fbpx
Yasaka Rakza 7 Review

Yasaka Rakza 7 Review

The Yasaka Rakza 7 is nothing short of a legendary rubber. It was introduced to the market in 2010, and since then, it has been the rubber of choice for thousands of table tennis players. According to Revspin.net, the Rakza 7 is the 3rd most popular rubber of all time.

I have personally used the Rakza 7 for many years. I have gone through 5 sheets of Rakza 7 on my forehand side, and around 3 or 4 sheets of Rakza 7 soft on my backhand side. 

It is a reliable, consistent rubber and it has accompanied me for about half of my table tennis journey, helping me to improve drastically in the time I used it. The Rakza 7 is the ideal rubber for offensive players who want to take their skills to the next level.

YASAKA RAKZA 7 REVIEW SUMMARY
The Yasaka Rakza 7 is an offensive rubber, but it’s not excessively fast. Its main feature is its control and consistency. It is neither the fastest nor the spinniest rubber, but it has 80% of the speed and spin of the top-of-the-line rubbers. Because it’s not as fast, this rubber has much greater forgiveness, making it much easier to use for the majority of players when compared to ultra-offensive rubbers. If you are looking to develop an offensive game, this rubber will help you put the ball on the table while retaining sufficient speed and spin to hit outright winners. In addition to all this, the Rakza 7 is durable and reasonably priced.

Perfect for: Beginner and intermediate offensive players looking to develop an attacking game, all-round players using it on slower blades, and modern defenders. 0-15+ years of playing.
Serve
Drive
Loop
Block
Chop
Benefits
Consistency and control.
Ease of use.
Linearity.
Versatility
Good speed and spin.
Great for looping and blocking.
Above-average durability.
Great price-quality ratio.
Drawbacks
Not as much speed nor spin as modern, high-end tensor rubbers.
4.4

Good

About the Reviewer

Alvaro Munno - Table Tennis Player & Author

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: 2.1mm
Hours Tested: 10+

Recommended Playstyles

We recommend the Yasaka Rakza 7 to players who want to play a controlled offensive game, utilizing open ups, loops, pushes and blocks.

Design of the Yasaka Rakza 7

The Yasaka Rakza 7 comes in a simple sealed package, protected by a film.

The Rakza 7 claims to use mainly natural rubber gum for the top sheet, and I think it shows when we inspect the rubber. The topsheet does not look as artificial as the Tibhar Evolution MX-P, for example.

A picture of a MX-P Rubber
Factory tuned MX-P. You can see the pimples through the topsheet and the rubber has a shiny,
artificial look.
A picture of a Yasaka Rubber
Natural gum topsheet without much chemical treatment on the Rakza 7

The fact that this rubber is made of natural gum and that it does not have such an intense factory boosting makes its durability a lot better. The rubber wears out at a much slower rate than most other offensive rubbers.

The Rakza 7 usually lasts me around 4 months in playable condition while the MX-P lasts me around 1 month and a half, training 3 times a week. The difference is night and day.

In addition, the price of the Rakza 7 is around 35 Euros. This rubber is not only high performing but it’s also durable and reasonably priced, which makes me like it even more.

The Yasaka Rakza 7 has some tension injected into the sponge. It was slightly curled up directly off of the package.

This tension is a product of the design of the sponge and not necessarily due to intensive chemical treatment, such as that present on the MX-P or that on its hybrid sibling, the Rakza Z.

If we press on the topsheet, we will find that the Rakza 7 is a medium/medium-hard rubber. I would say that on the ESN scale, its hardness is around 45-47°. It doesn’t play like a hard rubber at all, though. When playing, the ball digs into the sponge, granting lots of dwell time.

I cut the rubber and glued it to my usual blade, the Tibhar Stratus Power Wood.

Cut for my blade, the Rakza 7 weighs in at 50 grams, the typical weight for a medium-hard rubber in its maximum thickness variant, maybe a tad heavier than average.

