Comparing Butterfly Dignics Rubbers: How To Choose The Right One (With Similarities & Differences)

Butterfly’s Dignics is the latest rubber range released by Butterfly.

Since their release in 2019, Dignics rubbers have been the choice of hundreds of the world’s best players. They have become the gold standard of European/Japanese rubbers because of their outstanding playing characteristics.

Fan Zhendong, Lin Shidong, Tomokazu and Miwa Harimoto, Lin Yun-Ju, Dang Qiu, Cheng I-Ching, Anton Kallberg, and Dima Ovtcharov are just some of the thousands of professional players who use these rubbers to dominate the WTT circuit.

In this article, we will compare all of the Dignics and give recommendations based on your level and playing style. These are the Dignics 05, 09c, 64, and 80.

Also, if you haven’t seen them, make sure to check out our full reviews for the Dignics 05 and the Dignics 09c.

The Short Answer

If you only remember one thing: the Dignics 05 and 09c are the spinniest and most controlled of the range, while the 80 and 64 are faster and easier to use. Pick the 09c for tacky, high-arc forehand looping with the best short game, the 05 for an all-round grippy European attack on both wings, the 80 for the 05’s feel with easier power, and the 64 for blocking, flat hitting, and spin-insensitive counters.

The 09c and 05 both have a softer 40-degree feel on touch (the 09c sponge is actually harder at 44 degrees, but its tacky topsheet adds dwell), and both are far more durable than most rubbers at this level. A sheet of Dignics 05 has lasted me close to a year of heavy play, roughly 3x longer than similar rubbers, which is what makes the ~90 dollar price genuinely good value.

Dignics Compared At A Glance

Here is every Dignics rated side by side out of 10 from our testing. Higher means faster, spinnier, more controllable, and higher-arcing respectively.

Every Dignics is less bouncy than its Tenergy equivalent, so none of them is a speed demon out of the box. They give you what you put in, which is exactly why advanced players with high swing speeds love them. The sections below break down each rating, and there is a full Dignics vs Tenergy comparison further down.

Speed Comparison

In terms of speed, all of the Dignics rubbers are very offensive rubbers, but they are all less bouncy than their Tenergy equivalents.

That is, the Dignics 05 is much less bouncy than the Tenergy 05, the Dignics 64 is much less bouncy than the Tenergy 64, and so on.

This isn’t to say that Dignics rubbers can’t achieve the speed levels that the Tenergies can. Otherwise, professional players wouldn’t be using them.

You see, all of the rubbers in the range are fitted with extremely hard Spring Sponge Xs, and they play quite linearly. The Dignics 09c has a 44-degree sponge, while the other 3 have 40-degree sponges.

Source: Butterfly

Unlike the Tenergies, the Dignics are rubbers that make the short game quite easy, considering the speed they can output when powerlooping.

In terms of speed, they give you what you put in. They aren’t the type of rubbers that do the work for you, far from it.

To make the best use of this rubber line, you have to have a sufficiently high swing speed. That’s why pros and advanced players love them so much.

They have superb control in the short game and killer power when needed, the best of both worlds.

The fastest Dignics in the line are the 64, followed by the 80. These are the ones to go for if you want to try a Dignics and aren’t that confident in your swing speed.

The Dignics 05 and 09c are similar in terms of speed. I have tons of experience using both, and the 05 is very slightly bouncier, whereas the 09c, which has a harder sponge, packs a bit more punch when powerlooping.

In terms of dwell time, all of the Dignics rubbers will give you the time you need to contact the ball right, and this is especially true for the 09c.

To sum up, don’t expect the Dignics to be speed demons. They will be if you swing hard enough, but you won’t feel that liveliness and trampoline effect of the Tenergies.

Spin Comparison

In terms of spin, the Dignics 09c and the Dignics 05 are the spinniest.

In fact, these 2 rubbers are among the spinniest and grippiest rubbers available. Period.

In my opinion, the 09c is the spinniest hybrid rubber there is, and the 05 is the spinniest grippy rubber there is.

The amount of grip these rubbers have is unreal.

This is also why the Dignics line is so durable; they just have that much more grip than most other rubbers.

For example, a sheet of Dignics 05 can last me up to one year, which is 3x the length other similar rubbers last me.

In my Dignics 05 review, I mentioned a controversial opinion I have: Dignics rubbers are great value at around 90 dollars because of how long they last. This is especially true for the grippy offerings, but the 09c lasts quite a long time as well.

In fact, I used my Dignics 05 for around 8 months of heavy training and playing, and it was still extremely grippy by the time I took it off. I still have that sheet on a spare racket, years after I purchased it, and it grips the ball amazingly well to this day.

The spin these rubbers generate is much higher than that of other offensive rubbers. When opening up, looping, or even when serving, these rubbers put much more spin on the ball.

You will notice that you’ll force more mistakes from your opponents because of this additional rotation.

Both the Dignics 80 and 64 are still very spinny rubbers, but they produce noticeably lower spin than the 05 and 09c. This is especially true for the Dignics 64.

However, the 64 is less spinny for a reason: It plays more directly, and it is more spin-insensitive. This makes it easier to block, receive serves, and counterloop spinny balls.

The Dignics 80 lies just in the middle, so it’s a good rubber to go for if you want a good balance between spin and ease of use.

Control Comparison

In terms of control, all of the Dignics rubbers are quite controllable, especially considering the speed and spin they can output.

The most controllable rubbers in the range are the Dignics 09c and the Dignics 05.

