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Silicone Rings instead of rubber

Seven

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Oct 6, 2015
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Is anyone using these? What do you think of them? Do they feel/play the same as regular rubber?

I've been curious about these but haven't played a machine fitted with them. I like the idea of something that lasts longer - especially on those machines where the rubber is hard to get at.
 

quarter grabber

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May 29, 2013
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Yes, get them! I did my entire LOTR in Titan competition rubbers and they preform EXACTLY like red regular rubbers. I was so impressed by them that I did my entire TWD LE in glow in the dark Titan competition rubbers, then I sold it :deluxe picard:
But make sure you get the "COMPETITION" rubbers and not the regular Titans!
 
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Seven

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That sounds promising. I'm not a fan of Superbands. I feel they're too grabby and not enough bouncy. I was worried the Titans would be the same.

I think I'll order some for a few machines I have set for re-rubbering. I like the sound of glow in the dark. :)
 

Slam_Tilt

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Yes, get them! I did my entire LOTR in Titan competition rubbers and they preform EXACTLY like red regular rubbers. I was so impressed by them that I did my entire TWD LE in glow in the dark Titan competition rubbers, then I sold it :deluxe picard:
But make sure you get the "COMPETITION" rubbers and not the regular Titans!

Don't believe it. I'll admit I have not tried Titan competition "rubbers" but I have the various other brands. The fact is you can not get silicone to act with the same properties as rubber. Maybe I'll change my mind if I try them but doubt it. I'll just stick with good old rubber. Usually when its time to change the pf rubber its also time to shop the game again and flipper rubber is very easy to replace.
 

quarter grabber

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Don't believe it. I'll admit I have not tried Titan competition "rubbers" but I have the various other brands. The fact is you can not get silicone to act with the same properties as rubber. Maybe I'll change my mind if I try them but doubt it. I'll just stick with good old rubber. Usually when its time to change the pf rubber its also time to shop the game again and flipper rubber is very easy to replace.
Seven, please disregard this ^^^^^^^. How can you possible give an opinion on something you haven't tried? It's like saying "I hate the way Honda's feel when they drive", we'll have you driven a Honda? "No, but I just know they drive bad". Silly isn't it. Go buy some Titan "COMPETITION" rubbers and report back THEN. But I'm sure your opinion will be different after ACTUALLY trying them. I hate super bands and regular Titans as well, they all suck but the "competition" Titan rubbers are a different breed.
 

quarter grabber

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That sounds promising. I'm not a fan of Superbands. I feel they're too grabby and not enough bouncy. I was worried the Titans would be the same.

I think I'll order some for a few machines I have set for re-rubbering. I like the sound of glow in the dark. :)

Yeah super bands suck balls <3
 

Vengeance

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I've said this about LED's that look like Incandescent but apparently it needs to be said about rubber as well.

If you want rings that play like rubber rings, BUY MOFO RUBBER RINGS!

I'll never be able to justify the cost of any of this crap when rubber is 1/2 the cost of something that is trying to pretend to be rubber.

And don't even try to tell me about longevity, unless you are running your machines on route you don't have a leg to stand on. Machines in the home environment will NEVER see the use necessary to make the extra longevity of not rubber rings being necessary.
 

Menace

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I agree with what Adam has said, but I will say I'm getting REALLY tired of the current rubber ring MFG's... I don't know who or where it's being made these days but a LOT of it is crap. There is no consistency from any one supplier, and the last batch I got I had different shades and hardness all from the same supplier. Not to mention this new stuff just isn't lasting long at all. Flipper rings especially are literally deteriorating after a couple hundred games! Compare that to the stuff ABC was turning out, and it's literally night and day.

D
 

Slam_Tilt

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Nov 20, 2012
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Seven, please disregard this ^^^^^^^. How can you possible give an opinion on something you haven't tried? It's like saying "I hate the way Honda's feel when they drive", we'll have you driven a Honda? "No, but I just know they drive bad". Silly isn't it. Go buy some Titan "COMPETITION" rubbers and report back THEN. But I'm sure your opinion will be different after ACTUALLY trying them. I hate super bands and regular Titans as well, they all suck but the "competition" Titan rubbers are a different breed.

