Pro's Rubber Sponge Thickness

[Airoc]

"pros" need to get rid of sponsored stuff

They don´t do this for money. The feeling of these players was that the ESN pro rubbers were inferior to shop version tenergy, so they would give their supply in exchange. I know a player from yet a different brand who doesn´t even get pro versions (never seen any of that brand anyway), just regular packed rubbers. He also plays tenergy FH/BH so he has to buy regular tenergy unless he gets from colleagues with a Butterfly contract.

For years, this was common. Contracts would even include paragraphs that allowed non Butterfly players to use tenergy - and they´d buy it.
Some were willing to earn less money if the use of tenergy was allowed.

And that is still not the pro version of tenergy, because players from other brands don´t get access, except maybe real big shots but not standard first league players or such.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

I think maybe we have a different definition of Pro
sponsored players does not equal pro in my earlier contex
in equipment Pro sake, the manufactures specially manufacture a rubber (or blade) to the Pro's specification
And in some sake, Butterfly will provide "free" to the non BTY sponsored "pros", they don't need to buy it from the shop

Your lower tier of sponsored players obviously will get a stock standard or if better a "bulk packaging"
Some brands would also have a "cannot be resold" stamp on.

Any ways, I don't believe pro rubbers are inferior to shop version tenergy. I've seen pretty bad qc tenergy before (but i think that is more from bad storing condition than oppose to qc from BTY)

 

[Airoc]

Any ways, I don't believe pro rubbers are inferior to shop version tenergy.

I am talking several TTBL (first league Germany), world ranking first 100, players exchanging their ESN pro version rubbers for shop tenergy.
I have talked to them about it and seen the actual exchange happen. Three unpacked xyz for one packed and sealed t05.

Very special players do get more choices and even custom made rubbers, that is also true.

 

[Vrael]

I just came back form swedish open with some presents and one of them is one of the players from top 50 bh rubber (2 pieces) that he used during this competition. It is calibra lt and has reverse doom. I can't smell any booster. It has some numbers written in red on the sponge. Neve rusd calibra before, so don't know if it is normal or some kind of marking that this rubber is for a sponsored player.

 

[Airoc]

so don't know if it is normal or some kind of marking that this rubber is for a sponsored player.

It could be, although no Stiga sponsored player I know receives anything special. I have often wondered why, as we are talking first German leagues and they get standard Calibra or Airoc, first Swiss league player I know gets standard Genesis and another player now with a different brand even used standard Calibra Sound.

But it is hard to believe they don´t have anything a little more exclusive for the top ranked players.

If you upload a photo I am sure someone will be able to tell whether it´s a normal marking or something special.

 

[Vrael]

I glued it before and numbers are now barely visible (I have only pretty bad camera on the phone), but here it goes:

 

[Airoc]

Looks pretty much like the factory lettering, as far as I can see ...