Opinions on the Hurricane Long 5 Blades

[dingyibvs]

I actually think they do but to each his own. He is trying to imply that the values reflect meaningful differences in measuring the flex and vibration of blades and I have found them reasonably valid for the blades I use, but maybe I am just giving him unearned credit. And he isn't measuring height, he is measuring the ratio of different reaction and vibration properties.

You're not misreading it, I think maybe he's misreading your post. The absolute values correlate with speed, the ratio correlates with flex, and in the Korbel vs. Long 5 case both the absolute values and the ratios are similar. So yes, they should have similar playing characteristics.

As for the commercial Long 5 vs the 968 vs Viscaria thing, I used TBALC + T05s for 2 years, the Long 5 + D09c/D05 for 3 months, and now the 968 + D09cs for 2 months. The HL5 plays like a faster 5-ply blade, it took me little to no time switching from the Yasaka Sweden Extra + D09c to the HL5.

The 968 is a completely different blade because its composite layers are different. The HL5 only has carbon+composite running in one direction, while the other direction is composite only. The 968 has carbon+composite running in both directions. This makes the 968 much stiffer, with the flex more difficult to access. While you can access the flex of the HL5 any time if you swing hard enough, the 968's flex can only be truly accessed if you swing hard AND the incoming ball is also fast.

With that said, the 968 has thicker top plies and a denser core, so the short game touch is better and when you do access the flex it really kicks. You never feel like you're too far from the table to launch a quality shot with the 968. Basicaly it's a completely different blade from the HL5. While it was a breeze for me to switch from the YSE to the HL5, took me 2 weeks max to feel comfortable, it took me almost 2 full months of playing/training to feel comfortable after switching from the HL5 to the 968.

The TB ALC (I have a Viscaria, but I haven't used it much, and when I do use it it felt very similar to the TBALC) feels like a stiffer 968. It's much more crisp, with much easier to access power. It's a potent weapon for smaller motion shots like quick counters, so great for the BH. You can't really rip one from the BH side with the 968 without using your body, but you can with the TBALC/T05. When you really hit hard though, the dwell is much shorter, resulting in shots with not enough spin and control, and there's relatively little extra kick.

 

[jk1980]

Is this w968 original or fake? —-> https://www.prott.vip/Product-Details.aspx?productcode=OFFICIALW968
And I can see you can buy a w968 at tt11 too at 915€, are they original?

I am chatting with prott.vip currently and they want to tell me that the w968 does not have that last percentage value in the red booklet. I only get send images from outside the box.
Can somebody confirm that there w968 has the same booklet as the hurricane Long 5 commercial?

I would be very careful, since i already have seen alleged w968 on ebay for 800$ where you could see on the pictures that the red booklet was blank and just had two values filled in manually with a pen and the handle read HL-5 instead of W968.

 

[dingyibvs]

I am chatting with prott.vip currently and they want to tell me that the w968 does not have that last percentage value in the red booklet. I only get send images from outside the box.
Can somebody confirm that there w968 has the same booklet as the hurricane Long 5 commercial?

I would be very careful, since i already have seen alleged w968 on ebay for 800$ where you could see on the pictures that the red booklet was blank and just had two values filled in manually with a pen and the handle read HL-5 instead of W968.

There have been a lot of versions of the 968 over the years, the current national ones say W968 on the handle, but the provincial ones say HL5. The booklet is only filled out for commercial ones.

 

[allfj]

There have been a lot of versions of the 968 over the years, the current national ones say W968 on the handle, but the provincial ones say HL5. The booklet is only filled out for commercial ones.

I haven't tried the W968 (Way too out of my budget range) But i heard that W928 is only the national version, and the provincial versions (Still very expensive) Are called things like "Ma Long Hurricane 5 Rio 2016"

 

[jk1980]

There have been a lot of versions of the 968 over the years, the current national ones say W968 on the handle, but the provincial ones say HL5. The booklet is only filled out for commercial ones.

