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Thanks for the gigantic list of options as my backup/workplace blade seems to have an internal break, I'm jumping on a new blade today. Even with all the research in the world, I think the most important decision was whether I want a fast 5-ply blade or a "slower" 7-ply. Or, do I take one step, or a bigger leap?
I've opted for the bigger leap and ordered a Clipper Wood. If I'd gone with an OFF 5-ply, I would have kept wondering if I could play with a 7-ply, whereas if I can't handle the Clipper, I know I need to step towards a 5-ply.
(and I will be more confident to splurge on an Acoustic or Violin in that case... )
As for why Clipper, and not a different 7-ply?
The alternatives I was considering were both Tibhar (Force Pro Black Edition, B. Szöcs) and all three of these are pretty similar. Tibhar's offerings were actually cheaper, too. But I figured if I wanted to get feedback from clubmates and trainers, going with the option that's extremely well known makes perfect sense. Everyone with a little bit of gear knowledge knows what the Clipper Wood is, what it does and doesn't do.
In the 5-ply department, I mostly considered the Butterfly Korbel (EU and JAP), Nittaku Acoustic and a little bit the Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive.
The brands that I know less or not at all, I didn't look into (yet) simply because I already had a lot of options. Victas, Andro, Vodak, all very interesting but I didn't need to branch out.
Last, I mentioned Hinoki. I decided not to go for that because I want to develop with "Euro-standard" gear for now. Once I reach the point where I feel development is stalling, or becoming tedious/boring, maybe that will be a good moment to start experimenting with different kinds of gear. For now, the step I am taking from a very flexible and slow blade to playing with a more conventional, average performing wooden ALL+/OFF- setup is good. No need to make multiple steps here and verging into unfamiliar materials, too.
I'd also like to share my main takeaways from this research with you:
Reviews, even the most subjective ones like ttgearlab, are always dependent on circumstances and individual iterations of products. With wood being the main part of any TT blade, there will simply always be minute differences between blades even when they are cut from the same sheet of glued veneers.
As such, any review really only applies to the exact specimen being reviewed. The specifications of the reviewed product can give a hint as to what characteristics may be enhanced or muted, but even with something like a 20 gram weight difference, it doesn't tell you what the cause of that difference is.
It could be a thicker sheet, more density in the plies or the handle, maybe even slight differences in the head size or shape from using different machines and router bits.
What this tells me, is that when a reviewer mentions "slightly different", "a little more elastic", "just a bit harder", it's probably going to average out to being the same when you use a bigger sample size. That's just wood being wood.
Next time, I won't be looking for specific brand recommendations anymore. Just the general wood composition should be enough. And yes, maybe you get a specimen that behaves quite a bit different than another, but unless the composition has been changed completely, it's going to be something you can adapt to.
I don't think I'll ever be a delicate enough person to be able to feel the difference between a Clipper Wood and a Tibhar Force Pro Black Edition (given the same handle shape) in a blind test. And I find it hard to believe anyone would be able to tell that blindly when both blades use the same handle, and are glued with the same rubbers.
Wrong conclusion. Right conclusion isn't that reviews are subjective but rather production process is rubbish and products overpriced