Butterfly Tenergy 80 Review
The last rubber to be released in the line of Tenergies – Butterfly Tenergy 80.
It is supposed to bridge the gap between Tenergy 05 and Tenergy 64 with the idea it should be able to spin the ball like Tenergy 05 with the speed of Tenergy 64 with a feeling of somewhere between the two, which in my head is nearly the perfect combination.
As soon as I started playing shots this rubber it felt like a classic Tenergy rubber – high throw angle, grabby,bouncy and very consistent.
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I have used 3 sheets of Butterfly Tenergy 80 on 3 different blades. I think this rubber is fantastic and for me personally Tenergy 80 is one of the best backhand rubbers I have ever used. The combination of penetration, speed & arc is a winner for me; I’ve never been able to win so many points from my backhand
The loop shots I can play are fantastic, just like Tenergy 05 with slightly less arc & spin yet the speed of the rubber a notch or 2 faster than Tenergy 05. Just like butterfly says this rubber seems to have combined the best qualities of each Tenergy rubber which will make this a simply awesome rubber.
Manufacturer’s Description
“The ideal balance between speed and spin. Tenergy 80 sits between 05 and 64 whilst maintaining the grip of 25. Tenergy 80 is suited to the allround attacking topspin player whether you play close to the table or from mid distance.”
Spin
It’s hard not to compare this rubber to Tenergy 05 because not only is Tenergy 05 a benchmark for all rubbers it’s also Tenergy 80s older brother. Tenergy 80 has brilliant spin capabilities and loop shots are a dream – like Tenergy 05 – this is an ideal looping rubber and still one of the best you can buy to date.
I would say Butterfly Tenergy 80 produces slightly less spin than Tenergy 05 and is not as mechanically grippy as 05 but the surface is still really impressive and plays really close to Tenergy 05. The spin level is very very similar to Tibhar Evolution MX-P. The way that this rubber spins the ball and the loops you can produce is extremely similar to Tenergy 05 which can only be regarded as a good thing because Tenergy 05 is and has been the benchmark for looping rubbers for over a decade.
Topsheet Grip – The top sheet is very grabby by any standard but has slightly less grip than Tenergy 05 due to the pimple structure of the rubber.
Arc/Throw angle – The arc of Tenergy 80 is high and generally very pronounced but not as much Tenergy 05. I would say it has a longer more penetrating arc than Tenergy 05.
Speed | OFF+
Tenergy 80 is very fast. Not only has it got elastic speed in the high speed strokes it has that bouncy spring sponge catapult feel that all the Tenergy rubbers have. The speed you can generate whilst looping is what separates Tenergy rubbers from most other offensive rubbers and Butterfly Tenergy 80 is no exception. Tenergy 80 isn’t as fast as Tenergy 64 or Tibhar Evolution MX-P but I would have to say it’s pretty close and it has a great balance between spin and speed. I would say for speed it sits bang in the middle of T64 and T05 and similar speed to the Tibhar Evolution MX-P but maybe a tad slower.
Control
The control of this rubber is where I think this rubber proves its worth against its rival T05. Despite the rubber being incredible spinny the spin sensitivity of the rubber is lower than that of Tenergy 05. This makes the margin for error greater and therefore less adjustment has to be made on shots to get the ball on the table. As a result the reduced spin sensitivity the throw angle is slightly lower too.
The rubber is also ever so slightly less bouncy than T05 which makes touch shots and controlling shots easier to play. Having said that Tenergy 80 compared to most rubbers can still be considered pretty bouncy which means you have to have good touch close to the net to keep things short.
Feel & Hardness
The slightly different pimple structure with the pips slightly wider apart means than the feeling is slightly softer than Tenergy 05 despite it having the same sponge hardness. It reminds me of a rubber in the 45-46deg hardness. This enables a slightly longer ball contact and more dwell time which I found to be an improvement and it definitely helped on the backhand side where most players and myself prefer softer rubbers. Because of the longer dwell time you get a much better feel for the ball on the bat and I found it easier to counter hit and punch because of this. It still has that magic spring sponge feeling though.
Shot Comparison
For the shot comparisons I will be comparing Tenergy 80 with its peers – Tenergy 05 & Tibhar Evolution MXP.
Serve: T05 = MXP > T80
Slow Loop: T05 > T80 = MXP
Fast Loop: T05 > T80 > MXP
Drive: MXP > T80 > T05
Block: MXP > T80 > T05
Flicks: MXP > T80 > T05
Smash: MXP > T80 > T05
Flat Hits: MXP > T80 > T05
Counter: MXP > T80 > T05
Chop: T80 > T05 > MXP
Arc: T05 > T80 > MXP
When I had Tenergy 05 on my forehand I really struggled with the forehand drive shot to finish points off. I felt that it either came off my bat too flat and flew off the end of the table or I put too much spin on taking the edge off the power allowing my opponent to reach it. I found it really hard to hit a middle ground that I knew I could with other rubbers. This is the main reason I was so desperate to try Butterfly Tenergy 80 when it came out so I could see if it fixed my driving problem. I am glad to say it did. I found it much easier to drive and actually put points away now, so much easier than T05. Maybe the softer feel of the rubber has something to do with it but drive shots are much easier and very good with this rubber, not as easy to put away as some other rubbers but with other rubbers but with other rubbers you don’t get the deadly looping force that you get with Tenergys.
Quality & Durability
I found Tenergy 80 to last around 4-5 Months playing 2-3 times a week. After this time the performance drastically tapered off. The topsheet of this rubber does tend to go after the 5 month mark and its gets really hard to generate spin. Compared to other rubbers – particularly european rubbers – this is still pretty good. What was dissappointing was I know what Butterfly are capable of with the T05 and for the same price I kind of expected the rubber to last a little longer. Maybe its a consequence of the different pip structure its hard to tell but all I can tell you is Tenergy 05 keeps its topsheet grip for longer.
Price/Performance
At £56.99 all Tenergys are expensive but what you have to ask yourself is is it worth it. For me Tenergy 80 is very very similar performance wise to Tibhar evolution MX-P but I found it a tad more durable. MX-P is £17.00 cheaper so in a purely price – performance aspect Evolution MX-P is the better choice but its never that simple. I having known this have still opted in the past for Tenergy 80 because I felt the spring sponge catapult and the higher arc suited my game better so its down to preference.
Overall
All offensive shots are brilliant with this rubber – looping is almost as good as T05, its very fast, got good arc yet good penetration and yet the best part about this rubber is its control aspects. Having the attacking characteristics of T05 is one thing but then when you make it more controllable and easier to use it makes this rubber a valued edition to the Tenergy Series. This is a like a more well rounded version of Tenergy 05.
I completely agree with Butterfly when they say this rubber bridges the gap between T05 and T64 and that is a very good place to be. I have to say I much prefer Tenergy 80 to Tenergy 05 on my backhand, and it was my backhand rubber for a long time. Tenergy 05’s spin credentials still make it the Granddaddy of looping, but, I feel Butterfly Tenergy 80 is a more rounded rubber that caters to more styles and shots – in particular a shorter stroke or slower arm speed. A rubber with great attacking aspects without sacrificing too much control. A truly great rubber by any standards! And in my opinion a fantastic backhand rubber for someone who is a 2 winged looper. Its a backhand beauty!
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