Nittaku is not only famous for its classic blade Nittaku Acoustic made by “violin”, but also well known for its best-selling rubber Nittaku Fastarc G-1. In our previous blog, we made a comparison between Donic Baracuda and Nittaku Fastarc G-1. So in this article, we shall make an in-depth review of this popular rubber.
The Nittaku Fastarc G-1 is a high-performance table tennis rubber that is perfectly balanced and has exceptional throw, consistency, as well as spin. Its main strength is looping. Players can easily lift up the backspin, do topspin rallies consistently, hit counterattack shots, etc. This rubber is greatly welcomed by top players because of its overall balanced performance.
Who use Nittaku Fastarc G-1?
The highest-ranking table tennis players who are still using Fastarc G-1 are two Japanese ones. The most famous one is MIMA Ito, who ranked 3rd in her prime. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she won the gold medal in mixed doubles. She uses Nittaku Fastarc G-1 on her forehand and short pips rubber Moristo SP on her backhand, which we made a recommendation in our previous blog as well(click to read the review).
Another star player is Masataka Morizono who ranks 49 currently. Different from Mima Ito, Morizono uses both inverted rubbers on his forehand and backhand. He uses Nittaku Fastarc G-1 on his backhand and Tenergy 05 on his forehand.
It can be noticed that Japanese players prefer to use brands from their own country. We can hardly see a Japanese player using DHS Hurricane 3 or Donic paddle or rubber, which is quite interesting.
Who is this rubber for?
The Nittaku Fastarc G-1 is an ideal rubber for offensive players, loopers, or even control-style players. All the offensive players can use this rubber on their forehand and the loops would become super powerful with huge amounts of topspin.
The rubber has great cost-effectiveness. It has longer durability than average rubber and a cheaper price than Tenergy 05. Loads of players use it for both forehand and backhand.
Review of Nittaku Fastarc G-1
Appearance and construction
Nittaku Fastarc G-1 is available with different thicknesses of the sponge, including 1.8mm, 2.0mm, and Max. We purchased both 1.8mm and 2.0mm to do the test and we use the blade Clipper CR to do the test.
After the unboxing, we can feel that the rubber is slightly tacky. It’s not as tacky as Chinese rubbers such as Hurricane or Mercury, but it’s quite similar to Donic Baracuda. However, this rubber is not famous for its tackiness but for its grip.
The rubber has great inbuilt tension like all other offensive rubbers nowadays. This is due to the ban on the use of speed glue. In order to add more internal energy to the rubber and sponge, lots of manufacturers apply this technology to high-performance offensive rubber so that players can hit more powerful and speedy strokes.
The rubber weighs 75.5 grams and is medium hard. It’s slightly harder than other offensive rubbers that we mentioned in our previous blog such as Donic Baracuda, Donic Bluefire m2, etc. But compared to Butterfly Tenergy or Dignics series, it’s a little bit lighter.
Speed 8.7/10
Nittaku Fastarc G-1 has marvelous speed when playing close to the table. Players can have great smash, drive, flat strokes, and loops near the table and the ball really has great initial speed and second speed after falling onto the table. There is not that much difference between 1.8mm and 2.0mm sponges when we play near the table.
After taking several steps back, the loops tend to have long and medium-high arcs over the net. Obviously, it’s because the rubber has really high throw. But my feeling is that when we loop at the top gears, sometimes it’s easy to hit the ball outside the table as the arc is quite high and it’s not easy to control it, even though I used the rubber on an all-wood blade.
But the long-distance loops still have great speed and power. This is a rare piece of rubber that is suitable both near and far from the table. But as I mentioned before, as the rubber has a high throw, it’s better to hit the ball with a close angle for powerful loops.
Spin 9/10
Due to its great grip and high throw, Nittaku Fastarc G-1 has a decent spin as it can grab the ball well. I could feel that it’s much easier than Donic Bluefire m2 to lift up the backspin balls. Also during the test, my teammate tried to do constant lift-up against my chopping with long pips. According to his feedback, this rubber can help him hit the ball with a higher arc and generate more spin during the games.
On the other hand, apart from the great ability to generate spin, Fastarc G-1 is also a great spin non-sensitive rubber. That means players have more advantage in receiving serves and dealing with incoming heavy spin balls.
The overall feeling after the first session of the test for me is its consistency and safety. This rubber gives me more confidence. And most importantly, the loops and drives have decent speed and spin but the high throw and arc help me to land the ball safely on the table.
Control 8.7/10
Nittaku Fastarc G-1 table tennis rubber offers a great depth of control. It is designed to have many gears, which allows players to determine exactly how much spin or power they want to produce. Despite a large number of gears, there is no heavy catapult effect present; instead, the rubber plays in a consistent and predictable manner making it reliable for any player.
I could have clear feedback when playing drop shots or doing long pushes. The ball can be placed as precisely as I desire. It has almost the same control feeling as softer rubbers such as Donic Bluefire m2.
How long does Fastarc g1 last?
Another advantage of the Nittaku Fastarc G-1 is its great durability. With proper maintenance, Fastarc g1 can last up to 6 months or even longer. Players have to clean the rubber well after use. My teammate has used it for almost one year and it is still tacky and can generate super powerful and spinny strokes!
Pros and Cons of Nittaku Fastarc g-1
Pros:
- Super spinny. The balls carry huge amounts of spin.
- Stable with great control.
- Spin insensitivity
Cons:
- Easy to overshoot due to the high throw. Players need to adjust the angle when hitting the ball.
Nittaku Fastarc g-1 vs c-1
The Nittaku Fastarc series comes in 4 different flavors, which are c-1, p-1, g-1, and s-1. As the name indicates, g-1 stands for “grip-type” while c-1 refers to “catch-grip type”.
In my opinion, g-1 is faster than c-1 and has more spin than c-1 as well. G-1 has a higher throw and also the grip, which can generate more spin no matter whether in loop-to-loop rallies or in lifting up heavy backspin balls.
C-1 is more suitable for players to play near the table with a fast-paced game rhythm. While G-1 is more balanced and it’s suitable for both close-to-table and far-from-table games. The pronounced arc and great spin can help players gain more confidence and generate powerful strokes even though they hit the ball several meters away from the ball.
Nittaku Fastarc g-1 vs p-1
Actually, in terms of speed and spin, Fastarc g-1 and p-1 are almost the same! There is no huge difference between these two rubbers. Both of them have quite a high throw and can generate spinny balls. Perhaps G-1 is a little bit faster and can generate a little more spin than p-1, but it’s not very obvious.
What really differs between these two rubbers is the control. G-1 is more spin-insensitive and it’s much more stable and controllable during the games. Especially in topspin rallies, players can have more confidence hit the ball without too many worries. P-1 emphasize more on speed drives and it has slightly inferior performance when it comes to the loop rallies far away from the table.
Conclusion
With the Nittaku Fastarc G-1 rubber, you can dominate the table with offensive gameplay that creates intense spin and speed. Made specifically for those who like to play the spin-offensive game, This rubber offers a good balance of intensity between the top sheet, sponge, and blade.
If you have never tried this rubber, then it’s time to give it a shot!
