The Yasaka Mark V is likely one of the most iconic rubbers in desk tennis. The creation of this legendary rubber is commonly regarded one of the crucial vital technological breakthroughs in table tennis history.
The Mark V is a rubber with an indeniable legacy. It was utilized by the game’s elite for many years, therefore its slogan, “Each shot geared toward glory”. Nevertheless, greater than 50 years have handed since its preliminary launch, in 1969, the 12 months by which males first landed on the moon.
To this present day, the Mark V remains to be produced. Nevertheless, what was as soon as the go-to, top-of-the-line offensive rubber has at present taken a special place on this planet of table tennis equipment.
The arrival of newer applied sciences begs the query: Is the Yasaka Mark V value shopping for greater than half a century after its preliminary launch?
YASAKA MARK V REVIEW SUMMARY
Excellent for: Allround gamers who worth management over all the things else, offensive newcomers who need to use a quick blade from the get-go, gamers who really feel uncomfortable on both the forehand or backhand wing. 0-15+ years of enjoying.
Advantages
Management
Spin insensitivity.
Ease of use.
Sturdiness.
Consistency
Light-weight.
Nice passive serve obtain.
Drawbacks
Lack of velocity for a high-level offensive sport.
Under common spin.
Concerning the Reviewer
Alvaro brings 7+ years of enjoying expertise. He’s examined 20+ rubbers for Racket Perception and his model is The Controller.
Concerning the Overview
Blade Used: Stratus Energy Wooden
Rubber Thickness: MAX
Hours Examined: 10+
Really useful Playstyles
We advocate the Yasaka Mark V to gamers who need the utmost management out of a rubber to position the ball wherever they need on the desk.
Design of the Yasaka Mark V
The Yasaka Mark V comes sealed in a retro-looking bundle.
As soon as I opened the bundle, I used to be shocked by its sturdy, fishy scent, just like the one current on the Hurricane 3 NEO.
To my shock, the Mark V was a bit dusty out of the bundle. Other than that, the rubber is barely cheesy and it has a grippy topsheet.
The rubber has a slight stress, however not an excessive amount of, and there’s no indication of manufacturing facility boosting. This probably contributes to its lengthy sturdiness, with tales of people that have had 10 or 20-year-old Mark Vs that nonetheless grip the ball simply superb.
If we press into the rubber, the sponge on the Mark V is medium-soft, round 43 levels on the ESN scale.
If we carry out a bounce take a look at, the ball doesn’t bounce a lot, an inkling of what its velocity stage could be whereas enjoying. Remember the fact that we’re reviewing a MAX thickness Mark V on an offensive blade, and this rubber ended up being very gradual for my liking.
The Yasaka Mark V uncut sheet weighs in at 62 grams, and minimize barely oversize for my Tibhar Stratus Energy Wooden, it weighs in at 44 grams.
If I had minimize it true to the Stratus’ head dimension, it could have weighed a number of grams much less, and contemplating that that is the utmost thickness variant, this rubber is basically mild.
We’ve got examined the Yasaka Mark V on each side of the racket.
Specs
- Weight (Minimize): 44g
- Pace: Low
- Spin: Low
- Management: Very Excessive
- Tackiness: Barely Cheesy
- Hardness: Medium
- ITTF Permitted: Sure
- Sponge Thickness: 1.0mm, 1.5mm, 1.8mm, 2.0mm, or MAX
Abstract: Outclass your opponents by enjoying the entire pallet of strokes with this timeless rubber.
Playtesting the Yasaka Mark V
Earlier than we begin our evaluation of the Mark V, I wished to say that that is positively the slowest rubber I’ve tried thus far.
Its velocity ranges are effectively beneath the Xiom Vega Europe and the Hurricane 3 NEO, and barely beneath the Friendship 729 Super FX and the Huieson Thunder.
All through the evaluation, I discovered it just about inconceivable to get previous my opponent with sheer velocity and spin. The wrongdoer? This ball:
The issue with the ball is neither the model nor the mannequin, what’s extra, it is a superb ball. The purpose is that the Mark V was not designed to hit this ball. We’d like a fast history of the table tennis ball.
