I’m not exaggerating after I say that Butterfly’s Dignics 09c is the finest rubber on this planet. In true Butterfly trend, they’ve been in a position to engineer the unthinkable.
In 2008, Butterfly launched the Tenergy 05, which took the world by storm. It was many years forward of its competitors. 15 years after its launch, most different producers haven’t but caught as much as the Tenergy 05’s high quality.
It had a degree of grip that was unparalleled on the time and a novel excessive arc that granted it nice management for looping regardless of its blazing-fast velocity.
Now, Butterfly has seemingly tricked the legal guidelines of physics as soon as once more. They’ve achieved almost optimum velocity, spin, and management all in the identical rubber.
On this assessment, we’ll go over why I believe the Dignics 09c is objectively the perfect rubber out there. This isn’t to say that it’s the precise alternative for everybody, I merely consider that it has the perfect, most superior design out of all of the rubbers at the moment accessible.
I’ve used the Dignics 09c for round 140 hours throughout 3 months of coaching, and I’ve fallen in love with it. However is it the precise rubber for you? Let’s discover out!
BUTTERFLY DIGNICS 09c REVIEW SUMMARY
As for its design, its crimson Spring Sponge X could be very exhausting at 44 levels and it has plenty of inbuilt stress. The topsheet itself is medium cheesy and very grippy. The Dignics 09c is a really quick and spinny rubber with a excessive arc and a really pronounced parabola.
The strongest attributes of this rubber are its management, its spin, and its most velocity when looping. It excels at every kind of loops, be it open-ups, counters shut and away from the desk, brushed loops, and energy loops.
The differentiating attribute of the Dignics 09c is that its cheesy topsheet and exhausting sponge make it rather a lot simpler for the participant to manage the ball, because the rubber is noticeably much less bouncy in comparison with most fashionable offensive rubbers. All of those attributes make it an outstanding rubber not just for rally play but in addition for third ball assaults. As well as, its sturdiness could be very excessive.
The one con I might discover of the Dignics 09c is its steep worth. Nevertheless, contemplating its sturdiness, I’d nonetheless say that the Dignics 09c is sweet worth.
Excellent for: Intermediate and superior attackers on the forehand aspect, superior offensive gamers on the backhand aspect. 4-10+ years of taking part in.
Advantages
Extra management than another rubber with this quantity of potential shot high quality.
Unparalleled grip and spin.
Very excessive potential velocity.
Not bouncy.
Extra dwell time than most fashionable offensive rubbers.
Excels at every kind of loops.
Very confidence-inducing.
Nice on the brief sport.
Serves carry tons of spin.
Protected, excessive arc.
Good for blocking.
Ball slippage is non-existent, even after months of use.
Sturdiness.
Drawbacks
Must be performed actively.
Can’t totally make the most of it except you’ve gotten excessive swing speeds.
Worth.
In regards to the Reviewer
Alvaro brings 7+ years of taking part in expertise. He’s examined 20+ rubbers for Racket Perception and his model is The Controller.
In regards to the Overview
Blade Used: Stratus Energy Wooden
Rubber Thickness: 2.15mm
Hours Examined: 40+
Advisable Playstyles
We suggest the Butterfly Dignics 09c for high-level attackers who wish to use the perfect of the perfect on the market.
Design of the Butterfly Dignics 09c
The Butterfly Dignics 09c comes within the typical Butterfly packaging we’ve seen time and time once more.
I believe it might’ve been good if Butterfly did one thing completely different for the Dignics line contemplating it’s nearly $100. In hindsight, nevertheless, I can see that our cash was very properly spent elsewhere, so I can’t complain.
Upon opening the bundle, we discover the rubber. The model we ordered is a deep black 2.1mm sheet of Dignics 09c.
Sturdiness and worth
That is how the Dignics 09c is taking care of 3 months of very intensive use:
Each photos have been taken on the identical day, below completely different lighting.
As you’ll be able to see, the Dignics 09c is holding up splendidly. Indicators of damage are evident when the sunshine hits it on the proper angle, however it nonetheless performs at 90% of its preliminary capabilities and it seems completely high quality in different lighting eventualities. Ball slippage continues to be non-existent if there isn’t an excessive amount of humidity.
