitable for 

The Butterfly Tenergy 05 is the perfect rubber for intermediate, upper intermediate, and advanced attackers who want the best of the best out there for looping.

It is a rubber made strictly for players with good technique and who train often, given that it is not forgiving if your timing is slightly off.

Benefits

• Very high levels of speed and spin.
• Unique arc gives it a superior margin for
  error.
• Great for serving.
• Very durable.

Drawbacks

• Unforgiving for players with improper technique/timing.
• Steep price.
• Hard to control the passive serve receive.

Best Value Forehand Rubber – Nittaku Fastarc G-1

Recommended For:

The Nittaku Fastarc G-1 is the best-selling rubber on lots of online sites. It is one of the most popular rubbers there is, and that’s because of its superb value.

Playing Characteristics

The Nittaku Fastarc G-1 is a fast, spinny, and controllable offensive rubber. 

It isn’t as fast nor as spinny as, say, a Tenergy 05, but it has 80% of its speed and spin while being half the price and nearly twice as durable. 

The Fastarc G-1 is a very capable offensive rubber, and there are lots of advanced attackers boosting it and using it as their forehand rubber of choice, as its topsheet grip is top-notch.

The features I liked the most about the Fastarc G-1 when I tried it were the spin it generated when serving and when opening up against backspin. The Fastarc G-1 is, to this day, one of the best rubbers I’ve used for these two shots. 

It is a very good rubber both for rally play and for third-ball attacks. Its medium-hard sponge gives it lots of potential speed and it can be used by attackers of every level, except for beginners.

The main con I found with this rubber is that its high arc meant that I had a tendency to overshoot the table when I didn’t angle my racket perfectly or when I contacted the ball a bit too thickly.

What surprised me the most about the Nittaku Fastarc G-1 was its durability. I could use a sheet of Fastarc G-1 without changing it for 8 months, while Tibhar MX-Ps only last me 1 month, and Tenergy 05 and Xiom Vega Xs last me 4 months.

This is also why I think it has been a best-selling rubber for more than 10 years straight. Once you’ve tried it, it’s hard not to buy it again as it’s a great rubber, it’s reasonably priced, and it’s very, very durable.

For more information, read our detailed review of Fastarc-G1.

Who it is for

The Nittaku Fastarc G-1 is the perfect rubber for lower intermediate, intermediate, upper intermediate, and advanced offensive players who want a reliable, balanced rubber for their forehand side.

The Fastarc G-1 is perfect for players who don’t want to spend that much on table tennis equipment, as one sheet costs around $40 USD and it lasts longer than any other rubber I’ve tried.

Benefits

• Superb durability.
• Great balance between speed, spin,
  and control.
• Great for looping.
• Excellent for serving.

Drawbacks

• Not as fast or spinny as top-of-the-line
  offensive rubbers.
• Tendency to overshoot when you slightly
  mishit the ball.

Best Forehand Rubber for Intermediate Level Players – Xiom Vega X

Recommended For:

If I had to recommend one forehand rubber for lower-intermediate and intermediate-level offensive players, it would be the Xiom Vega X.

It is a very confidence-inducing rubber for attacking, and it’s the best rubber to choose if you’re an improver wanting to take your game to the next level.

Playing Characteristics

I have extensive experience with the Vega X, having gone through 3 sheets myself. I used it when I was an intermediate-level player and it was just what I needed at the time.

The Vega X is a relatively fast and spinny, very controllable rubber. If I had to rate it, I would say it’s an 8 for speed, an 8 for spin, and a 9 for control. 

It is capable of hitting outright winners past opponents with its speed and spin levels, but not to the point where the rubber gets too spin-sensitive and fast to control for an intermediate-level player. That’s why I think it’s such a great rubber.

With the Xiom Vega X, I learned how to counterloop consistently, and my loops and open ups also had more consistency than ever before.

The Vega X is the ideal rubber to stick on your blade and train with, and it’s also a very good rubber to play tournaments with as it’s very reliable and confidence-inducing.

For more information, read our detailed review of XIOM Vega X.

Who Xiom Vega X is suitable for

The Xiom Vega X is the perfect rubber for lower-intermediate and intermediate-level attackers who want to get their game to the next level. It’s also a great rubber for more advanced players if they pair it with a fast blade.

It is also a very good rubber for blockers due to its great touch and control.

Benefits

• Superb control and ease of use.
• Very confidence-inducing.
• Great speed and spin.
• Great value for money as it has
  above-average durability.
• Linear and not too spin-sensitive.

Drawbacks

• Not as fast or spinny as high-end offensive
  rubbers.

Best Forehand Rubber for Beginners and All-Rounders – Yasaka Rakza 7

Recommended For:

The Yasaka Rakza 7 is one of the most popular rubbers in the market, and for good reason. It is a superbly balanced and controllable rubber that suits the vast majority of playing styles.