A picture of the Yasaka Rakza 7 Weight
Specifications
Yasaka Rakza 7
  • Weight (Cut): 50g
  • Speed: Medium
  • Spin: Medium-High
  • Control: High
  • Tackiness: Slightly Tacky
  • Hardness: Medium-Hard
  • ITTF Approved: Yes
  • Sponge Thickness: 1.8mm, 2.0mm, or MAX

Summary: Attack your opponent consistently by utilizing this balanced European offensive rubber that's ideal for all levels of play.

Playtesting the Yasaka Rakza 7

I have played with the Rakza 7 for years now, always with the same blade, my Stratus Power Wood. I knew what I’d get from the get-go.

The Rakza 7 is a medium-high speed rubber. I’d say it undoubtedly has enough power to finish points outright against intermediate-level players and below. 

The problem arises when you try to hit winners past a good blocker or an advanced player with sheer speed and spin. 

You can win points if you attack repeatedly, if you place the ball very well or if you put 80+% of your power into your shots, but it’s definitely not as easy to score points as with faster rubbers such as the MX-P.

With the MX-P, I feel like I can often get past my opponents with a single shot, 2 at the most whereas with the Rakza 7, you either have to place the ball very well or hit with a lot of strength to make up for that lack of inbuilt speed and spin. 

This is all considering you’re playing against strong opposition, the top 5-10% of players. For the majority of players, the performance levels of the Rakza 7 are more than enough.

If you’re an offensive player, I’d ask myself whether you need that extra 20% of speed and spin. In most cases, you won’t. The Rakza 7 is a sufficiently fast and spinny rubber for most players.

What makes this rubber so desirable is that the 20% you lose in performance is very noticeable in this rubber’s consistency, and ease of use

If you get to that point in which the vast majority of your loops go on the table and you feel like could use some more firepower when playing against advanced opposition, that’s where I’d say you would benefit from using one of the high-performance tensor rubbers.

The Rakza 7 is the ideal rubber to get your abilities to the point of landing most of your attacks on the table with good speed and spin, as not having blistering fast speed or immense amounts of spin makes it very easy to get the ball on the table.

When you hit the ball into the net or send it long, it’s easy to understand what you need to adjust to get it on the table the next time around.

Struggling With Your Game?

Our free eBook contains 15 of our best tips/tricks to quickly improve your table tennis game.

 

Including 15 training exercises you can start doing today to become a better player.

eBook Cover v3

Driving and looping

I would say that this is the Rakza 7’s area of ​​specialty. However, the Rakza 7 is a balanced rubber that has virtually no weak points, so it’s not like it’s strictly a looping rubber. 

Other rubbers can loop with more quality than this one but few are as confidence-inducing as the Rakza 7.

It is this versatility that makes the Rakza 7 such a recommended rubber for a huge amount of players, and that explains why it is the third most popular rubber in the world.

Drives feel very controllable and the rubber instills a sense of security when performing them. Its base speed is not very high but if you accelerate into the ball with your torso and the forearm, you can get quite fast drives.

Loops are where I think this rubber is wonderful. The Rakza 7 is definitely an offensive rubber, but not excessively so. 

Loops have plenty of clearance over the net and travel with good spin and speed. While testing the rubber, I felt that I couldn’t miss. With my current rubber, the Tibhar MX-P, I miss a lot more than with the Rakza 7.

I was amazed at the consistency this rubber has, I had to cut the next clip because it lasted many more loops. 

If I try to loop at 70-80% of my max power, I can hit 10+ balls in a row consistently. In this particular rally, I looped the ball 28 times in a row.

This is why I believe Rakza 7 is the perfect rubber for the developing offensive player. I learned to play table tennis first with the Hurricane 3 NEO before transitioning to the Rakza 7.

The Rakza 7 has a lot more speed than the Hurricane, but it wasn’t difficult to adapt. 2 years later, with the consistency I felt I had, I decided to switch to the Rakza Z and then the Tibhar MX-P in search of higher quality attacks.

