Review Rakza Z Extra Hard. This rubber is YASAKA’s high-end rubber for a long time, and it will be an adhesive tension rubber! At the timing when Butterfly released the latest adhesive tension rubber, Dignics 09C, in 2020, this Rakza Z was released so that Yasaka would also chase after it. There are two types of hardness, Rakza Z, which is about 50 °, and Rakza Z extra hard, which is one or two of the hardest rubbers in Yasaka. This page reviews Rakza Z Extra Hard. The user of this rubber will be Fumiya Igarashi, who joined TT Saitama after graduating from Waseda University, and recently Takuya Jin, a signboard player of Yasaka. It seems that You Tuber and Goblin’s Yanma are also using it.
Speaking of Yasaka’s contract players, Takuya Kami, who won second place in the All Japan Championship in 2014, Mattias Falck (Sweden), who won second place in the 2019 World Championship, and Ma Lin, who won the World Cup four times as an advisor and won the Athens Olympics. (Marin, China) The players are famous. There are also many contract players from Waseda University, including Fumiya Igarashi, who won the Kanto Student Championship, Asuka Sasao, who won the Junior Division of the All Japan Championship, and Yuko Kato, who won the second place in the Kanto Student Championship. In addition, there are many sharp contract players with Aida Satoshi who is active until TT Saitama with a different back cut man. God is a player who continues to use Rakza 7, Rakza X, Rising Dragon (Shoryu), Rakza Z extra hard and Yasaka’s high-end rubber in order, including when he was a student. Not only top players but also amateur players use Rakza 7, Rakza X, and Shoryu, and I think they are very famous rubbers. Rakza Z is likely to spread in no time.
The Rakza series is a very proven series, and in the olden days, the god player mentioned earlier used Rakza 7 when he won the All Japan Student Championship and Rakza X when he won the All Japan Championship runner-up. Also, in recent years, Meiji University’s Tezuka Kouma, who is a heterogeneous player who makes heavy use of smash, used Rakuza X when he won the championship, and Yoshiyama Ryoichi of Aiko Daimeiden used Rakza X and Rakza 7 when he won the 2022 All Japan Junior Championship. I am. It is not a minor rubber, but a rubber series that even top players can get enough results!
Rakza series
The Rakza series is YASAKA’s signature tension rubber series. All Rakza rubbers are Hybrid Energy type rubbers, which are “combined with the high grip and spin performance of high elasticity and high friction rubber, the high repulsion of tension rubber and the refreshing shot feeling”.
Similar to Butterfly’s Tenergy and Dignics series, the image of the hitting trajectory is posted on the YASAKA homepage and pamphlets. The rubber with the highest arc is the Rakza Z, which was sold in the spring of 2020. This is followed by Rakza X, Rakza 7 and Rakza 9. I think you can think of it as follows when it is compatible with the Dignics series. Rakza Z ⇄ Dignics 09C Rakza X ⇄ Dignics 05 Rakza 7 ⇄ Dignics 80 Rakza 9 ⇄ Dignics 64 The Rakza Z, which will be released in the spring of 2020, is an adhesive rubber, and it will be in the same classification as the Dignics 09C released at the same timing. Is this a coincidence, isn’t it?
If you explain the Rakza series in detail, there are four types of Rakza rubber, each of which is different in detail. There are two types of Rakza Z, Rakza Z and Rakza Z Extra Hard. Rakza X uses Non Slip Sheet (NSS) technology and is said to have a high grip that sets it apart from other Rakza. In terms of performance values, the amount of rotation is higher for Rakza 7 next to Rakza Z. And the fastest in the series is Rakza 9. Soft sponge is sold in two types, Rakza X and Rakza 7. The rubber series, which is very popular even though it has different parts in such small parts, is the Rakza series. The Rakza Z EH to be reviewed this time is a Dignics 09C type rubber among the butterfly rubbers, so I would like to confirm the performance of the Rakza Z EH as an adhesive tension rubber.
Performance of Rakza Z Extra Hard
Coincidentally, when the performance values are quantified and compared, the Rakza Z EH is in the same position as the Rakza 7 software. Of course, reflecting the hardness, it can be said that Rakza Z EH is the rubber with the highest spin value. On the other hand, although it is faster than Shoryu, you can see that Rakza Z EH is faster than Rakza 7 and Rakza X. This area can be said to be a characteristic of adhesive rubber.
