Product information
Here is my review of the Nexy Kanaph. I have been playing with this blade since early December and I have already logged around 60 hours with it.
Design/Cosmetics
The Kanaph is a beautiful blade. Initially I wasn not a fan of the purple and black handle color but seeing it person changed my mind, this blade is very pretty to look at. The bottom lens has a unique design, it adds to a more premium look. The hinoki top ply is very smooth and I do not see any imperfections. The burnt core gives this blade a racing stripe look.
I was told by our local reseller that I should give the straight handle a try. He was right. The straight handle is very comfortable. It is not as chunky as other straight handles that I have tried, in fact it is rather slim. It fits my average hands like a glove.
Feel
I really enjoyed the feel of this blade. The hinoki top ply gives the blade a soft feel while the carbon layer and burnt kiri core give it a crisp, sharp feel. I find the feel a bit odd, but in a good way. It is both soft and crisp at the same time. When hitting with medium low power the hinoki top ply feels sort of like a damp layer of wood, abosorbing the impact of the ball. Compared to the Nexy Oscar where you can feel which part of the blade face the ball is hitting, I can feel the impact on the whole face of the blade. So the Oscar feels sharper while the Kanaph feels duller. Which one is better is purely subjective.
On more powerful shots, you can feel the ball dig deeper into the blade. In fact, you can almost feel the core of the blade communicating with your hand. I really enjoyed this feeling since I always know how much power I am putting out unlike some other composite blades that feel numb. The feeling that I am getting is not really typical vibration associated with all wood blades, rather it is more like haptic feedback telling your hand how hard you are hitting and at what angle.
Control
This is a very linear and controllable blade. There is no sudden catapult, no wierd speed jumps, you get what you put out. This feeling of control encourages you to hit harder and faster. I did not feel like I have to hold back, in fact, I feel like I want to hit harder every time. Looping from mid to far distance is a dream. The length and direction of the blade is easily controllable. Short game was also exceptional. On passive shots, this blade is dead. It is not bouncy at all. It is possible to drop the ball very close to the net when recieving serves.
Speed
Since the Kanaph is linear, it is like you are playing with 4 different blades - an ALL+, OFF-, OFF, and OFF+ blade. With passive shots this blade is dead, the ball does not bounce very far. Once you increase the power output the blade starts to come alive. If there is a chance to really rip it, the blade can be an OFF+ - very fast with a direct trajectory. With my stroke during counterlooping, the blade feels right in the middle of OFF range.
Looping
From what I read, I was expecting Kanaph to be more of a hitting blade than looping. But I was surprised the blade did really well in this department. Spin generation is very easy, control is exceptional, ample dwell time, yet crisp and sharp feel at the same time. One thing to note is the arc. The arc seems to be on the low side. Using the same sheet of Sigma 2 Pro on the Lissom and Vege Pro, the arc during loops seem to be on the low side. I tried an Omega V Europe and the arc seems to be even lower. With my normal looping stroke I was hitting the net a lot. I therefore had to do a more vertical stroke to clear the net. But when I switched to Omege V Asia the arc seems to be high enough to safely clear the net during looping rallies. Aside from the low arc, I consider this my almost perfect looping blade.
Conclusion
This is an exceptionally good blade from Nexy. The playing characteristics and feel of the Kanaph are what I have been looking for in a blade. I currently have the Lissom and Vega Pro but I am contemplating selling them both because the Kanaph has the control of the Lissom and the stability and power (actually even more power) of the Vega Pro. If I really have to say something I do not like about the Kanaph it is the arc. But after playing quite a bit with it for the past weeks I have already adjusted very well. So I guess this is my perfect blade. No more blade ej-ing....for now...
Design/Cosmetics
The Kanaph is a beautiful blade. Initially I wasn not a fan of the purple and black handle color but seeing it person changed my mind, this blade is very pretty to look at. The bottom lens has a unique design, it adds to a more premium look. The hinoki top ply is very smooth and I do not see any imperfections. The burnt core gives this blade a racing stripe look.
I was told by our local reseller that I should give the straight handle a try. He was right. The straight handle is very comfortable. It is not as chunky as other straight handles that I have tried, in fact it is rather slim. It fits my average hands like a glove.
Feel
I really enjoyed the feel of this blade. The hinoki top ply gives the blade a soft feel while the carbon layer and burnt kiri core give it a crisp, sharp feel. I find the feel a bit odd, but in a good way. It is both soft and crisp at the same time. When hitting with medium low power the hinoki top ply feels sort of like a damp layer of wood, abosorbing the impact of the ball. Compared to the Nexy Oscar where you can feel which part of the blade face the ball is hitting, I can feel the impact on the whole face of the blade. So the Oscar feels sharper while the Kanaph feels duller. Which one is better is purely subjective.
On more powerful shots, you can feel the ball dig deeper into the blade. In fact, you can almost feel the core of the blade communicating with your hand. I really enjoyed this feeling since I always know how much power I am putting out unlike some other composite blades that feel numb. The feeling that I am getting is not really typical vibration associated with all wood blades, rather it is more like haptic feedback telling your hand how hard you are hitting and at what angle.
Control
This is a very linear and controllable blade. There is no sudden catapult, no wierd speed jumps, you get what you put out. This feeling of control encourages you to hit harder and faster. I did not feel like I have to hold back, in fact, I feel like I want to hit harder every time. Looping from mid to far distance is a dream. The length and direction of the blade is easily controllable. Short game was also exceptional. On passive shots, this blade is dead. It is not bouncy at all. It is possible to drop the ball very close to the net when recieving serves.
Speed
Since the Kanaph is linear, it is like you are playing with 4 different blades - an ALL+, OFF-, OFF, and OFF+ blade. With passive shots this blade is dead, the ball does not bounce very far. Once you increase the power output the blade starts to come alive. If there is a chance to really rip it, the blade can be an OFF+ - very fast with a direct trajectory. With my stroke during counterlooping, the blade feels right in the middle of OFF range.
Looping
From what I read, I was expecting Kanaph to be more of a hitting blade than looping. But I was surprised the blade did really well in this department. Spin generation is very easy, control is exceptional, ample dwell time, yet crisp and sharp feel at the same time. One thing to note is the arc. The arc seems to be on the low side. Using the same sheet of Sigma 2 Pro on the Lissom and Vege Pro, the arc during loops seem to be on the low side. I tried an Omega V Europe and the arc seems to be even lower. With my normal looping stroke I was hitting the net a lot. I therefore had to do a more vertical stroke to clear the net. But when I switched to Omege V Asia the arc seems to be high enough to safely clear the net during looping rallies. Aside from the low arc, I consider this my almost perfect looping blade.
Conclusion
This is an exceptionally good blade from Nexy. The playing characteristics and feel of the Kanaph are what I have been looking for in a blade. I currently have the Lissom and Vega Pro but I am contemplating selling them both because the Kanaph has the control of the Lissom and the stability and power (actually even more power) of the Vega Pro. If I really have to say something I do not like about the Kanaph it is the arc. But after playing quite a bit with it for the past weeks I have already adjusted very well. So I guess this is my perfect blade. No more blade ej-ing....for now...