Different rubbers, such because the Donic Bluestorm Professional AM, or the Tibhar Evolution MX-P would have wanted changing by now (I’d most likely be on my third MX-P by now), and the Dignics continues to be in superb situation.
Due to this, and due to the Dignics 09c’s extremely excessive efficiency, I consider that the Dignics 09c is an acceptable worth regardless of the excessive worth.
If it lasts round 5-6 months at round $80-90 per sheet, I don’t assume it’s as costly as it could initially appear. Assuming it lasts me 6 months, it’s a fair higher worth proposition than a $50 rubber with common sturdiness (3 months of intensive use).
$90 could appear outrageous for a desk tennis rubber, however we’ve got to understand that Butterfly does the entire R&D and manufacturing by themselves, whereas most different producers outsource these processes to a German manufacturing unit (ESN).
Key design attributes of the Butterfly Dignics 09c
The topsheet of the Dignics 09c is extraordinarily grippy and medium cheesy, and its sponge is an intense crimson coloration. The spong positively charges as ‘exhausting’.
Butterfly states the Dignics 09c’s hardness to be 44 levels. In ESN phrases, that’d be properly above 55 levels, perhaps even above 60.
In observe, the Dignics 09c performs at round 50-52 levels ESN. I didn’t really feel that it performs as exhausting as Butterfly states its hardness to be.
The Dignics 09c options a fully groundbreaking design. Butterfly states that it was designed along with Timo Boll, who examined many prototypes till they settled on the present iteration.
In regards to the Dignics 09c, Timo said: “(it’s) a rubber of a completely new sort. I’ve lengthy wished to play with such a rubber”, and “I’m very pleased to play with this rubber, as a result of that is for certain the perfect rubber I ever had”. (supply: Butterfly)
I’ve to say I fully agree with Timo. It’s certainly a totally new rubber, and it’s additionally, for my part, the finest rubber accessible.
The Dignics 09c managed to mix the sponge and topsheet splendidly. With hybrid rubbers, it’s exhausting to get the stability fairly proper. Butterfly completely nailed it with the 44-degree Spring Sponge X and the 09c topsheet.
What makes the Dignics 09c actually particular is that it has the dynamism of the quickest European rubbers along with the spin and management of the perfect Chinese language rubbers.
European rubbers and Chinese language rubbers have all the time been considered full opposites. We even wrote an article explaining how different European and Chinese rubbers are.
The Dignics 09c was launched to bridge the hole between these two worlds, and it has some great benefits of each kinds of rubbers.
In truth, Butterfly’s slogan for the Dignics 09c is: “A bonus from overcoming a paradox”, the paradox being that the Dignics is a really quick and dynamic rubber whereas having tons of dwell time and management.
This is the reason I mentioned that Butterfly “tricked the legal guidelines of physics” within the introduction of this text. How does the Dignics 09c obtain this impact?
There are two elements that make it doable, the very exhausting and quick sponge, and the medium cheesy topsheet.
Beginning with the sponge, 44 levels is so exhausting that it’s tough to wrap our heads round that quantity. It’s such a excessive quantity that it’s exhausting to consider, actually, particularly contemplating the way it performs.
For reference, Ma Lengthy’s forehand rubber is 42 levels (on the identical scale), and it’s mentioned to be one of many hardest rubbers there’s.
It appears fully outrageous to me that I’m taking part in with a tougher rubber than Ma Lengthy, however in keeping with Butterfly, that’s what’s occurring. Nevertheless, DHS rubbers play rather a lot tougher due to their sponge’s excessive density.
My idea is that due to the very porous design of the sponge, its superior expertise, and its very quick nature, the rubber performs rather a lot softer than it truly is.
Whether it is certainly 44 levels (we’d have to check it with a durometer), in idea, we’d get entry to extra gears than with nearly another rubber on this planet. In observe, it definitely does have loads of gears.
That is the genius behind the Dignics 09c’s design. Butterfly thought outdoors the field.
They created a really quick, extremely exhausting sponge that doesn’t play that onerous due to its velocity and its design whereas retaining the gears of an especially exhausting rubber.