I could continue playing with the Rakza 7, but if I wanted to play this rubber at an advanced level, I’m not going to get as many points from 3rd ball attacks and forehand loops in the rally as I do with the MX-P. 

However, I would be able to land a larger proportion of my attacks on the table.

This is not to say that the Rakza 7 lacks power, though. As you saw in the first clip of this review, if you are well-positioned and attack with the right technique, you can hit passing shots with immense speed.

The only difference is that with this rubber you have to hit hard to get hard shots. With higher-end tensors, even if you hit the ball with medium force, the ball will travel with as much speed as with the Rakza 7, sometimes even more.

With the Rakza 7, the shot the rubber gives you is directly proportional to the force you exert

Therefore, with higher-end tensors, it is easier to generate points and gain the initiative in all loops, even those in which you hit the ball with medium force. If you want to score points with the Rakza 7, you’ll need to hit with good acceleration. 

Loops hit with medium force with the Rakza 7 don’t carry as much of a threat, and not all the loops players perform in a match are powerloops.

The advantage of this is that you will always be able to handle the speed of the game

Many times with faster rubbers you’ll feel that it is difficult to control balls that come with a lot of spin and speed, or you’ll hit a fast incoming ball and overshoot the table. This doesn’t happen as much with the Rakza 7.

Opening up with this rubber is a dream come true. The rubber has lots of dwell time, so putting open-ups on the table is very easy and intuitive.

Also, you can put a lot of spin on open-ups, possibly even more than with rubbers that have more grip, since you won’t be afraid to accelerate hard on the ball. Safe, spinny open-ups are one of the main strengths of this rubber. 

You can really feel the ball soaking into the sponge, and even if the topsheet doesn’t bite the ball as well, you can really accelerate into the ball without second thoughts and load every open up with tons of spin.

Serve and receive

The serve and receive with the Rakza 7 are quite good, especially the receive.

While serving, adequate amounts of spin can be put into the ball. It is neither the best nor the worst rubber in terms of spin, but its advantage is that it’s easy to serve short and it is also very easy to place the ball wherever you want.

The receive is one of the main virtues of this rubber. Since it doesn’t have as much speed and grip, it’s much easier to receive with this rubber than with a Tenergy, for example.

The rubber simply receives less spin and bounces off the racket slower, making it easier to touch short and receive difficult serves.

Because it’s so easy to control, you’ll always have an advantage in the short game, and if you want to go for plays such as pushing half-long to counterattack or pushing fast and deep to compromise your opponent, this rubber will do the trick.

Blocking and chopping

Another virtue of this rubber is blocking. Chops are not bad either, even when using the rubber on an offensive blade. Chops with this rubber on a slower blade would be a lot more effective.

This rubber is excellent for blocking due to everything we previously mentioned. It’s not very sensitive to incoming spins and has just the right amount of speed in my opinion.

It’s not so fast that it’s difficult to block but it’s also not so slow that blocks don’t have any threat. This rubber has the right speed to make blocks easy enough for the blocker but hard enough for the receiver if placed well.

Chops were very good, due to the same reasons. It was easy for me to keep the ball low to the net, even when my opponent was hitting spin-heavy topspin shots.

Alternatives to the Yasaka Rakza 7

Donic Baracuda

The Donic Baracuda is also a controllable offensive rubber but it has more spin and a much higher throw.

The Xiom Vega X is the ideal step up from the Rakza 7 because it has great control and touch but considerably more speed and spin.

Andro Rasanter R47 Cover

The Andro Rasanter R47 has the same throw as the Rakza 7 but it’s a lot faster and spinnier.

Overall reflections on the Yasaka Rakza 7.

As you can tell, my impression of the Rakza 7 is very positive. I have used this rubber for years and I recommend this rubber regularly because it is a very versatile rubber. It’s easy to recommend because it’s almost impossible to go wrong with it.

If you put it on an offensive blade, you’ll have a great rubber for consistent, spinny loops with good speed, good blocking, and good serving and receiving.