The Yasaka Mark V was designed with the 38mm celluloid ball in thoughts. Again then, it could generate a number of velocity, much more so if it was “boosted” with velocity glue.
Within the early 2000s and with the appearance of the 40mm celluloid ball, the recognition of this rubber started to say no in comparison with others that employed newer expertise akin to Butterfly’s Bryce, and later, the Tenergy line.
From 2014 onwards, with the brand new ABS ball, very excessive expertise is required to have the ability to propel the plastic ball in an effort to rating factors by attacking. Even the Butterfly Bryce has develop into gradual by at present’s requirements.
We didn’t really feel just like the Yasaka Mark V had sufficient velocity or grip to get previous an intermediate or superior opponent. Open-ups didn’t have sufficient high quality and powerloops weren’t very quick.
We additionally felt that after we had been looping, the rubber didn’t “chunk” or “catch” the ball, and the trajectory was very flat. The rubber doesn’t make the ball go down by itself, in order for you the ball to go down you could intention downwards. It doesn’t “artificially assist” topspins.
Additionally, I personally had a tough time utilizing the Yasaka Mark V since I take advantage of the backhand passive block very often. With the Mark V, I felt just like the ball was not bouncing off the rubber, which many instances led to me dumping the ball within the internet.
Within the first clip, we see that passive blocking is hard with the Mark V. If you wish to block passively, it’s a must to open up the racket angle, which threw me off loads since I’m used to closing the angle instinctively if my opponent powerloops the ball.
Within the second clip, we will see this impact in a match state of affairs. Utilizing my forehand rubber, the Donic Baracuda, I assault my opponent, and I need to block the ball with the Mark V, it simply falls all the way down to the web as a result of the ball doesn’t bounce again to the opposite aspect as I’m used to.
All through this evaluation, I needed to get used to enjoying with out blocking passively, as these pictures would often find yourself within the internet except I actually opened up my racket’s angle, which I’m not used to.
I can see how some individuals may prefer it as the mix of sturdiness, light-weight, spin insensitivity, and management are nice for the fitting participant. Nevertheless, that participant shouldn’t be the fashionable attacker.
Driving and looping
From the second I hit my first warm-up drive, I felt the entire management that this rubber provides. Drives gave me an amazing sense of confidence and management, because the shot I wished was precisely what the rubber gave me.
All through my testing, I’ve discovered that drives are the most effective characteristic of this rubber as a consequence of its great management and the benefit with which one can place pictures. Plus, if you wish to hit the ball tougher, you by no means really feel such as you’re going to overlook the desk.
By way of looping, I didn’t really feel that it has sufficient grip to load pictures with spin, nor sufficient energy to have the ability to shock the opponent. Nevertheless, I did benefit from the consistency of my pictures when looping, which is an efficient attribute for newcomers.
This results in an attention-grabbing debate. Sure, I could make the ball land on the desk 100 instances in a row, however is it any good to have the ability to assault persistently with little to no energy?
In case you’re an entire newbie, probably sure, however in any other case I’d say no. The opponent merely has an excessive amount of time to react, and it is rather troublesome to achieve factors by attacking towards proficient gamers.
Additionally, the spin generated on loops makes it very simple for opponents to dam the ball again and even counterloop it.
Making an allowance for that desk tennis rallies are often 2 to 4 strokes lengthy on common, I don’t suppose that this can be a helpful offensive rubber in at present’s sport.
In case you had been searching for an offensive control-oriented rubber, there are many nice choices available in the market such because the Rakza Z, the Rakza 7, the Xiom Vega Europe, and the Hurricane 3 NEO, amongst many others.
I really feel there must be a steadiness between management and velocity, and opposite to what I’ve learn in different evaluations, I feel this rubber doesn’t have a very good steadiness between management and velocity when testing it as an offensive rubber.
It does have a very good steadiness between velocity and management if we consider it as an allround or defensive rubber. To assault, I don’t really feel like I’ve sufficient power to attain factors.
