XSF 40+ Ball Test

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   We had our first chance to try out some of the new Xushaofa 40+ seamless balls today.  These were the black label in a box of 6 from eacheng.   Most of what has been said earlier seemed to hold in my test.  Just slightly slower and a little less spin on loops than the celluloid balls.  The difference was so little that I think it really got lost most of the time in the randomness of my poor technique.   I was never aware of making any conscious effort to change my technique in any of my rally strokes.
The one significant difference I did notice was in the way the balls bit into the table when serving underspin.  When waiting for someone to come to the table I often practice hitting the underspin serve that bounces once on my side, once on the other side, and then comes back over the net.  It is a way of working on getting good brushing contact spin on my serves.  When I tried with the new XSF ball I initially could not get it to go over the net.  It bounced and immediately came backwards toward me.  I had to significantly lower the trajectory of the serve (to get more forward motion) to make it go over the net.  I was really suprised at how low a serve I could hit and still get the ball to jump back over the net.  It was so different that I got a celluloid out and tried a few with it to confirm what I thought I was seeing.  Sure enough the celluoid balls would not only not come back over the net, they tended to bounce twice on the other side before they started back toward the net when I used the same low serve I used with the XSF balls.  For reference this was on a Joola SC 3000 table about 1-2 years old.  

When we started playing I saw the same pattern with double bounce underspin serves.  Lots of double bounces when the receiver went to loop, but the serve never came off the end of the table.  Lots of sudden lunges forward going for pushes of short underspin serves when the balls tended not to come as deep as expected.  It did not seem like there was lots more spin on the ball, it just seemed like they checked up much shorter for a given amount of spin than the celluloid balls.  I did not notice a significant difference in the way topspin shots or topspin serves behaved.

A couple of the lower rated players 1100-1300 level said that they liked the 40+ better than the regular celluloid ones.  It did seem that in warmup rallying they kept the ball on the table a little better than normal.  My initial impression was that this happened because the 40+ ball was just enough slower that it acted much like having a little extra topspin.  This allowed them to hit a little higher over the net and still get the ball to land without having to hit the heavier topspin that they have trouble doing consistently.  The ones who played a little more off the table seemed to get more help from the new 40+ ball than the ones who played close to the table.  

We did not break any balls during 2-3 hours of continuous play with the balls.

Mark - USATT rated 1870 (for reference in judging my above comments)

Edited by mjamja - 10/19/2014 at 3:21am

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
mjamja Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Platinum Member Joined: 05/30/2009 Status: Offline Points: 2895	Post Options Post Reply Quote mjamja Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: XSF 40+ Ball Test Posted: 10/19/2014 at 3:15am
	We had our first chance to try out some of the new Xushaofa 40+ seamless balls today. These were the black label in a box of 6 from eacheng. Most of what has been said earlier seemed to hold in my test. Just slightly slower and a little less spin on loops than the celluloid balls. The difference was so little that I think it really got lost most of the time in the randomness of my poor technique. I was never aware of making any conscious effort to change my technique in any of my rally strokes. The one significant difference I did notice was in the way the balls bit into the table when serving underspin. When waiting for someone to come to the table I often practice hitting the underspin serve that bounces once on my side, once on the other side, and then comes back over the net. It is a way of working on getting good brushing contact spin on my serves. When I tried with the new XSF ball I initially could not get it to go over the net. It bounced and immediately came backwards toward me. I had to significantly lower the trajectory of the serve (to get more forward motion) to make it go over the net. I was really suprised at how low a serve I could hit and still get the ball to jump back over the net. It was so different that I got a celluloid out and tried a few with it to confirm what I thought I was seeing. Sure enough the celluoid balls would not only not come back over the net, they tended to bounce twice on the other side before they started back toward the net when I used the same low serve I used with the XSF balls. For reference this was on a Joola SC 3000 table about 1-2 years old. When we started playing I saw the same pattern with double bounce underspin serves. Lots of double bounces when the receiver went to loop, but the serve never came off the end of the table. Lots of sudden lunges forward going for pushes of short underspin serves when the balls tended not to come as deep as expected. It did not seem like there was lots more spin on the ball, it just seemed like they checked up much shorter for a given amount of spin than the celluloid balls. I did not notice a significant difference in the way topspin shots or topspin serves behaved. A couple of the lower rated players 1100-1300 level said that they liked the 40+ better than the regular celluloid ones. It did seem that in warmup rallying they kept the ball on the table a little better than normal. My initial impression was that this happened because the 40+ ball was just enough slower that it acted much like having a little extra topspin. This allowed them to hit a little higher over the net and still get the ball to land without having to hit the heavier topspin that they have trouble doing consistently. The ones who played a little more off the table seemed to get more help from the new 40+ ball than the ones who played close to the table. We did not break any balls during 2-3 hours of continuous play with the balls. Mark - USATT rated 1870 (for reference in judging my above comments) Edited by mjamja - 10/19/2014 at 3:21am

Sponsored Links

igorponger Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Premier Member Joined: 07/29/2006 Location: Everywhere Status: Offline Points: 3252	Post Options Post Reply Quote igorponger Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 10/19/2014 at 4:51am
	Thanks you, mjamja Your present report clearly bespeaks that a lot of people would benefit pretty much over using the new plastics. Plastic favours the elder indeed. Celluloid material is unduly lively bounce, difficult to control properly. Seniors shall prefer the plastic above celluloid.. This is just a matter of time. Celluloid vanishes away out of the people's memory as soon as the 40+ plastic price gets down to a reasonable rate of 1 USD for a ball. Celluloid time is over, anyway.

haggisv Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Moderator Dark Knight Joined: 06/28/2005 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 5110	Post Options Post Reply Quote haggisv Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 10/19/2014 at 6:40am
	Very interesting observation mjamja! It sounds like it's biting more on the table surface, so the backspin slows down the service bounce more.
	Smart; VS>401, Dtecs OX Tenergy Alternatives \| My TT Articles

vanjr Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Gold Member Joined: 08/19/2004 Location: Corpus Christi Status: Offline Points: 1368	Post Options Post Reply Quote vanjr Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 10/19/2014 at 9:42am
	Well congrats to having a club with those balls. Sounds like your club has a very generous benefactor who supplied you with those balls. I bet he is quite handsome as well.

Baal Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Moderator Joined: 01/21/2010 Location: unknown Status: Offline Points: 14336	Post Options Post Reply Quote Baal Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 10/19/2014 at 10:07am
	I have noticed that too. Serves definitely behave differently. Sometimes it is good, sometimes it is bad, but you need to put some time in because some serves that used to work will celluloid will work better with 40+ and some won't work at all.