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TLDR; try this BH rubber for fun if you are intermediate/advanced with good footwork, otherwise it is not worth it.

Background: I have been training for around 1 year now (practice 2-3 times per week). I use an inner carbon fiber (mesh) blade called Gambler Fire Dragon Touch. Previously, I have used Rakza 7 2.0 mm and Palio CJ8000 on my backhand. The only reason I switched to Palio AK47 Red was because I was curious about the rubber and it was cheap.

Review: It is clearly faster than Rakza 7 on full body, aggressive shots and had a lower angled arc. However, it was very difficult for me to open up against backspin with this rubber, and it was just generally harder to have my shots land on the table during matches. Even during training, my shot accuracy was not as good when compared to using Rakza 7.

I am writing this review because I recently played against a recreational player after trying out the Palio AK47 Red for one month (at least 10 hrs of training). I was using my old rackets for fun, and I realized that my backhand was actually much more consistent using my older rackets that had Rakza 7, CJ8000, or Mark V. Today, I took off the Palio AK47 Red and glued an old Rakza 7 onto my current setup. I instantly had better shot consistency when I hit warm up balls against a robot after I switched.

I can imagine that players with better footwork and technique can hit high-powered shots more often, which is what the Palio AK47 excels at. However, for me, I do not always hit with good form and acceleration, so Palio AK47 felt inconsistent to me compared to Rakza 7 and CJ8000.

I cannot speak on typical durability, but the sponge does flake off on the edges within a few weeks. This does not affect performance. However, I could not re-use this rubber after taking it off my blade, because the sponge cracked and broke when I peeled it off my blade.

This is a classic blade! Medium speed with power for enough offensive blade. Very good feeling and a little bit of vibration. The feeling of the blade is not to hard.

I play the Fire Fall FC with the new design. This blade is awesome. If you like soft blades with not to much vibration the Fire Fall FC is very good for you!

The FFFC is a perfect blade for looping AND blocking. You can use the blade very variable. The blade gives you a great feeling with its softness. The blade is not fast as a ZX Gear In or ALC blades. But you have high control.

I play a heavy blade with 87g. Mainly the Fire Fall FC blades are around 80g.

This is a fantastic blade that allows you to play some really amazing shots with ease. It's made specially for Ma Lin's style, and that shows. I am reviewing the penhold version of this blade (the version that Ma Lin used).

Design: Ma Lin Extra Offensive is designed for playing penhold in the traditional Chinese style (close-to-table attacking and blocking). Shakehand players can still imitate this style -- there is a shakehand player at my club who plays extremely well with this blade -- but be aware that this blade was not designed for shakehand players.

Beginner players: Some people say that this blade is too fast for a beginner. I think this might be a little bit true -- it is pretty fast for a wood blade. But I think anyone can learn well with this blade if you put some slow tacky rubbers on it (I'd recommend Skyline 2 or Hurricane 3, unboosted). If you have experience in another racket sport, or you're at a level where you can keep a consistent rally going, this is a great blade to learn and play with.

Flick & Loop-kill: The place where this blade shines is the forehand flick and the forehand loop-kill. These strokes are so easy to play, and they're very effective at the club level because not many people play the traditional penhold style any more. Penholders will have a great time.

When to hit: Taking the ball right off the bounce is really easy with this blade -- even when looping underspin -- and taking such shots can be incredibly satisfying. You can take the ball at any time, but it's most advantageous to try to play the ball right off the bounce.

Backhand punch: The traditional penhold backhand punch is another place where this blade shines. It's very easy to redirect an opponent's smash and block it to an inconvenient location. This is because the blade has an amazing level of control. You can punch the ball really well with the reverse backhand stroke as well.

Feeling: The feeling of this blade is kind of funny. It doesn't feel like other wood blades, and it doesn't feel like carbon. If I had to describe it, it feels almost like it's hollow when you touch the ball. It gives a lot of feedback in terms of vibration, which some people like and others don't. Vibration is good for learning, though, which is why I think this blade can be good for beginners.

Spin: This blade can create spinny loops from brushing the ball, but they tend to be pretty slow. The low speed can give your opponent an opportunity to counterattack, which is not ideal. Brushing loops will produce a slow (but spinny) ball. Brushing shots are not so satisfying to play, and they leave you feeling like you mishit the ball. Beginners who learn to play with this blade will learn a lot of good techniques, but they will not learn how to play a brushing loop because brushing loops do not feel good.

Fast looping: If you want a fast loop, you need to engage the core of the blade and hit very quickly. This means that looping far from the table will have very low control, compared to other blades which let you hit fast loops with a slower stroke.