As well as, the cheesy topsheet helps decelerate the ball, granting the participant far more dwell time with the ball when performing tough photographs.
In observe, the Dignics 09c could be very controllable within the brief sport due to its hardness and the way the topsheet kills velocity.
It’s additionally very controllable for countering and opening up, as its protected excessive throw offers a number of clearance over the web, it’s very steady and predictable on account of its hardness, and once more, we’ve got a number of dwell time as a result of cheesy topsheet.
And, whenever you swing exhausting, the very quick and insanely exhausting sponge exhibits its true colours: You may get tons of velocity and spin behind your powerloops.
These are the attributes that skilled gamers like a lot concerning the Dignics 09c.
By way of weight, the Dignics 09c weighs in at 50 grams when reduce to my Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC.
Talking of the Fan Zhendong ALC, I’d like to say that the Dignics 09c is finest fitted to quick composite blades. I wouldn’t use this rubber on OFF- blades and under. It pairs finest with OFF blades and above.
The Dignics 09c’s base velocity isn’t very excessive, and it isn’t a bouncy rubber, even on my Fan Zhendong ALC.
After we say that the Dignics 09c is a really quick and dynamic rubber, we’re referring to the facility you will get when looping. Looping at 80% energy and above yields nice outcomes by way of velocity. Nevertheless, in the event you don’t swing exhausting, the rubber could be very tame and controllable.
Due to this average base velocity, Butterfly states that “since Dignics 09C is excellent at holding the ball, it will likely be a well-balanced racket when mixed with an outer-ply synthetic fiber blade that has a excessive response” (response that means velocity).
They suggest the Dignics 09c for quick, outer composite blades, and I agree with them.
I wouldn’t pair it with my Tibhar Stratus Energy Wooden (all wooden OFF- blade), as it might undergo from an absence of base velocity.
Specs
- Pace: Excessive
- Spin: Excessive
- Management: Very Excessive
- Tackiness: Medium cheesy
- ITTF Authorised: Sure
- Sponge Thickness: 1.9mm or 2.1mm
Abstract: Overpower opponents with serves, receives, loops, and counters with the last word hybrid rubber.
Playtesting the Butterfly Dignics 09c
The Dignics 09c is a very particular rubber, and we are able to really feel it from the second we begin taking part in with it. Its excessive throw angle, its hardness, and its excessive grip make it a really enjoyable rubber to make use of.
One feels compelled to swing tougher and tougher to get extra velocity and spin, and the protected, excessive arc this rubber produces makes you are feeling such as you’re all the time in management.
It’s actually fairly tough to overlook huge from mistimings due to how a lot dwell time we’ve got when looping. That is one thing that occurs to me very often with quicker rubbers, however it by no means occurs to me with the Dignics 09c.
I’ve completely used the Dignics 09c on my forehand aspect. I can see why skilled gamers additionally apply it to the backhand aspect, however I don’t assume I’m at a degree during which I can activate its very exhausting sponge sufficient to get velocity on the backhand aspect.
I’d solely suggest the Dignics 09c for the backhand aspect for very superior gamers who can powerloop constantly on that wing. In any other case, you gained’t be capable to produce as a lot velocity as with bouncier rubbers which have extra base velocity.
Driving and looping
When you begin driving the ball with the Dignics 09c, you’ll discover the rubber’s average base velocity. The Dignics 09c isn’t a quick rubber when driving. The tackiness of the topsheet performs a significant function within the stroke as a result of the sponge isn’t activated a lot in the sort of shot.
When driving, the Dignics delivers a comparatively impartial, very exhausting really feel on the hand. The trademark excessive throw can be current on these forehand drives.
It’s only after we begin looping that we are able to perceive why the Dignics 09c is such a particular rubber.
The Dignics 09c is the finest looping rubber on this planet in keeping with most of the finest loopers on this planet.
Fan Zhendong, Timo Boll, Tomokazu Harimoto, Kristian Karlsson, Marcos Freitas, Dimitrij Ovtacharov, and Dang Qiu are a few of the finest gamers on this planet, and they’re at the moment utilizing the Dignics 09c.
Looping with the Dignics 09c is all about managing how a lot you sweep the ball versus how a lot you hit into the sponge.
