We’ve compiled a few points to consider after viewing the cool video effects and considering about switching to Court Grip:

The eastbay site says that Court Grip “has acetone as an ingredient, with some silica blended in as well”.

1. Acetone is an organic solvent and releases volatile organic compounds into the air but in small amounts probably no significant amounts, cumulatively who knows. Basically, Acetone is the active ingredient in nail polish remover and evaporates quickly.
2. The instructions tell you to allow it to dry because not allowing it to dry could it would pose a danger to the athlete because it would be slippery. On the plus side the acetone might come in handy for removing gum and other sticky substances from the floor.
3. Silica to enhance grip is nothing new, we’ve been using it in our S-N Gripp for about 8 years or so. Silica however, does this by creating a micro-rough surface which is great for hands but in our opinion not so much for athletic shoes. While it might enhance grip initially, if it does this through the use of silica, this new product can only do that by using the micro-rough surface to grip against the floor’s finish and thus abrading the floor finish.
4. No AIR SHIPPING since it would have to be categorized as a hazardous material by the D.O.T.
5. An entire team can walk on and off a Slipp-Nott in less than 30 seconds. There is no prep, nor application time and no “drying time”.
6. Slipp-Nott can be and has been shipped overnight for important games, tournaments and one time for a Saturday Bulls game per Jordan’s request.
7. Every part of our product can be recycled.
8. Slipp-Nott improves grip on ANY smooth, indoor floor, even tiles. Many schools and facilities use composite floors. Court Grip is only effective on wood.
   Why? Silica will have no effect on another hard surface like composite floors.
9. Slipp-Nott is used by facilities and teams not only for safety and performance enhancements but also for marketing and branding because you can customize it with your school, team or event logo. Check out some of the THOUSANDS of designs we’ve made over the years.
10. On average a single large sheet costs about one dollar . If you peel off one sheet per quarter, using a single large Slipp-Nott may cost you about $4 ($8 if the team/event/facility uses two large Slipp-Notts like they do at the Final Four) to clean the shoes of an entire team for a game. Compare that to an approximate cost of $1 person per game.

Let’s be conservative and say someone only needs to use the product 3x/game. 50 applications divided by 3 means about 16.7 games per bottle. That is a little under $1/person/game. Do the numbers. Slipp-Nott is FAR MORE cost effective.

We can unequivocally guarantee, even on a microscopic level that our product will do ZERO harm to floor finishes because our adhesive is water based and contains no solvents nor microscopic grit.

The only surprise a Slipp-Nott user may face is to step on a Slipp-Nott mat and find that the the sheet is not sticky because it is already covered with dust and dirt from previous use. In that case, all they have to do is take 5 seconds to bend down and peel the top sheet off the way (Michael Jordan did until he retired) thousands of Pro and amateur players all over the world do everyday. On the other hand, what is the worst that can happen to an athlete if they apply any liquid product to their shoe soles and step on the court without letting it dry completely? How safe would that be for athlete’s ankles, knees or career?

Slipp-Nott can only be obsolesced when we do away with dirt or truly revolutionize the way we can handle dirt and the playing surfaces involved. Unless a product can continually “renew” the surface of the shoe sole or somehow eat the dirt, no product can “last longer” than any other product because we are dealing with a combination of:

• dirt on clean, naturally grippy surfaces (athletic shoe soles)
• how well, how quickly AND how conveniently a product initially removes the dirt from the athletic shoe surface
• how FAST and conveniently the product (or YOU if you need to manipulate the product on your shoe soles) can do it again when called upon to do it again after your shoe sole “reloads” with dirt, there are 15 seconds left on the clock and your coach yells your name out.

As for Wade’s assertion that “the effects are short-lived (“a couple of seconds”)”…

If the floor is very clean, you sneakers will stay clean for a long time. Theoretically, if the floor were spotless, you’d only need to use any product one time and it would last forever. If the floor is poorly maintained, (like a court covered with dirt as an extreme example) as soon as you stepped on the floor, they’d be dirty again. In other words, the clean effect will last for as long as the shoe sole remains clean and the length of time the sole  will remain clean depends on how clean the floor is to begin with.