The Rakza Z Extra Hard is quite heavy, but the hardness is as hard as Tenergy 05 (from the result of the shore c sheet). However, YASAKA’s rubber does not have a good hardness, so it is Rakza Z Extra Hard that feels as hard as Dignics 09C. Also, the characteristic is the difference between the seat side and the sponge side of shore a. In short, you can see that the seat side is softer and the sponge side is harder is Rakza Z. It seems that the theory is that the seat side of rubber called Dignics 09C and spin type tension rubber is hard and the sponge side is soft, but the sponge is hard and the sheet is soft for Rakza Z and Chinese leopard. It may be a feature. The soft seat gives the impression that the quality of the loop drive is easy to improve, so you can expect the goodness of the loop drive from the Rakza Z Extra Hard!
Rakza Z Extra Hard Sticking and Weight
It’s a little confusing, but the Rakza Z Extra Hard sponge is a sponge with a lot of air bubbles. The amount of bubbles is like a spin tension rubber. (The black sponge is Omega VII China Ying.) Bubbles can be confirmed in Dignics 09C, but the bubbles are quite fine. Also, Hurricane is a sponge with almost no bubbles. I felt that this area was likely to appear as a difference in rubber.
The pasted racket will be Hurricane 301. It’s an inner racket. After all, the adhesive tension made in Germany bounces as a whole, so I think that inner carbon is the best if you want to taste it. Or if it’s Rakza Z Extra Hard, is it wood plywood like Yasaka’s contract player? I highly recommend the 7-plywood Ma Lin Extra Special. Also, the adhesive feeling is stronger than that of Dignics 09C and the adhesive tension rubber made in Germany. I felt that it was the same as Shoryu, or a little weaker than Rakza Z Extra Hard. While the Dignics 09C and recent German-made adhesive tension sheets do not seem to be adhesive at all, I was happy as an adhesive user to feel the strong adhesiveness of Rakza Z Extra Hard.
Rakza Z Extra Hard
"Equipped with a hard sponge for more powerful attacks"
By combining an adhesive top sheet with excellent rotational power of Rakza Z with a harder sponge, it is possible to create higher power. Even when hitting a ball with a strong impact, it accurately conveys to the ball without losing energy. It is a rubber for hard hitters that can perform power play that satisfies top players.
Hybrid Energy
・Speed：11-
・Spin：14+
・Sponge Thickness： Extra thick
・Sponge stiffness：52〜57°
・5,500 yen + tax
・77 g (before cut) → 55 g (after cut)
Features of Rakza Z Extra Hard
Good adhesiveness and good tension! And Rakza Z Extra Hard is easy to handle!
Although the weight of Rakza Z Extra Hard is heavy, I felt that it was easy to handle because it was a rubber that added the good points of adhesive rubber and the good points of spin type tension rubber! Like an adhesive rubber, the front team felt that it was easy to rotate and overwrite. I felt that overwriting push and stop could be easily made high quality, and loop drive was easy to make low rather than the amount of rotation, and I felt that this was also high quality. On the other hand, the feeling of running from the middle team was quite strong, and I did not feel the deceleration as in the adhesive rubber. It was an adhesive tension rubber that put together the good points of adhesive and spin tension rubber. Also, as a feature, there are many bubbles in the sponge and the hardness is around 55 °, so it is easier to handle than the recent 60 ° class adhesive tension rubber (Blue Grip C1 (Blue Grip C1), Omega VII China shadow, etc.). Was outstanding. I felt that the pointer of this rubber was not to compete with Chinese-made adhesive rubber such as leopard, but rather to try to get the best of adhesive rubber and tension rubber. Among them, I think that it is a rubber that makes the sponge hardness harder and makes it easier for the goodness of the adhesive rubber to come out. I think it’s a differentiated rubber in a very good way.
The sponge is hard and easy to counter drive!