I really feel that, for instance, with the Rakza Z or the Rakza 7 I can land round 15 loops on the desk in a row, and some of these loops have the potential to complete the purpose. These two rubbers have a pleasant steadiness between management and velocity.
With the Tibhar Evolution MX-P, an extremely offensive rubber, I’ll in all probability be capable of play simply 5 or 6 loops in a row, however I solely must get 1 or 2 on the desk to complete the purpose.
With the Mark V, open-ups don’t have a lot spin, and follow-up assaults lacked the facility to complete the purpose. I’d say that to make use of the Mark V to its fullest potential it’s a must to attempt to confuse your opponent with sorts of depth, spin, and totally different strokes.
Serve and obtain
On this space, I favored the Mark V somewhat higher. Although serves didn’t have that a lot spin, it was tremendous simple to serve quick and management the position of the serves.
Nevertheless, we fall into the identical dilemma. For my part, it’s extra value studying to serve quick with a rubber that has extra grip than to make use of the Mark V one and serve quick simply however with much less spin.
When receiving with the Mark V, energetic serve obtain was not very environment friendly. If I wished to carry out backhand flicks, it was simple to cope with incoming spin, however my flick was very low high quality. They had been very simple for my opponent to cope with.
The place this rubber actually shines is on the passive serve obtain. Touching quick is easy, and you’ll push lengthy wherever on the desk with none worry of the ball going lengthy or large.
As well as, this rubber is ultimate for many who discover it troublesome to obtain spinny serves as a consequence of its spin insensitivity.
Blocking and chopping
By way of blocking, paradoxically, I desire my Tibhar MX-P, a rubber that’s a lot sooner and tougher to manage. The rationale? If I carry out a very good block with the MX-P, I immediately win the initiative.
With the Mark V, blocking is straightforward and above all, it is rather simple to dam quick, spinny balls. Nevertheless, it’s a must to actively block balls that include little energy so that you just don’t dump your blocks within the internet.
Additionally, blocking will rarely put you ready to assault since blocks will return to your opponent with little velocity except you punch the ball again to them.
Chopping with the Yasaka Mark V is nice due to its excessive management, however my opponent informed me that chops didn’t have a lot backspin and had been simple to elevate.
Options to the Yasaka Mark V
Total reflections on the Yasaka Mark V.
My conclusion is that this rubber is good for these gamers who need to reduce their errors. It is vitally simple to place the ball on the desk with this rubber, and that’s the reason it’s so liked by 1000’s of gamers. It’s merely very simple to make use of.
As an example my level, up subsequent is a clip of me enjoying towards lengthy pips. The spin insensitivity of this rubber and the management it has makes enjoying towards lengthy pips a chunk of cake, in contrast to with bouncy tensioned rubbers.
As a result of its velocity and ease of use, I additionally advocate it for newcomers who need to play an offensive sport and need to purchase a quick blade from the get-go.
If a brand new participant informed me that they wished to start out enjoying with a quick composite blade, I’d haven’t any drawback recommending one thing like a Mark V and Viscaria. As they progress, they will swap to sooner rubbers.
In case your sport is predicated on exploiting the opponent’s errors, otherwise you need to reduce your individual errors, the Yasaka Mark V is a good choice.
It is usually an excellent choice for these allround gamers who use every kind of spins. Within the clip beneath, I’ll present you the place the Yasaka Mark V actually shines: Stroke combos and placing the ball on the desk due to its spin insensitivity and management.
To sum up, I need to say that this rubber enormously simplifies the sport as a consequence of not having as a lot velocity and spin as the brand new tensor rubbers. It’s as much as you to determine if you happen to want that efficiency enhance offered by fashionable tensors, which is typically counterproductive.
In my case, I felt underwhelmed by its offensive capabilities, however for the fitting participant, this rubber is ideal given its enjoying traits (management, spin insensitivity) and its practicality (light-weight, construct high quality, sturdiness).
Alvaro’s been enjoying Desk Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked throughout the prime 100 in his native Argentina. He likes to compete in provincial tournaments and is all the time searching 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 05 | Backhand: Butterfly Rozena
Playstyle: The Controller