Ok, thank you very much for clarification. That means that you would never know the values for the W968 ones ? That is kinda stupid, because that way it is not possible to find out if a w968 and a HL5 with similar values play alike or are different. So i would just have to trust that the w968 is magically better than my HL5, without having any specs.

Just imagine that there would by commercial HL-5s with given specifications that are basically "the same" as a w968

 

[jk1980]

Donic No. 1 (expensive) and Donic No. 1 Senso (more expensive, using premium carbon?) are supposed to be modeled (or made by DHS) after HL5.

Senso just relates to a hollow handle and does not relate to the carbon afaik. Of course a hollow handle will make the overall weight decrease, while increasing head heaviness.

 

[dingyibvs]

I haven't tried the W968 (Way too out of my budget range) But i heard that W928 is only the national version, and the provincial versions (Still very expensive) Are called things like "Ma Long Hurricane 5 Rio 2016"

The provincial version is called the 968 as well, but regardless, they have the same composition as the national version, unlike the commercial version. I'll probably buy a provincial one as a backup some day.

Ok, thank you very much for clarification. That means that you would never know the values for the W968 ones ? That is kinda stupid, because that way it is not possible to find out if a w968 and a HL5 with similar values play alike or are different. So i would just have to trust that the w968 is magically better than my HL5, without having any specs.

Just imagine that there would by commercial HL-5s with given specifications that are basically "the same" as a w968

You don't need to wonder about that. They use different composite layers, they're completely different blades. The quality difference probably doesn't really matter for amateurs, even the difference in outer layers' thickness is only a minor difference, but having a different composition makes it a very, very different blade.

 

[jk1980]

Thank you Dingyibvs.
This is the first time i read that the fibre layer used is different between W968 and HL5. Everywhere else it was just the better selection of material, which many would probably fail to notice.

Since you had a HL5 and a W968. Can you surely say that the W968 is more controlled in the short game than the HL5 ? I mean in absolute terms and not relative like "more controlled for the higher speed it has".

I think the Xiom TMXi has a similar composition with different fibre and also feels quite controlled in the short game.

 

[longle]

anyone tried this clone ? I heard very good reviews for it, especially since it's only 30$

 

[loerting]

I really don't understand why people pay 1000$ to get an extra 0,5% out of their blade... Give a pro a 50$ blade and he will play almost as well... Or buy a handmade racket for 100-200$.

 

[TensorBackhand]

anyone tried this clone ? I heard very good reviews for it, especially since it's only 30$

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/w968-envy-forced-me-to-get-hl5-clone.30208/

Yes I tried this one. It's generally pretty good. I would say it generally shares the characteristics of what you would expect from the HL5. It's quite soft and quite flexy, with good speed. It's not as fast as some of my other blades, but it's fast enough. Handle is very comfortable too. It does feel a little head heavy.

 

[TareqPhoto]

anyone tried this clone ? I heard very good reviews for it, especially since it's only 30$

Yes, i did, and it became my favorite blade over my DHS HL5X, i think maybe because of the rubbers choices i used with it, but it performs beautifully with me so i keep it,.... oh wait, i ordered a second one of this too again but in ST handle so i will use this with LP rubber for defense because it is that good and i used to it now since 4-5 months ago.

 

[TensorBackhand]

I really don't understand why people pay 1000$ to get an extra 0,5% out of their blade... Give a pro a 50$ blade and he will play almost as well... Or buy a handmade racket for 100-200$.

I agree. All my blades are in the $30-$40 price range, and I would never sell these. They really play just right.

 

[TareqPhoto]

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/w968-envy-forced-me-to-get-hl5-clone.30208/

Yes I tried this one. It's generally pretty good. I would say it generally shares the characteristics of what you would expect from the HL5. It's quite soft and quite flexy, with good speed. It's not as fast as some of my other blades, but it's fast enough. Handle is very comfortable too. It does feel a little head heavy.