The sheet is a softer rubber, but since the sponge hardness is hard in the first place, I felt that it was not easily affected by the amount of rotation of the other party. Also, although the bite is good, the flight distance is not so easy to get out, so I felt that it was very easy to counter drive. I think this rubber is a good point. It may depend on my skill, but it is Rhyzen ZGR that I felt that the counter drive fits well with the same hardness. I felt that the Rhyzen ZGR was less sticky and could be hit with an image close to spin tension, but in both cases the counter drive was a fairly easy rubber. Personally, I felt that Rakza Z Extra Hard would be better for the fore, and Rhyzen ZGR would be better for the back. I think that the counter drive fits well if Shoryu can do the same, but the Shoryu I purchased is a fairly light individual and easy to use, but I got the impression that the rubber itself seems to be defeated by the hard plastic ball. rice field. I think the Rakza Z Extra Hard is more suitable for the current plastic ball.
If you bite it firmly, you can hit a heavy drive that seems to be an adhesive rubber!
Although it will be a comparison with the Rhyzen ZGR, the Rakza Z Extra Hard was a rubber that you can feel that a very sticky ball is coming out when you hit the drive with all one’s might. I felt this part was very good. On the other hand, the Rhyzen ZGR seemed to be able to produce a ball that seems to be an adhesive rubber, but the shot feeling was similar to that of a spin-type tension rubber, so I felt that there was a strong gap between the shot feeling and the image of the ball. I feel that my tastes are different around here. In any case, I felt that I could hit a heavy drive like an adhesive rubber only after biting it quite strongly, so it is recommended to use Rakza Z Extra Hard in the foreground.
Review Each Technics
Forehand
Light hit There is no discomfort.
Drive on long balls and rallies It will bounce. I don’t think it feels strange to switch from spin tension rubber. However, it is also a heavy rubber, so you may need to be careful about that. The Hurricane 301 is also a heavy racket, but I felt it was easy to handle, so I felt the ease of handling the Rakza Z Extra Hard.
Drive with open face As with Rakza Z Extra Hard and other adhesive tension rubbers, it is better to open the surface and hit it before spinning the ball. Even if you don’t open the surface to that extent, Rakza Z can be used like a spin-type tension rubber. I think it’s a good point that the ball goes.
Top spin (loop) drive against back spin This was good. I felt that it was easy to control even if the hitting point was lowered or attracted because the bite was good. The amount of rotation may be lower by that amount.
Speed drive against back spin It was easy to do. Perhaps it was easier to get speed than other adhesive tension rubbers and I felt that it had a feeling of running.
Curve / shoot drice I felt that the way of turning was a little weak because of the speed.
Block It was easy to do. I felt that I could hold the ball because the entire rubber had a good bite.
Counter drive It was a rubber that was easy to counter. Above all, I like how it fits nicely.
Stop / push I felt it would stop firmly. It was good to be able to cut it firmly.
Serve It was a good impression that I was able to rotate it firmly. You can cut it! It’s a little easy to bounce, so I was worried about that, but once I got used to it, I felt that I could produce a well-cut serve.
Backhand
Light hit It’s a little hard.
Drive on long balls and rallies It’s not bad, but it’s a little difficult. I felt that it was difficult to reach the full potential of rubber with my own skill. Of course, since it is a rubber with a ball, it may not be impossible to handle it, but I strongly felt that I lacked skill.
Stop / push It was easy to stop. It was easy to cut. Because the sheet is sticky, I felt it was easier to cut than the Rhyzen ZGR.
Comparison with other rubbers (personal impressions)
Spin amount Dignics 09C ＞ Rakza Z Extra Hrd ＞ Tenergy 05
Speed Dignics 05 ＞ Rakza Z Extra Hard ＞ DNA Dragon Grip
Dignics 64 is the most specialized speed performance in Butterfly’s high-end rubber series, Diginics series. The target layer of Dignics 64 is the layer that uses Tenergy 64, and it seems that the intention is to propose Dignics 64 if you want more speed and rotation. The reason why katsuo000 paid attention to Dignics 64 is that Zhang Jike ZLC (Zhang Jike ZLC) and Dignics 64 were introduced on the Butterfly homepage as being compatible. The following is reprinted from the special page of Butterfly.