If you put it on an all-round blade, you will have a spinny, controllable and consistent rubber that allows you to play every shot in the book.

If you put it on a defensive blade, you can chop, block, and when you want to attack you can also do it.

In my opinion, this rubber is perfect for all these players and for those who don’t know what rubber to buy and whose game is offensive-minded.

This is the ideal rubber for the offensive player looking to develop their game to its full potential.

Once these offensive players reach a level where they feel they need more power, they transition to other rubbers such as the Tibhar Evolution MX-P, the Tenergy 05, or the Rasanter R47, to name a few.

They could also stick with this fine rubber if they value consistency and control over sheer power.

Enjoyed This Page?

We serve the best table tennis content into your inbox every fortnight. No spam.

 

With our advice, you'll be winning more matches in no time.

The Controller
Alvaro Munno - Table Tennis Player & Author

Alvaro’s been playing Table Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked within the top 100 in his native Argentina. He loves to compete in provincial tournaments and is always looking for ways to improve. Alvaro made his favourite 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

32 thoughts on “Yasaka Rakza 7 Review”

  1. Hi!
    At the outset I must say that you write very good reviews, it’s a pleasure to read them.
    I have a dilemma in choosing rubbers for the old Primorac OFF- (Japanese) blade. I like to play offensively mainly close to the table, but my technique is still too poor (intermediate level) to use ultra fast rubbers. So I would like to have mainly good control but also quite good speed. At the moment I’m using the Bluefire M3 but I’d like to try something different and maybe a bit faster that will work well with my blade.
    I’m hesitating between kits such as
    Rakza 7 (FH) and Rakza 7 soft (BH)
    or the Rasanter R42 on both sides
    or possibly the Rasanter R45 (FH) and the R42 (BH).
    I have also seen that the Gewo NanoFlex FT40 has got good opinions, especially in terms of control.
    I would be grateful if you could recommend me something 🙂

    1. Hello Darius! I’m glad to hear you liked our reviews 😁

      The Japanese Primorac is a great blade. It’s hard to say for sure which rubbers will suit you best because I haven’t seen you play, but all the rubbers you listed seem like good choices to me, except maybe for the Rasanter R45, which may be slightly too fast. All of these are quite balanced, controllable rubbers.

      The main difference between the rubbers you listed is their hardness range.

      The Rakza 7 is around 46-47 degrees and the Rasanter R42 is 42. The Gewo Nanoflex, the Bluefire M3, and the Rakza 7 soft are 40 degrees. I think the hybrid Rakza Z is also to be considered since it’s quite controllable, easy to use, and super spinny. We also have a review for that rubber on our website.

      If you want to try something faster than the M3, then all of these rubbers, except for maybe the Rakza 7 soft, will have you covered. The main thing you should decide is whether you want to go for something harder than what you already have or stay within the same hardness range.

      If you have read the reviews for these rubbers, you’ll know that I like all of them. I used the Rakza 7 and the 7 soft for years, I also used the Rakza Z for months and I still use the R42 on my backhand side.

      If I were you, I’d go for:

      Forehand: Rakza 7/Rakza Z/Rasanter R42 2.0mm
      Backhand: Stay with the Bluefire M3 or Rasanter R42/Nanoflex 40 2.0mm

      I think it’s good for players to get used to harder rubbers on the forehand side so that they get used to hitting with power. Softer rubbers on the forehand side aren’t good in the long run since they’ll bottom out and they don’t need you to play with proper technique to get good quality on your strokes.

      On the backhand side, I’d probably keep the Bluefire M3. The Bluefire is a fine backhand rubber for developing offensive players and it’s also not good to change 2 components at once.

      If I were you, I’d try a different rubber on the forehand and see how I like it.

