One thing I thought of that's a negative with superbands is that many times it'll put some wicked English on the ball - it can spin the ball so much that you'll swear your table isn't level. But it is. It's just the superbands...just adds another element of unpredictability to the game!

I notice the increased English too. Seems like a lot of pins in tourneys around here have 'Bands, so I've installed'em on mine to get used to them. They definitely look great, but I'm not skilled enough to see a huge difference between the two.

I respect your opinion, but have to disagree, I played with super bands (flippers not posts yet) and there is a HUGE difference in way the ball acts and the power of the ball you hit. If you cannot tell that's okay but it does totally change the feel of the game. I took them off pretty quickly. I hope I like the super posts better!

I have to disagree with that one.

The pins that I do have Super Bands on are ones where I need just a bit more "oomph" to make it up ramps, like MET. Super Bands feel like I upgraded my flipper coils.

They have a different feel from traditional rubber for sure, so like I said back when these first came out, there is definitely going to be a large group of people who don't like them.

I do it on a pin by pin basis, as they work great on some pins (MET), and not so good on others (AFM). I took them off my AFM because they shot the ball too strong, giving lots of airballs and balls flying off ramps.

I enjoy my super bands. They have the look and feel I want on my machines.

I'm a sucker for bling.

I only have them on one pin because it came with them. I like the bounce and it may sound silly but the see through too! That translucent just grabs my eyes when I look at them, better than looking at dirt I am thinking about buying them now for all my pins. I am pretty stingy though and it bums me out that I have a stockpile of the other rubbers and basically if I go Superbands I am throwing those away Maybe I could sell them for the cheap to another pin at a pin show or something...I hate wasting money and throwing stuff out

Exactly. I have super bands on about half my pins. They are great for some games, and not so good for others.

I agree 110% that they are a game by game basis. AFM is a good example, I found the exact same issue and removed mine from AFM. I have them on Sopranos and not sure they will stay, lot's of airballs and balls flying off ramps.

Chris Kruger

Nope. Just need strong hands. REALLY strong hands. Start from the point of the flipper and pull back until you can get the lip of the superband over the back of the flipper, then push down. Hard.

If that doesn't work, hook one end of the superband to the bumper of your car and have your kid punch the gas while you put downward pressure on the superband. After your rear wheels dig a three-foot hole in the yard trying to pull the superband far enough, you should be able to get it over the backside of the flipper.

Either way, it's a bitch.

If you don't have superman hands, then have a SECOND set of hands push down while you hold it near the edge (if that is as far as you can get).

The 2nd person makes this easy.
-mof

Bah-
Not that hard to put on. Just put them over the small end & push them over the big end with your thumbs. Yes, they go on harder than standard rubbers. You might use a touch of Novus #1 to make them slip over easier, but it's no big deal.

Again some games good and some bad. ST Pro, yes. LOTR no. Made dead flipper passes more difficult (ball would hit the slings)

I think there must be varying sizes or something. I've seen people say it took all their strength to put them on and others say it was no big deal. Me, I could not for the life of me get them on with my bare hands. I had to use a pretty thick screwdriver as a shoehorn and I was very scared the shaft was going to snap in half. Even with about 8 inches of leverage I was putting all my weight against the band to get it on.

I did not like them on ST. Took them off and found the warp ramp was way easier to hit.
Not a fan of the super bands.

It takes some strength, but I don't have a problem putting them on.

Makes sense to me. More grip means more energy from the flipper is being transferred to the ball.

I applied mine by this method :---- Place one side of the super band over the large end of the flipper bat, but don't push it right down. Place a small flat head screwdriver into the other side of the super band and using the leverage of the screw driver whilst holding a thumb on the other end stretch back and down over the end. You dont need to push it all the way on with the screw driver, just enough for it to NOT fly across the room Once you've done that, use your fingers to push the band all the way down. I used this method on chrome plated bats as well, worked fine!!

Since they became available last fall, I've switched all my machines over to super bands. I've started changing out the post rubbers, too.

They change the game enough that I jokingly call them "cheater rubbers". I find that I achieve better accuracy and power using them. Having said that, the ball spins around in enough unpredictable ways with the super-grippy rubber that you'll often see drains due to weird ball behavior that traditional flipper rubber just won't cause.

