Some questions about Edge tape, Gluing, impacts on gameplay

[Nash77]

I'm changing my rubber for the first time and Was just wondering what the experienced players think.

1) Does putting edge tape really hurts the "feeing" of the blade?
In term of pure gameplay, is it better to NOT put any edge tape? I get that it protects the blade, but someone told me that its a more natural feeling to play without edge tape. Do you agree?

2) how many layers of glue are you applying to the the blade and to the rubber? is 1 to each enough?

3) after you let the glue dry and put the rubber on the blade (20 minutes?) , how much time do we need to wait before we can start to play with the new rubber?

Thx for the advice, it's my first time changing rubbers myself.

 

[Lazer]

1. No, that's an urban myth. It impacts the center of gravity a little.
2. Individual, for me on rubber 2 layers (the rubber absorbs some) 1 on blade.
3. If You attach the rubber after the glue is dried, You can start playing immediately.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[olive-nguyen]

Always put edge tape. Looks better than saves your pretty racket edge, especially if you have one rubber only.

 

[longle]

there's this myth that I heard somewhere: that is if you use edge tapes to cover all the edges, you will block the airflow between the sponge and pimples and reduce the bounciness of the rubber. That's why pros only use edge tapes in a small part in their rackets

 

[NetProphet]

I'm changing my rubber for the first time and Was just wondering what the experienced players think.

1) Does putting edge tape really hurts the "feeing" of the blade?
In term of pure gameplay, is it better to NOT put any edge tape? I get that it protects the blade, but someone told me that its a more natural feeling to play without edge tape. Do you agree?

2) how many layers of glue are you applying to the the blade and to the rubber? is 1 to each enough?

3) after you let the glue dry and put the rubber on the blade (20 minutes?) , how much time do we need to wait before we can start to play with the new rubber?

Thx for the advice, it's my first time changing rubbers myself.

1) if you have to ask then you won't notice anything 😉 Use the edge tape, it will prevent the rubbers peeling from the blade when you hit the table doing a push shot and also protect the edge of the blade a little in more severe impacts.

2) I use two on rubber and one on the blade. One on each works fine too, they have always stuck perfectly this way as well. The reason I use two and one is that when you remove a rubber and then go to peel the glue from it, the thicker layer of glue is easier to peel from the rubber. Peeling off one layer is a pain in the a$$ as it keeps tearing as you try to remove it.

3) As Lazer said, you can play immediately 👊

 

[NetProphet]

there's this myth that I heard somewhere: that is if you use edge tapes to cover all the edges, you will block the airflow between the sponge and pimples and reduce the bounciness of the rubber. That's why pros only use edge tapes in a small part in their rackets

That's a funny one. I remember hearing stuff like that in school also, kids making up stories all the time.
One of the main reasons that pros use is to cover the part of the blade/rubbers that often catches the table when doing a fast aggressive push, it stops the rubber from peeling back.

 

[olive-nguyen]

I thought pros don't use edge tape cause they change rubbers so often that it's one extra thing that can be neglected?

 

[NetProphet]

I thought pros don't use edge tape cause they change rubbers so often that it's one extra thing that can be neglected?

Every player is different, some use it some don't but I doubt the 20 seconds to apply and remove it is a reason they avoid. 🤷‍♂️
Most are meticulous about applying their rubbers so an extra few seconds work isn't much of a deterrent.

 

[Amayzde]

Edge tape is not going to make your racket feel head heavy, unless you were to put like 10 layers. And 1 or 2 layers of glue also wont really affect the weight nor the gameplay.

Its all in the head. If you believe something like that will effect your gameplay, then it will.

Not physically, but mentally.

 

[NetProphet]

Edge tape is not going to make your racket feel head heavy, unless you were to put like 10 layers.

Oh no, you've said that which cannot be said🤦🏻‍♂️
You have no idea what you've started now!! 😂

🍿🍿🍿

 

[Tyce]

I'm changing my rubber for the first time and Was just wondering what the experienced players think.

1) Does putting edge tape really hurts the "feeing" of the blade?
In term of pure gameplay, is it better to NOT put any edge tape? I get that it protects the blade, but someone told me that its a more natural feeling to play without edge tape. Do you agree?

2) how many layers of glue are you applying to the the blade and to the rubber? is 1 to each enough?

3) after you let the glue dry and put the rubber on the blade (20 minutes?) , how much time do we need to wait before we can start to play with the new rubber?

Thx for the advice, it's my first time changing rubbers myself.

1) do what you like, the differences are very, very small. I like either no tape (so I don't have to take it off to switch rubbers) or tape that just covers blade and a bit of sponge. Those wider tapes that (almost) protrude over the rubber surface make a bat feel weird to me, even if I can't pinpoint if that's a head issue or a feel issue.

2) on new rubber: 2 on rubber, 1 on blade. If there's an old, but even layer already on the rubber I would do 1-and-1.
If your blade is heavily varnished, 2-and-2 might be needed.

3) no wait time. Just make sure everything is pressed together well.

 

[Nash77]

That's a funny one. I remember hearing stuff like that in school also, kids making up stories all the time.
One of the main reasons that pros use is to cover the part of the blade/rubbers that often catches the table when doing a fast aggressive push, it stops the rubber from peeling back.