      If you want ease of use and high speed/spin –> Rasanter R42
      If you want a linear, medium throwing, medium-hard rubber that’s very consistent –> Rakza 7
      If you want a super spinny, high-throwing hybrid rubber –> Rakza Z

  2. Thank you so much for such a comprehensive and detailed response!

    Actually, as you wrote, I have the impression that the Bluefire M3 is a bit too soft for Primorac’s FH and I feel that something is missing on hard hits. That’s why I want to try something a bit harder on the FH, so either the Rasanter R42 or the harder Rakza 7. I see that the Rakza Z is even harder (and unfortunately heavy) so for the moment I’d rather give it up because the difference is big compared to the M3 and I might have a problem to adopt.

    Warm regards

  3. Hi, Alvaro
    Excellent review. I want to try Rakza 7 in game, now i play with Donic baracuda big slam. I have two blades Xiom vega euro and Yasaka ma lin extra offensive. On what blade do you think Rakza 7 will play better XVE or Yasaka ma lin extra off?

    1. Hello Sergey! Thanks for the nice words 🙂

      Both of your blades are really good. Given that Rakza 7 is a very versatile rubber, you can get away with using it on either of your blades. If you want to go the composite route, then you can use it on the Vega Euro, otherwise, you can use it on your Ma Lin Extra Offensive.

      I have tried the Rakza 7 on a Viscaria and on my Tibhar Stratus Power Wood and it performs great on both composite blades and all-wood blades. What blade you stick the Rakza onto is just personal preference, choose the blade you like the most 🙂

      Cheers!

    2. Hello! Cool review, makes me want to order Rakza 7 🙂 I currently play with Re-Impact Rapier 44, FH – Donic Bluestorm Pro AM and BH – Dtec OX. However, I found that Bluestorm is way too fast for me and lacks control at my level of play… that’s why I’m looking for something to replace it with. Since the blade is soft, I am looking for rubber with a hardness of at least 42°. At the moment I have a few options in mind: Dignics 09c, Donic Bluegrip S2, Donic Bluefire M2 and after such a great description – Rakza 7. What do you think would be the best fit? Thank you for the answer.

      1. Álvaro Munno

        Hello Justas!

        I am playing with Donic Bluestorm Pro AM as well! I think that a more controllable rubber would be something like the Xiom Vega X, it’s a tad slower and much more controllable but still quite offensively capable – more than the Rakza 7.

        I’d fear that Rakza 7 would be too much of a downgrade in terms of offensive potential, I think Vega X or maybe Rakza Z or Bty Glayzer would be better choices in your case 🙂

        Cheers,
        Álvaro

  4. Hello Alvaro,
    May I please ask you how you would compare Vega X and rakza 7 under these 4 categories ?

    Speed (Higher\lower\similar)
    Throw (Higher\lower\similar)
    Consistency (Higher\lower\similar)
    Linearity (Higher\lower\similar)

    I would also like to say that I really like your detailed reviews (would like to read many more 🙂

    I am basically looking for a replacement for my rakza 7 (since yasaka prices are getting higher here and the Vega X seems like a great deal when I read your review of it).

    1. Hello Anut!

      I’m glad to hear you’re liking our product reviews 😁. There are a lot more to come in the future!

      As for the comparisons you’re asking for:

      Speed: Vega X definitely has the edge here. It’s around 20% faster. It’s a step up from the Rakza 7 but it’s not quite at ultra-offensive levels. Both are balanced offensive rubbers but the Vega X is more modern and dynamic.
      Throw: The throw on the Vega X is a bit higher and more parabolic. I find the throw of the Rakza 7 to be a bit lower and more direct.
      Consistency: Both are very consistent rubbers. Their build quality is excellent. In terms of durability, both are fine, but I think I’d give a slight edge to the Vega X. I’ve been using it for 3 months and it’s still in very good condition. In terms of control, the Rakza 7 is slightly superior because the short game is easier and it’s a lot more insensitive to incoming spins, in addition to having a slightly lower and more direct throw which makes blocking easier.
      Linearity: Both are linear rubbers. The only difference is that the Vega X will be faster across all of its gears.

