The high spirited table tennis equipment junkies sometimes go to the level of buying the topsheet of a table tennis rubber and assembling with their favorite sponge. In the market, there are sellers who do this for table tennis players - yes, they make money too.
Let me try to reveal some facts in regards to this.
The ITTF’’s instruction to every manufacture is that they have to assemble the racket coverings or rubbers with sponge in a factory before releasing it to the market. This is done at a factory. There are few reasons why this is done this way. (1) lower the environment pollution (2) health of the players (2) control of the chemicals in the process of assembling the rubber to the sponge.
Now getting back to the question on the availability of DHS Hurricane rubbers topsheet only. My sources say they are all fake. They are made in china by unauthorized rubber manufacturers to dupe the original DHS Hurricane. They are not ITTF approved.
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“The ITTF’s instruction to every manufacture is that they have to assemble the racket coverings or rubbers with sponge in a factory before releasing it to the market. This is done at a factory.”
Interesting. I have bought several sheets of RITC 802, some in sponge and some in topsheet only. I have two distinctly different topsheets both claiming to be 802. What gives? One sheet has smaller pimples. It feels thicker and less pliable. The other style has wider pimples, a richer black and a more elastic, stretchy rubber. The packaging for the ones with smaller pimples looks aged and yellowed, whereas the packaging for the wider pimples appears fresher. Could this be an updated version of 802??? What gives? (I’m posting this elsewhere on One of a Kind Trading to see if anyone knows. Cheers.)
You can post questions in our forum at http://www.tabletennisJunkie.com. I answer in that forum too.
Please rely on the factory sealed packages. I have written before about my dissatisfaction about Chinese companies branding their products. I don’t research much into Chinese products because of this reason.
In your case, it may be a two different topsheets made for two different sponges.