White or Brown?

Are the brown tubes better than the white?
I first saw the white tubes in the old Centuri kits. Back then I preferred the white tubes, sometimes the light outside layer eliminated a white undercoat of paint.

There have been forum posts about the old brown tubes being better quality than the white tubes. Some suggest the white tubes are made from recycled paper.

At first I didn't think there was much difference. Then I broke open some old 1970s era kits. The brown Kraft tubes are stronger and smoother.

I just got the Estes Xarconian Cruise kit from Ebay. The BT-55 tube was crimped and unusable. I bought a new replacement tube, a white 18" BT-55.

If you have two of the same length and diameter tubes (one brown and one white) try this experiment -

Put both tubes behind your back so you can't see which it which.
Gently squeeze the ends of both tubes and see which "gives" easier under pressure.
Look to see which one felt weaker when squeezed. Chances are, the white tube will be weaker.

I did the "blind test" a dozen more times and could always pick the slightly weaker white tube.
The difference is slight, a white tube shouldn't effect the way your finished model flys.
Still, it is interesting.