After hearing a good amount of positive feedback around a new textured thumb tape product, I contacted John and requested a sample of his new silver tape, coined “Real Bowlers Tape”. It can also be seen referred to as ‪#‎silvertape‬, ‪#‎realbowlerstape‬, ‪#‎RBT‬, and ‪#‎teamRBT‬ on social media. The product has seen success over the past several months including many players using it at the ’14 WSOB. I previously used Master 1” White, 2 or 3 pieces in the front of the thumbhole. I replaced the tape in my 5 primary strike balls and my spare ball for this test. The overall thickness of the RBT is slightly less than the Master, which is beneficial to fine tune feel. Folks that swell or shrink significantly will find it easier to get the right feel, never being in between a piece of tape. I used 3 RBT to replace the 2 Master. The tape applied easily and stayed put. It stuck equivalently well to the ball and itself, and removes leaving no residue. The primary concern with tape is feel, durability, and consistency from shot to shot. The texture of the tape is prefect, not too aggressive and not too smooth with a balance of grip and release. I have had an issue with the top of the Master fraying and requiring replacement after 6 to 9 games, so far I have not had that issue with RBT. The most impressive feature of this tape, and the reason everyone should use it, is how it affects your ability to release the ball. With Master I would catch a hang on release at least once or twice a game creating a bit of tug and loss of projection. This is completely not present with RBT, at all. The balance of secure grip and release is perfect, and instills a major boost of confidence that each release will be pure. Not having to focus on making sure I cleared the thumb properly because it just happens, aided my ability to repeat shots greatly. In conclusion, this product does exactly what you want it to, and does nothing but improve your shot making ability. I highly recommend trying this excellent product. For a sample, email sales@realbowlerstape.com.

Based on my experience with it, yes.

Can this tape be used in the back of the thumbhole as well?

I'll have to say I wasnt impressed, especially for the premium they charge. I personally didn't like the feel and wasn't as smooth as advertised. Plus I didn't like how sticky the back was.  Not that easy to get in the holes. 

I won't be buying any.

Quote from: charlest on November 08, 2014, 07:35:19 PM

While the feel was as good as the Master white tape I use, I had another problem that made me get rid of the rest of my initial roll. The backing stuck to so many pieces of tape that I lost 30% - 40% of the pieces. That is unacceptable in my book. And, no, it had not laid around or sat in the sun or the cold. It was fresh from the seller, Buddies. Obviously I won't be getting any more. It wasn't any better or worse than Master tape except for this one aspect.

Interesting. I tried to replicate what you described when I practiced this morning, and I couldn't do it. My thumb was a little larger from bowling 50+ games earlier this week, so I removed 3 of the 4 pieces of the tape to get to a starting fit.
 
First I removed 1 piece. No problem. Then I removed 2 pieces at the same time. Again no problem and not a hint that the remaining piece was about to be pulled off too. Given this, I don't know what to say about your experience.

No, that's not what I meant. Removing the tape from the hole was not a problem.

I meant when initially trying to apply it, I couldn't remove the paper backing from the 3/4" pieces of tape. The paper backing stuck to the tape before I could even try to put it into the hole. I couldn't peel the tape from the paper without the paper sticking to the glue.

Was there any attempt to have it replaced and the situation rectified, or did you just write it off because of that backing issue?

I didn't have any trouble with the backing but I did find some pieces leaving residue behind in the thumbhole. 

If the Powerhouse Premium didn't come out last year, I could live with that issue.  Having said that, the Powerhouse Premium is superior to Real Bowlers Tape in every way. 

Bowling industry lost its supplier of white tape.  Batches of white tape from the past few years suffered from adhesive bleeding through on the tape side as well as leaving residue. 

If you have some older stock tape you wouldn't notice the difference.  If you purchased tape in the past couple of years you would be aware of the problem.  I had issues with Storm and Ebonite tapes being sticky to the point where they were unusable.

Powerhouse resolved this issue with a new vendor.  Additionally, the tape is a bit smoother and less abrasive than other white tapes.

You can search the site for more info, if you don't believe me.