I used a robot to compare the two frictionless antis Dr Neubauer ABS 2 soft in 2.5 mm and Der Materialspezialist Diabolic Extra Slow with each other. I used the offensive blade Stiga Carbonado 90 for both setups, with slightly different black rubbers. I used the ball Stiga Perform (ABS-material) and a Butterfly Amicus Pro robot.
The robot was not changed within each ”category” (except for when blocking no spin attacks, where I increased the speed a little in the 2nd ABS round). First I compared blocks against ”normal” loops. I started with ABS2 soft for 40 secounds, then Diabolic ES för 40 seconds, and then ABS again and Diabolic again. This procedure was then repeated for attacks with almost no spin, against back spin. I finished with 40 seconds each against the hardest attack this robot can produce (but not the maximum spin).
Conclusions: I have used Diabolic ES for a few months so that rubber is well known to me, and this was the first time I tried ABS (I haven’t tried any of the ABS rubbers before this). So I may have been a little more comfortable with Diabolic.
Anyhow, it is clear that Diabolic is slower and a little safer, and that ABS is a little better for attacking back spin. Still ABS is safe enough to block hard attacks, but with Diabolic I could place the blocks very low and short with more consistency (but I also have more experience with Diabolic). On the other hand, with ABS I could be a little more active with blocks, adding some speed to the block. Also, there seem to be a little more back spin with Diabolic (difficult to say without an opponent).
Against no spin shots they feel rather equal, with Diabolic being a little safer (slower). I also tried against a low and short no spin serve (not in video) and it was difficult to put preassure on the ball with both antis, but perhaps a little less difficult with Diabolic.
So, if you use a very fast blade or prefere the safest rubber and build your game around blocking attacks with BH you should go with Diabolic ES. If you use your anti more for attacking back spin but still want to be able to block attacks you may want to try ABS2 soft. I am in between, so I am going to try the ABS more with real opponents before deciding.
5 мар 2020