      The Vega X is, in my opinion, the logical step up from the Rakza 7. It has more speed and spin at the expense of spin sensitivity and dwell time. If you can control the Rakza 7 very well and want something of higher performance, the Vega X is perfect.

      Cheers!

      1. Thank you so much Alvaro for your very detailed response. I think this seals the deal for me in terms of making up my mind about trying the Vega x. As a side note – is there a chance that there will be more reviews for Chinese rubbers in this blog ? I feel like it’s something that a lot of people would like to see 😀 (even though you have quite a few of them reviewed here already )

        1. No prob!

          We will probably focus more on European, Japanese, and hybrid rubbers as these are a lot more popular and easy to get in Western, English-speaking countries.

          There are a few other Chinese rubbers on our list of rubbers to review but I think we’ve got the main ones covered (Hurricane-Mercury-Big Dipper-Super FX). We’re maybe missing the Battle 2? I don’t know 😂

          I think it makes a lot more sense to keep reviewing popular Euro-Jap rubbers over more obscure Chinese rubbers.

          If you ask me, it’s super fun to review Chinese rubbers as these are often full of surprises, but I think it’s a lot more viable to play with Euro rubbers over Chinese ones nowadays unless you’re willing to boost which is quite impractical. Even if you’re willing to boost, you can get a hybrid rubber that will play relatively similarly.

          Hence, it’s a bit hard for me to recommend Chinese rubbers unless you’re a very specific kind of player.

          In short, we’ll probably review a few more Chinese rubbers but our main aim is on ESN and Jap rubbers.

          I hope that answers your question.

          Cheers!

  5. Good review!
    I play wit R7 soft since i picked up the game again 3 years ago after a 25 year break. I like the rubber but don’t have too much experience with other rubbers.
    I went to R7 on my forehand en kept R7soft on my backhand since i noticed its much easier to topspin/open a backspin ball with backhand with R7soft than with R7.
    Recently i have returned back to my old frame Xiom Offensive S (supposed to be very similar as Korbel) after i played with a allround frame for 6 months. And now my mate wants to have the same frame and this would be a good opportunity to try some other rubber on his frame that is very similar but different. Im not really looking for more speed but i would like to try some rubber that would gave me easier possibility to create more spin since i am not really a looper it would be nice if the rubber could help me more than i feel the R7 does.
    Im thinking maybe Fastarc G1 (fh) and C1 (bh), Ir maybe some rubber from the Xiom Vega series?
    Or some Rasanter maybe?

    1. Hello John,

      Both Fastarc G-1 and C-1 are considerably faster than Rakza 7, especially the Fastarc G-1. If you don’t want a faster rubber, you probably wouldn’t like them.

      The only rubbers I can think of from the Vega series that aren’t faster than the Rakza 7 are the Vega Europe, Vega Intro and Vega Elite. However, if you were to change to any of those, I’d actually advise that you purchase a R7 soft for your forehand instead.

      A rubber I really liked and that’s great for generating easy power and spin is the Rasanter R42. It may be a bit faster than Rakza 7 but not by much, their speed levels are quite similar. However, the R42 is just a tad softer and has more topsheet grip, so it’s a bit easier to spin the ball while retaining good control. That’d be my top recommendation, I think.

      Cheers!

  6. Hi Alvaro. great review again but now I am confused between Rakza 7 and Rakza 7 SOFT 🙂 What would you suggest for a backhand rubber if it is my first custom blade/rubber? I am a strong BH user with good control & reach, so was thinking Rakza 7 soft but it is not easily available near me.

    1. Álvaro Munno

      Hello Kumar,

      Any of those is fine, the Rakza 7 will give you a bit more power and a lower throw whereas the Rakza 7 soft will make it easier to spin the ball, give you a higher arc and more control.

      If you can’t get the Rakza 7 soft, the Andro Rasanter R42 is a great choice, it’s a bit faster than the Rakza 7 soft but it’s still very controllable. There’s a review for it on our site as well.

