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What is the "it" abs ball right now?

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    Posted: 06/05/2019 at 1:44pm
Last balls I've bought (they last forever) were the DHS 40+ ABS with Ding Ning on the box.

Some still swear by the original nittaku premiums..

Is there a general consensus of the better ball to use as the moment or keep with the DHS 40+'s? Some at our club balk that they aren't truly round and seem "soft".

Also..is there a better training ball out there for less cost? I mean, the DHS's are pretty cheap to me and wouldn't mind just using them, but a friend has asked me.

I personally didn't care for the Butterfly balls.

Thanks.


Edited by j-bo - 06/05/2019 at 1:52pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CoachMcAfee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/05/2019 at 2:19pm
Like most clubs, we tried many different balls, but over the last year we settled on the Joola Prime Balls.  We normally put about 30 balls out for each table and mix the Joola Prime and the Joola Magic ABS balls (training balls).  Very few if any of the players check to see which they are hitting with as both work fine for training.  The Joola Balls are also very well priced.  

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote NextLevel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/05/2019 at 3:13pm
Any seamed ABS ball tends to play well these days as long as it is ITTF approved. 
I like putting heavy topspin on the ball...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Eric Fountain Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/05/2019 at 4:15pm
Originally posted by j-bo j-bo wrote:

is there a better training ball out there for less cost?

Paddle Palace Club provides Nittaku J-Top 40+ Training balls (the Paddle Palace stamped ones) and honestly I don't notice much of a difference. They play totally fine. Most people don't bother to break out Premiums unless they are worried about a tournament coming up. What balls are tournaments in your area using? That would be the biggest driver. If Premiums, these J-Tops would probably worth trying for a cheaper ball. I haven't tried new DHS D40+ to compare but obviously the older DHS 40+ were complete garbage. I always found the XSF balls fun but they are way too different in style to Nittaku so no point.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote NextLevel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/05/2019 at 4:28pm
Originally posted by Eric Fountain Eric Fountain wrote:

Originally posted by j-bo j-bo wrote:

is there a better training ball out there for less cost?

Paddle Palace Club provides Nittaku J-Top 40+ Training balls (the Paddle Palace stamped ones) and honestly I don't notice much of a difference. They play totally fine. Most people don't bother to break out Premiums unless they are worried about a tournament coming up. What balls are tournaments in your area using? That would be the biggest driver. If Premiums, these J-Tops would probably worth trying for a cheaper ball. I haven't tried new DHS D40+ to compare but obviously the older DHS 40+ were complete garbage. I always found the XSF balls fun but they are way too different in style to Nittaku so no point.

I agree that balls used at the tournaments you play should mostly drive the balls you choose to use.  If you don't play tournaments,  most of the seamed ABS balls are fairly comparable.
I like putting heavy topspin on the ball...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lula Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/05/2019 at 4:33pm
the yasaka training balls we us is almost like eggs. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote j-bo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/05/2019 at 4:57pm
Originally posted by NextLevel NextLevel wrote:

Originally posted by Eric Fountain Eric Fountain wrote:

Originally posted by j-bo j-bo wrote:

is there a better training ball out there for less cost?

Paddle Palace Club provides Nittaku J-Top 40+ Training balls (the Paddle Palace stamped ones) and honestly I don't notice much of a difference. They play totally fine. Most people don't bother to break out Premiums unless they are worried about a tournament coming up. What balls are tournaments in your area using? That would be the biggest driver. If Premiums, these J-Tops would probably worth trying for a cheaper ball. I haven't tried new DHS D40+ to compare but obviously the older DHS 40+ were complete garbage. I always found the XSF balls fun but they are way too different in style to Nittaku so no point.


I agree that balls used at the tournaments you play should mostly drive the balls you choose to use.  If you don't play tournaments,  most of the seamed ABS balls are fairly comparable.


Those are the best points.. use what tournaments use.. but they use butterfly, nittaku, and some others.

We do have some nittaku j's.. good choice on training.

Thanks a bunch.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote NextLevel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/05/2019 at 5:03pm
Originally posted by j-bo j-bo wrote:

Originally posted by NextLevel NextLevel wrote:

Originally posted by Eric Fountain Eric Fountain wrote:

Originally posted by j-bo j-bo wrote:

is there a better training ball out there for less cost?

Paddle Palace Club provides Nittaku J-Top 40+ Training balls (the Paddle Palace stamped ones) and honestly I don't notice much of a difference. They play totally fine. Most people don't bother to break out Premiums unless they are worried about a tournament coming up. What balls are tournaments in your area using? That would be the biggest driver. If Premiums, these J-Tops would probably worth trying for a cheaper ball. I haven't tried new DHS D40+ to compare but obviously the older DHS 40+ were complete garbage. I always found the XSF balls fun but they are way too different in style to Nittaku so no point.


