Freitas switched to Maze again

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Has anybody noticed Marcos Freitas switched back to his M. Maze ALC again? You can spot that in yesterday's match vs Lim Jinhhoon.

Screen Shot 2018-05-27 at 09.21.32.jpg
 

JST

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JST

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Yes, there are very few pictures where he would use his signature blade and these look all like butterfly promo photo shoot. In all real competition photos I've seen he holds Maze. Again similar to FZD thread which was resurrected few days ago I find it kind of said to make marketing buzz around some gear, saying how much you worked with the vendor, put your name on it, ask people to buy it because you play with it and then use something else. But it's probably the only way how to make some real money in TT... At least with Freitas vs. Maze blades they should have identical composition so Marcos might just be too fixed to his old blades but there shouldn't be any noticeable difference for normal people like us;) Promoting all-wood blade while playing with totally different carbon thing (even from different brand) - like Stiga and FZD do - or putting your name on like 18 different blades and then probably playing with 19th custom composition which nobody can buy (Tibhar and Vladi) is much less OK for me. But in the end people need to learn how to read the advertisements and be critical to marketing messages and if the blade with someone's name or even face makes your play better then good for you!;)
 
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or putting your name on like 18 different blades and then probably playing with 19th custom composition which nobody can buy (Tibhar and Vladi) is much less OK for me.

Not sure Vladi is the best example here, much more so Ovtcharov, where even the Donic marketing buzz is now along the lines of "This is the blade he really, really, really plays. No, really now - not like the one we said he really plays and the other one one we said he really, really plays."

Vladi has been quite steady with Black Edition, then for some tournaments CCA Unlimited (quickly re-coloured and re-labelled VS Unlimited), not sure about now. But over the years, he was the steadiest endorser for Tibhar, even when all they could offer him was Nimbus VIP and tenergy must have been tempting ;)

if the blade with someone's name or even face makes your play better then good for you!;)

Absolutely :)
 
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says Aging is a killer
Sticking to the same blade

.......... I find it kind of said to make marketing buzz around some gear, saying how much you worked with the vendor, put your name on it, ask people to buy it because you play with it and then use something else. ........

I don't regard this as sad.
He's always used the same two Maze blades which was bought for him early in his career. Many players are like that. They can't use anything but one particular blade. Not a particular blade type but one blade.
Freitas has been very honest in saying that his 'name' blade is basically the continuation of the Maze blade which he continues to use in competition.
Vladi used the same blade for 20 years or more. He was forced to change when the blade became too damaged to pass umpire inspection. There was a thread on it when this occurred about 10 years ago.
Desmond Douglas also used the same blade (Bty Kenny style) for almost his entire career until it broke.
We have a top veteran player here in England, Dave Harvey, who has used the same blade (also a Kenny style) for more than 40 yrs.
Here he is in the final of the 2018 VETTS Nationals over 60s event.

 

JST

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JST

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He's always used the same two Maze blades which was bought for him early in his career. Many players are like that. They can't use anything but one particular blade. Not a particular blade type but one blade.
Freitas has been very honest in saying that his 'name' blade is basically the continuation of the Maze blade which he continues to use in competition.

Right, I was probably too hard on Marcos. He was pretty opened in the youtube review of his blade with Dan, however I believe the marketing message from Butterfly isn't so honest. The same for other players like ZJK (he is using Viscaria for his entire PRO career but they have few pretty expensive blades with his name, posters with these in his hand and his face all over it etc.) And then you go further like poor FZD claiming in Stiga video how great Infinity VPS is while he probably never plaid single competition match with it;).

So to get me right: I don't blame the players for all of that, I guess they take it simply as part of obligation to sponsors and they mean it rather as "yes, this vendor puts my name on some blades and by that I just recommend the vendor as reliable and good quality, nothing specific between me and these goods". For amateurs it should be enough and for pros they assume they never select by name/face/signature but they try themselves in the action. But once there are companies marketing blades as "this PRO plays with it" I don't think this is really ethical (and note how DHS, Yinhe and other Chinese brands jump on this trend with even less constrains in their vocabulary...)
 
says Aging is a killer
I think FZD falls into a different category:)
However, I sometimes wonder if ZJK also played with the same one or two Vicarious all his adult playing career. Maybe that's why he never changed. Or maybe he's superstitious. Anyway, hats off to him, he could have put an SZLC handle on his Viscaria.
 
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