OOAK Table Tennis Forum

This topic wasn't my idea, it was brought up in another thread, but I thought it was a good topic worthy of it's own thread.

So the question is, if you're going to buy something new, should you stick to the big brands that you know, or try the new/smaller brands?
One reason to stick to the big brands is so that you're more likely to get a consistent and proven product.
One reason to send some $$ to small/new manufacturers, is to encourage innovation and allow them to become competitive.

I can thing of some small manufacturers that do deserve some sales since they've come up with the great and new innovations, but can also think of some which only seem interested in getting sales and offering nothing new.
Of course 'support' can also include promoting a new product from a new/small manufacturer, because you feel it deserves to be promoted

So do you think new/small manufacturers deserve our support?

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

I think manufacturers should be supported on their own merits. For example, Sauer & Troger - small manufacturer. I use Hellfire not because I have a philosophical propensity or ideological bias towards smaller manufacturers, but because, in recent times, it's an excellent rubber for my game.

Another example: I tend to favour Chinese short pimples over European ones. For my game, they do exactly what I want them to do. The facts that they're produced in massive numbers, and are relatively cheap aren't really considerations.

Would I try a S&T SP, or a DR N, or a DMS? Probably not. I have no need to, regardless of how much I like the smaller companies.

Similarly, I did try a DMS inverted rubber. It was expensive, and didn't, in my mind, offer anything particularly different compared to a Tibhar of equivalent spec. In that case, if I wanted that exact sort of rubber (soft, spinny, controlled), I could go either way: either support the small company, because they are doing innovative things, or go with the tried and tested Tibhar.

On the whole, I think we're looking for a sweet spot of performance (relative to our own needs), price, and quality. If a small manufacturer produces something in that sweet spot, they should be supported. If hey don't, they shouldn't. Why reward a manufacturer for producing something that is too expensive, of inferior quality, or which doesn't meet our performance needs?

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Yasaka Sweden Classic | 802 OX | C8 OX
Check out my blog - LordCope's Latest Learning Log - 10+ years of accumulate mistakes!

Comes down to whether they're meeting the need or not and are likely to end up delivering something as good or better than is available from the mainstream suppliers over time. Quality is imperative. So as long as you get what you pay for, then supporting them is an investment in the future.

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

Some smaller companies try to price some of their stuff higher as part of marketing to elevate their position. Trying to get out of the cheap small brands category.

Nice try. Though, some of them are not yet proven to have good quality and/or quality control yet.

I don't mind trying new stuff and support smaller companies. As long as they're not blatant copies of bigger brands.

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instagram: rokphishtt

After working in marketing for 30 years, I feel I have grown immune to anything which depends on something other than performance/quality to sell. I do not feel any allegiance to any company, small or large. I buy those products which I feel will be good for me, and are not too expensive. My current set up is a result of trying a large number of products which I have worked through in order to find something I liked. (Probably would have been cheaper just to get something that is well-marketed!)

In simpler terms, most of the small new companies seem to specialize in pips and anti. I am not interested in either of them, so, although I may wish them good luck (or not), I feel no compulsion to support them in any other way. If, however, they come up with a rubber that emulates a provincial H3, but doesn't collect dust like a vacuum cleaner, they'll get my money.

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Other setups:
SDC Custom Blade/Butterfly Dignics 80/Butterfly Glayzer
BTY Viscaria/Tibhar K3/Tibhar K3

They'll get every tacky rubber users money cos it's pretty much impossible to get such a thing...I think

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

I don't try too many smaller ones unless I see some good reviews for the products first. But occasionally I will buy no-name ones to test. In the same fashion that I might buy some bakery items from the local store as opposed to name brand variety, and end up liking the small shops better! In that case I'd buy them routinely.

Such as with DMS, I have purchased a ton of their anti spin rubbers... several blades and one inverted rubber. I bought 2 of their light balsa blades, both 140 euro each! They're nice blades, though I think over-priced. On the same token, I bought the joola air fibre balsa blade for a little more $$. That, too, I feel was very over-priced! And I see it is no longer being manufactured. Maybe I got the last one...

Recently I got the dr N firewall plus (if you consider Dr N a small company at this point, which I think it probably is -- as not many outside of pip/anti spin players know the name). That blade has become my current favorite! And it was less than a third of the price of the other 3 listed above.

What I most like about buying name brand stuff is the general reliability. You can usually be safe in knowing the product you get will be of at least a decent quality, and quite often, a very nice quality!

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SOULSPIN CUSTOM BLADES
Fh: Spinny rubber
Bh: Not so spinny rubber...

Looks like we all feel pretty much the same way.

The one in question, that started this topic, was Giant Dragon. How do you guys feel about that one?

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

Blah...

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instagram: rokphishtt

On paper,

Submarine is the best chop block rubber. [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH]

Never tried, but willing to try. [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH]

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