Some questions about Edge tape, Gluing, impacts on gameplay

[ander999]

On the contrary to what a lot of people are saying here, I will provide my 2 cents.

1. Putting edge tape DOES affect the feeling of the blade, but for the average person it is not noticeable. Without edge tape my racket feels more crisp, and with edge tape that feeling is a little more muted. *For me*, I put edge tape 1/4 of my racket where I tend to hit the table the most.

2. I put 1 layer on the blade and 2 on the rubber. I am used to it and it provides more feeling to me. 1 is enough as well, just depends on what you are used to.

3. That time actually varies depending on what environment you are. Dryer environments dry quicker and humid take more time. I usually let 30-40 mins pass for each layer (in NYC). You can play immediately after, but best performance would be a day or 2 after so that the glue had time to harden.

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.

 

[Tinykin]

This is why I use edge tape:

 

[lodro]

This is why I use edge tape:View attachment 34960

View attachment 34959

what am i supposed to see ?

 

[lipt0n]

what am i supposed to see ?

Top layer "disconnecting" from the rest of the blade. Had exactly same issue, and I didnt even hit that hard

 

[Lazer]

This is why I use edge tape:View attachment 34960

View attachment 34959

Exactly, happened to me too. And to seriously believe you ca feel the difference is ridiculous.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[lodro]

Top layer "disconnecting" from the rest of the blade. Had exactly same issue, and I didnt even hit that hard

OK, i get it now. You are trying to make me believe that the top veneer of the blade de-laminated because you did not have the edge-tape .
Right ???

 

[Tinykin]

OK, i get it now. You are trying to make me believe that the top veneer of the blade de-laminated because you did not have the edge-tape .
Right ???

Correct. It happened a couple weeks ago. I banged the side of the table quite hard.
On the bat below, the creases in the edge tape shows the banging it has received

 

[banbekas]

1. I don't use side tape coz my blade and my rubbers are cheap. Using edge tape also change the sound that I make when the edge hit the table.

2. I put 3 layers of glue on the rubber and 1 on the blade.

3. How long do I wait? Around 15 minutes for each glue. I play immediately after gluing it.

 

[kapahoo]

Lin Yun Ju had very unusual edge taping in the match against Franziska earlier today. Bits and pieces of tape on parts of the edge.

 

[_ak]

This is why I use edge tape:

still doesn't help much if you chop serve aggressively over the table and hit it