If you happen to activate the sponge and hit by means of the ball extra, the tougher sponge is activated to a better extent, leading to tons of velocity. If you happen to graze the ball extra, the spin of the cheesy topsheet takes over.
This isn’t solely relevant to the Dignics 09c, additionally it is the case with most different rubbers. The extra you activate the sponge, the extra energy you get, and the extra you graze the ball, the topsheet performs a much bigger function.
The distinction with the Dignics 09c is that this impact is taken to an excessive.
The sponge of the Dignics 09c is tough and quick like no different sponge, and the topsheet of the Dignics 09c is grippy and spinny like nearly no different topsheet.
This is the reason its most velocity and spin values are so excessive.
Nevertheless, in the event you graze the ball and also you don’t activate the sponge that a lot, you get extra of the dwell time of the cheesy topsheet, as an alternative of activating the quick sponge. This provides far more management when taking part in open-ups and spin photographs.
It’s nearly like you’ve gotten two completely different rubbers in a single. When opening up, when brush looping, and when counterlooping, you’ve gotten the dwell time, the management, and the spín of Chinese language rubbers.
Once you powerloop and also you hit by means of the sponge, you get the dynamism of European rubbers.
Listed below are some clips of myself looping for velocity with the Dignics 09c in a current league match:
On this video, we are able to see 2 of the important thing factors we’ve talked about earlier than:
1) That the Dignics 09c is definitely very, very quick supplied that you simply swing exhausting sufficient, and
2) That the Dignics 09c doesn’t play as exhausting as its 44-degree score would point out, provided that with a non-professional swing velocity, we are able to activate the sponge sufficient to get very quick photographs.
Listed below are some clips of myself looping for spin with the Dignics 09c in event and league video games:
In these clips we are able to see how easy it’s to win factors out of sheer spin after we make the most of the grip of the Dignics 09c to our benefit.
The principle downsides to the Dignics 09c when looping are 2:
1. To reap these advantages, you want a excessive swing velocity.
Although the sponge of the Dignics 09c performs softer than it’s, it’s nonetheless very, very exhausting. As well as, its base velocity shouldn’t be very excessive so with a purpose to activate its sponge to get high-speed loops you want a comparatively excessive swing velocity.
The identical occurs when opening up and when brush looping, with a purpose to get the monstrous spin this rubber is ready to generate, you’ll want to swing quick sufficient.
In any other case, you gained’t be capable to get the unbelievable velocity and spin this rubber is ready to generate, and also you is likely to be underwhelmed by the Dignics 09c.
2. It must be performed actively.
Gamers utilizing the Dignics 09c gained’t be capable to simply flick their wrist and get good high quality on their photographs like you’ll be able to with the Tenergy 05 and most quick European tensor rubbers. That is additionally why I can’t use it correctly on the backhand aspect.
If you wish to make the most of the Dignics 09c to its fullest potential, you’ll want to transfer and execute the load switch correctly.
If you happen to do all of this, I believe that the Dignics 09c is a really forgiving rubber due to its excessive grip, its protected, excessive arc, and its average base velocity.
Due to its arc, grip, and lack of bounciness, the Dignics 09c is good for opening up and counterlooping.
Open-ups are made very simple with this rubber, they usually carry tons of spin. It is extremely simple to clear the web and the ball then dips down much more than with much less grippy rubbers.
As for counterloops, the Dignics 09c is good due to its hardness, its arc, and its dwell time. You get a number of time with the ball, a number of security over the web, and superb stability.
Taking part in away from the desk requires a bit extra effort however it’s nice nonetheless. Once you swing exhausting, you will get tons of velocity and spin on the ball.
One other issue to remember is that, whenever you’re at mid and lengthy distances, you’ve gotten much more time to arrange your strokes.
Utilizing this rubber, I discover that I’m very snug looping at mid-distances since I’ve extra time to arrange a higher-quality loop, leading to extra velocity and spin.
As for flat hitting, it’s greater than ok. Cheesy rubbers are normally horrible at flat-hitting, however this isn’t the case with the Dignics 09c.
With the Dignics 09c, in the event you hit into the exhausting sponge and the blade, you’ll get extra of them than you’ll get off the cheesy topsheet.
