Customer review for Yasaka Rakza 7 Soft

External Review for Yasaka Rakza 7 Soft on March 23, 2012

I have A/B'd this with the Xiom Omega IV Elite as BH-rubbers on a Stiga Hybrid Wood penhold blade. 2.0 mm thickness on both rubbers.

The Rakza 7 Soft feels slightly faster, while the Xiom has a slight edge in spin. Both are very spinny though, you will not feel like you're lacking in that department whichever you go with.

Control is excellent for both rubbers. However, the Xiom is VERY soft, probably the softest rubber I've tried. It's actually a little too soft for my taste, it can feel a little mushy sometimes, like it's bottoming out. The Rakza is more medium-soft, has a more crisper feel to it.

Both are light, about the same weight which was slightly surprising, I figured the Xiom would feel lighter due to the softer sponge.

Playing RPB they both excel at the same thing; giving a hard curve with that great snapping catapult effect off the table. Fantastic for sidespin flicks as well as playing further off the table.

I ended up sticking with the Rakza, I just feel more comfortable with the slightly firmer feel. Both are great rubbers though and fit the same profile; soft rubbers aimed at working more with spin and control than outright speed. That's not to say they're slow though, they're still tensor rubbers after all.

Edit: After playing with it for ~4 months I can safely say that durability is excellent, I play 4-5 days a week and it still looks and feels more or less as new. Brilliant rubber.

Another Edit: Or slight warning, actually. Be very careful when removing the old glue if you're e.g. regluing to another blade. The sponge is very porous and a little brittle, so you run the risk of tearing off parts of the sponge along with the glue if you don't take care.

Review helpful? Yes | No

← Back to Yasaka Rakza 7 Soft Reviews

← Back to Yasaka Rakza 7 Soft