They're pretty, consistent across colors (if that's important to you) and don't need to be cleaned as much. They're more expensive, sure - but I'm not sure they'll need to be replaced any time soon.

Superbands for me, please!

Instead of a flat blade screwdriver that can slip and gouge the playfield I used a nut driver to push it down on the small end of the flipper. I also pre stretch them before putting them on the bat.

Chris Kruger

When I first tried putting them on, I was having a rough time. Several minutes of cursing later, I remembered somebody recommended using Windex...rubbed a little on there and they slipped right on.

I didn't leave them on Whirlwind, didn't care for the feel on that game, but have them on MET, LOTR, and Stargate. The slight speed increase is key on those games. And yes, there is a power difference.

They are on all my games.

https://picasaweb.google.com/107456614387039615357/SuperBands2013102002?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLa5z4fO2bOcEA&feat=directlink

I'm waiting for the rest of the designs (rings, posts, and slings).

PM sent.

Thats fair enough, but i forgot to mention that i removed the bat and shaft from the machine !! It wouldn't be possible to do it the way i suggested otherwise

We use superbands @ MPNY if not ,with the play these machines get, we would have gone through cases of flipper rubbers by now.

Since our opening we have not had to change one set of Superbands.

Ahhhhhh ok, much better. I could just see a screwdriver gouging a nice playfield.

ck

Don't know. I have put them on an early Bally SS, a late Williams EM, & a late model Stern - all different flipper bat types, & all went on with moderate effort. See u-tube link on proper install technique.

Using a screwdriver or other pry tool adds that much more distance that the bands have to stretch, plus possible damage to playfield if it slips.

I'm glad someone else said this...the closest a screwdriver ever gets to my PFs is about three inches. Any closer and I start twitching.

It probably wasn't the smartest move, but it was a last resort after wrestling with the bands for 15 minutes. I didn't start with the screwdriver.

I find them easy to put on cold. Put it over the big end of the flipper bat, and pull with two fingers toward the skinny end until it pulls over that end. Push it down from the top to seat all the way to the step. Takes about 5 seconds each.

For those of you who like superbands, why don't you just take the glass off of all your machines and reach in and grab the ball every time it goes in the outlane? You can use your fingers to activate roll-overs and targets. Then you can just grab the ball anytime you want to drop it in a hole or kicker.

Pinball is just way too hard when played as designed.

The easiest way to install the super bands by far is the method used in the video above.

I just drop mine in hot water for a few minutes wipe them dry and they slide on easy.

The glass comes off??

I love em'

I've put duct tape across my outlanes, but I haven't found any noticeable improvement in my score.

+1

see what I mean about haters exaggerating?

I liked super bands a lot on the games I played at SFGE this year that had them. So, I ended up buying them for all of my games.

Love my superbands and Joe is a super nice guy to boot!

No - they're actually very easy to install if you have a helper:
1. Slide a non-scratching cleaning cloth underneath the flipper. Then, starting from the inside "pull" the cloth further and further underneath the flipper - the cloth will lump togther and firmly lock the flipper in place (so the tip can't move towards the playfield any more). This will take any strain off the axle when installing the new rubbers.
2. Slide the superband over the thick end of the flipper and have someone put a finger on it so it won't slip off over the top.
3. Use both index fingers to pull the superband over the tip of the flipper.
4. Slide the superband down in place and adjust as needed.

Takes just one minute, doesn't put any strain on anything and doesn't require much strength.

This post is silly. I'd use another word, but "be nice"™....

It wasn't your opinion. It was the way you said it, which was belittling to anybody who has a dissenting opinion to yours. You may not agree with everybody, but you can at least be respectful about it.

you didn't express a dissenting opinion, you mocked everyone who uses them by likening the bands to taking off the glass and just hitting the switches by hand. don't pretend you weren't being hostile.

Clearly we have differing definitions of the word "hostile". I would simply suggest that anything that makes the game easier is something that should be avoided by the typical pinball enthusiast unless you have a specific need.

I just want to add that your post insinuated that using superbands is somehow cheating. It's not. If it was, the IFPA or PAPA wouldn't allow them in tournaments.