      Cheers,
      Álvaro

  7. Hello Alvaro

    I like yours reviews. You didnt forget intermediates players and it s very good !
    My problem is I like rakza 7 and xiom vega pro.
    What rubber in my forehand for looping ? What rubber for my backhand for blocking ?
    Thanks you very much Alvaro

    1. Hello Chris and sorry for the delay in my response, I don’t know what happened. I must’ve approved your comment and gone on to write an article or something hehe

      Both of these are very balanced rubbers, they’re good looping and blocking rubbers all the same. It’s a matter of personal preference and feeling, really. Rakza 7 feels a bit softer and slower, while Vega Pro is faster, more direct, and harder.

      Also consider Vega X, which I think is an improvement over Vega Pro.

      Cheers,
      Álvaro

  8. Hello Alvaro,

    Thank you for the great reviews on the rubbers. I have stopped playing for almost 20+ years and am now considering returning to the sport. But my racket has deteriorated, and I am confused by all the new technologies and changes; thus, I am hoping you could give me some advice. My old racket was a pen-hold Stiga Allround Classic + Stiga Syncro (before that Yasaka Mark V) rubber, no BH rubber, and I play mainly as a close-to-table blocker + FH drive. What will be the modern equivalent to those or maybe there are better combinations?

    1. Randius,

      You can keep your blade or purchase a brand new Allround Classic, as it’s still being made!

      Rakza 7 is a good option, you could get an Allround Classic with Rakza 7, see how you like it, use it for 4-6 months and then decide if you would like to keep playing with it or if you want something different.

      Note that Rakza 7 with Allround Classic is considered a bit slow for today’s standards, but if you want to play a control-oriented game and you’re slowly getting back into the sport, it’s a great racket to do so.

      Cheers,
      Álvaro

  9. Hi Alvaro

    Your review are superb.
    I read both your review for rasanter R42 and Rakza 7.
    But still i still confused to choose a good (a bit light rubber) for my back hand.

    I have 3 options :
    1. Fastarc C1 (1.8 mm)
    2. Rakza 7 soft
    3. Rasanter R42 (2mm)

    I need a rubber the easiest to lifting under/back spin.
    With good curve so easy to clear the net.
    With small movement easier create spin.

    Thank you in advance

    1. Álvaro Munno

      Hello Aang,

      I’d recommend either R42 or R7 soft. R7 soft is a bit slower, R42 is a bit faster, but both will serve your purpose, they’re balanced offensive rubbers that are really good at creating spin and putting the ball on the table.

      Cheers,
      Álvaro

  10. Hola Alvaro,

    Llevo ya jugando 4 o 5 años y estoy pensando en poner para la proxima temporada la Rakza 7 en el FH y una rakza x soft en el BH. Madera tengo una primorac carbon y unas omega III pro actualmente , quiero bajar un poco la velocidad y aumentar el control. No se si conoceras esas gomas y madera.

    Gracias
    Un saludo

    1. Hola Rob!

      Mi recomendación es que cambies la madera en vez de las gomas, tenes una de las maderas más rápidas que existen.

      Si queres mas control, lo mejor que podes hacer es bajar un par de cambios con la madera, ir a una Viscaria o incluso bajar más hasta una Petr Korbel o similar. Yo haría eso primero, ya que la Primorac Carbon es una madera super extrema.

      Un abrazo,
      Álvaro

      1. Gracias por la respuesta , pensare lo de la madera , fue un regalo especial y no me gustaría cambiarla 🙁 , quizás podría poner las versiones 7 soft y x soft y ver que tal resulta. Actualmente las gomas que tengo las OMEGA III PRO son bastante mas rápidas que las VEGA PRO , estaría bajando 2 escalones de velocidad yo creo con las versiones soft.

        Has probado la rakza x / soft? La 7 soft por lo que he leido en tu blog la has usado durante muchos años , en términos de velocidad se nota mucho la diferencia respecto a la rakza 7 normal?

        Gracias por el trabajo , tus review son muy buenas , me he leido casi todas.

