Difference between Red and Black rubbers

[Reaper]

hello, this is my first thread and i apologize if this topic has been discussed before.

I'm saving some money to buy my first tenergy rubber (64 or 64 FX, don't know yet), my concern is i've seen some nasty brittle fractures, long cracks , worn off edges (usual) and other defects on the Red rubbers

my question is ¿the red tenergy rubbers are more fragile?


in advance don't recommend me other brands, because in my country there's only 1 TT supplier and the only high quality rubbers are from butterfly, i cant find tibhar, donic or stiga stuff .


thanx in advance

 

[Der_Echte]

Red or Black, like many modern rubbers, Tenergy gets brittle at the edges, but seems to do this a little faster than most.

I used to got 3 weeks out of a sheet of Tenergy playing 3-5 hrs a day every day. At that point the performance already went downhill and the rubber was getting pretty brittle. By 4 weeks, I couldn't stand it any more.

When I used WIDE edge tap that covered both the blade, the sponge, and most/all of the pimples UP TO the topsheet... once I started doing that, I would be able to make Tenergy last 5-6 weeks.

BIG DEAL, eh?

Just accept the fact that modern rubber do get brittle at edges more so than old-school rubbers do and make your own choices and decisions.

 

[Der_Echte]

I think the edge brittle thing has to do with the rubber and sponge "Gassing Out" the built in tuner stuff and the Euro / Japanese rubbers over time seem to have thinner topsheets making them more prone to this than earlier rubbers, but it is all only my own speculation.

 

[Persistence TT]

Red or black it doesnt matter. Using some edgetape wil do the job like der ecthe said. The topsheet is the same, they just change the color using different dyes

 

[Reaper]

thanks for your quick responses, the damage around the edge is something usual like i said initially, my worries are that i saw a couple of red rubbers with linear cracks (1-3 cm) in the middle of the rubber with some discoloration (like pink instead of red). and they're not been accidentally hit against the table... so i was thinking the constant contact with the ball would create such wear and tear ?

 

[Amayzde]

well it might be just coincidence but I only have had worn off edges with red rubbers. Like Ive played with 4 bats that had the same rubbers on both sides and only the red rubber was damaged.

Like just 2 months ago I played with rasant on both sides and the edges are a little bit worn off already. and th black was still in tact but Im not using rasant on my backhand anymore. (red was on forehand)

The first time when I bought my own rubbers and stuck it onto a blade myself. I had Xiom Vega Pro on both sides and once again only the red rubber got damaged. (this time red was on the backhand)

When I bought A second handed Timo Boll Spirit with 2 Tibhar MX-P's already on it. Once again only the red one damaged. (red was on the forehand)

And last summer when I played with my Timo Boll Spirit/ Innerforce ZLF and Tenergy 05 on forehand and 05 FX on backhand only my red rubber was damaged and the black rubber is still in tact. (red was on forehand).

Not only me but also some of my friends whenever they got something of their bat damaged its always the red rubber.

My team mate has to reglued his red rubber 3 times now just because it got detached form the blade a couble of times. Even with my donic formula (and you dont want to know how strong this glue is) it did come off)

And when randomly looking a bats in my club almost all the time the red rubbers edges are dameged like if a rabbit had gnawed in his/her bat and the black rubber still in tact.


But dont worry about this, this are just small damage which dont effect playing with it.

 

[cakezxc280]

I have heard something a few years back in a Taiwanese forum that the pigment used in the red rubber for Tenergy 05 makes it extra brittle....
Also from the same guy, he claims that the black version is a tad less spinny than the red one.
Not sure how legit it is but for the first part it seems to be true.

 

[Reaper]

i know what you mean, i always look at other people's rubbers and notice the same thing, red rubber is all bad. even my current red rubber is crumbling at the edge, maybe because i hit the ball right there on the edge losing the point in the process

but again, i think is normal at the edge, not at the sweet spot

 

[Der_Echte]

thanks for your quick responses, the damage around the edge is something usual like i said initially, my worries are that i saw a couple of red rubbers with linear cracks (1-3 cm) in the middle of the rubber with some discoloration (like pink instead of red). and they're not been accidentally hit against the table... so i was thinking the constant contact with the ball would create such wear and tear ?

These kind of small tears of the topsheet in the hitting zone of a topsheet is a "looping" tear. When a player gets into a topspin to heavy topspin and high speed exchamge of loop the loop to each other, a max swing puts a lot of stress on a topsheet. with modern topsheets getting a tick thinner to allow more topsheet wrap and grip (and to allow a bigger sponge or moar potential booster without cracking over 4 mm) then you see this a lot. In the speed glue days, the stuff would weaken rubbers and my friends say they saw that a lot too, but I am not from that era.

I had a sheet of T05 do that my first week and I wasn't happy about it.

 

[raazzz]

I don't think that there is any difference except from the color. I think it's sad that Tenergy so easily gets damaged in the edges when they are so expensive as they are..