As others have already pointed out, there is a nice way, and a not so nice way to get your point across.

Gaga, googoo. You hurt my feelings by teasing me. Stop picking on me, you bully!

If you agree with the posts calling me a hostile hater, you better stay off the interwebs and stick with you daily affirmations:

Oh..okay. Now I get it. You don't just have a opinion that is uninformed and very unskillfully stated, but you're also a troll. No wonder you're a sad sack.

Just pre-stretch them for 10 seconds. Start by putting one side over the thin part of the flipper and while standing where the flipper points at you put both your thumbs inside the rubber.
Then just push away from you until the rubber slips over the flipper.
Not very difficult and no need for screwdrivers or liquids.
This was shown by Robin to me last week.

Eh, not a fan. They seem a lot less bouncy to me, which can make the ball easier to control in certain situations, but I use a good deal of bounce passes and they don't seem to react enough sometimes to bounce it over to my other flipper. I own a lot of older games as well with fewer steep ramps, so really no need for something with more zip. I do like them a little better on newer games that I have played other places. The best thing I can say about them is that on some occasions they look nicer than rubber, but they react and feel a lot different. A little too much change for this guy.

The nice way:

I ordered some last week when I ordered a ton of other parts. I'll throw them in a game tonight and see how I like them. If they are less bouncy then I'll go back to normal red rubbers.

I put them on some of my games from all eras (except eeety beeety 2" fleeper games) so my adaptation skills are in good tune. As soon as I see superbands, I am able to make the small but critical adjustments to my gameplay immediately now.

Are they different? Yes. Is it pinball? Yes. Do I play with them? I sure do and I love playing with people who complain about them through the entire game. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy all inside.

If you are frustrated in applying Super Bands I made a short video . Easy way to install Super Bands .

Yeah He isn't a fan of them at all.

This is why I stayed away. As soon as I heard catches were not the same, I didn't bother trying. I spent a lot of $$$ finding the right red rubber, as they are not all the same, and now only use NOS red or PBR red (both from PBR). I'm really picky about the flippers as a whole.

Super bands are the present and future of pinball. It's quite simple. They make machines look better. Isn't that the idea behind pinball machines. Flashing lights, bright colors,sounds that attract you and make you want to drop your quarters in the slot! For sure if manufacturers had the forethought to produce these bands 20 years ago they'd be the standard and we'd be thinking about the next super band today Like multi colored bands or two tone flipper bats that are red on top and white on the sides. How many times have you thought about a flipper bat/rubber combo that would make your machine look best. Add in new exciting colors that match today's LEDs and playfields people. That is unless you're restoring a machine to its factory fresh look. Whew. That was a 2 beer post

1, no
2. maybe
3. hell no
4. doubtful, get it out as fast and cheap as possible
5. before or after you wrote it?

Ok Calvin. I'll concede they're not the present. That was silly of me. But they're the future or a variation thereof. You watch!
Attracting the player with quarters in their pocket is exactly was pinball is all about. Don't you think a comic book collector is more likely to play x-men with the last $.50 in his pocket than big buck hunter. That's why they make these machines. I'd argue you could product the exact same machine with 2 different titles and 1 would make more mine than the other based on theme and attraction to it. You're prob right about kickem out as quick n cheap as possible. I prob misspoke when I said manufacturers would have produced them More likely, aftermarket companies like super bands would have done this a long time ago.

sure the game are designed to attract, but no one is going to play and dirty ugly *game* because it has pretty flipper urethane. but anyone who wants to play a pin will play one even with dirty red/black rubber. BBH vs superhero has nothing to do with the flipper rubber/urethane. a superhero fan wanting to play pinball with 50 cents will play superhero pin with dirty rubber before BBH with shiny urethane. reverse goes for a hunter guy looking to play a pin.

