How many manufacturers offer different “types” of silicone response pads in terms of durability, grippiness, etc? Because I found these YYF response pads:
Which offer the different types of silicone with some pros and cons for each?
Red
The Competition Pad. Red response pads break in very quickly, reach an ideal sweet spot, and then wear out quicker than any other pad. This combination makes them perfect for freestyle competition play, in which you can break them in within minutes and walk on stage ready to go!
Pink & Yellow
The Consistent Pads. These pads are reliable in how consistent it plays as it wears down. Unlike many of the other pads that have a sweet spot once they are broken in, the pink and yellow pads are as good when you first swap them into the yo-yo as they are just before they’re worn down to the core.
Teal & Blue
The Grippy Pads. These pads have a little longer break in period, meaning that they retain that new pad feel for much longer than most other pads. Once broken in, blue and teal pads hold a Medium Response while still holding an overall grippy feel.
Natural
The Marathon Pad. The Natural color pads are intended to be the longest lasting pad that we make. Surprisingly they also require very little break in time, no maintenance. Best used in the yo-yo that you take with you wherever you go.
White
The standard YoYoFactory response pad. White pads come in almost all of our yo-yos when they are brand new because these are the best all-around pads. Whether you use them in preparation for a contest, for a high intensity freestyle, or for just hanging out and throwing, the white pad will play to your standard. Good for all styles of play.
Silicone type clearly affects how grabby the pad is, and how durable it is, that is, how long it takes to wear down over time.
There’s even a helpful graph on the package which illustrates these tradeoffs:
(The green one is not included, it’s the “extra thick for responsives” one, so that line can be ignored.)
Has anyone experimented with different types of silicone in their response pads? Do pros really change pads to the “competition” red right before competing, for example, so the pads break in fast and hit their sweet spot sooner?
Can you “tune” a yo-yo by switching to a grippier silicone pad that wears out faster, or something?