I agree that balls used at the tournaments you play should mostly drive the balls you choose to use.  If you don't play tournaments,  most of the seamed ABS balls are fairly comparable.


Those are the best points.. use what tournaments use.. but they use butterfly, nittaku, and some others.

We do have some nittaku j's.. good choice on training.

Thanks a bunch.

I live in a tournament heavy area and the ones I play use Nittaku and Gewo and seamless. I don't play with the balls all the time  I just know which balls are similar (Joola Prime and Gewo Select are) and which ones to use if I am going to play in an event that uses them.  No need to play regularly with every ball.  I got given a large number of Nittakus so I use those for practice matches but I also use the Joola Prime and wish more clubs would use them so we can escape the ball diversity.   If Joola manages to become the ball at the Nationals, that will be a great day.

I like putting heavy topspin on the ball...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote vik2000 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/05/2019 at 5:38pm
I like Nittaku, DHS, Joola and XSF balls. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote trumpet_guy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/05/2019 at 7:48pm
I still prefer Nittaku Premium *** 40+
DHS D40+ is a decent alternative, but doesn't feel as hard, and feels lighter, though it's probably very similar in weight to the Nittaku


Edited by trumpet_guy - 06/05/2019 at 7:49pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cole_ely Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/06/2019 at 11:52am
Yinhe has a 3 star ittf approved ball now, the Y+
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mickd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/06/2019 at 8:21pm
My favorite is the Nittaku Premium. I also bought 6 boxes of the DHS D40+ when I went to China 2 years ago. I'm still half way through the first box after 2 years... I think only 1 or 2 balls broke. The rest I "lost". They're VERY durable and consistent. The Nittaku Premium breaks quite often, but the ball feels great.

The D40+ 3* balls were like less 30 cents each too...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Simas Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/07/2019 at 12:12am
Yes, I would agree, that Nittaku was and still is the "it" ball. For the price too LOL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ericd937 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/07/2019 at 2:22am
Originally posted by trumpet_guy trumpet_guy wrote:

I still prefer Nittaku Premium *** 40+
DHS D40+ is a decent alternative, but doesn't feel as hard, and feels lighter, though it's probably very similar in weight to the Nittaku

Nearly identical weight, the difference in feeling is due to the hardness. I weighed them on my digital scales awhile back. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ericd937 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/07/2019 at 2:25am
In Vietnam over 90% of the players level E and above use Nittaku Premium balls. I had some of the new orange Nittaku balls and no one wanted to even give it a try. In apartment complex the players are a little bit lower. Those guys warm up with Yinhe seemless balls and then switch to Nittaku for playing games. lol I'm not sure what the point of that is. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote YoAss Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/07/2019 at 5:28am
I have different experiences than most with the DHS D40+.  I bought a few boxes (production run: XCAG) that were truly excellent, quite the ball as described in the rave reviews given by many here and on other forums.

So I thought I'd replace all threestars at the club, and bought a gross of them.  This time I received another batch ("XHAG").  About 1 in 10 was playable - round enough, had a bounce, and were hard enough.  About 9 in 10 were duds, played like leaky balloons.  Most of these were still quite round, but there also were quite a few eggs among the duds.  And the minority of playable balls wasn't as durable, started going soft and "gooey" quite soon - often developing minor cracks and actual leaks.

They're probably great balls for a good production run, but having been burned I've developed a distrust of the related QA.  I'm not buying these again, but I've since been very happy with the Stiga Perform 40+ threestar as a substitute for the Nittaku Premium.  Which is great, but inaffordable at scale.


Edited by YoAss - 06/07/2019 at 5:29am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ericd937 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/07/2019 at 9:30am
All of my experience with DHS balls has also been terrible. They aren't round, they don't bounce properly, they have no feel, and they feel soft. All the DHS balls in Vietnam must be from the bad batch you mentioned. 




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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote fmarek Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/08/2019 at 2:48am
DHS D40+ "white", not quite white and that's how you differentiate between good and not so good. Not so white (grayish) are perfect balls. Much more durable than over-hyped Nittakus. I played both a lot. All Nittaku ones cracked. Just rubbish from durability point of view, not sure what is good about them. $4 AUD per ball if you are lucky. Really??

D40+ reacts to spin very well, has decent kick and weights the same. In 80% cases I have to take the next D40+ ball is because previous lost it's grip and got polished like a mirror. Nitakku's usually do not survive until that day LOL

Sanwei ABS Pro in golden package plays very similar to D40+, I would say identical and also do not crack. Many players who first tried Sanwei asked me if this is Butterfly ball, probably there is a similarity. I haven't played Butterfly, I don't know. 

