Spin Testers
Butterfly Glayzer 09C Review Test
The Affordable Alternative?
In the first quarter of 2023, Butterfly has just released a new rubber, the Glayzer 09C, which looks to be an affordable alternative to the premium hard, tacky rubbers currently on the market, such as the DHS Hurricane 3 and the Butterfly Dignics 09C. In this review, we'll take a closer look at the Butterfly Glayzer 09C, test its features, performance, and value for money. Whether you're an intermediate or advanced player looking to improve your game without breaking the bank, this review will help you decide whether the Glayzer 09C is the right rubber for you.
The Glayzer 09C can be seen as the smaller brother of the Dignics 09C, as it uses the same Spring Sponge X technology but at a lower price point. In fact, the Glayzer 09C costs only about half the price of the Dignics 09C.
Playing characteristics of Glayzer 09C
Just like its bigger brother, the Glayzer 09C has a tacky top sheet which provides the player with great control and spin on their shots. Its gray-colored, 42° (JPN) medium-hard sponge is a bit softer than the one used in the Dignics 09C. Using the ESN scale, we estimate that the sponge is at about 50° hardness ESN. Our version did weight 97g uncut and about 69g when cut.
Despite being a bit more tame than Dignics 09C, the Glayzer 09C still provides enough power and speed when looping close to the table. It does create a higher arc of the ball compared to the Dignics 09C, which may take some time getting used to especially for players who are used to a lower arc. However, it needs to be said that Glayzer 09C has almost no catapult effect. For some players this might be good but if you're used to tensor rubbers, using Glayzer 09C might be surprising for you at fist, as you will have to work a lot harder to get that killer shot. A carbon blade can help here to compensate for the lack of catapult effect but even on an all-wood blade you can get some speed out of this rubber when playing close to the table. Just be aware that this is not a Tenergy 05 type rocket rubber.
One of the great benefits of the Glayzer 09C is its tacky surface, which allows the ball to stay on the racket for a longer time compared to other rubbers with a higher catapult effect. This makes it a great choice for blocking and pushing close to the net as the tacky surface helps to remove speed from the incoming ball. When it comes to drive, smash, topspin and counterlooping shots, the Glayzer 09C is a bit slower than the Dignics 09C and also creates slightly less spin which doesn't mean that it is slow at all. In fact, Glayzer 09C could actually be a great choice for All+/Off- players who appreciate control over speed.
Blade combo recommendation
When building an affordable racket with Butterfly rubbers, we recommend the Glayzer 09C as a forehand rubber in combination with Butterfly's alternative budget rubber Rozena on the backhand for intermediate players as it allows easy and precise placement of the ball without having to worry too much that it might overshoot the table. Serving and looping works great especially when the player's technique is not strong enough yet to generate enough spin. Glayzer 09C can help here by generating lots of grip through its tacky surface. However, for more advanced players, this combination might feel too slow. In this case, we recommend to check out our list of best tensor rubbers to find the ultimative attacking rubber for your game.
For the blade, we do recommend to use a carbon blade to compensate for the lack of catapult effect on the Glayzer 09C. Good options are Yasaka's Ma Lin Carbon ($50) or Nittaku Flyatt Carbon Off Pro ($75). If you're looking for an all-wood blade without carbon, we recommend the Yasaka Sweden Extra which is a killer deal at only $35 retail and provides a bit more speed than most other allround blades. If any of these sound interesting to you, we do have some additional information about all 3 blades in our article Best Budget Table Tennis Blades for you to check out.
Conclusion
Summing things up, Butterfly's new Glayzer 09C rubber is a great addition to the table tennis market. It provides an affordable option for players who want a tacky, high-control rubber that still offers good power and speed. It may not be as fast as the Dignics 09C or Tenergy, but it still performs well and is a great choice for intermediate players who want to improve their game without breaking the bank.
Even though some people on revspin may call it slow and boring, we would not go that far. Sure, it's not the fastest rubber in the world but it is not slow for sure. However, we do understand that most Butterfly users have been using very springy rubbers in the past, so they are used to faster responses of their rackets. Once confronted with different characteristics, it might feel weird at first trying to get used to this new product. All in all, we think that Glayzer 09C even feels more like DHS Hurricane 3 NEO which is also tacky but doesn't have the rock-hard sponge of the original Hurricane 3. As many Hurricane 3 users like to boost their rubbers using oil, we wonder: Would adding booster to Glayzer 09C have a significant, positive impact on its playing characteristics?
Overall, Glayzer 09C did remind us a bit of a super hard classic rubber but with a tacky surface. We recommend it for anyone looking for a rubber which can produce tons of spin but without the downsides of a catapult effect which this rubber lacks entirely.
Strengths:
- + Lots spin when serving or looping
- + Lots of control
- + Good for blocking
- + Great for flips
- + Fast enough for attacks close to the table
- + Great value; attractive pricing compared to other Butterfly products
Weakness:
- - Not enough power in half to long distance away from the table
Glayzer vs. Rozena
For more alternatives, you might want to check out our comparison review of Butterfly Glayzer vs. Rozena.