Also, katsuo000 is ashamed to never use Tenergy 64. I’ve used Bryce Highspeed, which is more specialized in speed, but I wondered if Tenergy 64 is a rubber similar to Blythe Highspeed, and I wasn’t even thinking about hitting it. .. I have repeatedly praised Dignics 05 as good on this blog, but I tried to use it to find out how it compares to other Dignics.
Comparison of published performance values
As you can see from the performance, Dignics 64 is a rubber with spin performance higher than Rozena and high speed performance next to Blythe High Speed. The speed performance is the second fastest among the butterfly rubbers after Bryce High Speed, so you can see that it is an overwhelmingly speed-based rubber.
Spring Sponge X and Dignics series seats
The Spring Sponge X used in the Dignics series is said to be an evolved version of the Spring Sponge used in the Tenergy series. The spring sponge is a closed-cell sponge, and it is a butterfly original technology that cannot be manufactured by other rubber manufacturers. Spring sponge X is made by making the closed cells of the spring sponge finer while maintaining independence. As a result, it seems that Spring Sponge X is 14% easier to deform than Spring Sponge, and the repulsive force is improved by 3%. Speaking of the spring sponge of the Tenergy series, the orange sponge is characteristic, but the spring sponge X of the Dignics series is characterized by the red color that can be said to be crimson, and you can tell at a glance that it is the Dignics series. By the way, sponges of similar color are from other manufacturers, and they are very similar in color to the sponge of THIBAR’s Evolution series.
It is also introduced that the surface strength and ball holding have been improved. Regarding ball holding, it is introduced that the counter and Chiquita caught on the seat are more stable. In addition, although it is strong, Mizutani also mentioned that it took longer to replace the rubber. Certainly, it takes longer for the sheet to turn white than the Tenergy series, and if the storage conditions are good, the sheet will not deteriorate for nearly a year. Considering the rubber as a whole, the tension of the spring sponge X seems to loosen, so I feel that the state changes from moment to moment. The seats of the Dignics series have a stronger transparency, but it seems that they use strong seats that are close to the cloudy seats made in Germany, so I feel that Chiquita and counters are extremely easy to do.
Dignics 64 sticking and weight
Dignics 64
High tension rubber
Spring sponge X
・Sponge Thickness: Thick (1.9 mm), Extra thick (2.1 mm)
・Speed: 14
・Spin: 11
・Sponge stiffness: 40
・9,800 yen + tax
・67 g (before cut) → 45 g (after cut)
It’s thick and sticks, and 45 g is light. It will be a fairly light rubber in terms of weight.
Three features of Dignics 64
The features of the Dignik series, the hardness of the hard sheet, the ease of stopping, and the ease of counter-driving are apparent!
The shot feeling was more similar to that of Dignics 05 and Dignics 80 than I imagined. Although the Dignics 64 is a rubber with a characteristic of speed, I felt that it was easy to firmly fix the push and the stop like other Dignics 05 and Dignics 80. At Blythe High Speed, of course, the speed was fast, and I felt that it was a rubber that was easy to rotate, but it was quite difficult to stop and stop. However, I felt that the Dignics 64 is one of the few rubbers that speeds up even though the push and stops can be stopped low. Like other Dignics, it was a very reliable rubber that could firmly fix push and Stop. In addition, the ease of counter drive, which has been acclaimed repeatedly in the Dignics series, was alive and well. It is not easily affected by the rotation of the other party. Dignics 09C may be different, but I think that Dignics 05, 80, 64 use the same sponge and the same material sheet, and the only difference is the grain shape of the sheet. Therefore, I thought that Digg 05, 80, 64, which use the same sheet material and the same sponge, have similar characteristics that appear from the sheet and sponge. I feel that the grain shape changes the shot feeling, especially the shot feeling when biting into it. Digg’s 05, 80, 64 may be quite close if the ball does not bite into the sponge. I think that the only counter drive is to bite into the sponge, but the ease of doing my counter drive seems to be whether the seat is hard or the seat is easily affected by rotation, so it is hard. I felt that the Dignics sheet, which is not easily affected by rotation, is easy to do. In other words, Dignics 64 was easy to counter drive.
The easiest to handle in the Dignics series! Hard to feel the hardness!
