Age Old Bladder Question:

[Roscoe]

Which is better and why?

Rubber or Plastic?

(By "better" I mean better rebound, durability, ease of installation...not so much "cost").

Roscoe

[Speedbag]

My best guess is: I don't know. For many years I hit bags and never new the difference-or what was inside. Back when I had to change bladders I was usually hitting the Everlast 4200's. They had a red plastic bladder. In the last 15 years of so I haven't had to change them myself, and I'm not always sure what kind of bladder is inside. the best bladder to me is the one that holds air and doesn't leak.

[Chris M]

I've only had to change out one bladder and it was out of an Everlast. The Everlast bladders have a little retainer on the end of the nipple where the needle goes in to hold the nipple in place while you're assembling it all back together..

I bought a Title replacement rubber bladder which works fine but it doesn't have that little retainer and it made replacing the bladder quite a bit harder. You're supposed to glue it in place but I was too impatient.

Unless I find another replacement bladder besides Everlast that has that retainer, I'm buying an Everlast replacement bladder from now on because it would make it so much easier to replace.

[Speedbag]

I've only had to change out one bladder and it was out of an Everlast. The Everlast bladders have a little retainer on the end of the nipple where the needle goes in to hold the nipple in place while you're assembling it all back together..

I bought a Title replacement rubber bladder which works fine but it doesn't have that little retainer and it made replacing the bladder quite a bit harder. You're supposed to glue it in place but I was too impatient.

Unless I find another replacement bladder besides Everlast that has that retainer, I'm buying an Everlast replacement bladder from now on because it would make it so much easier to replace.

Great point. Changing bladders was the bane of speed bagging. I hated it and could never get the air valves to seat right or get the top string to re-string properly. Even the air valve nipples seemed to push in on me after a while so you end up glueing it and that was a mess....

Call me greedy but I buy them in pairs for spares.