So it's been about a month since I switched back to inverted/sponge from about four months playing hardbat and boy does it feel good to hit a loop again.  Tonight was maybe the first night I felt comfortable with my old racket again.  However lots of things are still not there yet (assuming there was a there there, which there wasn't in most cases).  Serves are all long,  backhand loop off underspin is totally gone, and for the first three weeks I couldn't block against topspin to save my life.

But hardbat did teach me a few things.  One is that my movement to and from the table is better so I can lob and chop away from the table better than before.  And I can also throw in a chop much more easily than previously.  Surprisingly my chop with inverted is basically just as good as it was with hardbat (and I will let you fill in the parenthetical comment for that one... oh sorry).

So I guess my various experiments with grips and pimples are over.  I'm not even tempted to change inverted rubber from tenergy, as long as I can continue to afford it that is.  In any case, I'm happy that I tried hardbat, happy that I switched back, and am looking forward to playing my old friends who are currently two or three tables above me.