I bought and put them on my TZ, it makes that game so much easier. The freebies I got are still on my pinbot from Expo in the fall, I just haven't gotten around to taking them off. The expo freebies came off my WH2O right after expo since they made the game play completely differently and not in a good way. I got an AFM in January it came with urethane flippers. I had not played much AFM before acquiring it. I got to Mars and had everything but super jackpot needed to RTU, literally on the first game I played on it. I took the uretahne off and the game is much more difficult now and I've made it to that far just one more time.

Just wanted to state that i'm a convert when it comes to super bands.

Hated them after the first 10 games. But, as with post-production clearcoated play fields (which usually play like crap the first 100-200 games) you have to play them for while to let them to unfold their beauty.
Any new rubber band has overly much grip when just installed, only when dirt builds up they start to play "normal".
People using red standard bands and complaining about super bands not playing "normal" or "as intended by the designer of the pin" are starting to annoy me: Look at the flyer of your pins, most of them come with black rubbers originally and the red ones that i see on most pins are MILES away from black ones when it comes to bounce. Super bands are really close to original black ones in this category.

They also hold up extremely well. Had the problem that normal rubbers start chipping at the front tip after 20-40 games in my Monster Bash. Installed purple super bands many months ago and after endless plays they still look like new! Dirty? Just wipe them off and they look factory fresh - try that with conventional rings.

The only thing i don't like is some of the colors, the cheap plastic candy look of the red ones turns me off heavily.
Black and especially purple look beautiful, though.

My best tip is to leave them in a pin for a month, then switch back to normal bands and you will immediately ask yourself how you could ever not love super bands. Done this exercise with many fellow pinheads and even though many didn't like them at first, not one of them is using conventional rubbers any more today.

=)

Should I drink Coke or Pepsi?

That's what you asked. A few good ideas came out of the thread, I'm glad you asked.

-mof

I just prefer Bling Rings.

The super bands are hard as a rock and the clear rings are like white rubbers on steroids. Both went too far in opposite directions. I know the folks making these things are doing testing, but the player community has not warmed up to them at all. Pinball is a game of skill. These rings (especially) and flipper rubbers significantly increase the luck factor. If I want to play games of chance, I'll go to the nearest CEC thanks. At least I'll get some tickets for my efforts there.

I put the Saturn IFPA rubbers on my location Ripley's because it's already bastardized and they fit the theme, bizarre. I won't put urethane rubbers on any of my other games. At home or on location.

I just installed them in my cfbl. They replaced old black rubbers, but the super band's bounce seems more dead then the old rubbers. So no, I don't like them at all. They look nice but bounce horridly.

Well, opinions are like assholes, everyone has one.
To each their own.

Different players have different styles of play. Super bands seem to fit a certain kind of player just fine.

This ist the most unthoughtful, uninformed and ridiculous posts i've seen on Pinside in a long time.

Most "pro" players ( ..means "ranking high in the world list") i know here in Europe have switched their complete collection to super bands, including some quite famous guys.

Said it before: If you are not using the original (usually) black rubber bands on any of your pins you're disqualifying yourself anyway as e.g. red rubbers play much more differently from originals than super bands.
And even if you are using the original ones - are you 100% sure they play exactly like the originals produced 10 or 20 years ago? Or are you using NOS rubbers to be sure on that? Then again, the NOS ones have aged and also play differently than on production date... ...it's a vicious circle...

What's next? Is non-reflective glass also "cheating"? After all it gives a much clearer view of the playfield which wasn't intended by the designer and gives you an advantage...

I'm convinced. lol

But you are also aware that a winking smily means "irony", i hope.

EDIT: ooops, i took the wrong smily!!! corrected now...

Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one, but no one wants to hear yours.

Super Bands are awesome. Love the look and control feels no different. Tried out my first set on the Hook project I recently completed. Will definitely be getting more of these!

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I have them on some games and not others. Most of my modern DMD games have them. None of my early SS or EM games have them.

I put them on my Metallica right away; so I can't compare them to how it plays with the factory black rubber. On a few of my other games (MB for instance), I noticed it played differently. The shot trajectories were off and I think that had to do more with my timing being off because of where I *thought* the ball was on the flipper compared to where it *actually* was on the flipper. There was a bit of a 'learning curve' until I could get the shots down again and figure out exactly how the SBs react. I definitely wouldn't go back and forth between SBs and regular rubber for sure.

