So, Nikoli, I am a bit confused. Does this post mean that you think the H3's that you got from MegaSpin were real and that your previous quote was inaccurate? Are you taking back that statement that they sold you fake H3? Did you ever put in a customer complaint that you thought the rubbers may be fake? So many questions that this post, after your previous assertion raises.
Of course any good rubber can be easily damaged. They are made of, well, RUBBER.
Sent from Deep Space by Abacus
See, the thing is, i really hesitate talking about Hurricane H3 (Commercial or Neo) series because it is a very sensitive topic, and you might as well know that there are great debates from all over the world regarding this topic. So, it would be wise for us not to create another mess here.
I would not claim myself as an expert in regards to H3, however, from the previous experience, i can pretty much tell which H3 product is legit, and which is fake. In general, regardless the hardness of the rubber, legit products should possess the following physical characteristics:
1- Both sponge and top sheet must be elastic (won't tear as paper as you pull the corners apart)
2- Top sheet must be tacky when first out of plastic wrap. Upon close inspection, there shouldn't be tiny holes (needle head size) on the top sheet.
3- The 3d print on topsheet should be clear, and consistent
4- The print on the sponge must be clear, no smears whatsover.
5- The color does not fade (whether you use Black or Red version).
I shall not discuss the play characteristics as that would be personal preference. Anyway, the ones i got from MS store were both black and red. This is the funny thing: after play, i always use protective sheets for my rubbers. And when i use the red rubber, the colour faded and stained the protective sheet with red dye. The worst part is that when i use my sweat to clean the rubber during play, the red dye also stains my hand. The top sheet wouldn't grasp the ball no matter how open my bat angle is. I was so disappointed so i took the rubber off my blade, but what surprised me more was that, the sponge was so crisp that it torn up like a sheet of sand paper when i was peeling it.
I've purchased sheets from all over the world, (you can name any credible sites), and my success rate (luck) is prolly 50%. I hardly believe in the provincial or NT version, so i always choose to go with Market version. What i do was to just order a couple sheets from 1 site, and if the ones i got are genuine (physical, play characteristic, hardness test passed), i would order the whole batch (10-15 sheets) to keep it consistent through out the year. Here and there, friends would offer me Provincial or NT, i'll try to inspect and try my luck with it, but to be honest with you all, i haven't been satisfied at all. So, can you tell me, if you were in my shoes, would you consider the sheets from MS Store were legit? (even my friends laughed at me when i showed them the sheets after use).
Should i raise this matter with the store? I prolly would, but what would i get back as response this time? Prolly just like the other sites told me: e.g. DHS Canada - "we are the authorised dealers, we don't sell fake products". And can you see, i didn't even bother to file a complaint and MS already posted in this forum that they don't sell fake products.
The thing is, i trust what Bernard said, but i wouldn't trust the regional dealers that send him the products, especially the ones claimed themselves DHS authorised dealers. China is the king of counterfeits. They even have counterfeit Apple stores (flag ship stores) - can you believe it? let alone just a few rubber sheets from DHS.
The thing is, when they ship the whole package to local dealers, they would mix 30% good rubbers with 70% counterfeit products (from my experience with the local dealers). So when you buy one, and you get lucky, it's genuine, and you're excited, you get 10 more, and 3-7 is what you get! Lots of my friends quit H3 for the same reason. First sheet, perfect! Second sheet, you just want to bash your racquet on the table edge!
Cheers,
p/s: no rubber tuning!