Well, doesn't it make you wonder - if the pros only cover PART of their racket with edge tape - there must be a reason they don't cover it all, no?

 

[Nash77]

1) do what you like, the differences are very, very small. I like either no tape (so I don't have to take it off to switch rubbers) or tape that just covers blade and a bit of sponge. Those wider tapes that (almost) protrude over the rubber surface make a bat feel weird to me, even if I can't pinpoint if that's a head issue or a feel issue.

2) on new rubber: 2 on rubber, 1 on blade. If there's an old, but even layer already on the rubber I would do 1-and-1.
If your blade is heavily varnished, 2-and-2 might be needed.

3) no wait time. Just make sure everything is pressed together well.

How necessary is the "press" part? I don't have any device, I can put some heavy books on the racket but do you really need to? and for how long?

 

[NetProphet]

Well, doesn't it make you wonder - if the pros only cover PART of their racket with edge tape - there must be a reason they don't cover it all, no?

Talking about what I (or 99% of ppl in here) can notice V what a pro can notice is like asking a basement drummer to critique Larry Mullen.

Larry can tell if a backing track is off by even 2ms, even after Brian Eno and the rest of the band have recorded and finished based on said mistimed track!

Story from Eno:
"Mullen thought that the click track was slightly off and insisted it was a fraction of a beat behind the rest of the band. “I said, No, that can’t be so, Larry,” Eno recalls. “We’ve all worked to that track, so it must be right.” But he said, “Sorry, I just can’t play to it.”

Eno eventually adjusted the click to Mullen’s satisfaction, but he was just humouring him.

It was only after the drummer had left, that Eno checked the original track again and realised that Mullen was right: the click was off by six milliseconds.

"The thing is," Eno says, "when we were adjusting it together, at one stage I had moved it two milliseconds to the other side of the beat, and he said, 'No, you've got to come back a bit'. Which I think is absolutely staggering."

To me, that's Edge tape. (Edge pun intended 😉)

 

[Conehead]

How necessary is the "press" part? I don't have any device, I can put some heavy books on the racket but do you really need to? and for how long?

I think it's kind of important as it adds another level of security so that the rubber doesn't come off the blade. I use heavy books for a total of 24 hrs (if time allows).

 

[Nash77]

Talking about what I (or 99% of ppl in here) can notice V what a pro can notice is like asking a basement drummer to critique Larry Mullen.

Larry can tell if a backing track is off by even 2ms, even after Brian Eno and the rest of the band have recorded and finished based on said mistimed track!

Story from Eno:
"Mullen thought that the click track was slightly off and insisted it was a fraction of a beat behind the rest of the band. “I said, No, that can’t be so, Larry,” Eno recalls. “We’ve all worked to that track, so it must be right.” But he said, “Sorry, I just can’t play to it.”

Eno eventually adjusted the click to Mullen’s satisfaction, but he was just humouring him.

It was only after the drummer had left, that Eno checked the original track again and realised that Mullen was right: the click was off by six milliseconds.

"The thing is," Eno says, "when we were adjusting it together, at one stage I had moved it two milliseconds to the other side of the beat, and he said, 'No, you've got to come back a bit'. Which I think is absolutely staggering."

To me, that's Edge tape. (Edge pun intended 😉)

I get what you're saying - It probably won't effect my game at this point in time in a noticeable level.

But it is interesting to think about - I wonder if the 1% of players who notice the difference can explain why they prefer to not use edge tape.

or maybe some pro player explained it in an interview or video? I'd love to hear the explanation about only covering part of the racket or not covering at all.

 

[kapahoo]

Well, doesn't it make you wonder - if the pros only cover PART of their racket with edge tape - there must be a reason they don't cover it all, no?

Pros are not immune to superstition. Top athletes are often doing weird rituals. I think I've seen Timo Boll in a video saying that he does not like the way it feels though.
Some pros use edge tape for commercial reasons. It is another place to put a logotype.
During the olympics, Fan Zhendong, used a black strip over just a small part if the edge of his racket. No logotype and on the opposite side of the pushing-in-the-table-protection-side. Odd.

 

[Conehead]

I'd love to hear the explanation about only covering part of the racket or not covering at all.

Main reason is that only those parts of the blade should be covered by a tape where the risk to hit the table, e.g. by means of hard pushes, is the biggest. It should be avoided that the rubber looses the contact/grip with the blade if the table is hit. So that is why you find parts of the blade covered such as left and right above the handle for roughly 4 - 6 cm, sometimes also right on the top of the blade.

 

[NetProphet]

I get what you're saying - It probably won't effect my game at this point in time in a noticeable level.

But it is interesting to think about - I wonder if the 1% of players who notice the difference can explain why they prefer to not use edge tape.

or maybe some pro player explained it in an interview or video? I'd love to hear the explanation about only covering part of the racket or not covering at all.

Ah, yes
Well some pros, and a few folk in here, swear they can notice a weight difference by having that extra gramme of edge tape on the outer circumference of the blade.

That's the biggest reason they avoid putting it on as far as I know.

 

[Tyce]

How necessary is the "press" part? I don't have any device, I can put some heavy books on the racket but do you really need to? and for how long?

Oh no I just use a roller thoroughly, and press the edges with my fingers. No full press devices or weight or whatever.
It's contact glue, not pressure glue.