My style: I am not very agile and I don't have the best reaction time, but I am tall with a big wingspan, so I tend to play far from the table for a lot of my game. Because of this, the Ma Lin Extra Offensive does not suit my style so well. It's a shame, because I like everything else about this blade, and no other blade competes with this one in the close-to-table game. I played with Ma Lin Extra Offensive for a while and ended up switching to Nittaku Miyabi because of the far-from-table game.

Who should use this blade: Players (particularly penholders) who are agile and reactive enough to play close to the table should seriously consider this blade. Beginners who want to play a fast attack-based game should also consider this blade. Anyone who admires Ma Lin and wants to play like him should try this blade.

I got this blade to test how much faster Rakza Z was compared to H3 39 provincial OS. I was playing with a Nittaku basaltec Inner.

It was a pleasantly surprised. It is a well behaved outer blade and slower than most other outer I have tested.

Rakza Z and this blade is slightly faster than H3 and Nittaku basalt inner.

It has just the right amount of flex so You get a good feel .
Lots of control and power when You need it

Due to the flex and spruce outer layer spinney shots are easy and it blocks really well.

If You are an all out power only player You will probably thing its too slow.

All in all its a great blade for an all round player.

Initially I didn't like this blade because coming from the Stiga Intensity, this was even harder and faster, but the more I used it I found some things that are really nice about it.

The quality of this blade is excellent, no problems with splintering, it also has slight rounded edges.

Even though the blade is hard, it is also very solid and well balanced. It is a bit head heavy, but not as much as dhs blades.

Handle (fl) feels round but relatively thick, so it is pleasant to hold in hand, it is comparable to stiga master handle, stiga handle is a bit thinner but wider.

Regarding power, it's got a bunch of it. It feels like a hard all wood blade and speed is comparable to a normal 7 ply all wood blade. Part of it is that mine weighs 87 grams. It is not a carbon rocket, but for a 5ply all wood it's reasonably fast. I would say around the speed of a clipper.

One big drawback for me is that it's very hard, and even though it goes with any and every rubber, no matter what you put on is gonna suffer from the low dwell time of the blade. It makes blocking and countering absolutely flawless but lifting backspin and slow topspin shots are a bit tough to get right.

Overall a good blade for the player that stays close to the table and counters or blocks. Mid distance power isn't lacking but high level technique is required.

Not for beginners as the blade can punish bad technique, but intermediates with make good use of it.

Excellent speed and good support overall. The rubber feels quite bouncy due to softy top sheet and not too hard sponge. It can bottom out in large force flat smash but the feeling is not a disturbing one.

Trajectory is amazing. In low force, the initial portion is medium/medium-high throw then lands long and flat, shooting towards the opponent. In higher force/closed angle, the trajectory is medium/medium-low throughout, having a little bit of arc, but not too much nor being completely flat.

Though non-tacky like Rakza X, they can both brush the ball well and create huge amount of spin, thanks to the super grippy top sheet. Testing in actual game, the spin factor acts like as a big multiplier to speed instead of being a lethal threat in its own right. It mostly creates threat because there is little time to respond to a relatively high level spin under good speed. Scenario of eating spin outright is not too common but possible. The opponent was more often surprised by the amount of spin during rallies/fast serves and create mistakes that lead to a kill.

Control is pretty easy throughout close to far distances. However, maintaining short game can be relatively difficult due to rubber bounciness and high speed. Control has to be very precise or else it is better just to open up.

First of all, a noteworthy point about the handle shape: blades in the Ma Lin series share a very well-designed handle for Chinese penhold that is super easy to grip and alternate pressure between thumb and index finger. Cannot stress enough of that since it is the most comfortable design I have encountered, tested personally and with beginners.

Ma Lin Carbon performs like an enhanced wooden blade with increased speed and support from inner layer carbon when called for. In low force range, the soft outer layers provides great touch. There is some flex and the overall feeling is around medium hardness leaning towards the soft side. Control is akin to wooden blades. In medium force range, the carbon seamlessly activates and the blade feels mildly stiff while retaining sufficient flex. There is no abrupt 'kick in' although one can notice it from the difference of sound or vibrational feedback. This enables proper mid distance game although it is not exactly its strength. The insufficiency in power only happens in long rallies or far distances. In high force range, if one exerts and maintain the effort in good position, it can stably reach low end OFF speed close to mid distance.

Over a decade and more, this versatile blade is still completely relevant in today's game below advanced level. Pair with soft rubbers for control and hard/bouncy rubbers for speed. Recommended to anyone wants to enjoy a carbon blade with woody feeling.