The bottom line is that the effect could last 3 minutes it could last 20, the determining factor is the CONDITION OF THE FLOOR NOT THE PRODUCT. As we told Howard Beck during our the phone interview, it is quite possible that if they have some kind of binding agent that temporarily bonds the silica (micro-fine powder/sand/grit) to the shoe sole, it is possible that to the extent that they can get the silica to stay on (which honestly can’t be very long without actually using glue!) the shoe, it may initially give the perception of increased grip but that grip would not come free, the floor finish would pay for it. You have to pay to play and in this case, you pay for the product and the facilities pay to refinish the floor.

This isn’t magic folks, no product (so far) is able to eat, destroy, nor hide the dirt that tracks onto the sole of the athletic shoe and once it is on there, it is there until it is removed. A small amount won’t really affect your traction but it is cumulative and while it is there, it is going to reduce contact between your rubber/composite soles and the floor and therefore impede traction. Your traction will get worse and worse as the dirt continues to build until you clean your shoes how you choose to do it and how quickly is up to you. You can get up and walk across a Slipp-Nott traction system the way the highest paid, most gifted basketball players of all time have chosen to do (and still continue to do today sans Mr. Wade of course because since according to him, he does not really get a benefit from it, he’ll be using his roll on exclusively) or you can grab a bottle, take the cap off, wipe each shoe sole, put your $15 bottle away so it does not walk away and wait for them to dry — the choice is yours.

• printed on one of our in-house large format printers
• inspected for color accuracy
• hand trimmed
• re-inspected again
• placed on the base
• mounted
• over-laminated
• hand-trimmed

On occasion, we will get a Slipp-Nott custom order with a color other than white bleeding out to the edges. In those cases, when possible, we take special care to try to match the edges of the print so as to avoid having a white edge:

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• with more than 10 member institutions and
• that plan to purchase replacement mats from us on an annual basis

Specifically, the program benefits would be:

• Two free 75 sheet replacement mats per year (assuming you use the previous year’s custom bases).*
• Should the conference/organization require new custom sets, their inclusion in this new program would allow them to BOGO (buy one get one) free for the duration of the endorsement (typically 3-5 yrs).*
• Conference/member schools (teams) would be entitled to 20% off the then current price for Custom Sets until for the duration of the endorsement.

In return, Slipp-Nott will be designated the “Official Traction Mat of the ________ ” for the next _ years.

• Orders must be placed a minimum of 2 weeks prior to their “need by” date.
• To qualify for their discounts member organizations must identify themselves as being part the organization for us to apply their Official Traction Mat discount upon placing their order for a custom base.

The motivation behind this new “Official Traction Mat” campaign is the same as it is for many campaigns, for potential customers to find out more about us and the teams/organizations that use our products. Being officially recognized by the organization itself, would entail the press releases required to formally announce the partnership and for them to post our logo on their website with that designation. Slipp-Nott will in turn place the conference logo on our website.

Good luck to everyone with their “Second Seasons”!

*Customer is still responsible for shipping charges.

Please be aware that we will be unable to produce any Slipp-Nott Custom bases until October 11th, 2010. Please order and expect your orders accordingly.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Sincerely,
S-N Art

As you know, the current state of the economy remains very challenging. Historically, raw material costs have increased on the order of 2-6% about every 9-12 months. Over the past two years alone, they have increased more than 15%. In an effort to reduce both our carbon footprint and our costs we have redesigned our boxing. The new boxing will hold either bases or mats only. Packing either bases or mats into the same positive lock tab box means:

• higher efficiency
• decreased box unit costs since we can order more of one box rather than a smaller quantity of two different boxes
• eliminates the padding used to keep mats from moving in between the bases
• total tape reduction for palletized shipping (reduced taping means faster boxing and reduced tape costs)
• 80% tape reduction for single boxes shipped via UPS (reduced taping means faster boxing and reduced tape costs)
• individual package weight will be split between two (2) boxes and therefore results in lighter, easier to handle boxes (your back will be thank us)

Though officially bases & sets will be available separately starting in January, we have already started shipping orders using this new boxing scheme. Any “small set” orders  that are split up will now be accompanied with a packing list itemizing the order as it was placed along with a box count detailing the base/mat separation.