Flat hitting with the Dignics 09c and the Fan Zhendong ALC is definitely superb. I can simply hit into the hardness of the rubber and the blade and get superb velocity and stability.
Serve and obtain
Serving and receiving are two of the differentiating attributes of the Dignics 09c. Numerous skilled gamers are utilizing it due to how simple it’s to play out the brief sport.
Beginning with the serves, although, it’s wonderful at producing spin. Serves carry much more spin than your common rubber.
As well as, it isn’t very bouncy and it has a medium cheesy topsheet. It’s the perfect rubber for serving due to its excessive grip and its excessive dwell time.
With the Dignics 09c, you’ll be able to load serves with spin and place them wherever you need simply.
Lively serve receives are nice with the Dignics 09c. I favored forehand flicking with the Dignics as its hardness instills a really good sense of confidence.
Passive serve receives with the Dignics 09c are higher than with most different high-performance rubbers. It’s a bit unusual at first, however, whenever you get used to it, it’s probably the greatest rubbers out there by way of most velocity in contrast with the convenience of taking part in out the brief sport.
The Dignics 09c could also be delicate to incoming spins however its lack of bounciness makes each passive serve obtain rather a lot simpler.
Touching brief with the Dignics 09c is excellent when you get used to the topsheet and sponge combo.
I discovered that when my opponent served backspin and I didn’t activate the sponge sufficient, that’s, I grazed the ball with low acceleration, the ball would fall into the web as a result of the cheesy topsheet absorbed the spin.
And, after I contacted the ball barely too thickly, the sponge would get activated extra and its excessive throw would present extra, leading to me popping up the ball.
Touching brief is stranger than with different rubbers, however, whenever you get used to it, it’s positively simpler than with different offensive rubbers.
Pushing lengthy shouldn’t be a problem as a result of I constantly use roughly the identical swing velocity and I already know easy methods to angle the racket and easy methods to hit the ball to get the consequence I need.
Blocking and chopping
Blocking with the Dignics 09c is sort of good.
It isn’t nearly as good as grippy rubbers as a result of it’s slower and extra spin-sensitive, however it’s truly very simple to manage and quick sufficient to bother opponents with lively blocks. I believe blocking with the Dignics 09c is sort of underrated.
Its fundamental energy when blocking is that it’s simpler to manage quick photographs with this rubber than with most different high-performance rubbers. For that, the Dignics 09c is superb.
As for chopping, the Dignics 09c is sort of good. I don’t chop too typically, however after I do, I’m in a position to put a number of spin on the ball and management it correctly.
You get fairly a little bit of dwell time with chopping and the grip is excellent. I wouldn’t actually suggest it to choppers however it’s a superb rubber for chopping occasionally if the state of affairs arises.
Alternate options to the Butterfly Dignics 09c
Total reflections on the Butterfly Dignics 09c
The Butterfly Dignics 09c is, for my part, the finest rubber at the moment accessible due to its unbelievable design. It’s very exhausting to fathom how the Dignics 09c is among the finest rubbers for energy looping and touching brief on the similar time.
In truth, the Dignics 09c is among the finest rubbers for looping, counterlooping, opening up, serving, and taking part in out the brief sport.
It’s one of many spinniest rubbers accessible, it has one of many highest most speeds yow will discover, it has large management, greater than satisfactory dwell time, and a protected, excessive arc.
I nonetheless discover it exhausting to consider that Butterfly managed to mix all of those benefits into one single rubber.
The principle disadvantages of the Dignics 09c are that it’s very, very costly, it must be performed actively, and it wants comparatively excessive swing speeds to be utilized correctly.
Therefore, the Dignics 09c is the right alternative on both wing for offensive gamers who’ve excessive sufficient swing speeds, play an lively sport, and might afford to pay for it.
Alvaro’s been taking part in Desk Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked inside the high 100 in his native Argentina. He likes to compete in provincial tournaments and is all the time on the lookout for methods to enhance. Alvaro made his favorite recollections with a racket in hand, and he joined the RacketInsight workforce to share his ardour with different gamers!
Blade: Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC | Forehand: Butterfly Dignics 09c | Backhand: Butterfly Rozena
Playstyle: The Controller
