Racket Info

A racket is composed of a blade and rubber. You can purchase a manufacturer-assembled racket or you can create a custom racket by selecting the blade and rubber separately and then assembling them yourself or having us assemble them (see Racket Assembly).

Rubber Color

The rules state that one side of the racket must be bright red and the other side black. So, if you are selecting rubber to create a racket, be sure to get one sheet of each color. If you are a penholder who uses only one sheet of rubber on your racket, we sell a red or black penhold backside color sheet that you can affix to the back of your blade.

Manufacturer-Assembled vs. Custom

Generally, manufacturer-assembled rackets are lower quality (and less expensive) than custom rackets. However, a few of the more expensive ones use tournament-quality blades or rubber. If you are looking to put together a custom racket, we offer lots of blade/rubber combos (a blade/rubber combo is where we sell a blade with various choices of rubber at a savings from the individual prices).

All of our manufacturer-assembled penhold-grip rackets, except for the STIGA Energetic CR PHC Racket (PHC) and STIGA Performance WRB PHC Racket (PHC), have rubber on only one side.

Manufacturer-Assembled Glue

In general, manufacturer-assembled rackets use different glue that is much stronger than the glue that we sell. As such, while it may be possible to remove the rubber, it will not be easy. So, when the rubber wears out, most people just get a whole new racket. DONIC-Schildkröt QRC rackets are the exception: they are designed so that the rubber is easy to remove.

If bits of glue or sponge remain attached to the wood after you get the rubber off, you can use sandpaper to remove them.

How Long a Racket Lasts

For information on how long a racket will last, see Rubber Life and Care and How Long a Blade Lasts.

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