KTL Stranger is NOT a treated pips rubber

[George Voppw]

I would not recommend it, but KYL stranger is a tacky LP
https://youtu.be/FW8zXazp--w

Hello sir,
I believe this is a manufacturing error for just a bad batch shipped. I used to use KTL stranger for more than 5 years because this was the best rubber available after the plastic ball change.
I have about 5 or 6 sheets and none of them are tacky.
I bought two sheets from a dealer called GH Sports on Ali Express. What happened was that the package was stuck to the pips with glue. I am not sure how this happened or by design,
I asked for a refund. GH Sports asked me to take a picture as proof. I explained to them I really cannot take a picture because I cannot separate the pips from the package paper & I explained I may rip or damage the pips if I am going to send them back. They kept refusing & I really gave up.
This is one of the problems with many dealers in general on Ali Express. I always try to buy on Ebay from China or Hong Kong I am always covered.
KTL Stranger was the best long pips for choppers before the plastic ball change & much much better than Feint Long 3. Tremendous control & tremendous back spin (spin reversal) & I can also attack. I prefer high control long pips with maximum backspin. I used to use Feint Long Classic before it was banned
I suspect the videos you posted above & the one by Igor may be disinformation sleaze propaganda manufactured by pips haters to spread rumors that most players who use long pips or anti are bigger cheats & exist in much larger in number than those who boost while the opposite is true.

Anyone can take any pips and paint glue over the pips & make a video to start sleazy rumors

Ask yourself this. Do you think KTL would have submitted this rubber to ITTF for initial approval like that ? Do you think someone like Igor at ITTF labs not go crazy with anger if KTL submitted such a treated rubber ?
Let us assume KTL submitted a non sticky version and got ITTF approval. Are you saying that KTL had been selling sticky version rubbers for 7 or 8 years now without any repercussion from ITTF ? There had been cases of manufacturers like Dawei submitting rubbers with rough pip tops ( high friction) long pips but manufacturing errors caused them to release some batches with smoother pip tops (frictionless) & ITTF immediately took action even though the manufacturer was not doing this deliberately and was an honest error in manufacturing process
KTL Stranger is available from many other dealers and are not like what you all describe.
BTW I moved on to a far far superior chopping long pips called Magic 77 now & it works much much better with the 40+ plastic ball. I strongly urge you to give it a try & perform a comparison test with whatever low Aspect Ratio rubber on ITTF LARC that you are using now. It is available of Ali Express for about $10

[JaPenMaster]

ZA Penholder wrote (in blue)
I had a couple of years of dealings with KTL
The stranger and stranger attack I stocked, was tacky and can stick the ball.
I took a freshly landed as a sample and I think I took photos and videos back then.

It didn't sell well, over time (I think around 5 years later), the rubber actually stuck onto the paper cover, some part looked melted on (no more pip structure) and was completely useless. I opened the rest of the stock and they all had the same issue, so I threw them away.
I didn't inform KTL since I stopped dealing with them at that time.
The rubbers were cheap, and I didn't had that many, so wasn't a big loss.


This is exactly what happened in my case. I though about this I now realized that the OX version NEVER had this problem & there was no glue sheet provided. Only the verions with some sponge had this problem.. So what I think happened is that the (cheap) glue that glues the top sheet to the sponge melted either during storage over a period of time (before it was shipped to you) or during shipping and the glue moved over to other side and glued the pips to the paper cover.

Think about this. Do you really think the manufacturer made the process this way knowing that the pips would be damaged when you peel off the paper cover ? I seriously doubt that.

I did consider soaking the whole thing in paint thinner or some such chemical to completely remove all the glue & then dry it off (the rubber will expand like crazy but dry off back to legal form depending on what chemical used. Some Dawei 388 D treated pips (with kerosene I think) never return to legal form & they sell them as big pips and they break after one time use & some dealers even state this as a disclaimer).

But the chemical I needed for this probably cost more than the rubber , so I never bothered especially because I was in the process of switching to a far superior brand compatible with the plastic ball Based on a fellow choppers recommedation I am using Magic 77 now available on Ali Express

Cheerss