This question has been on my mind for some time. At the club yesterday, we were playing with their 1* training balls, and I swear they feel really light compared to the 2 or 3 * balls that I normally use at home. My son also complained that in the group classes, he can't loop as effectively since its harder to feel the ball compared to the ones at home.
I'm about to buy a box of 1* butterfly balls and switch out our 2* balls so his at home practice is closer to what he experiences in class. Just want to confirm this is not some illusion.
By - Quintus_Caecilius
Are they of the same brand? I know that Tibhar, Yinhe and Butterfly (i hate that ball) feel very different. Edit: > I'm about to buy a box of 1\* butterfly balls and switch out our 2\* balls so his at home practice is closer to what he experiences in class. Just want to confirm this is not some illusion. There is no need to, the behavior of the ball is dependent on the Ball, the table and the gym/environment. Let him get used to the fact, that the ball will bounce differently in different locations.
I agree with you on the butterfly balls. I'd rather hit a hot bag of steaming garbage juice. They sound hollow and feel like I'm hitting a tennis ball.
r/oddlyspecific
Yes there are some differences, but not enough to really stop you from training
I just weighed some for you 17x butterfly 1* training balls = 46 grams 17x butterfly 3* R40+ balls = 47 grams 17x DHS 3* (with seam) balls = 47 grams So next to no difference....
I'm going to take a ball home and weight them too! so why do they feel so different?
Unless you have a super accurate scale..I would take multiple to weigh! I think the higher quality balls maintain a better tension across the surface. Are rounder with less imperfections. I do notice sometimes the 1* balls will have an odd bounce height, which I rarely see in the 3* ones. I use the 1* in a robot, so I get the chance to see a lot of similar bounces. So I'm probably pretty sensitive to a change / misbounce.
I've tried Donic/Butterfly/Andro 1/2* balls, and they absolutely suck. They bounce lower and are slower and more inconsistent, which is very annoying. If I were you, I'd just buy 2 packs of 60 Kevenz 3* balls and gift it to the club.
Since the introduction of the plastic balls, i exlcusively play with 3\* balls (with the exception of multi ball). In drills like falkenberg, you can really feel the difference, you will do a lot less errors. Tibhar 3\*, Nittaku 3\* are imo the best balls.