We understand that after buying sets from us for over two decades it may take some getting used to, so we are prepared to field any questions you may have regarding the new packaging changes.

We appreciate your business and continued support!

Sincerely,

Jorge Julian

S-N Gripp is a revolutionary solution that eliminates the adverse effects of palm perspiration, while enhancing your grip and repelling moisture. It performs like “liquid chalk” that can be applied under gloves. It is environmentally friendly, non-sticky, non-tacky, does not clog pores, and will not “cake up.” S-N Gripp is also hypoallergenic.

S-N Gripp can be used wherever wet hands are a problem, including: Archery, Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Batons,Billiards, Mountain/Rock Climbing, Bowling, Cheerleading, Football,Golf, Gymnastics, Hockey, Lacrosse, Pole Vaulting, Polo, Racquetball, Rowing, Rugby, Softball, Squash, Table Tennis, Team Handball, Tennis, Tug-of-War, Under Gloves, Volleyball, Weight lifting…

Visit our website for a video demonstration: http://www.slipp-nott.com/S-N-Gripp.html

Feel free to email or call us at 1-800-776-6754 if you have any questions.

If you are ready to try this amazing product, pay just $5 for shipping and handling and we will ship you TWO FREE 2 oz. bottles for you to try! Offer good while supplies last.

Thank you for your continued interest in Slipp-Nott products.
With best regards from the Slipp-Nott sales team

Our new box can be used for:

• a single set,
• a single set + extra Slipp-Nott traction mat,
• 1 to 8 mats of TM1518 or 1 to 6 mats of the SM60 or SM75…

In fact, we are able to save cardboard. The design allows us to ship a single mat or several without the need for an extra sheet of cardboard on top to prevent mats from drooping over the formed air cells if the box is inadvertently turned upside down.

In addition, since we can use the same box for a small Slipp-Nott set, we can order more boxes of the same type as opposed to a smaller amount of each of the mat and set boxes. Prior to the new box, we were forced to use the boxes designed for 6 sets and modify them with a mat cutter to hold a single set (and extra mats if those were ordered).

The new box can hold a set as well as replacement mats

The new box is creased midway, has finger cut-outs and can serve as both mat storage and as a convenient dispenser. The finger cut out on the left side makes it easy to reach in for the radiused corner of the SM60 and 75 sheet mats.

What about clients who purchase the square cornered TM1518 mats? Those mats will reach all the way to the edges and will require a blade or knife to reach in and under to get the last one up. Well, we notched out an additional piece from the right side specifically to allow easy access to the very last mat even if it has a square corner!

Half the cover is held closed by side tabs and the front of the box is a modified clam-shell and, thus, requires very little tape to keep it securely closed during shipping.

These tabs help keep the box closed

Lastly, you can be creative in “recycling” the empty box.  Today I chose to use it as a book stand.

Use it creatively!

What do you think? Send us your ideas, thoughts or comments!

While the boxing is supposed to get the product to you safe and sound, who says it can’t look good and be super-functional too?

We’ll let you get a glimpse of our madness and what we go through to come with products and packaging for you, our clients.

concepts are first sketched out

More to come along with additional renderings. What more? Considerations such as contents, weight, ease of assembly, can the box be used to dispense? The list is long and we had to draw the line somewhere. Where? How do you set your priorities?

Stay tuned…

rough sketch

3D renderings to see how things will fit together

After catching up with each other a little I asked him a series of questions:

• Why did he switch?
• How much he was saving?
• If he knew that the knock-off was not originally designed nor manufactured for Sports?
• Would it have made a difference if he did know?