Playing Characteristics

The Yasaka Rakza 7 is a medium-fast, grippy, controllable rubber. Even though it’s designed as a primarily atacking rubber, it’s versatile enough be used as a chopping rubber on a defensive blade without any control issues.

I used the Rakza 7 on the forehand side of my racket for years and I really liked it. It is the ideal rubber to learn the sport with, as it’s fast enough to finish points against beginners and intermediate-level players whilst giving you confidence that you won’t miss.

The Rakza 7 has good grip and gives you plenty of dwell time with the ball, making it hard to overshoot the table or miss wide.

It is also ideal for blocking and for touch shots such as pushes or open-ups due to its speed level and its control.

For more information, read our detailed review of Rakza 7.

Who Rakza 7 is suitable for

The Yasaka Rakza 7 is the ideal rubber for beginners and lower intermediate attackers on either side of the racket to learn how to attack with quality and consistency.

It is also a very good rubber for all-rounders, blockers, and even defenders when paired with the right blades.

Benefits

• Very controllable and easy to use.
• Quite grippy and spinny.
• Above average durability and great value.
• Very balanced and linear.

Drawbacks

• Not as much speed or spin as top-of-the-line
  offensive rubbers.

Best Chinese Forehand Rubber – DHS Hurricane 3 NEO

Recommended For:

The DHS Hurricane 3 NEO is the most iconic Chinese rubber. It comes in 3 different versions, commercial, provincial, and national.

The commercial H3 NEO is the most common version, selling for around $20 USD apiece. It’s an excellent rubber, but it can experience performance variations from batch to batch, and it may also suffer from quality control issues. 

The provincial and national versions are more expensive at roughly $40 and $65 each, but you get better quality rubbers and you don’t have to worry about any manufacturing defects.

Playing Characteristics

The Hurricane 3 NEO is a superb rubber for Chinese-style players, that is, players who play actively, have good footwork, and put all the weight of their body behind each stroke.

The Hurricane 3 NEO is a medium-speed rubber that doesn’t put any additional power into your shots, unlike tensor rubbers. With the Hurricane 3 NEO, your ball-speed is as fast as your swing speed. 

This rubber is only for players who have high swing speeds. In return for having to hit harder, you get much more control in the touch game, when opening up, when looping, and when counterlooping.

In addition, the spin this rubber creates is unparalleled. The only rubbers that are at the Hurricane’s spin level are the Dignics 09c, the Dignics 05, and the Tenergy 05.

However, this rubber’s throw is quite flat, so if you don’t contact the ball right, you are likely to clip the net or overshoot the table.

For more information, read our detailed review of Hurricane 3 NEO.

Who Hurricane 3 NEO is suitable for

The Hurricane 3 NEO is perfect for players who are physically fit, have good footwork, have high swing speeds, and want to play a Chinese-style game.

Benefits

• Tons of spin.
• Great control.
• Limitless power reserves.
• Very affordable.

Drawbacks

• Quality control issues.
• Hard to use.
• Heavy.

Best Budget Forehand Rubber – Yinhe Mercury 2

Recommended For:

The Yinhe Mercury 2 is one of the rubbers I recommend the most to players at my club, and it’s not just because of its $10 price tag. The Mercury 2 is an excellent rubber that happens to be extremely cheap.

In my native Argentina, most people don’t have that much money to spend on table tennis equipment. So, they’re looking for a rubber with great performance at a low price.

Even in first-world countries, lots of people aren’t willing to spend $40, $60, or even $100 on a rubber they’ll have to replace in a few months. The Mercury 2 is perfect for these players.

Playing Characteristics

The Yinhe Mercury 2 is a medium throwing, medium hardness, tacky rubber. Its speed is medium, it is very controllable and it is quite spinny.

As you can tell, the Mercury 2 is a very “standard” rubber. It excels at being simple and effective. Its speed is sufficient to play an attacking game but not to the point where you lose out on control.

It excels at touch shots such as serving, receiving, and opening up due to its high grip and its speed levels. 

If you aren’t an upper intermediate or advanced player, its speed is just fine for attacking. This is the perfect rubber to use if you want to improve your consistency and you want to get as many balls on the table as possible.

For more information, read our detailed review of Mercury 2.

Who Mercury 2 is suitable for

The Yinhe Mercury 2 is perfect for beginner, lower intermediate, and intermediate-level attackers, for all-rounders of all levels, and for defenders of all levels.

It is the ideal rubber if you’re a hobbyist who isn’t at a very high level and you want a high-quality rubber without breaking the bank.

Benefits

• Very affordable.
• Great spin.
• Very good control and touch.
• Versatile and easy to use.

Drawbacks

• Not as fast or spinny as modern offensive
  rubbers.
• Mediocre at flat hitting.

