Freebies

[Der_Echte]

The only old rubbers I had were Yasaka Tornado from @1980, and those went in the bin at the turn of the year. In any case anything which came off the Stiga Contra would probably be too small for most bats ! By comparison the rubbers on the Giant Dragon blade are like bedsheets, that blade measures 171mm x 164 mm lol. As I only returned to TT at the start of the year I haven't managed to wear any of my rubbers out yet - but maybe Der_Echte could tell me how long I can expect the Aurus to last ?

Short Answer: a Long Time.

When I played every day in Korea and used T05, I got 4 outta it, 6 if I baby'd it.

I could get 2-3 months outta Aurus easy, then my Korean friend would get my old sheet and use it another 6 months + and he played as much as I did.

If you only play 1-2 times a week and use a bat case, you will more than a year out of Aurus.

 

[Der_Echte]

Oh, and after Carl shows off the Der_Echte special, he process to defeat the snot out of any smart aleck Nittaku ball snob.

 

[JHB]

Short Answer: a Long Time.

When I played every day in Korea and used T05, I got 4 outta it, 6 if I baby'd it.

I could get 2-3 months outta Aurus easy, then my Korean friend would get my old sheet and use it another 6 months + and he played as much as I did.

If you only play 1-2 times a week and use a bat case, you will more than a year out of Aurus.

Thanks for that ! I've had about 8 months out of mine so far, looks like I'm good until New Year then. One thing I have noticed with Aurus is that the edges are a little brittle - playing doubles at my club you have to play a lot of backhand push strokes with a very flat bat, and consequently the bottom edge of my forehand side has crumbled and peeled away from the sponge where the bat brushes the table. This of course is also my fault for using 9mm edge tape instead of 12mm, a mistake I won't repeat !

As for Nittaku ball snobs - you wanna meet them, come play at my club ! Mind you I had one chap this morning who was quite happy to play a game with one of the training balls, IMHO that's going a bit too far the other way lol.

 

[Der_Echte]

JHB... Nearly ALL modern rubbers will crumble at the edges, it is something accelerated by the sponge gassing out. If you use wide edge tape (I use WIDE edge tape that completely covers sponge and most of topsheet) it will slow down the gassing out time significantly. You will still get your crumbling edges, but it will happen later. Tenergy was really bad about that but just about every modern rubber I used does what you have described. It isn't because you are pounding balls on the edge of the rubber, although if you hit the table enough I suppose you could speed up the crumbling.

Go to Korea and try to bring a Nittaku ball to a match, the first time your opponent picks up the ball and sees it isn't a *** Peace or Champion *** Platinum (They MIGHT let a BTY go if they are in a good mood) then the next time the ball hit the floor, someone "accidently" steps on the ball and everyone is suddenly so sorry.

The entire 4 years I waz there, I saw ZERO, I mean ZERO players playing with Nittaku balls. I expected to see a boatload of Sriver there too, but only saw TWO sheets of it my entire time there, and I check EVERY player's bat and played a LOT of matches daily and visited a LOT of clubs and did a LOT of tourneys there.

 

[Der_Echte]

Even worse is they intentionally hit the (non Peace or Champion ***) ball into the training area where there are 300-400 training balls flying around or all over the floor and makes it mission impossible to find what got hit into there unless coach (who has eagle eyes) WANTS it found.

 

[Bishop Rasta 27]

Even worse is they intentionally hit the (non Peace or Champion ***) ball into the training area where there are 300-400 training balls flying around or all over the floor and makes it mission impossible to find what got hit into there unless coach (who has eagle eyes) WANTS it found.

hahaha...what's with the nittaku ball by the way...in our place, we use 3 stars nittaku balls...i seldom see dhs or champion in the training area, but there is this Pioneer brand which most players hated because its so light and mostly not perfect sphere...

 

[Der_Echte]

Koreans hate any just about any ball that isn't a Korean brand like a good ole nationalistic people would.

In USA, we have what we TTers call "Nittaku Ball Snobs" (let's call 'em NTS) who flat out absolutely REFUSE to play even training or a training match with anything less. You get on a table vs one of these NTS players and after the first hit, they will catch the ball and if it isn't a Nittaku, they chuck it back at you and tell you they will break out a ball for teh training or match.

Normally, I do not mind as quality *** balls cost good money and if HE is the one to do it, so be it. However, often, they will play with the thing until it is smoother than baby's skin and lighter than a feather, certainly a condition not conducive to good match play, but since they are Nittaku Ball Snobs (®)... they will play to the death of the ball, no matter how bad it makes the match.

That is the kind of NTS ® you will run into in USA.

 

[Der_Echte]

As for Nittaku ball snobs - you wanna meet them, come play at my club ! Mind you I had one chap this morning who was quite happy to play a game with one of the training balls, IMHO that's going a bit too far the other way lol.

In Korea, there are MANY who are opposite of Nittaku ball snobs and will do everything in their mortal power to avoid paying but only the most unavoidable minimum ammount of money to play the sport, even if they have an income. It is not uncommon to see Div 5 and Div 4 players use one of the ** 2 star training balls that escaped the training area. You will see this type buy a $250 BTY blade and a modern rubber, but never change teh rubber for three years of daily play until it literally falls off the blade. By that time, they are looking for someone who is getting rid of a rubber so they can get it for free or a glass of beer promised.

On the other end of the spectrum, their are the ACCESSORY FREEKS, I mean they will not spare an expense in their never ending quest to be the best looking, well accessorized TTer in the entire province. That means going to teh length of hiring special seemstress shops to make special custom made BTY shiny patent leather TT bags that are absoulutely NOT for sale anywhere. They all buy the most expensive name brand shorts, jersey, pants and what ever costs the most out of the 73 TT catalogs coach has piled in the seating waiting area for play.