A truly special point to note about Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offense is its handle for Chinese penhold. The thickness and shape is designed in a way that one can learn the cpen grip and corresponding swinging motion extra effectively. It has been tested on a couple of absolute beginners and the consensus is that it encourages a certain way of movement comparing to a few other popular cpen blades. The width may not suit smaller hands but sanding the sides could solve this problem.

For playing properties, close to the table, you get exactly what you give. The touch and playing results are super coherent. Control is easy and there is some amount of non-disturbing vibrational feedback. The hard veneer provides immediate speed and the relatively softer core provides proper bounce - they work in good balance. The blade is a little hard but very flexible. Everything is comfortably linear.

However, in the era of 40+ plastic balls and carbon blades, speed and power is insufficient. While having acceptable speed, it is nowhere as fast as a basic carbon blade or 7-ply stiff wooden blades. The power is also lacking during continuous smashes and can be returned with relative ease. Moreover, no rubber can make up for the lack of support from mid-distance onwards. The blade suffice in most playing styles from ALL to OFF- with its huge compatibility in rubber pairing but it cannot reach competitive OFF level as advertised. Not the best with pips but possible.

Excellent price and manufacturing quality. Blade is highly durable. Recommended especially for penhold learners, and all beginners to intermediate amateurs who look for good feeling and control.

Unnecessarily large amount of force has to be exerted for a very low increment of result/feedback. The sponge suppleness actually works against control in many scenarios since there is almost no support. If one chooses to use this rubber for some reasons, a stiff and bouncy blade is recommended.

There are two utilities for this rubber I can think of. First, it can be a good tool to learn spinning for very beginners due to having a grippy topsheet with almost no bounce in the sponge. Even though the actual spin is at best average, the feeling of spinning the ball is commendably clear. It also has a convenient upgrade path to the regular version: retaining the same feeling from topsheet and adjusting only to a harder/bouncier sponge. Second, it can aid transition to stiff blades jumping a long way from a soft one. Other than that, even multiball feeding and defensive purposes has better options.

Having the above said, RX-S is a quality-built rubber and there is no wrong in using it if one desires. Be extra cautious when changing rubbers since the soft sponge can easily be damaged in the process. Hence an averaged (8) for durability: (9.5) for good durability if stuck on the same blade and (6.5) for sponge fragillity upon rubber removal/glue removal.

It may be a brother of the regular RZ but the characteristics are quite different. The overall feeling of RZ-EH is more direct and less bouncy. Throw angle is medium-high, trajectory is longer, tackiness is 15%-20% lesser, weight is even heavier and sponge feels very much harder. Spin is still pretty high but slightly lower comparing to RZ. Speed deficiency of RZ is fixed by increased sponge hardness and this rubber can be a medium-fast spinny powerhouse if one has to capability to always hit it through. If not, the touch can at times be thick and mushy.

The weight of this rubber is uncommonly heavy so watch out for lopsidedness between front/back side if it is a factor to consider. The hard sponge of RZ-EH can properly compensate support for a softer/slower blade but the best blade synergy should be medium-soft to medium-hard depending on playing style. Not recommended for blade too stiff/low dwell.

The tackiness makes it uncomfortably high throw right out of the package...play for around half an hour to wear out the super sticky layer, then the throw angle becomes reasonable - still high but more stable and easier to control.

Spin is the rubber's strength. The slightly tacky top sheet does the job. It will diminish over some time but the rubber itself is still super grippy. The sponge is measured considerably hard but the actual feeling is not. More like well-supported than having the need to specially exert effort to hit through it. An additional note is that the sponge stayed sturdy even after multiple re-gluing, which may not always be the case with softer ones.

Excellent performance in looping but not that easy to do a direct smash. The high throw angle will kick in and unstably mess with the smash angle/direction. Moreover, lack of speed will hinder the smash and a simple topspin stroke may as well create more threat.

Overall a unique but very affordable rubber. Pairs well with medium to stiff blades. May be too slow with softer blades.

hello everyone I have a question please. is this rubber (2.0) suitable for xiom offensive s wood? it would be a back side. thank you very much for the answers.

One of the best rubber in terms of price to durability ratio. Medium to medium-high throw. Very linear output with low upper limit. From observation, good BH choice for developing players although it is also a FH choice for some. It lacks an obvious character but the overall feeling is comfortable. Can be a good or bad aspect, depending on what a player demands. If one does not know what to choose, this rubber may be a good one to start with.

Speed:
Blades with a hard veneer is preferred if one wants to have medium fast speed, otherwise it lands around medium. For perspective, a competitive player would call it a slow rubber but an average amateur may find it controllably fast.