Personally I have both Sanwei and DHS in my bag, taking them at random and do not notice difference. Same all my mates, excluding those who are hooked to Nittaku, for reason I cannot understand :)


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ericd937 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/08/2019 at 5:35am
Originally posted by fmarek fmarek wrote:

DHS D40+ "white", not quite white and that's how you differentiate between good and not so good. Not so white (grayish) are perfect balls. Much more durable than over-hyped Nittakus. I played both a lot. All Nittaku ones cracked. Just rubbish from durability point of view, not sure what is good about them. $4 AUD per ball if you are lucky. Really??

D40+ reacts to spin very well, has decent kick and weights the same. In 80% cases I have to take the next D40+ ball is because previous lost it's grip and got polished like a mirror. Nitakku's usually do not survive until that day LOL

Sanwei ABS Pro in golden package plays very similar to D40+, I would say identical and also do not crack. Many players who first tried Sanwei asked me if this is Butterfly ball, probably there is a similarity. I haven't played Butterfly, I don't know. 

Personally I have both Sanwei and DHS in my bag, taking them at random and do not notice difference. Same all my mates, excluding those who are hooked to Nittaku, for reason I cannot understand :)


So, I've had a total different experience with Nitakku balls too. Usually, for me they start losing their zip before they actually crack. I usually stop using them because the bounce goes away and they stop spinning as well rather than an actual crack. Normally, the Nittaku premium balls last me a good 10 hours of play. The manufacturers must send different batches of balls to different continents. 

Also, on a side note. I played with some TSP balls that weren't too bad. I've only seen those around a few times. Any idea who makes them? 



Edited by ericd937 - 06/08/2019 at 5:36am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Simas Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/08/2019 at 1:43pm
how about Xushaofa balls? Were very popular some time ago (maybe because they were seamless), but now don't see them a lot...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cole_ely Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/08/2019 at 2:32pm
Originally posted by Simas Simas wrote:

how about Xushaofa balls? Were very popular some time ago (maybe because they were seamless), but now don't see them a lot...

So many are sold under other brands, but I don't think there is a seamless abs ball.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote henningf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/09/2019 at 6:34am
If I where to go by price DHS D40+. Trouble with the D40+ is that they have a tendency to get «polished» relativly fast. The nittaku balls are the best I play with. They last a long time, and is one of two balls used for tournaments here, the other one is stiga balls, I prefer the nittakus.

Edited by henningf - 06/09/2019 at 9:02am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote igorponger Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/09/2019 at 7:23am
DF V40+ is far underrated. The latter batches of 2019 are a great quality product. Give it a try, anyway ...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote vanjr Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/09/2019 at 6:49pm
NP 40+ is supreme at my club and any I visit in Texas. I think the gambler P40+ is plenty good and cheaper. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote mjamja Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/09/2019 at 10:13pm
Originally posted by vanjr vanjr wrote:

NP 40+ is supreme at my club and any I visit in Texas. I think the gambler P40+ is plenty good and cheaper. 

Anyone know who is making the Gambler P40+?  I hit with some and they did seem pretty good.

Mark
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote col6628 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/10/2019 at 2:12pm
xushaofa balls are used at  vetts tournaments in england
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cole_ely Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/10/2019 at 2:38pm
Originally posted by mjamja mjamja wrote:

Originally posted by vanjr vanjr wrote:

NP 40+ is supreme at my club and any I visit in Texas. I think the gambler P40+ is plenty good and cheaper. 

Anyone know who is making the Gambler P40+?  I hit with some and they did seem pretty good.

Mark

Since they're seamless, you have to presume it's xfs.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mjamja Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/10/2019 at 3:16pm
Originally posted by cole_ely cole_ely wrote:

Originally posted by mjamja mjamja wrote:

Originally posted by vanjr vanjr wrote:

NP 40+ is supreme at my club and any I visit in Texas. I think the gambler P40+ is plenty good and cheaper. 

Anyone know who is making the Gambler P40+?  I hit with some and they did seem pretty good.

Mark

Since they're seamless, you have to presume it's xfs.

The P40+ that I have do have a seam.

Mark
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote qpskfec Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/11/2019 at 12:08am
Gambler P40+ is a DHS D40+ clone. Looks and plays exactly like good quality D40+ balls. Best bang for the buck at $25 for 36 balls.

You can get D40+ cheaper from alie or ttnpp, but the quality of the balls I have got from them was iffy.

Edited by qpskfec - 06/11/2019 at 12:23am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote YoAss Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/11/2019 at 3:01am
XSF*** is the most commonly played ball over here (NL), competitions as well as tournaments.

It's a good ball.  If it would be a bit cheaper and would not break so easily (a single edge clip will do the trick) it would be entirely unchallenged.
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