The DONIC Barracuda rubber is in the market for like two months as I write this review. I have received it as soon as it landed in the US market. I had tried it on TSP Yanagi, Butterfly Joo Se Hyuk and Butterfly Kim Taek Soo Japanese penhold blades.
The Barracuda is different from other DONIC Coppa J.O series rubbers. I mentioned in my previous blog that the German rubbers are slanting towards Butterfly tenergy like rubbers. The Barracuda is an attempt to prove that statement. The Barracuda has a bubble sponge in slight orange color. It is unlike other sponges the Coppa series have. I strongly think it does not have so much expanding gas in it, but the sponge does the job like Tenergy.
The topsheet seems to be similar in character as Tenergy 64 – grippy with more dwelling. The DONIC rubbers in my test have good durability, so I don’t question Barracuda’s top sheet strength to last longer. Unlike other German rubbers, the DONIC rubbers have little more natural rubber in its top sheet. Still, none including Barracuda can be written off as a high speed natural rubber. I strongly think the German manufactures are turning towards that technology. This is primarily to attract the Asian market. The German speed glue technology with natural rubber would be a real win in the world market.
The DONIC Barracuda is not a rubber for intermediate players. It needs good skills to use it. The high arc is a problem to intermediate players. The Barracuda will work for an extreme top spin player who has very good control over high arc balls and countering top spin.
Speed:
Tenergy 64 > DONIC Coppa Gold > DONIC Barracuda
Spin:
Tenergy 05 > DONIC Barracuda > DONIC Coppa Gold
Topspin skills required:
Tenergy 05 > DONIC Barracuda > DONIC Coppa Gold > DONIC Coppa Silver
Loop Angle:
Tenergy 05 > DONIC Barracuda > DONIC Coppa Gold
Bounce behavior:
Tenergy 05 – up
DONIC Barracuda – up with throw less than Tenergy 05
DONIC Coppa Gold – forward
DONIC Coppa Silver – fall
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I have just bought Barracuda( FH) max sponge and I would combine it with Tibhar samsonov carbon and Bryce FX( BH), is the speed incresing due to the hardness of frame samsonov carbon?