OOAK Table Tennis Forum

According to that big Tensor thread Donic (and I think Tibhar) has some sort of special arrangement with ESN about logos. Didn't know about Yasaka. Some Yasaka rubbers (New Era, ZAP) are made by Palio, by the way - I think they're meant only for the Chinese market, and ZAP has the same dish problems that CJ8000 has.

Iskandar

My understanding was always that Tensor Bios referred to ESN rubbers that used a particular sort of technology to get their "built-in" speed glue effect (starting with Donic F1 Desto) and that they have some new tricks for doing that now, and not all of their rubbers are Tensors. I might be wrong about that, but I definitely had that impression. It wasn't just Donic and Tibhar that had Tensors. Andro Hexer for example is a Tensor, and several Xiom rubbers also. If I am right, all Tensors were made by ESN but not all ESN rubbers are Tensors. In any case, ESN makes about 14 umptizillion slightly different rubbers. And they can all be placed into a relatively small number of categories.

Anyway, getting back to the OP's question, another thing that we have to factor in are these new balls. They are heavier on average and slightly bigger in diameter. And this means that you can probably get away with slightly faster equipment than you used before.

Here's another thing to think about. Age and athleticism are a big part of this equation. Let's say you are 50 years old, athletic for your age, but still 50. Is the optimum stroke for you exactly the same as for an 18 year old? I think it depends on the shot but for sure, but at 50 it is harder for you to get back into position and balance than the 18 year old. From people I know and from videos I have seen (of people like Mikael Appelgren), this is true for former elite players too. So maintaining your balance throughout the point is just as important but is harder, and actually a faster setup overall may be called for so you can get a penetrating shot from a shorter stroke -- a stroke that may not be what you would coach a cadet player but may be perfect for an older player because they can stay in balance. Of course, there is a trade-off. It can be a lot harder to control that bouncy thing. That is why I have been really happy with Karis. I do lose a little penetration when I try to hit hard, but there is still enough there to get the job done most of the time and it makes other things more predictable. But it is still a world away from something like Mark V.

In any case, whatever you decide on, use it for a long time so your brain gets to know what to expect every time. Constantly changing your setup just can't be good for developing unconscious consistency, which is what you are trying to develop.

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Butterfly Viscaria Black tag
2.2 mm Nexy Karis M on FH and BH

Looked up the Big Tensor Thread again. Yup, Donic, Tibhar and Yasaka all have special arrangements with ESN, they get rubbers made by ESN but don't display the Tensor and Bios logos. Why do they do this, when all the other "customers" are happy to have those logos on their rubbers? I can think of one reason, and for Donic, Tibhar and Yasaka, it outweighs the implied assurance of quality and playing properties that the other customers get when they display the Tensor and BIOS logos. That reason is it gives them the freedom, at any time in the future, to introduce rubbers NOT made by ESN, using their own (Donic's, Tibhar's and Yasaka's) logos. They feel that the names Donic, Tibhar and Yasaka alone are enough to assure quality and playing properties of all the rubbers they sell, and they don't need the Tensor and BIOS logos to back up these assurances.

Iskandar