Wow, did you even read my post? First of all I said "I don't believe it" not that it "doesn't have the same properties as rubber". Was not giving an opinion on them but my doubt. Also admitted that I have not tried them and said "Maybe I'll change my mind if I try them but doubt it.". And the reason I say that is because silicone and urethane are completely different materials and to be able to get them to act in the exact same way when talking about bounce, grip, tackiness, etc is nearly impossible. Many brands have tried and failed. If Titan has somehow done it when no one else could then great. But I still want to test myself before I'll believe it. And from what I read of them they aren't exactly like original rubber but come more close than any of the other silicone bands.

So next time read carefully before you mouth off. I know thats very hard for you.
 
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Seven

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If you want rings that play like rubber rings, BUY MOFO RUBBER RINGS!

I'm more interested in using something like Titans on hard to reach areas. If it is close to how rubber feels, but lasts longer and is easier to clean, I'm all for it.

Plus, glow in the dark! That will look really good on my Batman Forever and TFTC. Look is really secondary though.

I'm going to order some and give it a shot. I have a couple machines that need a going over (full cleaning, wax, rerubber, LEDs, etc). I figure I'll test these out on those two machines first since I'll have the playfields stripped down anyway.
 

Seven

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Yeah super bands suck balls <3

I really think it depends on the machine.

70% of the machines I've bought had them. I've taken them off every machine I own except Hardbody. That game can be a little ruthless and having the extra grip on the ball helps. I might try them on Motordome because that machine is the same way.

I'm interested in trying the Titan flipper bands. See how they feel.
 

quarter grabber

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So next time read carefully before you mouth off. I know thats very hard for you.

Ya had to add that last little bit eh. Apparently it's hard for you not to mouth off either big boy. I did read very carefully. I read you stating what the "facts" are about silicone, what makes you an expert on these nonsensical "facts"? Pretty much nothing. So next time you want to go all Rocky Marshmallow on someone, you read your own post very carefully first.
 

quarter grabber

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Also Adam, to be fair.. in a home environment, rubber may not wear out as fast but age will still catch up with it, and they'll begin to dry out and crack
This is so true! I've made PBL orders were I received them in the mail already dried and cracked :(
Also they come in some pretty cool colours that I don't think regular rubbers come in?
 

Vengeance

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Nov 14, 2012
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What is the longest either of you have had a machine? (Brock, Ryan)

I'd guess maybe at most what a year or two tops, maybe 3 on the high end?

I shopped my TZ right around I'd say a 8 - 10 years ago and I'd also argue my games get more play then any of yours would since I'm hosting league nights on at least a quarterly basics and aside from a quick wipe down every so often, I still have not needed to replace a single rubber aside from the flipper rubber.
 

quarter grabber

Active Member
May 29, 2013
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Ottawa
What is the longest either of you have had a machine? (Brock, Ryan)

I'd guess maybe at most what a year or two tops, maybe 3 on the high end?

I shopped my TZ right around I'd say a 8 - 10 years ago and I'd also argue my games get more play then any of yours would since I'm hosting league nights on at least a quarterly basics and aside from a quick wipe down every so often, I still have not needed to replace a single rubber aside from the flipper rubber.

I completely agree with this ^^^^^^^^. However I put Titans on my games strictly for esthetics (the different colours) and because I could get that effect with a very small if any difference in gameplay. I know you could care less how a game looks, it's more about how it plays for you so there are no surprises in tournaments. Everybody's different and likes different things. But for people that want bright vibrant colours that you can't get with regular rubbers but want the same feel and gameplay as regular rubbers, Titan competition rubbers are a great choice. And I think the title I've owned the longest is Tron. Bought it when it was first released, so maybe three years is my longest ownership of a title. I know Brock LOVES Iron Man so maybe that is the one he has had the longest?