Sauer & Tröger · Controlled Long Pips · Long pips

Schmerz

A controlled and relatively attackable long-pips rubber with compact pimple spacing and strong tolerance to imperfect contact.

Schmerz prioritises consistent contact and controlled active play. Its closely spaced pimples create a more stable response than the highly irregular Hellfire-family rubbers, while still producing meaningful disruption and allowing pressure attacks. The OX build stays the most direct; the 0.5 mm sponge adds a little damping.

Also written as Pain · Schmerz Long Pimple · Pain Long Pimple · Sauer & Tröger Pain · Sauer & Troeger Schmerz · Sauer & Tröger Schmerz

ALL-ALLBeginnerIntermediateAdvancedOX capable

Sauer & Tröger product photography is not licensed for TTDNA, so TTDNA renders its own neutral topsheet visualisation generated from verified construction data.

Official Sauer & Tröger data

CategoryLong pips
SurfacePips-out
SpongeMedium+ sponge
Sponge hardnessMedium+
ThicknessesOX · 0.5 mm
ColoursRed · Black
Competition statusListed for competition play
Approval checked3 August 2026
Approval sourceSauer & Tröger catalogue
PriceVaries by retailer

Competition approval is only shown once it has been checked against the current ITTF list of authorised racket coverings. A shop listing on its own is not treated as proof, and an unverified covering is never shown as illegal. No reliable official Sauer & Tröger list price is published per region, so no price is shown rather than an invented one.

Construction characteristics

  • Closely arranged compact pimple heads
  • Consistency-oriented geometry
  • Designed to compensate for imperfect contact
Play stylesControlled disruption · Active long-pips play · Pressure pushes · Close-table all-round
Recommended sideBackhand
Throw angleLow

TTDNA ratings

Speed51
Spin25
Control92
Power54
Grip19
Tackiness0
Arc41
Catapult38
Throw angle37
Elastic44
Spin sensitivity17
Short game79
Blocking75
Backhand flip50
Counterloop48
Opening loop42
Chop75
Serve38
Service receive86
Difficulty43
Beginner friendly63
Durability79

TTDNA values are TTDNA's own editorially normalised 0–100 ratings. They are never an official Sauer & Tröger rating and never a conversion of the Sauer & Tröger manufacturer scale. Spin reversal is the returned rotation of the incoming ball. It is stored separately from the TTDNA spin rating, which measures the rubber's own spin production.

Strengths

  • High contact consistency
  • Good active attackability
  • Strong control
  • Useful pressure pushes
  • More forgiving than highly spaced long pips

Weaknesses

  • Lower maximum reversal than Hellfire X
  • Less extreme disruption than Monkey
  • Limited classical inverted-style spin

Best for

  • Players mixing defence and attack
  • Long-pips players wanting consistency
  • Players transitioning toward more active pips play

Not ideal for

  • Players seeking maximum possible wobble
  • Pure classical choppers wanting maximum reversal

Data confidence

ConfidenceHigh
ReferenceSauer & Tröger official product page
Naming and classificationThe English official shop translates Schmerz to Pain. Pain is an alias of this record and never a separate product.
Source prioritysauer_troeger_official_product_page → sauer_troeger_official_rubber_collection → current_ittf_larc_approval_list → official_downloadable_product_material → official_regional_page → specialist_retailer → independent_expert_review → community_feedback
Last checked3 August 2026

Variants and configurations

2 variants

Colour, thickness and configuration are variants of one model — never separate products. Colour never changes a rating, MAX and OX stay qualitative labels, and OX carries no sponge hardness.

Black · Red · OX

Standard · No sponge (OX) · Topsheet only

Speed 39 · Spin 17 · Control 100

Black · Red · 0.5 mm

Standard · Sponged · Medium+

Speed 51 · Spin 25 · Control 92

TTDNA ratings

Speed51
Spin25
Control92
Power45
Grip19
Tackiness0
Arc41
Catapult46
Throw angle41
Elastic48
Spin sensitivity17
Short game79
Blocking81
Backhand flip50
Counterloop48
Opening loop42
Chop75
Serve38
Service receive86
Difficulty34
Beginner friendly71
Durability79

Known users

Defenders, choppers and disruptive blockers who rely on spin reversal rather than their own topspin.

Sauer & Tröger publishes no athlete roster for this sheet, so TTDNA shows the player profile it is built for instead of invented names.

Rest of the Controlled Long Pips family

11 Sauer & Tröger models in TTDNA · Compare the range