On tabletennis : Review - Joola Express One

Joola Express One is like a good steak - Seemingly dull on the outside, packed with juice and an explosion of flavor on the inside.

Background

I'd been playing with TBS / Tenergy 05 for a while. Being a semi-EJ, i wasn't satisfied that something could play that good, and that i was to settle down with a blade and a rubber for more than a month. So, i placed an order for some Galaxy blades, in particular, the W-6, in order to explore the lower end of the speed scale of blades with massive amounts of control.

Let me just say that, for me, Tenergy and W-6 do not work together at all. The high throw of the rubber combined with the slow wooden blade was a poor combo for a powerlooper.

It just so happened that Joola Express was being sold at a, what seemed to be universal, discount. ~35% off. No way was i going to pass that up! I picked up a sheet of Joola Express One 2.0, still trying to maintain that control over speed.

Looks can be deceiving

The topsheet is very special. Unlike any other new-gen rubber. It's almost like it's glazed, and even after several practices/games, it's keeping that glaze which most of all reminds you of a metallic sort of varnish you'd expect to see on a car right out of the factory.

It didn't feel tacky at all, but you could almost sense the secrets lurking below the topsheet, in the green-power enabled sponge which is more or less white in color. With it's 47 degrees of hardness, simply bouncing a ball off the rubber gave an amazingly crisp sound on a wooden blade. I got fairly excited at this point. Too bad it was almost midnight and i was unable to go hit a few balls with it. I sensed alot of explosion begging to be let loose.


All aboard the Express train

First hit with the W-6 / Express One. You know that very first hit? You can always sense if something is sh*t, or if something has potential. I immediately got a good vibe from the Express One.

Having tried Tenergy / W-6 for a while, it took a while to get used to the lower throw, but once i did, i started realizing why some of the pro's played the Express One.

Here you have a rubber that's really hard, which is not only fast and spinny, but plays an extremely good short game and to top it off, is an amazing loopers rubber in all aspects. Brush loops are very controlled with low arches, faster controlled loops are the same, and finally, power drives are incredible spinny and fast. I've never had so many "winners" before, not even with the tenergy. The low throw, and topspin sends the ball zooming past your opponent at an incredible speed. It was hard for me to contain my joy at times.

Express vs Tenergy

As i mentioned, the throw is lower than Tenergy. It's faster and probably a bit less spinny. Control is about the same. Both play a brilliant short game. But where the difference is, is in the explosion. In all aspects of play, the Express one seems to be so controllable, with a consistent low throw that will keep your returns in check, not giving away any radicl opening chances.

Express train to victory

The first hit with the Express One that i mentioned earlier, was a christmas tourney at my club. I rode the express train straight to victory after an initial loss in the group-stage where i couldn't quite get used to the throw, and ended up winning the whole thing.

The Express One is an amazingly interesting rubber. I was quite surprised to find that a rubber could play this offensively on an ALL wood blade, but even more surprised to

For all you powerloopers outthere, check this sheet of glory out, you won't regret it.


Secret ingredient - Pure Green Power

I finally got the chance to get a few real practice sessions in with the Joola Express One @ TBS. Let me sum it up for you: This is an absolutely amazing combo. The first thing that struck me, and keeps striking me, is the similarity with a rubber like Joola Mambo Green Power.

Now i know what's lurking beneath the surface... it's the "Green Power", no doubt. The amount of control in the rubber on a carbon blade is astounding, just like what the mambo gives you. But not only do you get that control, you get explosive speed, spin and a low ball trajectory. It was an absolutely devestating combination. Power loops were easily controllable with either alot of power, and/or alot of spin. More focus on spin would actually put the ball close to the net, with great speed, but spinning out over the side of the table at an incredible angle. Absolutely incredible.

Flat hits are possible from anywhere, even from mid/far distance due to the high amount of control. I'm actually having a hard time describing the potential of this rubber - I'm really excited now that i've paired it with my TBS. And while i might sound like a bad ITTF commercial, there simply isn't much else to say, other than : Go try it out. Don't like it? Hey, you'd probably spend that money on beer anyway, and you're an experience wiser. There's a good chance you might end up with a really lethal weapon.

Final conclusions? This rubber is not a one trick pony. My experiments have been limited, but i've tried it at both ends of the speed scale, and it's performed admirably in both cases. Pure Green Power - and it's light. I've found my new best friend.

Goodbye Tenergy05, i hardly knew ye.