Do you really need edge tape for your racket?

Edge Tapes for table tennis rackets are available for almost all pre-made rackets and commonly used while assembling the rackets. This round tape of sticker used around the edges of the rackets are pretty popular and ofter referred as “Side tapes” as well. If you are buying a custom racket, then you probably think if it is worth spending extra (5-10$) to add a Edge tape on your racket. Let’s find out about these edge tapes.

SEE ALSO: Ideal Weight of a Table Tennis Racket

Why do players put edge tapes?

Players buy edge tapes because of

• A lot of people feel the rackets looks better with a tape around the edges. The sides of the racket without edge tapes looks empty but some players prefer that styles as well.
• Protects your racket from outside dust and even protects your blade to look fresh from the sides when you replace new rubbers.
• Sponsorships from the different brands and to showcase their affiliation with that brand. This helps the brands and the player as well because of contract between the player and the table tennis brand.
• Some players cut a small part of edge tape and put on the blade just to showcase their affiliation with a brand.
• Some players use the edge tapes as they feel their weight distribution is better with the tape.
• Professional players also change their rubbers quite often & hence some don’t put tapes because it’s a hassle to do it every other day. Regular players don’t often change their rubbers. Think about last time you changed your racket’s rubber.

Different types of edge tapes

The edge tapes are made up of different materials but usually look similar in feed with a brand or a design. Usually these side tapes are made of either “cloth material, synthetic leather, or PVC”. The tapes comes with adhesive that can stick with the racket & rubber for a longer time. The edges tapes usually comes in either a pattern or a brand names based design and the designer tapes are usually little bit more costly because of aesthetics.

Does edge tape protect your blade?

The edge tapes does protect your racket but only from a few things

• Dust particules from entering the racket
• Keep the outer look and feel of bare blade intact

It doesn’t protect your racket from table edges. However if you are having a thicker edge tape, it can protect a tiny bit of your blade but the thicker the edge tape, the more it will affect the racket. (Remember that the table tennis rackets usually are not heavy.)

SEE ALSO: Commonly Used Wood in Table Tennis Rackets

Do you really need edge tape for your racket?

The answer depends on your requirements & it’s quite simple choice to make. If you don’t change your rubber often & like the look of the tape on racket then go ahead. If you feel it affects your gameplay, then don’t use the edge tapes.

Question: Do professional players use edge tapes? Answer: Depends on player to player. Many professional players use edge tapes just for sponsorship purpose. Some player use it for making the racket balance feel better. Some don’t use it at all as they feel that the edge tapes affects racket weight & vibrations.

Best Edge tapes

Some of the edge tapes of brands such as Butterfly, Stiga, Tibhar, Joola, Donic are quite popular.

• Butterfly Orange Edge Tape on Amazon.com | Amazon.in
• Tibhar Red/Blue Edge Tape on Amazon.com | Amazon.in

TTCrunch team uses thin edge tapes for the look and feel of the racket. 🤩

Conclusion

Edge tapes are pretty cool if you like them and don’t feel they affect your game. Thin edge tapes usually don’t affect the properties of the game and you can definitely get them. Enjoy the sport and have fun.

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