Typical outfit for an A.C. ® is...

- Custom made expensive bag or ruck $150 for starters
- $80 jersey (and they got 24 of them at home and wear a different one each other day)
- $50 shorts
- 10-12 different accessory things hanging from their expensive bag
- $80 jacket
- $140 Mizuno Wave shoes from Japan
- another expensive custom made bat case for one bat to put inside expensive TT bag
- a 12 pack of *** balls
- the most expensive bat they can get coach to assemble, so they can ooh and aah about it while they wait to play
- other name brand expensive sports bag
- rubber cleaner
- expensive branded towels, instead of the cheap ones you get for free in a tourney
- brand name socks
- husband and wife wear matching customized jerseys
- sometimes a pro jersey replica, expensive

You get the idea and they try to one-up each other constantly, so this special warfare can become costly pretty damned quick. You would think that coach would try to stop this, but half the gear is ordered through coach who has a sweetheart deal with the suppliers, so it is all good for coach too. She will egg it on by heaping compliments on the one who comes to the club with something new.

Wow, the life of Korean TT fashion and accessories is BRUTAL.

 

[Bishop Rasta 27]

In Korea, there are MANY who are opposite of Nittaku ball snobs and will do everything in their mortal power to avoid paying but only the most unavoidable minimum ammount of money to play the sport, even if they have an income. It is not uncommon to see Div 5 and Div 4 players use one of the ** 2 star training balls that escaped the training area. You will see this type buy a $250 BTY blade and a modern rubber, but never change teh rubber for three years of daily play until it literally falls off the blade. By that time, they are looking for someone who is getting rid of a rubber so they can get it for free or a glass of beer promised.



On the other end of the spectrum, their are the ACCESSORY FREEKS, I mean they will not spare an expense in their never ending quest to be the best looking, well accessorized TTer in the entire province. That means going to teh length of hiring special seemstress shops to make special custom made BTY shiny patent leather TT bags that are absoulutely NOT for sale anywhere. They all buy the most expensive name brand shorts, jersey, pants and what ever costs the most out of the 73 TT catalogs coach has piled in the seating waiting area for play.

Typical outfit for an A.C. ® is...

- Custom made expensive bag or ruck $150 for starters
- $80 jersey (and they got 24 of them at home and wear a different one each other day)
- $50 shorts
- 10-12 different accessory things hanging from their expensive bag
- $80 jacket
- $140 Mizuno Wave shoes from Japan
- another expensive custom made bat case for one bat to put inside expensive TT bag
- a 12 pack of *** balls
- the most expensive bat they can get coach to assemble, so they can ooh and aah about it while they wait to play
- other name brand expensive sports bag
- rubber cleaner
- expensive branded towels, instead of the cheap ones you get for free in a tourney
- brand name socks
- husband and wife wear matching customized jerseys
- sometimes a pro jersey replica, expensive

You get the idea and they try to one-up each other constantly, so this special warfare can become costly pretty damned quick. You would think that coach would try to stop this, but half the gear is ordered through coach who has a sweetheart deal with the suppliers, so it is all good for coach too. She will egg it on by heaping compliments on the one who comes to the club with something new.

Wow, the life of Korean TT fashion and accessories is BRUTAL.

wow...seems like some of us here also hehehehe...maybe not only Koreans but also some others out there...there are also people like that here in our place, to look like they're into the world of TT, they buy all the expensive stuff bragging their equipment are the best, the most expensive but on the table, lol!they are like playing other kind of racquet sports (b-------n)...

 

[Der_Echte]

In Korea, this is the silent warfare among women.

in the TT hall, when one who is winning the accessory war comes into the club with three new things hanging off their expensive TT bag that are not available anywhere, PLUS then they proceed to pull out their bat, but it is inside a new, expensive custom made zippered bat cover that is studded with jewels and a unique design, the other ladies are suddenly jealous and WITHOUT the war leader even opening their mouth to brag, they just another battle haha.

In church, it is like that too. If a lady comes in wearing new ridiculously expensive Italian shoes (They ALL know which ones are which and what they cost), they do a sudden gasp and shock. They know they do not have enough money to buy something more expensive and they just lost a battle. They know they cannot get their husband to come up with such footwear for them. Same with handbags and the war waging is even more fierce. A lady brings in an expensive $8000 USD suggested retail price Prada bag, all the other ladies KNOW it is game over they lost.

It is funny to watch these silent battles and warfare being waged, even more entertaining than watching the TV shows.

 

[Der_Echte]

One day, I brought in a Nexy branded Korean TT handbag that was still not yet on the market. I had been bothering the Nexy manager every time I came to the HQ when it would be available for sale, then about a month before it hit the market, they let me have one.

I brought that bag to the club and I KNOW it was a good bag, nice design, not large, but enough room for everything you need with lots of pockets to store it all and a great new look no one else had on the market.

First thing off everyone likes that bag and asks about it. Later that night, head coach tells me the bag doesn't look good with me (since I carry around TT rucksacks large enough to carry 24 pack of beers AND all my TT gear) She suggests that I leave it for a woman to use.

HAHA LULZ that was an attempt from coach to poach my TT bag she wanted HAHA it was hilarious you all to be there it was so funny.

I ended up getting the head coach one of those bags right before they hit market online.

This is typical, so watch out when you roll into Korea, you'll love it.

 

[harveyaquino]

Tch. Nothing else matters when one can't even win a game with expensive TT equipment.


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