Best Short Pips Forehand Rubber – Yasaka Rakza PO

Recommended For:

The Yasaka Rakza PO are the short pips of choice of Mattias Falck. They are the best short pips you can buy for an offensive short pips style.

Playing Characteristics

The Yasaka Rakza PO is a very fast and spinny short pips rubber.

Like every short pips rubber, it produces a flatter arc than with traditional offensive rubbers. This makes it a lethal rubber for flat-hitting the ball.

The modern forehand short pips style is made possible with this rubber as it’s also superb for opening up. In the past, the main disadvantage of short pips was that it was hard for short pip players to produce good-quality open-ups, but this isn’t a problem for the Rakza PO.

The Yasaka Rakza PO is a very fast rubber. If you strike the ball at the peak of the bounce, the Rakza PO is one of the most effective rubbers you can use.

Most opponents aren’t used to blocking fast, flat shots, and that’s why the forehand short pips style is so effective. The Rakza PO, with its speed and spin, is the perfect rubber to utilize on the forehand side of your racket if you want to play with short pips.

In addition, the Yasaka Rakza PO is a very light rubber, so it’s also a very good choice if you want to lower the weight of your racket.

Who Rakza PO is for

The Yasaka Rakza PO is perfect for attackers of all levels who want to play with short pips on their forehand side.

Benefits

• Very affordable.
• Great spin.
• Very good control and touch.
• Versatile and easy to use.

Drawbacks

• Not as fast or spinny as modern offensive
  rubbers.
• Mediocre at flat hitting.

Best Forehand Rubber for Defenders – Butterfly Tackiness Chop II

Recommended For:

The Butterfly Tackiness Chop II is the best inverted rubber for chopping. It is the ideal rubber for classical defenders. 

Playing Characteristics

The Butterfly Tackiness Chop II is a very, very slow rubber. Its sponge and topsheet were made for optimal energy absorption, making it the ideal rubber for defending.

It’s the perfect rubber for chopping and pushing with consistency. If you use a Tenergy 05 for chopping, for example, you can also produce high-quality chops but you always have to pay close attention to your racket angle and your contact. 

The Tackiness Chop II makes defending a whole lot easier, especially when paired with a defensive blade. 

The main downside of the Tackiness Chop II is that it’s not good for attacking. 

You can produce spinny loops and open-ups, but they will be very, very slow, as this rubber is made for absorbing speed, not producing its own.

Who Tackiness Chop II is suitable for

The Tackiness Chop II is the ideal rubber for the classical defender who will push and chop the ball endlessly unless they get a very easy chance. 

If you’re the kind of player who pushes and chops until your opponent makes a mistake, the Tackiness Chop II is the perfect rubber for you.

If you’re a modern defender, you might be better off picking a faster rubber with better offensive qualities.

Benefits

• Very fast and powerful.
• Very spinny for a short pips rubber.
• Flat arc throws opponents off.
• Superb for blocking and flat hitting.

Drawbacks

• Not as spinny as inverted rubbers.
• Flat arc can be hard to get used to.

Forehand Rubber Buyer’s Guide

The forehand wing is absolutely decisive. For most attackers, the forehand is their way to win the point outright. 

The greatest player of all time, Ma Long, has built his whole career based on his thunderous forehand. That’s why he uses a heavily boosted and very hard Hurricane 3 rubber.

Other players, such as German legend Timo Boll, value spin, consistency, and safety above power. Hence, he chose the Dignics 09c as his rubber of choice when it was released.

However, most players aren’t yet at the level where they can take full advantage of these top-of-the-line rubbers, and that’s perfectly fine. These players can go for more controllable rubbers such as the Vega X or the Rakza 7.

As you can see, it is crucial to pick the rubber that supports your level and playing style. Picking the right forehand rubber will allow you to win more matches and improve faster. 

Otherwise, you’ll have to suffer the disadvantages of using a suboptimal rubber for your level and style. Missed shots, match losses, and unlimited frustration.

Speed vs Control

Speed and control are two inversely proportional variables. 

The more speed a rubber has, the less dwell time it’ll have, meaning the ball stays for less time on the racket, shooting right out. 

The faster a rubber, the more dangerous it is, both for the opponent and for the user. 

If you’re an advanced offensive player, you can use faster rubbers as your technique is already very good and you don’t need the extra dwell time of more controllable rubbers. It doesn’t matter if the ball shoots right out if you consistently hit the ball with the correct racket angle and you produce good contact with the ball.

However, most beginner and intermediate-level players aren’t able to hit the ball nearly perfectly on a consistent basis. This is why we recommend that they use slightly slower rubbers.

With these rubbers, such as the Rakza 7, the Xiom Vega X, the Yinhe Mercury 2, and even the Fastarc G-1, the ball doesn’t shoot right out, so your technical errors will be “forgiven” to some extent.

In addition, recently, professional players have moved away from bouncy rubbers such as the Tenergy 05 to hybrid rubbers such as the Dignics 09c.