JOOLA Dynaryz ZGR & CMD: Better than Japanese rubbers?

2021-11-04-Dynaryz-CMD-ZGR
The new Dynaryz rubbers are already out. They are improved versions of the first two Dynaryz rubber variants, and have been tweaked to suit more playstyles. The AGR AND ACC versions sell well, and they offered extra speed and spin compared to the older Rhyzer and Rhyzm series.JOOLA stated that they have improved the topsheet formulation in order to have better ball grip while maintaining a fairly affordable price. The topsheet is not tacky as some other people say because it does not stick to your fingers nor the ball when you press against it, but it is extremely grippy. I believe these two new variants have more grip than the previous AGR and ACC variants.I will try to cover the differences between the ZGR and CMD rubbers and briefly compare them to the AGR and ACC versions. The sponge of both CMD and ZGR versions have a porous look and both seem to have a fairly similar porous size. Please take note I have not measured the pore sizes. The topsheets of the 2 rubbers have different specs and these give them their major differences. The CMD has a pimple height of 0.9mm, width of 1.7mm and spacing of 0.6mm between pimples. The ZGR has a pimple height of 0.8mm, width of 1.5mm and spacing of 0.9mm. The flat sheet of the CMD is thinner compared to that of the ZGR topsheet. You cannot have both tall pip structure and at the same time a thick flat sheet because it will go over the 4mm rubber thickness limit set by the ITTF. The thickness of both rubbers is at 3.7mm when I measured them with the caliper.This is the table for the pip structure of the four Dynaryz rubbers:
Dynaryz VariantPimple HeightPimple WidthPimple Spacing
CMD0.9mm1.7mm0.6mm
ZGR0.8mm1.5mm0.9mm
ACC0.9mm1.7mm0.6mm
AGR0.9mm1.7mm0.6mm
The ZGR and CMD variants are offensive+ rubbers. If I were to compare the speed of the ZGR to the ACC and the AGR, the ZGR seems to have the least speed. It is not slow, but you can feel the difference in speed. When I tested the four variants again side by side just to confirm the approximate speed, the CMD seems to have the “slowest” speed among the four. Based on JOOLA’s ratings, the ZGR’s speed is almost on par with the. In my opinion, the ACC seems to have more speed than the ZGR. There were times the ACC had greater distance to cover than the ZGR due to the lower arc of the ACC. If compared to other brands, the speed of the ZGR is greater than that of the Tenergy 05, but falls short to the Tenergy 64. The CMD version would be comparable to that of the Tenergy 80FX. The CMD’s speed is not as fast as the other variants, but the speed is still in the offensive range.

JOOLA Dynaryz ZGR

The ZGR has the most vicious spin out of the 4 variants. The AGR was already very spinny, but the topsheet of the ZGR has quite a lot to offer. It is possible that the ZGR has some changes in the formulation of the topsheet. Although labelled as having a hyper-traction technology, I was more interested on the amount of grip the ZGR has compared to the older AGR and ACC. Although the topsheet looks similar, the difference in spin becomes apparent when you start looping or doing counter topspins and sidespin loops.

With the non-Chinese rubbers currently on the market, there are only two ways to design a very spinny rubber. One is to make the topsheet semi-tacky or tacky like a lot of ESN rubbers that have been coming out in the market recently. Two is to make the topsheet so grippy that, with the help of a very good sponge, it can bite the ball properly giving you tons of spin. The first type is represented by the Rhyzen ZGR while the latter is represented by the Dynaryz ZGR.

The Rhyzen ZGR is the spinniest and is more dependent on the type of ball contact that uses more of a brush contact. The Dynaryz ZGR, while having tons of spin too, is more dependent on the sponge to produce the spin during loops. The hardness of the sponge helps a player brush the ball with a thin contact if they want to do slow topspin loops, but in my opinion, the Dynaryz ZGR is designed to optimally produce spin if you engage the sponge more. The Dynaryz ZGR is very spinny and can be considered to have the same level of spin as the Tenergy 05, but they do not feel the same. If you are looking for a rubber that spins like Tenergy 05, but has a faster speed, then the Dynaryz ZGR is that rubber.

It is still a prevalent thought or belief among people that Tenergy 05 is still the best rubber on the market, but in reality, it is not. ESN rubbers have been catching up with Japanese-made rubber for a few years now. There are ESN rubbers that are just as good or even better than the Japanese-made ones and they are sure way more affordable.

JOOLA Dynaryz CMD

The Dynaryz CMD version is also spinny, but a little bit less so compared to the AGR and ZGR versions. It also needs a little bit more skill when handling, especially when using it on stronger attacks. The arc is low and sometimes you need to be cautious of the way you make contact with the ball and the way you compress the ball against the sponge. Thankfully, the Dynaryz CMD is not too fast, so control is never an issue. I had minor adjustments when I used it on the forehand, but for the backhand, it was easy to block with the CMD version.

There are tradeoffs between the two Dynaryz ZGR and CMD versions. One can be too fast and needs some adjustment on the high arc and some sensitivity to spin, which is a very minor issue. The other needs a slightly more open angle and needs more sponge compression on stronger shots, but is better for the intermediate level player.

The CMD version is a good allround rubber. I would say from blocking to drives and smashing, these strokes complement the rubber’s inclination towards more control. Aside from looping, I like the ZGR version more for drop shots, serves and pushes. I find the hard sponge easy to do delicate shots with because it does not bounce the shots that high. Overall, the quality and performance of these two rubbers are more than what I would’ve expect for their prices.

*Footnote: The JOOLA Dynaryz CMD is designed with a medium sponge and JOOLA would rate it as more Off-/Off.

Disclaimer: These rubbers were sent to Yogi_Bear by JOOLA. This review is not paid and all views are his own. Review has been lightly edited for grammar and flow. You can find the original review, published on Table Tennis Daily, here.

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About Yogi_Bear

Known in the industry by his username, Yogi_Bear is a table tennis influencer, equipment expert, and frequent contributor on the table tennis forum Table Tennis Daily. He is an International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Level 1 Coach and ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor.

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