Rubbers wearing out
Equipment
Alex Milanese Asked 8 years ago
Hi Alois and Jeff.
I have a very important question about the rubber on a bat. So I watched your video on choosing the right table tennis bat. I have a TSP bat from Japan which is on the same 'level' as the pingskills rook but maybe not just as good. I play a lot especially because it's the holidays about 1.5-2 hours a day, sometimes more. I like my racquet but I have had it for 4 months and I feel like my spin isn't as good as it used to be. In your video you say all rubbers will eventually wear like others, I want a new racquet but I feel like it will wear and become useless again. I want a quality bat that won't die quickly if I play a lot. Can you please reccommend me some options for a rubber that will last a long time or some other options.
Also can you give me a percentage of how important a blade and rubber is for a racquet.
Regards. Alex
Alois Rosario Answered 8 years ago
Hi Alex,
Rubber will wear out no matter what quality it is. However a good quality rubber will last about 100 hours of playing time if you look after it but keeping it clean and away from direct heat. You can keep it clean by just wiping it down with a damp sponge.
I don't have any suggestions for rubbers that will last better than others. Maybe some of our readers can give you their opinions here.
Regarding the relative importance between the rubber and blade, I think the rubber is 80% and the blade 20% as a rough guide.
Thoughts on this question
Become a free member to post a comment about this question.
Mike Deubig Posted 8 years ago
I used to play with a TSP blade back in the day when the ball was 30mm, along with TSP rubber. Back then, I played 5 to 6 days a week, about 23 hours a week. The rubber would wear out in about 3 to 4 months. Today I don't play as much due to more things happening in my life. Currently I have a butterfly blade using Donic M2 and Stiga: Airoc soft. The rubber is 4 months old and there is a difference with the play. However, I'm still able to spin the ball pretty well so far. When the rubber begins to degrade you have to make an adjustment, graze the ball a little bit more. My coach uses old rubber and he has a ton of hours on it and it is still effective. But in a tournament, he would use newer rubber. Now in your case, let's go with your max estimate in playing which is two hours a day. That's 14 hours a week for seven days. That's 56 hours for one month. 224 hours for four months. If you make an adjustment and still have problems with spinning the ball, then replace it. Most rubbers from major brands like Butterfly, Donic, Stiga, and so on...last about the same. With my experience, I haven't encountered much of a difference in the length that rubbers would last. Good luck! :)