There were other questions but for the most part, these were the core questions. As it turns out. He switched because a small set cost less. How much less? He didn’t really know nor did he care. Did he know that the mats were designed to be adhere directly to concrete floors? Nope, nor did he care. Was the fact that the base was so poorly made that it was practically disposable even a consideration?

Nope, as a matter of fact, it was almost a feature! At this point, he stopped me and told me that as long as he could save a few bucks — he was happy. He did not care what he sold to them as long as they didn’t complain.

As it turned out, after visiting with him on the phone, I realized that he did us a favor since Slipp-Nott wants dealers that are actually seeking the best products/value for their customers.

The more concerned the customer is about quality, value, performance, traction and injury prevention, the more we shine.

Slipp-Nott manufactures traction mats with one underlying goal — to provide our customers with the BEST TRACTION ENHANCING, INJURY PREVENTION SYSTEM AVAILABLE AT ANY PRICE. The first and foremost goal is to provide products that we feel provide results unattainable with what is currently available. We then design and manufacture them to last because the simple truth is, we don’t like problems. So when we design and manufacture a product, we use the best materials we can find and constantly look for ways to improve the process, reduce production time, reduce packing costs all the while trying to keep our customer’s expectations and needs in mind. Let’s take the small Slipp-Nott base for example. We mold it because it is by far the most popular size we make and with over 40,000 units sold, we wanted to cut down on manual labor. We use the virgin resins because after using ABS regrinds for years, our suppliers told us that they could no longer guarantee the quality of our base surfaces if we continued to request regrind material.  Virgin ABS is much more expensive but we made the tough decision to go back to virgin ABS because our bases are designed and guaranteed to last a lifetime and rather than saving a few dollars per base, we opted to continue to offer a product that customers would be able to continue to use for the next 15 years without a problem.

Base Comparison

The bottom of the base also presented an opportunity for savings, we could have opted to downgrade and either use vinyl or save even more and use foam carpet padding. The vinyl looks very similar to rubber but suffers from plasticizer migration and thus eventually ends up causing a sticky mess on the bottom since it does not allow the adhesive to ever dry. Foam area rug padding provides good friction against sliding along the floor but only while it holds together. Foam is not very strong because it is not meant to be used a foundation for something that will constantly be moving around and will start to deteriorate and flake apart as soon as one starts to use it. Area rug padding is basically a thin, lightweight netting of  foam  and those are great qualities when you want to hold an area rug in place without adding any thickness. A base needs to be heavy enough to resist being picked up as an athlete is walking off of the traction mat. Our internal tests indicate that the weight of a small base should be approximately 3.75 pounds or more. A base that uses a foam pad to keep it from sliding weighs approximately 3.2 pounds.

The edges of Slipp-Nott bases have ALWAYS been finished to be comfortable from the very first bases in 1987. When we first started making bases, we used a table router with a 45º chamfer bit to get rid of the sharp edges. After a few years, we went to a CNC machine with a custom designed over and under bits that would round the edges and trim the rubber. In 2007 our molding process rounded all the edges. Rounded edges are safer and feel better in the hand when one has to transport the base so we design them into all our bases.

How do you feel when a company:

• pays a company to cut off the shelf plastic to the identical shape and dimensions as the original
• slaps a red decal on that sheet of plastic instead of printing full instructions
• leaves the edges sharp around the outside edge AND inside the handle
• glues cheap, almost disposable foam to do the job of rubber
• pays no attention to the weight of the total product with respect to athletic safety
• offers no warranty

…then sets their price just a few dollars below an original Slipp-Nott?

Do you feel like you are getting what you pay for? Do you really feel like you ‘saved’ some money? A company that sells you something so blatantly and visibly inferior for a few dollars less would certainly try to make up for it by giving you a great deal on the mats, RIGHT? We’ll tackle the mats in another post for now, let the pictures tell the rest of the story…

What are you getting for your money?

Tread patterns

Bottom comparisons