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Cohan wrote: on Friday, March 6, 2026, 2:06 PM
Does anyone still play with the Stranger?
For me, it was a good pimpled rubber for attacking underspin balls.

KTL Stranger OX was both the best chopping as well a attacking as well as all around slim pips rubbers in the 40 mm celluloid ball era.
Not that it was good enough given the 14 rule changes but just the best available.

Far superior to Feint Long 2 , Feint Long 3 & TSP Curl P1 (again considering the severe restrictions or pips players)

That is true
I used this rubber for about 7 years while looking for an actual long pips rubber even before 40 mm plastic ball arrived around 2014

I liked the long pips version of the 388 D1 but it was bad in that the pips would start to come apart after an hour
I realized it was not made ny DHS but some other company just soaked the original in kerosene or something LOL
If I had known it was a treated rubber I would never have bought it.

Anyway I have switched to Magic 77 for about 5 or years now.
It is an actual long pips rubber but not a treated rubber.
Of course it is not on ITTF LARC because it is not a slim pips rubber but is an actual long pips rubber.
But since I do not play in ITTF (USATT) tournaments, it does not matter
There are plenty of non-ITTF tournaments in USA now even if wanted to play in tournaments

Magic 77 is the only actual long pips rubber available on the market that is halfway decent for away from the table choppers
This rubber is actually KTL Stranger on steroids (I am speaking metaphorically not literally because Magic 77 is NOT a treated rubber)

The click link > looper torture index is much higher compared to KTL Stranger (and of course the other garbage ITTF LARC slim pips such as Victas Curl P1 or Butterfly Feint Long 2 or 3)

It would be great if if Magic 77 kept this all around version but released two other versions

Magic 77 B (for at the table blockers with all other parameters kept the same but with the pip tops and sides more glassy smooth with COF like pre 2008 Dr.Neubauer rubbers) . This won't be a treated rubber

Magic 77 S (for away from the table choppers with all other parameters kept the same but with the pip tops very rough and with pip density at the pre 2004 levels) . The looper torture index would be somewhat enough for a fair & level playing field against the booster cheats . Of course this also would NOT be a treated rubber