DONIC Coppa JO Gold & DONIC Coppa JO Silver Table Tennis Rubbers Review

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I have not used any Donic table tennis rubber before. This was the first time I was trying a DONIC rubbers like DONIC Coppa JO Silver and Gold. I have been using tuned rubbers in the past few months, and have found out the tuning process is a hassle. I hate speed gluing every day also. I was looking for a rubber which has the speed and spin and less maintenance. That search ended up buying a DONIC Coppa JO Silver. After I’ve used Coppy JO Silver for a while, I bought DONIC Coppa JO Gold and then a DONIC Coppa Tagero.

Both the Donic Coppa JO Gold and JO Silver rubbers suit advanced and professional players only – the beginners may find it hard to control. They are excellent rubbers and need few days of practice to effectively use it. They have both excellent spin and speed but less control. Both the rubbers suit table tennis professionals who have flat arc smashes, low arc top spin drives from close to the table (not to close), looping against underspin and touch shots.

I have tried both the rubbers on defensive blade (TSP Balsa Fibre 3.5 DEF+), all round blade (Dr.Neubauer Combination Effect) and a carbon blade (Butterfly Matsushita Pro Special). My impression out of my test is that JO Gold and JO Silver fit very well to Offensive blades. They work well with carbon blades.

I was very impressed by the “click” sound both the rubbers make. I became an addict to that sound, and more consistent with my forehand shots – the silver makes the sound all the time. The silver has better control and spin than the Gold.

Have you seen JO Waldner’s forehand strokes? I seriously think he may be using the Gold version of DONIC Coppa series. How magically he plays shots above the net like two to three inches higher and gets the ball to the two wings of the table. That is the amazing quality of this rubber. Both the rubbers won’t make high throw angle arch loops, but little flat arc to go over the net to win a point. I play little further away from the table sometimes and needs high arc to get the ball to the other side. That’s where I have found both the rubbers are little weak. A great amount of practice need to play such mid distance top spin shot to the table – if you can’t loop from mid distance then you need to lob the ball.

I was so much amazed by the touch shots the JO Silver version could offer me. Intermediate to expert level players can adjust the reach of the ball on the table with excellent control – you need practice to achieve this. The JO Gold version has medium hard sponge, so you lose the touch a little, but JO Silver does the magic. A tactical player can set up his point after the serve, and win the point.

Both JO Gold and Silver are grippy rubbers. They are not tacky, but generate tons of top spin from its mechanical configuration. To direct the underspin balls through soft push, I had excellent control. I love looping against underspin balls with both the rubbers. The amount of top spin it can generate against underspin is awesome. Both Gold and Silver are the greatest weapons against choppers and defensive players.

Counter Looping:

I have found both the rubbers to be very effect against top spin. The countering of top spin produces flat curve and can force the opponent into error – the ball curve down a lot because of the top spin.

Chopping and Defensive Shots:

Both the rubbers are not good for chopping to generate under spin, however over the net top spin defensive shots can be played with both the rubbers.

Pushes:

The top spin as well as underspin shots need to be aggressively pushed to generate underspin if you are playing over the table. The dwell time of the ball on these rubbers are little less so you have to act fast to get the ball to the sponge. I was very much impressed by various strokes you can play with these rubbers by adjusting the touch. A professional top spin player can do a lot of magic with this rubber.

Serves:

The Silver version has more spin than the Gold version. I was not satisfied by backhand serves but the forehand serves from the backhand corner was highly effective. I was able to generate all kinds of spin with this rubber including knuckle ball serve. The Silver version can take the impact on the side and can generate a massive side spin while the Gold version is little stiff. During the serves, you will have excellent control to serve over the net an inch or two higher which can stop your opponent from attacking.

One area where the players will be dissatisfied with these rubbers is generating top spin through brushing ball. I’m such a player, and I had to practice a lot to master brushing with the Gold version. The Silver version is softer and was easier than the Gold version. The same weakness I was able to see in generating side and top spin hook shots – I have not practiced enough but it is possible after playing a while. This is the reason why this rubber is difficult to master, but once you master you are the king.

Just few days back, I played in a tournament with DONIC Coppa JO Gold and I won the championship. I’ve played against many different styles of players in the tournament. I’ve not had problem against many players except a player who had frictionless inverted rubbers – the friction died after years of use. I had to loop well to keep the ball on the table before the ball flies away.

I have been using both the Gold and Silver versions for a while and have found to be of very good quality. I have not seen any problem with sponge or the top sheet. I think the Formula Donic rubbers are not brittle as Tensor rubbers. If you play 5 days week for 3 hours, this rubber can last for at least 1.5 months.

The price of both the rubbers is very reasonable. They are $37.50.

Watch Waldner’s play:

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