I was going to say that this blade is faster than my DHS Hurricane Hao III but slower than my HL5X, but it has more control than HL5X but less control than Hao III, so it is like in the middle which is really amazing to have.

 

[TareqPhoto]

I agree. All my blades are in the $30-$40 price range, and I would never sell these. They really play just right.

I have people playing in a club and one of them is playing with Viscaria, and another one with HL5, i really didn't see any much advantage to their blades over my HL5X or this new Stuor one, i even remember someone in the past who used Viscaria and wanted to sell it and told me that my DHS Hao 3 is way better when he tried it, so simply the brand name or model or price isn't the end of story always.

 

[WingTT]

Donic No. 1 (expensive) and Donic No. 1 Senso (more expensive, using premium carbon?) are supposed to be modeled (or made by DHS) after HL5.

Can anybody confirm that they play similar?
And similar to HL5 only, or similar to W968 as well?

I have both the No.1 Senso and HL5 and can confirm they are the same except for the measured weight and balance due to the hollow handle in the Senso. Wished I had the chance to try out a W968.

 

[IB66]

HL5, I found it to be very hard to judge when looping. You need good technique and touch, yes touch or ability to judge how much extra speed or catapult the blade will give you!! For me It’s not very predictable, other than more often than not my loops went long!!!
Likely that my level is not high enough to use this blade!!
I was using unboosted H3neo provincial FH and golden tango BH

 

[dingyibvs]

Thank you Dingyibvs.
This is the first time i read that the fibre layer used is different between W968 and HL5. Everywhere else it was just the better selection of material, which many would probably fail to notice.

Since you had a HL5 and a W968. Can you surely say that the W968 is more controlled in the short game than the HL5 ? I mean in absolute terms and not relative like "more controlled for the higher speed it has".

I think the Xiom TMXi has a similar composition with different fibre and also feels quite controlled in the short game.

Yes, it's more controllable in the short game, but it's not a huge difference. When I made the switch it was immediately noticeable as I had been practicing short pushes those few days. The night and day difference was in looping, both FH and BH. The HL5 played a lot like a 5-ply wood blade, you can really hit into the blade and it still made a nice arc, but if you don't exert a ton of force and hit into the blade then the shot quality dramatically reduces and the shot becomes unpredictable. This makes the HL5 less suited for the modern close to the table two-winged looping game, as you don't always have the time to wind up and get a full swing.

The 968 is a lot more linear, but hitting too much into the blade makes the trajectory way too straight. It plays a lot more like your typical carbon blade. The down side of this is that when you do have the time to wind up for a full stroke near the table, you need a much finer brush or else the ball's trajectory won't have enough arc. Having to brush more reduces the margin of error, requiring better technique.

BTW while I can attest to the massive albeit subjective play quality differences between the two blades, it's Sergio of SDC who can verify the objective composition differences between the two. He's an experienced blade maker so I trust he knows what he's talking about.

 

[mightymouse]

Senso just relates to a hollow handle and does not relate to the carbon afaik. Of course a hollow handle will make the overall weight decrease, while increasing head heaviness.

I agree with you regarding the senso handle.

But the reason I stated that Donic No.1 and Donic No. 1 Senso can have different carbon composition was because at one time in the past, I was wondering why the price of Donic No.1 Senso is much higher (2x higher?) compared to Donic No. 1. It can't be just the hollow handle. Well, Donic representative at that time answered that the type of material used in Donic No.1 Senso is "premium", so the price is much higher. I doubted that at that time, but later on, I watched an independent video review which also stated the same thing.

To be honest, given the prices of both Donic blades, I think it is better to just purchase HL5. Because I suspect (when inspecting those blades) that they are both made by DHS as well.

 

[scrubplayer]

quality control is one thing but weight is also one thing. I have two hl5x one 87g one 91g. When I hit hard the 87g have these weird hollow vibration while the 91g doesn't.

The hl5x is easier to play with compare to hl5 and w968. Go with hl5x, no need to spend thousands for 968