Although it is the content that the contract player of Butterfly is transmitted, Dignics 64 had a better bite than other Dignics. Therefore, I felt that Dignics 64 was clearly easier to handle than other Dignics. Especially meet, block and speed drive were very easy to do. In Dignics 05, the ball often falls due to insufficient impact, and you may make a mistake due to the hardness of the rubber before holding the ball. katsuo000 is conscious of the trunk to make up for the difficulty of Dignics 05, and is conscious of shaking by the rotation of the waist instead of shaking only by hand, but the fore and back are turned back by that amount. It’s easy to be late, but with Dignics 64, I could use it without worrying about it.
The fastest ball separation and fastest pitch in Dignics!
Dignics 09C is an adhesive rubber, and Dignics 05 is also a rubber that makes you feel the ball holding very much, so I felt that the ball release was slow. The slower the ball is released, the easier it is to spin and control, but the pitch is only a small difference, but it slows down. On the other hand, Dignics 64 was faster than any other Dignics! Therefore, if you feel the benefit of putting pressure on your opponent at the speed of leaving the ball, you should definitely recommend Dignics 64.
Each technics
Fore hand
Light hit I didn’t feel any difference from other Dignics. However, I felt that I didn’t feel the tension of the rubber when I put it on.
Drive on long balls and rallies It was very easy to speed drive and was straight. Even with Dignics 05, it is easy to hit a straight speed drive, but Dignics 64 was more stable.
Drive with open face I felt that the ball was released a little faster. It may not be very suitable.
Top spin (loop) drive against back spin It’s not difficult to do, but I felt that the amount of rotation was a little unsatisfactory.
Speed drive against back spin I was a little worried about over mistakes, but I think it’s an arm problem.
Block It was easy to do. It will be difficult to rotate.
Counter drive Counter drive was good.
Stop / push It settled low. After all the amount of rotation is a little small.
Fore flick It was easy to do. It’s softer than Dignics 05, so I felt like I could grip it firmly and hit it.
Back hand
Light hit I felt the speed of leaving the ball a little. I also want to grip the back and hit it, and I also felt that it was a little difficult to do because I used outer carbon.
Drive on long balls and rallies It’s not bad, but the flight distance is quite long, so I just wanted to speed drive and I got a lot of unreasonable hits.
Top spin (loop) drive against back spin I made a few net mistakes, but I didn’t think it would be difficult.
Speed drive against back spin I made a lot of mistakes due to my lack of skill, but it’s easy to do.
Curve / shoot drive Chiquita was more powerful in the speed type.
Block It was easy to do.
Counter drive I’m not good at it, but I feel that I can do it if I practice.
Stop / push It was easy to do, but the amount of rotation is small.
Chiquita It was easy to do. Dignics 05 is hard and the arc line is too high, so it is difficult to feel, but I think that some people may find Dignics 64 easier to do.
Comparison with other rubbers (personal impressions)
Omega VII Tour iシリーズと同様にプロモデルという立ち位置のラバーも発売されるようですね。値段は強気の9,800円+税。公表性能値も抜群に高いですが、値段がやや高すぎるのは覆せないように思います。
An Jaehyun TMXi（アン・ジェヒョンTMXi）
安宰賢（アン・ジェヒョン）選手は世界選手権2019で、張本選手に土をつけた選手ですね。フォアに粘着ラバーをバックにエクシオンのオメガなどを使用しているようです。韓国の最近のトップ選手は中国選手を応用にフォアに粘着ラバーを使用する選手が増えましたが、このアンジェヒュン選手もフォアハンドのカウンタードライブが強烈な選手です。フットワーク能力が高くかなりオールフォアで動き回る選手ですね。もちろん、バックハンドもふれば強烈です。そんなアンジェヒュン選手が使用するモデルとして、TMX（トライメトリックス）というアクシリウムとセフィリウムとカーボンの3つを編み込んだ特殊素材カーボンをインナーに配したラケットの発売です。ブレード厚さは5.7 mmとInner Force Layer ZLC（インナーフォースレイヤーZLC）と同じ厚さで、近い打球感ではないかと想像しています。値段も同じくらいの価格ですね。