I did have a handful of the SB mini post rubbers and put them on my Spider-man and those are real nice. I hated getting the white mini-post 'dandruff' inside the game as the white mini-posts started to disintegrate. The prices of the mini-post rings just seem to be ridiculously high IMHO. But, I guess, if you never have to change them out it may not be too bad.

Super bands are awesome (IMHO too), but you can't feel the difference in control?
-- There were two Metallica pins side by side @ the NW pin show this year at the Pinbulbs booth. One blinged out with their LED's & equipped with super bands and the other totally stock.
You can really tell a major difference when you have them side by side on the same game.

I'm a terrible player and I can definitely tell the difference between super bands and regular flippers.

If super bands made me play worse, I wouldn't be using them. Take what you want from that.

WOW! That looks so easy, I will try it next time instead of going from the other end.

thanks for the vid!!

Ck

The technique dasvis shows is very easy. It's what I used to put my bands on last night.

Once the bounce is fixed on these things I'll use them. I also don't know how I feel about the extra grippyness. I use roll-over passing a lot, losing that is kind of a bummer too.

You can still roll-over pass with super bands.

I know, it just happens a little less often now though.

The reason weaker players like them is because they improve shot accuracy, due to being so friggin hard. It's like the difference between hitting a hardball with a wiffle bat or a real wooden bat. Of course the harder one is going to be more accurate and feel stronger.

Whatever you gain in shot accuracy is more than offset by loss of ball control. Yes, they are grippy, but they play way too different than conventional rubbers. If you use these on all your games, your chances of improving your skills are decreased. Enjoy the improved accuracy because your ball control skills will likely never improve significantly. You get a little bump in your score now, but that's it. If you want to keep improving your skills, don't put them on all your games.

I just recently got these, the biggest issue I had with them is putting them on. It was frustrating and difficult (for me), you do need some decent hand strength. I eventually went online to figure out how you put them on. Even after watching the videos it still wasn't easy. I ended up with the zip-tie method working for me. Getting them on is difficult then trying to adjust them down if you didn't get them on right, even more. But I do like them. I think they are great, but frustrating to apply.

As high as I was last night, I still had no urge to put super bands on any of my machines.
I like them just the way the are.

Did you make them gauges for your ears instead?

LOL !
-mof

Well, that explains quite a bit.

I don't quite think your machine will magically morph into the Pinball Arcade counterpart and turn you to into Bowen Kerins... Have a little common sense.

Was it Superbands or the Saturn Rings that had the different durometer ratings? I may get some when I use up all of my stock of flipper bands, but I'd like them to have similar bounce to red rubber.

Saturn Bands had a bounce somewhere between red and black rubber rings I believe. But I read that those rings tend to break fairly quickly. Superbands have less bounce then black rubbers but are very durable. Both rubber alternatives are easy to clean.

Cmon dude, thats a complete crock. Having super bands on your machine DOESN'T instantly make you a SUPER player, the difference is not that noticeable!!. I started playing pinnies when i was 6 or 7 (All EM's) and have played a lot (not all) machines right through to present day models. There is a difference, i have already stated that in a previous post, but, (to use a different analogy), it does NOT turn a 1 minute 100 meter runner into a Usain Bolt FFS !!!

To me the biggest difference is it makes moves like live catches very easy while bounce passes much harder to gauge. Bottom line is controlling the ball is much easier with them this taking away so of the ball control skills many advanced players have come close to perfecting over years of playing on standard rubber.

Games are just flat out more fun to play with the super bands. That is all I care about myself

Personally, I like them. They aren't a major investment, buy a few and try them out. If you don't like them, put rubber ones back on!

I highly disagree. Way too much grip for me and pretty much no bounce. Lost plenty of balls trying simple bounce passes that drained down the middle. I hated them and they were off a week after I put them on.

I'd love to see you play my STTNG with superbands and show me how easy it is.