Which poly ball should you choose?

[JHB]

What about a Dunlop Barna?

That really IS showing your age - and mine ! As I recall, they were universally hated and everyone used Halex until Nittaku came along.

 

[killiegradge]

30 years ago in our league the home team selected which ball they used and one club always chose Dunlop Barna as it suited their style (or lack of) play. Schildkrot eventually became the ball of choice for most. Then it all changed with the bigger balls,seemless and now plastic ones rather than celluloid.These administrators have ruined our game eh? And I wont even mention the new points system!

 

[mart1nandersson]

Question. I was participating in a 1 day training camp arranged by Marcus Sjöberg who is both the coach of England and also co-owner of a TT equipment reseller in Sweden. The camp ended with a sales pitch for their products and he started talking about balls. I may have misunderstood him but I think that he stated that the seamless balls are on it's way out (at least for competitive play).

Is this a correct statement or do you think that he was mainly referring to what ball that the ITTF has selected for major tournaments and championships (i.e. only DHS and clones like the A40+).

 

[yoass]

I think Marcus Sjöberg has read the chicken's entrails correctly. The seamless balls are more expensive and less durable, and people generally seem to think the current generation of ABS balls plays sufficiently well.

 

[Baal]

I think so too.

 

[NextLevel]

I felt so as soon as I played with the seamed ABS (D40+,A40+,V40+) balls, the problem was that my local tournaments refused to switch. But since the ITTF tour has accepted the ABS balls, it is a matter of time.

 

[andy77]

I use DHS one star from TTnPP, they are good for MBT, I think nittaku 3 star is better for games though

 

[Shifu]

I felt so as soon as I played with the seamless ABS (D40+,A40+,V40+) balls, the problem was that my local tournaments refused to switch. But since the ITTF tour has accepted the ABS balls, it is a matter of time.

You wrote seamless but those balls in brackets after that have a seam

 

[NextLevel]

You wrote seamless but those balls in brackets after that have a seam

Thanks. Too much rushing.

 

[Lightzy]

I love the dhs balls especially.
They're kind of robust, solid feeling. A bit heavy, but also not too smooth like bty balls. I like them with tacky rubber.

 

[Garrison]

At our club we are currently testing a lot of plastic balls to use next season. My personal favourite is the Tibhar *** Ball 40+ SYNTT NG. The feeling on touch is quite close to the celluloid. I bounces a little higher, but is very consistent

 

[Mytoman]

As mentioned before Xushaofa has a new 2018-approved seamless ball, probably in a new plastic material.

At the same time Kingnik 40+ seamless is going out of the list, while Kingnik Premium 40+ (PLASTIC WITH SEAM!!) is entering the list in 2018.

As you know Kingnik is the inhouse brand of Minkow, the factory producing all seamless balls. And they are abandoning the seamless ball!!!

Do anyone know if the new Xushaofa with the new material still is produced at Minkow??? It sounds strange that they will follow both the development of a seamless with new material AND a ball with a seam?

 

[langel]

Shanghai Minkow is OEM producer for lot of brands, its the only seamless balls producer, but it's been producing seamed balls for a long time, afaik you still can order celuloid 38 from them, as well as seamed ABS 40+ in white, orange and double colour and ABS 44 in yellow and orange.
I don't think they will stop making seamless, even if DHS takes the factory, but who knows, strange things happen.
If that is the case a pack of 100 seamless will do for life.

 

[yoass]

I don't think they will stop making seamless, even if DHS takes the factory, but who knows, strange things happen.
If that is the case a pack of 100 seamless will do for life.

That is true for a rather small value of "life", given the burn rate of the seamless balls at the club. We still have evenings in which a dozen+ seamless (XSF ***) join the choir invisible — during rallies. It used to be worse, but I'm buying them by the gross every other month or so. Ah well, life is short...

 

[langel]

That is true for a rather small value of "life", given the burn rate of the seamless balls at the club. We still have evenings in which a dozen+ seamless (XSF ***) join the choir invisible — during rallies. It used to be worse, but I'm buying them by the gross every other month or so. Ah well, life is short...

In my life pack of 6 is enough for a year, and I don't think I'll be able to play after 15 years.

 

[Mytoman]

Shanghai Minkow is OEM producer for lot of brands, its the only seamless balls producer, but it's been producing seamed balls for a long time, afaik you still can order celuloid 38 from them, as well as seamed ABS 40+ in white, orange and double colour and ABS 44 in yellow and orange.
I don't think they will stop making seamless, even if DHS takes the factory, but who knows, strange things happen.
If that is the case a pack of 100 seamless will do for life.

Aha! I assume that the new ABS Premium 40+ Seamless will enter the ITTF-list on next update. It says ITTF-approved on the webpage of Minkow, but not in the ITTF-list.

Then it is still like this: Minkow is producing all seamless balls. They have made a new ABS seamless for Xushaofa (ittf approved), and are introducing it also as a new Kingnik now.

Then there might be more hope for the seamless than before??

 

[langel]

Aha! I assume that the new ABS Premium 40+ Seamless will enter the ITTF-list on next update. It says ITTF-approved on the webpage of Minkow, but not in the ITTF-list.

Then it is still like this: Minkow is producing all seamless balls. They have made a new ABS seamless for Xushaofa (ittf approved), and are introducing it also as a new Kingnik now.

Then there might be more hope for the seamless than before??

I believe in the future of the seamless and there are a lot of indications that they have expanding marketing strategy.
Though I can't speculate about particular material and brand names. ITTF aproval is a brand marketing policy too. Kingnik brand name is not popular on many markets. But it doesn't matter at all how the ball is marked, as all of them are of same quality, exept on oficial tournaments, where ITTF aproval is needed.
And I'm almost sure /but not 100%/ that Minkow is OEM producer of ABS seamed balls for a lot of brands, at least for its seamless clients.
And there are some speculations that it is producing ABS even for DHS.

 

[Loopadoop]

Today I played with 40+ half orange half white DHS approved by CTTA, it might be a little heavier. We couldn't tell any playing difference with the DHS D40+ white, probably the same ball.

 

[langel]

Its the very best time to visit the Japan Open 2018 thread and to see how bad is the ABS ball for chinese rubbers and how good it is for Tenergy

LOL

 

[AndySmith]

Here we go - another big update, and a great one for Orange ball fans.

DHS - D40+ - Seamed - ORANGE

This is a game-changer for Orange balls really. Once the D40+ is available in orange, all the re-labelled versions of the white D40+ will surely follow. And the D40+ is cheap!