Dr.Neubauer Goliath is a new inverted rubber that came out in the market in December 2007. In my opinion, this is a German rubber. It has medium hard sponge. The rubber has excellent quality and durability. The top sheet is not softer. The rubber is not tacky. I would say the rubber is “less grippy”. The spin from this rubber is generated through its mechanical structure.
The Goliath is not really a tuned rubber. The Pressure box could not do much to this rubber. In that respect, the Dr.Neubauer Domination Tuned will better respond to pressure. The speed glue or speed glue alternatives like Dr.Neubauer Booster can increase Goliath’s spin and speed. However, I don’t suggest boosting its performance with any solutions because it will do more harm than good. It may spoil the sponge as well as you may go out of control.
The Dr.Neubauer Goliath is not a looping rubber. It is very difficult to generate arc and top spin far from the table with this rubber. The amount of top spin generated out of such strokes is very less, and your opponent can easily punish you for such strokes. Being close to the table, it is possible to generate low arc loops but with less top spin. The forearm should be accelerated fast to generate more top spin.
The Dr.Neubauer Goliath is an excellent hitting rubber and is suitable for passive players who play close to the table - I would say play over-the-table rather than away from the table. The less dwell time of the ball on the rubber will make the ball rebound faster. It is easy to return tricky servers from the opponents with this rubber because this rubber is less tacky and grippy. Blocking top spin shots is easy – a counter looping may not be necessary with this rubber.
Against under spin shots or chop strokes, it is easy to hit with this rubber. As soon as such a ball rises, you can hit and get the point. After the ball rises and starts falling, it is difficult to handle such shots with this rubber. This is one of the reasons, this rubber is good for players who play very close to the table and take ball early.
If you have a good preference for a rubber for your forehand, I would suggest using this rubber for your backhand. Another combination I would suggest is a long pips (OX version) for your backhand and Dr.Neubauer Goliath for your forehand.
I would suggest a pure blocker should go for the 1.5 mm or 1.8 mm version of this rubber. A blocker and hitter should go for 2.1 mm version of this rubber. I don’t expect the 1.8 mm version will help the hitters much.
By considering the durability and longevity of this rubber, it is worth paying $50 and get one.
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