Any new plastic ball recommendations ?

says Spin and more spin.
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There you go. It would be nice if yellow poly balls became a reality.

I wasn't playing when they did the switch from 38mm to 40mm balls.

(I played in the 70s 80s and early 90s on and off but mostly at a recreational level. In the early 90s I found a great club that I started playing at for a while and got to watch some good tournaments at the club and they were always watching videos of the Swedish and Chinese teams and some of the other great European players from that time like Gatien and Saive. But then I got a full time job and moved too far away from the club and it wasn't as important to me back then as it is now so I stopped playing from around 1992-2009. When I started again I found out about the ball size change, the speed glue ban and the change of score from 21 to 11 all at the same time. The layoff probably made handling those adjustments much easier.)

When they went from 38mm to 40mm, was it this disorganized where you couldn't buy the balls because there weren't enough produced this long after the switch? Did they have as much trouble figuring out how to make balls that were round, had a consistent bounce and did not break so easily?

Anyone out there really remember how that change went back then?


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The impact on the availability, production,...wasn't as big as now. This isn't just a bigger ball; it's a whole new material and I suppose the production process is heavily changed. Back then the goal wasn't making a ball that would perform the same; it was supposed to be slower, easier to play,...

I do remember the change was (very!) annoying, but atleast you could buy enough balls from a good quality and I don't think there was such a big price issue as now.
 
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Hard hitting with a top edge seems to be the way that a lot get cracked or shatter - and this includes the seamless ones.


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hello.

I am new here, I have one recommend is to buy on ttnpp.

I have buy 3*star double happy, good quality ball to training. butterfly is more premium for playing than training.

hope I helped you! :)

hayato
 
says Spin and more spin.
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How about Palio seamless balls? Are they re-branded Xushaofa balls?
I asked because in Thailand, Palio ball is officially used in all TTAT-approved tournaments.

I could be wrong, but, as far as I have been led to believe, at this point, the only seamless balls are being made by XSF.
 
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I ordered a batch of Xushaofa and Palio 3 star ITTF-approved balls.
Bounce test of both balls are identical so the conclusion that both Palio and Xushaofa balls are from the same factory seems correct.
Next, I compared Palio and Stiga Optimum 40+ balls. The Palio ball bounced higher and longer.
Finally, I bounced Palio and Andro Speedball (celluloid). To my surprise, the bounce are nearly identical except the last bounces. The Palio ball bounced longer but marginally.
 
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More update:

Luckily, I was given some DHS poly balls which were prepared to be used in Grand Finals 2014 in Bangkok. The DHS ball's bounce characteristics is identical to Stiga Optimum 40+ ball. I think both DHS and Stiga balls are the same. Both bounces less than Palio/Xushaofa and Andro Speedball (celluloid). Makes me wonder why ITTF used seamed poly balls at all.
 
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I could be wrong, but, as far as I have been led to believe, at this point, the only seamless balls are being made by XSF.

You are not wrong
This information is shared by ITTF to the world, thus is pretty much general knowledge now.
All seamless ball is from the same and only factory in the world - thus there is no difference at all - or at least for now
 
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More update:

Luckily, I was given some DHS poly balls which were prepared to be used in Grand Finals 2014 in Bangkok. The DHS ball's bounce characteristics is identical to Stiga Optimum 40+ ball. I think both DHS and Stiga balls are the same. Both bounces less than Palio/Xushaofa and Andro Speedball (celluloid). Makes me wonder why ITTF used seamed poly balls at all.

The goal was seamless, but obviously factories encountered difficulties, hence seamed versions being approved too.
Yes, Stiga balls are from DHS factory

I am trying to find out which factory Butterfly is from, and why is Butterfly charging more for the same ball etc
 
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How would you say the spin is compared to the celluloid ball?

Reduce, but better imo than seamed versions.

Imo, don't focus on how different it is to celluball, as cellu ball lifespam is gone already - and if not the case, will be gone by end of June 2016. So we need to adapt to 40+, even if it is reduce spin, or reduce speed or does any other funny thing
 
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The goal was seamless, but obviously factories encountered difficulties, hence seamed versions being approved too.
Yes, Stiga balls are from DHS factory

I am trying to find out which factory Butterfly is from, and why is Butterfly charging more for the same ball etc

Butterfly probably make them, themselves. I think the quality of DHS balls like the Stiga ones which you mentioned are better quality than the Butterfly. I definitely think Butterfly balls are not made from same factory as the DHS ones. I saw on TTD reviews the Butterfly ball reviews are poor: http://www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk/equipment/balls/9950-3-star-40

I definitely prefer the seamless ones at the moment. Butterfly do have this Easy ball coming out, that could be something...
 
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Butterfly probably make them, themselves. I think the quality of DHS balls like the Stiga ones which you mentioned are better quality than the Butterfly. I definitely think Butterfly balls are not made from same factory as the DHS ones. I saw on TTD reviews the Butterfly ball reviews are poor: http://www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk/equipment/balls/9950-3-star-40

I definitely prefer the seamless ones at the moment. Butterfly do have this Easy ball coming out, that could be something...

No, Butterfly does not have a factory to produce 40+ balls, as it stands, there is only 5 approved by ITTF and 4 in action.
Butterfly is not one of them.

So there is a chance that Butterfly has an early version DHS ball (which is really bad quality), or they using DF balls.
And then charging a huge premium for the logo
 
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No, Butterfly does not have a factory to produce 40+ balls, as it stands, there is only 5 approved by ITTF and 4 in action.
Butterfly is not one of them.

So there is a chance that Butterfly has an early version DHS ball (which is really bad quality), or they using DF balls.
And then charging a huge premium for the logo

You really are in the know Tony. Thanks, yes it could be a early version. I feel Tibhar, Butterfly and Joola are on similar qualities. Maybe they are same batch they all feel very similar. The Stiga and Donic feel a touch better. I have yet to try the Nittaku balls. There are two types from Nittaku (Sha + Premium) What's the difference?
 
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I have yet to try the Nittaku balls. There are two types from Nittaku (Sha + Premium) What's the difference?
They are both Nittaku poly balls, are both white and round, but have different playing characteristics to each other, are made using different techniques and in different factories. Not in the least confusing, eh? :p

Nittaku SHA is a DHS clone made in China and plays like all the other DHS/DF clones.

Nittaku Premium
is made in Japan in Nittaku's own factory. It's a seamed ball, but the seam is very thin compared to DHS/DF. The Nittaku Premium ball reportedly plays better (closer to celluloid) than DHS/DF or XSF, but it's fragile and expensive.
 
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