Donic Dotec - Why No Love?

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I have just returned to TT after a 15 year break. Not much seems to have changed in the equipment area (aside from regulatory stuff such as balls/glue)One thing i have noticed is the Dotec range of blades, which are like nothing i have seen before, and have got to use them a cople of times. For me these blades represent genuine innovation (not just marketing) and are very good to use. However, there doesnt seem to be much love for them, or even info, on the internet.Why is this, what am i missing? Reverting back to a conventional blade after using Dotec feels like a real step backwards i think
 
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Please let me share a bit of my limited knowledge particularly in marketing, Sir.

Aside from mechanical issues such as durability etc, I found that Donic has too much product line for their blade --> Dotecs, Burns, Sensos, Player named blades, Epoxs, Bloodwoods and some ungrouped blades (Cayman, Combi, etc)..
Aside from the rather high price, there is soo much choice and it has been researched that people has less tendency to buy the more varied the product of the same use is..
Combined with the generalized review issued by the vendor (usually written on the back of the rubber packet) and rather inaccurate reviews on the internet (such as TTdb which is usually biased because of the lack of info aka what product is used together with the reviewed item) makes it hard for one to make a decision.
Aside from some people who love to try out stuffs (so called equipment junkers with of course enough provision on their pocket), trying out blades is not a viable option for those who want a stable game and equipment. People can't just buy stuffs while they have no idea how it will play for them and whether it will be used continuously in the end.

Probably it is the same reason some rubber brand was discontinued while some much less varied and tested-by-time product such as The Srivers (FX & EL, not the G2 and G3), The Mark Vs (Classic and AD, the other? Not as much..), The 729s (Classic, FX, 2000 Tack Speed), The Hurricanes (Classic, Neo, Skyline) etc still has high demand on the market..

Slightly off-topic, we have one bread brand in Indonesia which is very successful, it's called Roti Boy. Roti Boy's product is a simple butter-filled coffee bread, now selling worldwide..

That is my opinion and rather detailed view about why Dotec seems to have little love from players :)
Yosua
 
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Interesting opinions, and they make sense. Although I had no idea the Dotec blades were easy to break

Just seems odd that a company releases are far more ergonomic style of handle, and nobody seems to care. yet there is still all the usual internet excitement about a firm putting a new unknown gimmick material in their blades!

Just seems odd...
 
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Interesting opinions, and they make sense. Although I had no idea the Dotec blades were easy to break

Just seems odd that a company releases are far more ergonomic style of handle, and nobody seems to care. yet there is still all the usual internet excitement about a firm putting a new unknown gimmick material in their blades!

Just seems odd...

I forgot the link, Sir, but in OOAKForum there is a breakdown of Dotec's handle and head.. Let me search it for you.

Edit: Can't find it :( Anyways, the handle and the head is not manufactured as one. They are connected using a kind of rather thin, cylindrical metal tube on the head. The 'woody-colored' part of the Dotec, which is the handle, is then 'plugged' inside the tube thus making it whole..

I have no idea how this affects the durability or weight distribution though. Some people said that the handle doesn't give enough flexibility on your hands compared to classic flared handle, some said the head is too small etc etc
 
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I'm not aware of any durability issues.

These fears seem based off speculation about the side effects of non-traditional construction.

As an owner of several DOTEC blades, (2 of which had several years/thousands of hours) I can say the neck design is, if anything, more durable than a typlical 5 ply and not nearly as vulnerable to the same sorts of bending forces that heavy rubber can put on thinner 5 plies. Several players at our club continue to use them, and 5-6 years later, they are still quite durable...

I've broken blades before, but never a DOTEC. The worst thing that happened was that the handle "loosened" around the pin. Easily solved with a thin line of epoxy. And unlike repairs to traditional blades, where epoxy on the neck would vastly alter the feel of the blade, the construction is such that little to no flex regularly occurs at the point where the neck and handle are joined.
 
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