Spin:
Super easy to create spin but not very spinny in actual performance. The clear feeling on gripping and spinning the ball creates an illusion of generating huge spin, while in reality the effect is average at best.

Durability:
Very playable for a long time if you do not mind the sides chipping a little over time. Not too affected by humidity and temperature overall.

Control:
Best suited for developing players who started on slower rubbers. It is just about controllable enough for a complete beginner but on the speedy side. Very controllable from intermediate level.

The Timo Boll ZLF is my fourth blade and has exceeded my expectations. I currently have a TBALC, Primorac Carbon and Innerforce Layer ZLC in my collection as well. I use Fastarc G1 for both sides of the TBZLF, TBALC and IFZLC, which helps when comparing the blades.

The ZLF is the slowest of all the blades. However, because it has the most control, I am more confident in taking bigger swings / exerting more power in my strokes. Unless you are a professional or elite club level player, the ZLF's speed is more than adequate, including for loop drives and smash shots.

In terms of touch it is softer than the TBALC (both TBs have koto outer, but the ZLF has no carbon), but slightly harder than the IFZLC, likely due to the latter's limba outer + 2 wood outer plies. Both the ZLF and IFZLC are great for short service receives. Blocking with the ZLF is comfortable and reliable, but you will need to rely more on placement than pace to win the point.

Dwell time wise, the ZLF is just a tad less than the IFZLC. However, the ZLF's looping arc (especially when exerting strength) is higher than the ZLC and hence, affords more safety and forgiveness. My coaches have observed a marked increase in my consistency when I use the ZLF to open up from backspin with a backhand loop, compared to the other blades. They have also pointed out that my forehand loops are spinnier when using the ZLF. That said, players who rely on lightning fast loop drives to score outright winners during third ball attacks should look elsewhere

Overall, I am extremely pleased with the TBZLF and will highly recommend it to intermediate level players, or even up to the advanced level.

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Timo Boll ZLF FG1 FG1 180g
Timo Boll ALC FG1 FG1 181g
Primorac Carbon D09c T05 184g
Innerforce ZLC FG1 FG1 189g

The Shang Kun is a very good inner carbon blade from Tibhar. The blade is not so fast like the other innerforce blades. Therefor the SKAC is a good choice for the non pro players.

The blade has a great sability and enough speed to play an offensive playstyle. The control is high and much higher than the other Pro Player inner carbon blades.

I think the Dyna Seven is one of the well balanced 7ply woods on the market. You have a high control and enough speed to play a variable game.

The Fire Fall FC is a great blade. The blade has a excellent feeling and is well balanced in speed and control. The blade don't vibrate much. You can play very equal and the blade won't let you down.

When you combine the blade with fast rubbers, you have a powerful, high performance setup.

This the night and day better compared to the Dignics 09c that I’ve been using for 1 year.

This blade is not very well known or talked about online, probably if it were from butterfly or branded with some pro name it would sell like hotcakes.

I stumbled upon it a bit by luck, some famous young players where signed by Tibhar and they were playing eye catching table tennis, they are the Lebrun Brothers. When I researched a bit more I found that one of them (Alexis) played with Boll ALC and the other (Felix) with innerforce (ZLC i think) but when they got signed For Tibhar they had to change equipment and they choose Shang Kun AC.

So far so good but I wasn’t completely sold on it, so lurked around on online forums, watched ttplanet21 video review on YouTube and thought, what the hell, I’ll get one and see for myself.

I’ve played table tennis for around 15/20 years, and used 5ply blades (Tibhar power 40 an old model), 7ply (Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition), carbon blades (Primorac Carbon, Zhang Jike ALC, Viscaria, Donic Waldner WC 89, Timo Boll ZLC, DHS301, Nuytinck ZC, Donic Original True Carbon) some where mine and some from colleagues.

Anyway, when I first tried Shang Kun AC, I immediately felt an amazing stability, control and exceptional dwell time when training with it.

I was able to block much more consistently, the attack of the third ball and when serve receiving was so easy and fluid, at the same time I was able to let the ball much shorter when receiving serves. Everything felt like a whole new world coming from what I was used to. With a medium to high arc it is very safe to play aggressively.

Forehand or backhand both easy to loop and manage a great placement in the table, with great power when needed.

In competitive matches and tournaments where sometimes the pressure take the best of some players, I became a much better player because it gave me confidence, consistency and the ability to play faster balls or spinier ones, receive short, push long with better quality, everything how one thinks it should be, but often can’t really do, when feeling the pressure of important matches.

So, i can only recommend it to everyone that want to have a better control all around, a soft touch, still keeping enough power to finish any point