Sorbothane is a synthetic viscoelastic urethane polymer. It has wide industrial applications from acoustic shielding to cushioning in shoe soles. The material combines some of the properties of rubber, silicone, and other elastic polymers. It is considered to be a good vibration damping material, an acoustic insulator, and highly durable. An unusually high amount of the energy from an object dropped onto Sorbothane is absorbed. – www.wikepedia.com/wiki/Sorbothane

Sorbothane was first introduced commercially in 1982 by US-based manufacturer Sorbothane Inc., and was primarily applied in the development of shock absorbing insoles for the athletic and orthopedic markets. Since its introduction, Sorbothane has been used in various energy absorbing products and applications, such as custom isolators in protecting NASA’s space shuttle cameras against vibrations during launch and the Liberty Bell during its transfer. The technology has also been adopted by Wilson Sporting Goods in their new line of high-tech baseball gloves. Most recently, engineers have devised a series of “ball-in-box” Sorbothane dampers designed to dissipate wind energy in the new Air Force memorial.

In many applications and laboratory tests Sorbothane has achieved shock absorption levels of up to 94.7 percent, made possible by maintaining stability and acoustic dampening over a broad temperature range. This property of Sorbothane enables it to isolate damaging vibrations and impact shock in varied conditions, making it ideal for a variety of engineering design applications requiring shock absorption, vibration isolation and acoustical dampening.

The superior acoustical dampening and vibration isolation properties of Sorbothane caught the attention of Airsoft Research Syndicate (ARS) of Japan, driving them to further the research and development of the material in airsoft application.

ARS Sorbo Pad

When Japanese engineers from ARS came out with its Sorbo Pad for Tokyo Marui and compatible V2/V3 cylinder head, the airsoft world was abuzz with how this creation performed. Various players in Canada, the US, Europe and the Philippines attest to the Sorbo pads “quieting effect”.

Of course, we would not let this opportunity to test how quiet the ARS Sorbo Pad really is pass.

A head’s up tough, the test conducted only covered the acoustic dampening property of ARS Sorbo Pads. Whether it prolongs gearbox life or reduces vibration is beyond the limit of this test.

Test parameters

ARS Sorbo Pad was installed in a V3 gearbox from a Cyma 035 AEG with the following upgrades: metal shims and bushings; SP 120 spring; and an EG 700 motor. The rest of the internals were stock. The gearbox was fired using an 11.1V lithium-ion battery.

Installation:

The result Comparing the two sound clips, the difference is not considerable, but noticeable. The Sorbo pad may have dampened or minimized the “thudding” sound as the piston head slams into the cylinder head, however, there are other factors that affect an AEG’s sound when fired. In this case, I wouldn’t really recommend outright to use the Sorbo pad as a sound dampening modification on your guns, although, the Sorbothane’s vibration isolating property really does its job.

What I do recommend is further testing, this time focusing on the Sorbo pad’s cushioning effect to relieve or minimize stress on the gearbox caused by the hammering of the piston head on the cylinder head. Better that the test be done on a stiffer spring to maximize impact.

Meanwhile, just be happy in the thought that you are better off using a Sorbo pad on your cylinder head than the stock pad.