A few things to note for clarification. The Nippon brand is just a name given to product imported from a vendor in Japan who supplies both stores. It’s a bit confusing but all the “Nippon” products are carried in each store. We requested a common brand name to reduce this confusion and make this more transparent to the end users but this was rejected.
In regards to the bat tops.
Here are the differences
PAS JLF ALU Premium Battop is identical to the FA Nippon Brand
58 grams
less taper
rough/sand blasted surface
10mm threading with included 6mm adapter
Paradise Custom/Premium Brand
52-56 grams (our original Red/Green/Blue/Copper) had 6mm threading.
smooth polished surface
10mm threading in all but the original 4
Our first exposure to aluminum tops were Toggleme tops which were not produced about a year ago when we introduced the first version of the aluminum tops. At the time we were in talks with the people who produce the brand that FA and us share to supply these tops directly. However these tops were picked up by a third company that now exclusively distributes. The quality of the tops is all similar. The only reason the Alu and Nippon brands are more expensive is because the unit cost is higher. Our custom bat tops and ball tops are direct form the machine shop to us. The Alu and Nippon brand exchange hands a few times first.
In regards to the springs. 2-3 lb will compensate, but I would strongly encourage people to pick up 3 springs and test what feels right.