Beat the Glue Ban

With the ITTF speed glue ban coming into force for junior competitions on 1 January 2008, Butterfly have developed a series of new products that comply with the new ITTF requirements and to help players overcome the effects of the ban. All of these products are based around the use of a new major development from Butterfly, Speed Optimizer One which has the following features:

1. Speed Optimizer One is a VOC free liquid made from oil and rubber which when applied to the rubber sponge creates a good speed effect. By itself, Speed Optimizer One is not sticky at all and therefore needs to be combined with a basic glue like Butterfly Free Chack.

2. Speed Optimizer One needs to be applied to the rubber sheet before it is fixed onto the blade. Dependent on the effect on each rubber, you can apply one, two, three of even more layers of Speed Optimizer One. However, there should be 12 hours drying time after each layer. Speed Optimizer One bends the rubber and provides an additional degree of tension.

3. Speed Optimizer is recommended for use with all Butterfly rubbers with the possible exception of Bryce Speed and Bryce Speed FX where testing is not yet complete.

4. The rubber sheet prepared with Speed Optimizer One will feel about 90% as if it has been fresh glued and this can be maintained for up to 14 days. However the feel is different to that of fresh gluing.

5. When you wish to apply Speed Optimizer One for the second or third time, one layer should be enough to reach a similar effect as in the first time that you use it on a new sheet. We recommend that you start with a glue-free rubber. Before trying to remove the Butterfly Free Chack glue from the rubber, apply one very thin layer of Speed Optimizer One and wait about 20 or 30 minutes. The Free Chack glue will then be much softer and can be peeled off very easily without harming the sponge.

6. Speed Optimizer One needs a little longer preparation time compared with other products but is able to maintain its effect for a longer period. Rubbers become a little softer after using the tuning liquids like Speed Optimizer One. The effect is a little different to fresh glued rubber. Sound, spin and catapult are very good.

7. Speed Optimizer One is VOC free and does not contain any substances that would interfere with the rubber sheet meeting the new ITTF regulations and testing requirements.

With the use of Speed Optimizer One, there are then 3 solutions available from Butterfly:

Solution 1 - Speed Optimizer One with Butterfly High Tune Rubbers

1. Since the beginning of this season, Butterfly have had available High Tune rubbers with Bryce, Sriver G2 and Sriver L. High Tune rubbers already include the tuned sponge so that speed and spin are increased automatically when compared with normal rubbers. In comparison with last season’s Power Sponge rubbers, there are some differences.

2. The effect of High Tune rubbers during the first days of use is a little less than with the former Power Sponge rubbers. The High Tune rubbers have less vapour pressure of VOC and are totally below the limit of ENEZ required for the racket control device.

3. The effect of High Tune rubbers is that the rubber sheet lasts longer and is much more consistent than was the case with the Power Sponge rubbers.

4. High Tune rubbers can be fixed with basic glue such as Butterfly Free Chack to the blade.

5. High Tune rubbers are quite hard in comparison with other rubbers that are prepared to be used with Speed Optimizer One. This is the reason why Butterfly only manufacture Bryce, Sriver L and Sriver G2 in High Tune and not any of the FX or softer versions.

6. Butterfly have received some very positive responses from some of the professional players and juniors who play at international level. The feedback Butterfly have received is that the combination of High Tune rubbers with one layer of Speed Optimizer One can be the perfect combination. This combination shows similar speed and spin to regular rubbers which have more layers of Speed Optimizer One with the sponge remaining a little harder.

Solution 2 - Speed Optimizer One with Bryce Speed and Bryce Speed FX

1. Bryce Speed and Bryce Speed FX are new High Tension rubbers but the amount of tension is much higher than the regular High Tension rubbers like Bryce, Sriver G2 and Catapult.

2. Both Bryce Speed and Bryce Speed FX are completely new rubbers with a new surface and a new sponge. They are based on Bryce but even faster, especially because the surface is modified so that more tension can be implemented without causing any quality problems.

3. Bryce Speed and Bryce Speed FX should be fixed to the blade by using only Butterfly Free Chack.

4. Bryce Speed is very powerful and is recommended for high level players and juniors who practise at least 3 times per week, whereas Bryce Speed FX is easier to play with and has a better catapult effect enabling players to execute dynamic top spins that can be controlled, not only close to the table but also from a medium distance.

5. Even though the amount of tension included in the rubber is already very high, it is possible to reach even higher spin and speed by applying one additional layer of Speed Optimizer One to Bryce Speed or Bryce Speed FX. VOC-containing fresh glue shall not be used, as it can cause defect of the rubber’s surface.

6. Speed Optimizer with Bryce Speed and Bryce Speed FX is still under test and therefore recommendations of these rubbers with Optimizer is still provisional. Bryce Speed and Bryce Speed FX are sufficiently dynamic to be an option without the use of Optimizer.

Solution 3 - Speed Optimizer One with Bryce, Sriver etc

1. Speed Optimizer One is very effective with normal rubbers like Bryce and Sriver. You should for example apply one layer of Speed Optimizer to the rubber at least 24 hours before use, then another layer 12 hours before use, then glue with Butterfly Free Chack one hour before you play to fix rubbers to the blade.

2. The speed effect will stay for about two weeks. Before using Speed Optimizer One for the second and subsequent times make sure that all of the glue is off the rubber before you treat them with the Speed Optimizer One and stick them to the blade. A thin layer of Speed Optimizer One assists with the removal of the Free Chack. You should then re-use Speed Optimizer One as above but now one layer normally is sufficient to achieve the required effect.

3. For players who use Sriver FX, Sriver EL or Bryce FX which have a softer sponge, the use of Speed Optimizer One should produce an even better result and comes very close to the former characteristics of fresh gluing.

Speed Optimizer One is now in stock at Tees Sport and we are carrying out further tests with Optimizer and different rubber and blade combinations.

For further information, contact me.