        1. Hola Rob!

          Gracias por las palabras positivas, significan mucho para nosotros 🙂

          La Rakza 7 soft puede ser una buena alternativa para el revés si querés menos velocidad, pero para la derecha probablemente sea demasiado blanda. Si, se nota la diferencia en velocidad, pero la Rakza 7 común ya de por sí es una goma bastante lenta para los estándares de hoy en día.

          Si querés bajar muchos escalones en velocidad, pueden ser una buena alternativa.

          Tanto la Rakza 7 como la 7 soft son bastante más lentas que la Vega Pro, si te sirve el dato.

          Probablemente la Xiom Vega X de derecha y la Rakza 7 soft de revés pueden ser buenas opciones si querés bajar bastante la velocidad.

          La Vega X es una reinterpretación de la Vega Pro y me gustó bastante más cuando la testeamos.

          Si no querés bajar tanto de velocidad, te recomiendo la Donic Bluestorm Pro AM de derecha y la Rasanter R42 de revés.

          Todas estas gomas las usé mucho tiempo en diferentes etapas de mi desarrollo deportivo y me fueron muy buenas para cada uno de esos momentos.

          Un abrazo,
          Álvaro

          1. Gracias por estos últimos datos , a ver que decisión tomo , ahora mismo en la liga que juego con meter las bolas dentro de la mesa me valdría , no necesito mucha velocidad para ganar , necesito mas consistencia en el juego y meter bolas.

            Viendo tus videos , con que vaya al 75% de la velocidad que usas me vale y mi madera es bastante mas rápida , compensaría esa perdida de velocidad yo creo.

            Las omega III pro que tengo actualmente son unas gomas que sacó el año pasado XIOM y no hay muchos datos sobre ellas en internet para comparar.

  11. Very good comparison, which I can agree. I use both rubbers. Rakza 7 on my weaker FH (and Vega X on my stronger BH)

    Since I always serve with the spinnier Vega X on my FH, I have to twiddle my bat afterwards. (So that the Vega X is back on my backhand). The twiddling costs time and leaving me in an awkward position after service. Should I use Vega X on both sides and force my weaker FH to improve or should I practicing twiddling (FL handle)? In few weeks I have an tournament.

    1. Hello Daniel,

      I don’t really know what to answer as I’ve never encountered a situation like this haha

      If I were you, I’d serve with the Rakza, as it’s slower and less bouncy you can accelerate more into the ball than with the Vega and generate similar amounts of spin.

      But yes, if you’re an offensive player, you will have to move on from the Rakza at some point, so try the Vega on your forehand side and see how you like it. You’ll probably have to upgrade to the Vega or another rubber in the future so you can also do it now.

      Cheers,
      Álvaro

  12. Hello,

    Your website and content is amazing!!! I feel I am an intermediate player with a high professional level equipment (Blade: Yasaka MaLin Extra Offensive. Fh: Dignics 09C, Bh: Dignics05). Based on your content I am going to tone down my equipment and see how it helps me. I am thinking of same blade as mentioned above but on Fh use Rakza 7 and on Bh use Rakza 7 Soft. Would you recommend that for an intermediate offensive style player? Also, would you be able to do a similar review for Rakza 7 Soft please?

    Thanks.
    Salil.

    1. Hello Salil, thanks for the nice words!!

      As for your question, if you like your current equipment and can control it well, no need to change.

      These rubbers, both rakzas, are much, much slower, less spinny, and softer than both of your Dignics.

      If you feel you want more control, then I’d suggest a smaller “downgrade”, maybe the Rakza XX, for which we also have a review on the site.

      This rubber is slower and less spinny but not as much as both Rakzas you’re mentioning.

      For an intermediate level player, I very much prefer Donic Bluestorm Pro AM, and I always recommend it.

      We’ll try to write a review for the Rakza 7 soft in the future, it’s just that we’re now working on a very special rubber – a boosted Hurricane 3 National 😉

      Cheers!
      Álvaro

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *