TT balls is there a big difference
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Topic: TT balls is there a big difference
Posted By: jrscatman
Subject: TT balls is there a big difference
Date Posted: 01/08/2012 at 5:46pm
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In another thread on fake balls one of the members mentioned TSP and Nittaku Premiums are the only decent balls. Wanted to know is there a big difference between Nittaku 3 star and Nittaku Preimum balls - I am an intermediate player never really thought there was much difference between 3 star balls. Wondering if there is? Also what other brands are worth the money? Thanks in advance ------------- Butterfly MPS FH: Donic Acuda S1 BH: Palio CK531A OX |
Replies:
Posted By: The Shakehander
Date Posted: 01/08/2012 at 6:00pm
| Been with Nittaku for almost 16 years now it's Butterfly right now...i can't really see a difference. |
Posted By: Swiff
Date Posted: 01/08/2012 at 6:23pm
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I've been using strictly Nittaku 3 stars and premiums for about 8 years and I can't notice a difference. Both very good.
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Posted By: chopchopslam
Date Posted: 01/08/2012 at 11:52pm
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My favorites are Butterfly and Doublefish. Of all the 3-star balls I've played, I'd rank them like this: Doublefish Butterfly DHS Nittaku Sportcraft Gambler Killerspin Your mileage may vary, of course. :-) ------------- Butterfly Grubba Pro Tenergy 80 National Team Pogo LP .6mm |
Posted By: Swiff
Date Posted: 01/08/2012 at 11:53pm
What??? Sportcraft needs to be at the bottom. Butterfly needs to be lower also. DHS, nittaku and Gambler are all very good balls. -------------
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chopchopslam wrote:Posted By: chopchopslam
Date Posted: 01/09/2012 at 12:01am
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I was surprised how good the Sportcraft 3-star balls were too. The Gambler balls seemed thinner by comparison. The Killerspin balls seem more like porcelain -- easier to crack, with a slightly different sound to the bounce. Didn't like those at all. Could just be personal preference though.
------------- Butterfly Grubba Pro Tenergy 80 National Team Pogo LP .6mm |
Posted By: Swiff
Date Posted: 01/09/2012 at 12:34am
What I meant was, Sportcraft should be at the bottom because of how bad they are. >_< Gambler and Nittaku should be at the top. -------------
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Posted By: AllezCho
Date Posted: 01/09/2012 at 1:08am
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I've noticed that orange BTY 3-stars are almost always much better than white ones, which feel like crap. Maybe it's because there are a lot of fake white 3-stars circulating. Anyways, these good BTY's are on par with Nittaku Premiums, even occasionally better, since Nittaku's ball quality seems to be slipping lately. DHS/Double Fish/Gambler make for good training balls, since they are relatively inexpensive but still decent quality. You could get a gross of Gambler Gold for 30 bucks, for example. I doubt you can get a better deal with any other ball. ------------- Viscaria T05/T64 |
Posted By: roundrobin
Date Posted: 01/09/2012 at 1:29am
I used to buy only Nittaku 3-Star Premium for all my practice matches... It was getting too expensive as they don't last any longer than most brands I've tried. I started to test more available brands to find a suitable replacement, and I finally settled on DHS 3-Star balls, and I (plus all my training partners) couldn't be happier.  The key though, is to use a brand-new one for each session. I never use the same ball again the next day as it won't feel the same anymore. This practice still comes out cheaper than using only Nittaku Premiums, believe it or not, and the ball feels much nicer than used Nittakus...  I feed all the "used" DHS 3-Star balls to my robots so nothing is wasted... |
Posted By: konnichwakid1
Date Posted: 01/09/2012 at 1:59am
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I think doublefish is starting to elevate their game, but I just got a bad order. I thought doublefish was at the top, but with out an official supplier that I know of ever purchase is sketchy. Nittaku premiums are the best in guaranteed quality. DHS is right up there too. I would put them in this order: League 1 in respective order: Nittaku Premium Double Fish DHS TSP League 2 in respective order: Butterfly Stiga League 3 in respective order: Newgy JOOLA (Yes JOOLA balls suck) Sportcraft Ball I found in a gum ball machine As you can see, some of these balls are in completely different leagues. ------------- Jun Mizutani with Tenergies |
Posted By: Hookshot
Date Posted: 01/09/2012 at 2:12am
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In south China, DHS 3* are all they want to play with.
My friend buys Nittaku Premiums but lately, (the last two orders) the balls have broken much sooner than usual.
When coaching students, I use Gambler 3 star. I can feel the difference but they can not. They feel a little lighter but are probably just softer as the weight of 3* balls is a set amount. I supply the balls for free at the college so I am not going to buy expensive balls.
There is one of those gumball dispensers in the room, 25 cents for a ball. They are the worst balls I have seen. (Good imatation of eggs)
 Sport Craft?  |
Posted By: the_theologian
Date Posted: 01/09/2012 at 3:59am
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I formerly chose the Doublefish 3 star as my ball of choice. Now it's the DHS 3 star hands down (just ordered some more from ttnpp)
For a cheap ball, Gambler 3 star is hard to beat (which I usually get from Cole) ------------- Appelgren Allplay ST / Vega Europe max |
Posted By: Tinykin
Date Posted: 01/09/2012 at 8:44am
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I have loads of DHS, Doublefish and Friendship balls. They are all pretty decent and last a long time. Some have been in my robot for up to 8 years. But when it comes to consistent high quality, Butterfly can't be beat. Don't confuse long lasting with high quality. DHS/doublefish will last a long time but unfortunately when they crack, you won't know for a long time. They also distort over time, again, not noticeable unless you check periodically. All this can play play havoc with your game without you realising that the ball is at fault. Butterfly balls on the other hand will crack wide open at the slightest distortion. They are also round out of the box. I've never found one not round. DHS/Doublefish etc run at about 1x bad in 10 new balls for me. Plus recheck them over time and you'll find that they go oval without cracking. OK, Butterfly balls have significantly shorter life, but to me it is preferable for matchplay. On the other hand a good DHS/Doublefish is also perfect out of the box for matchplay. Just re-check them after a couple matches if at a tournament. For practice, no problem. I don't have much experience of Nittaku 40mm premium, but I hear that they are similar to the Butterfly.
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Posted By: chopchopslam
Date Posted: 01/09/2012 at 12:41pm
I know what you meant. I know much of what Sportcraft makes is total crap, but the balls I have were surprisingly decent. Some of the Sportcraft tables are great deals too, but others are awful. Really I've never played a 3-star ball I would call "bad". Just slight differences and feel. ------------- Butterfly Grubba Pro Tenergy 80 National Team Pogo LP .6mm |
Posted By: jrscatman
Date Posted: 01/09/2012 at 1:38pm
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Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I was expecting everyone to say Nittaku Preimum but that is not the case. I guess just goes to show most expensive doesn't mean better. ------------- Butterfly MPS FH: Donic Acuda S1 BH: Palio CK531A OX |
Posted By: Snakefish
Date Posted: 01/09/2012 at 11:31pm
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Nittaku's have been consistently excellent for me. But from a cost point of view, I will play with other brands. Here's my ranking based on my experience - all 3 stars of course: 1. Nittaku 2. Butterfly 3. DHS 4. TSP 5. Stiga 6. Doublefish 7. Joola ------------- Andro Treiber Z - fl FH: Tibhar MX-D max BH: Tibhar Quantum ProX-blue,max |
Posted By: Swiff
Date Posted: 01/09/2012 at 11:44pm
+1 :) And thank you for not even putting Sportcraft on the list. One of the worst I've ever used.  -------------
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Posted By: icontek
Date Posted: 01/10/2012 at 12:03am
My buddies college club got a box of Nittaku 3* Premiums from Paddle Palace, so I'm sure they're real. So far, each ball seems average about 4-6 hours of continuous play before cracking. 38mm Nittaku 3* Premiums were great balls. 40mm N3*P's play great but seem very fragile. TSP's and BTY orange are the best balls I have played with, (sound, hardness, durability, consistency) although I got a recent shipment of DHS 3*'s that just might be the best balls for the dollar. More after I've put more time into them. ------------- http://bit.ly/vLMhuB" rel="nofollow - - RC1042 . OSP Virtuoso AC: PK50 + R42 |
Posted By: ttplayer92
Date Posted: 01/10/2012 at 12:08am
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I really like DHS and nittaku. I am not a big fan of the white butterfly balls as they seem to be a lot lighter than the yellow butterfly balls ------------- Butterfly Viscaria FH Globe 999 National BH Xiom Vega Pro |
Posted By: Hookshot
Date Posted: 01/10/2012 at 12:12am
Since the weight of 3* balls is controlled, it is probably the hardness that causes the different feel. 
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Posted By: strikewzen
Date Posted: 01/10/2012 at 5:55am
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probably my fault to be so strongly opinionated back in the fake DHS thread, should've said it's my personal preference for made in japan balls those who have tried nittaku premiums seem to agree it's among the best, also TSP on the box of DHS it says it's made of new materials, and nittaku premium is using celluloid these new materials feel different "in my opinion" for me, DHS balls crack, butterfly balls crack, TSP and nittakus don't, for some reason might be i'm using hard rubber or my partner's shots are a bit higher here is a video of selection process of nittakus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK5PkRsRfLI&feature=player_embedded#! i don't believe DHS will go through the same process of 4 months+ to make a 3 star ball anyone can print a 3 star on a ball, and not show us how it's made |
Posted By: jrscatman
Date Posted: 01/10/2012 at 7:35pm
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Didn't realize it was such a manual process. Figured it was all automated. It looks like the Premium balls have higher quality. The one's that don't make it to the end of the table gets to be the lower grade. Cool video ------------- Butterfly MPS FH: Donic Acuda S1 BH: Palio CK531A OX |