Recommend Butterfly Blade - (Petr Korbel or Maze Advance or Falcima)

[steve888]

Hi,
I am currently using a Palio Master 3 with sriver on the backhand and Rozena on the forehand and like to upgrade my blade. I am looking at the following Butterfly blades (Petr Korbel, Maze Advance, Falcima) and wondering what could be the best one for me. I play with a mix of offence and defence (chops/blocks etc) and looking for a blade that has a high level on control or very easy to control various shots as not very confident, and not too fast a blade too. I am between a beginner and intermediate level.

I did try a Primorac but found to much vibration in the racquet when hitting the ball, more vibration than my current set up and didn't really seem like an upgrade.

I have read the Petr Korbel is a bit heavy and has less control than the Primorac. I couldn't find much on the Falcima but it seems it may be to fast, the Maze advance I heard has a good mix of control/offence/defence but can be hard. They are all similar price where I live.

Has anyone tried all 3, how do they compare (Control, Speed, Spin) and which would you recommend for me. Many Thanks. S

 

[Wrighty67]

Not an easy call, but I would say that the Falcima is not a control focused blade but rather an all wood Viscaria.

A good Korbel is always a good bet if you like the feel and balance. I am not familiar with the Maze advance but you could also consider the Hadraw 5 as this is the latest 5 ply blade from Butterfly and is not too fast but may be an improvement on the Korbel and has a better handle in my view. Alternatively look at the Persson power play or one of the many other good 5 ply options.

 

[Scarfed Garchomp]

I think the Advance would be most similar to the one you're using at the moment. Korbel is nice but it's also pretty flexible, and these premade blades tend to be a bit more on the stiffer side which the Advance will give you because it is thicker

 

[Fedex78]

I have the Advance, please avoid it, it's a brick, too stiff.

I would suggest Korbel, but also look at Hadraw 5 since it is getting very good reviews and the handle on Korbel is a bit thin (FL).

 

[Trevize84]

I used a Primorac during the celluloid balls era. Now that we are in the ABS balls era, Korbel is the new Primorac. It's a great blade and if you can get the made in Japan version is even better. You can buy it without hesitation, that is a safe buy. Great alternatives as non-Butterfly 5 ply all-wood are Tibhar Stratus Powerwood, Yasaka Sweed Extra, Victas Euro Feeling Off- (similar composition as Nittaku Violin). Perhaps they're worth a check especially if someone at your club has one and you can give them a try.

 

[Doum]

Been playing with a Korbel for a year, very nice blade. I think it's a good choice for your offence/defence style.

If Gionis Panagiotis can play high level TT with a Korbel, imagine what you can do.

 

[JediJesseS]

Is the new Hadraw 5 available for you? It sounds like it has the mix of attributes you are looking for.

 

[steve888]

Thanks for everyone's responses. I ended up with the Maze advance. It does feel like a step up from the Palio Master 3, especially in the spin department with a touch of extra speed (with same rubbers).

However I am not completely happy, it feels a bit stiff, lacks a bit of feel, lost a bit of control and felt a little light for power (smashes) shots. I did compare the maze advance to Primorac and felt it was a little better than that model- less vibration and more spin and a little faster. I have played two competition nights so far with it (8 x 3 game matches), and about 3 hours of training.

Wondering , does the blade break in over time? Become less stiff more feeling? or do I just get use to it. Did I make a mistake?? Wish I can test blades properly before buying

Thanks. S

 

[steve888]

I was going to check out the Yasaka Sweeden Extra, but was told it be to aggresive and won't have much control, it was only available online. The Falcima I have read can be a bit fast if you want control and it tends towards a hard bat?? Any thoughts??

 

[NextLevel]

Changing equipment at the beginner/intermediate level to blades within the same speed class is usually a waste of time. Table tennis, nothing ever quite feels or performs like what you are already used to, and you have to focus on doing things better and learning how to make the blade feel right, rather than on looking for something that feels right from the start (unless you feel your game is really mature, in which case, your experience is more important than your playing level and you just play with what you enjoy playing with).

If you can't find someone who is already playing with what you want to switch to, you are going to spend a lot of time buying new blades and when you settle on one, it won't be because it really makes you play better. It will just be a weird satisfaction that has no basis in anything other than how you feel at the time.

 

[Serg]

The Korbel SK7 is PRO Level Christian Karlsson(Sweden Team) use it, is thick and fast as a carbon blade but is all wood, double Dignics 09c and that thing is a beast. But if you don't play tournaments, you are recreational player or your level is not near to 1800 USATT then just go for a Clipper CR blade is more balanced, cheaper, and more fan to play with, goes well wth dignics 05 in the backhand

 

[piligrim]

Must be Butterfly? Take Force Pro or Powerwood.

 

[Fedex78]

Thanks for everyone's responses. I ended up with the Maze advance. It does feel like a step up from the Palio Master 3, especially in the spin department with a touch of extra speed (with same rubbers).

However I am not completely happy, it feels a bit stiff, lacks a bit of feel, lost a bit of control and felt a little light for power (smashes) shots. I did compare the maze advance to Primorac and felt it was a little better than that model- less vibration and more spin and a little faster. I have played two competition nights so far with it (8 x 3 game matches), and about 3 hours of training.

Wondering , does the blade break in over time? Become less stiff more feeling? or do I just get use to it. Did I make a mistake?? Wish I can test blades properly before buying

Thanks. S

I told you above man, it's a brick. There's no break-in, just get use to it, you'll make powerful smashes with it

 

[steve888]

I told you above man, it's a brick. There's no break-in, just get use to it, you'll make powerful smashes with it

I know , but read a lot of reviews that were raving about the blade. What blade and rubbers are you using? Thanks S

 

[steve888]

Changing equipment at the beginner/intermediate level to blades within the same speed class is usually a waste of time. Table tennis, nothing ever quite feels or performs like what you are already used to, and you have to focus on doing things better and learning how to make the blade feel right, rather than on looking for something that feels right from the start (unless you feel your game is really mature, in which case, your experience is more important than your playing level and you just play with what you enjoy playing with).

If you can't find someone who is already playing with what you want to switch to, you are going to spend a lot of time buying new blades and when you settle on one, it won't be because it really makes you play better. It will just be a weird satisfaction that has no basis in anything other than how you feel at the time.

Thanks for advice, you learn by your mistakes. The good thing is I did buy it on discount and didn't have to buy any new rubbers. S

 

[turbozed]

I know , but read a lot of reviews that were raving about the blade. What blade and rubbers are you using? Thanks S

Reviews on Revspin or whatever are basically completely useless.

Whoever is writing them has different expectations, playing styles, and/or is using different rubbers than you.

The only way to truly understand how equipment feels is to actually use it yourself. The cheapest way of doing this is to borrow a friend's or club mate's racket. The next cheapest is to buy bargain brands like Yinhe, Sanwei, Stuor, etc. until you know what you like.

The most expensive way is buying the most expensive brands like you're doing (Butterfly, Nittaku, DHS, etc.) based on nothing but positive statements online.

I was in your exact same position about 2 years ago when I bought a $100+ Nittaku blade that was too small and thin for me. Ended up selling it and getting most of my money back at least.

 

[Fedex78]

I know , but read a lot of reviews that were raving about the blade. What blade and rubbers are you using? Thanks S

Sinteliac zci (awesome feeling), c53 or zgx fh, zgx bh, it is in my signature on the left