Their control is one of their key attributes. In fact, Dima Ovtcharov said in an interview with TableTennisDaily:

“The ball stays longer in the racket (compared to the Tenergy series). With Tenergy, I need to find the right angle, if I don’t, I would miss. With Dignics, I can find the wrong angle and still put the ball on the table”.

As an amateur player, I found that what Dima said holds true at my level. When playing with the Dignics series, I got many more balls on the table compared to when I used to use the Tenergies.

This is especially true for harder shots such as the serve receive or countertopspins, you really get much more forgiveness, grip, and time with the ball.

The Dignics 09c has some added control because of its tacky topsheet, it is ideal for looping because the topsheet grips the ball more than any other rubber I’ve tried.

Butterfly says the following about the 09c: “Although it performs powerfully even if you hit from the middle distance from the table, its ball-holding tackiness lends excellent passive control.”

The Dignics 05, being the least bouncy of the grippy offerings, is also very controllable in all aspects of the game.

I found that the 05 is more controllable than the 09c when blocking. The feeling is just perfect.

The Dignics 80 is just a bit less controllable than the 05 because it’s a bit more reactive, and the same holds true when comparing the 64 with the 80.

However, as we’ve said before, all of the Dignics rubbers are quite controllable.

They should be used by advanced players because their sponges are extremely hard, not because they are too bouncy.

Arc Comparison

There is quite a bit of variance in terms of the arc the Dignics produce.

Dignics 09c has the highest throw angle by far. It is the only rubber in the range that I consider to have a medium-high/high throw angle.

The 09c’s throw angle is one of its key advantages, in my opinion. It has all of the advantages of an extremely hard rubber, while having the safety over the net that softer rubbers usually have.

Butterfly says this about the Dignics 09c: “The short push stops near the net while the topspin lands deep in the opponent’s court.”

The next in line is the Dignics 05, but it merely has a medium throw angle. I’d say it’s quite a direct rubber with a much flatter parabola compared with the 09c.

The Dignics 80 is slightly lower throwing than the 05, and the 64 is slightly lower throwing than the 80.

However, both can be placed into the “medium” throw angle category. Perhaps you can call the Dignics 64 “medium-low” throwing.

Dignics vs Tenergy: Which Should You Choose?

This is the question I get asked most, so it deserves its own answer.

Every Dignics is less bouncy and more linear than its Tenergy namesake. The Tenergy 05 has that lively, trampoline-like catapult that throws the ball off the rubber with less effort, which makes it feel faster and easier on passive and mid-distance shots. The Dignics 05 asks you to bring the swing speed yourself, and in return gives you a harder, more direct rubber with more grip, more control, and much better durability.

For most advanced players the trade is worth it. As Dima Ovtcharov put it, the ball stays on a Dignics longer, so you can find the wrong angle and still put it on the table. That extra dwell and forgiveness on serve receive and counterlooping is the main reason so many pros moved from Tenergy to Dignics.

My short version: choose Tenergy if you want effortless speed and a livelier, more forgiving catapult, and you do not mind replacing sheets more often. Choose Dignics if you have the swing speed to activate it and you want more spin, more control, and a sheet that lasts. The Dignics 09c specifically is the one to pick over Tenergy 05 if you want a tacky, high-arc, short-game-friendly forehand rubber, while the Dignics 05 is the closer like-for-like upgrade from a Tenergy 05.

Conclusion and Recommendations

You can see every rating side by side in the comparison table near the top of this guide. Given these attributes, I’ll share our recommendations for which rubber you should get depending on your needs:

We recommend the Dignics 09c if you want a safe, high-arcing rubber, primarily for looping with tons of spin, safety, and top-end speed when hitting hard.

The Dignics 09c is the most popular Dignics because it’s the most special rubber for looping with speed, spin, and consistency while having incredible control.

If you’re an offensive player who likes to spin the ball, the Dignics 09c is probably the best rubber you can get in today’s market.

We recommend it for upper-intermediate and advanced offensive players. Suitable for The Aggressor and The Controller playing styles.

We recommend the Dignics 05 if you want one of the best, and possibly the spinniest, grippy rubber available.

The Dignics 05 is a special rubber because it’s probably the ideal rubber for high-level European-style table tennis.

It’s very hard, spinny, direct, and controllable. You get great control in the short game and when counterlooping, as well as incredible levels of grip for topspinning and stability when blocking.

This rubber was made for the modern, advanced European/Japanese style. Perfect for The Aggressor and The Controller playing style.

We recommend the Dignics 80 for players who want the characteristics of the Dignics 05 but with easier speed generation.

It is essentially a Dignics 05 with a bit less spin but with a sponge that’s a bit more dynamic. The 05 can be quite difficult to hit winners with if you don’t have good acceleration, and for that, the Dignics 80 is a good solution.

It’s also a better backhand rubber than the Dignics 05 for many amateur players, as most of us can’t generate that much power with our backhand strokes.

We recommend it for intermediate, upper intermediate, and advanced offensive players. Suitable for The Controller and The Aggressor playing styles.

The Dignics 64 is the fastest and most direct of the Dignics series.

The main attributes of the Dignics 64 are its relative insensitivity to incoming spin, its speed, and its medium, direct arc. It is ideal for blocking, flat-hitting, and countering.

This rubber is a great alternative for those players who want the uncompromising characteristics of the Dignics line in a faster, more direct package. Suitable for The Aggressor playing style.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still deciding between two of them? Read our full Dignics 09c review and Dignics 05 review for the complete hands-on breakdowns.