Latest reviews

An excellent backhand rubber, just not up to par with other backhand rubbers. I suppose it would be great for someone who has a personal preference for it.
It's soft, but just a bit too hard. It's light, but not quite as light as, say, AK47 Blue. It's tacky, but not tacky enough to affect the 40+ Polyball significantly.
If these things were changed just slightly it'd be an excellent rubber for BH as far as I'm concerned.

Should be noted that this is probably DHS' fastest line of rubbers and the speed is definitely easy to feel over more effort-intensive forehand rubbers like the H3.
It is instantly noticeable that it is a much faster and more direct rubber.

A solid 8 I guess, but why buy a solid 8 when you can get a 9.5 I remain unsure.
I guess it is a matter of personal taste at that point.

I have played on and off with this rubber over the last 3 years. Every time I have used it, I have used it on both sides of my blade and used 1.9-2.0mm instead of MaxMax as this brought the weight closer to a sheet of Tenergy 05 2.1mm and increased my feeling for the rubber. I recommend this step for all hard sponged ESN rubbers.

The key to this rubber is to realize that it is a spin oriented rubber for someone who wants to both spin drive and spin with arc and the technique is largely similar across various shots, which is the case for Chinese style tacky rubbers but not the case for more power oriented rubbers like T05 and MX-P. For MX-S, you always brush and use the precision of your brush to determine the arc, even when driving. This is can lead to some high arcing drives on loops and counterloops, loaded with spin. Most people who complain about the arc on drives are simply trying to hit through the ball with T05 or MX-P technique without trying to precisely arc the ball.

The blocking and short game control of this rubber is amazing for an Euro rubber given the amount of spin. THe rubber is relatively slow compared to a power rubber like T05 or more strictly speaking, MX-P or T64. But the gain in control is great for those who want to consistently spin and spin shots can be played against a variety of ball types once the topsheet and sponge are mastered.

The main negative is the weight, but I think many players even at decently high levels would do well with 1.9mm sponge and Max is easily supportable if you use a lighter rubber on the backhand. On a Hinoki blade, you get an extreme feeling of grabbing the ball that some may really like.

Highly recommended. If you find the rubber too low throw, then you simply are not brushing with precision.

One of the most popular Chinese rubbers.
It fits very well to fast OFF blades.
Unbelievably a lot of control.
A very small catapult.
Playing in the first zone is very good.
It's worse in the second zone - power is lacking.
You have to tune it very hard.
You play very well at the table.
Topsin for one tempo is perfect.
The service is a very large weapon.

So, I bought one blade. I have a normal V-14 too. This one is a bit faster and stiffer and it is built with ALC. The feeling is high and good. This blade is a must have!
This is a PRO version, which means, that the blade should me more direct and aggressive, than the normal V-14. The blade feels definitely stiffer and a bit faster, the tempo is OFF with a fine touch. Goes well with all rubbers. This blade is a very nice looping blade well suited for an all out looper and attacker style. Similar to BF TB/ZJK ALC. Due to the limba outer plies the ball touch feels softer then those BTY blades. Feels more direct, than Marcos Freitas ALC blade. The tempo is at the edge of OFF-/OFF.

The blade is suited for a looping based game with power loops and drives/loop drives. The blade is less elastic then the normal V14, so I would say it is speed elastic. The basic V14 is more flexible.

Have tried it with Bluefire M1 and M2 and Z2.

I will update the review later, when I have more experience comparing the normal and the PRO version with the same coverings.

I found this rubber pointless because it's so heavy that its main advantage is negated. It's great at spin, but if it were half as spinny and 20 grams lighter you could accelerate more easily and get all that spin and more back on most shots.

This rubber makes you feel amazing in training shots, where you have time and foreknowledge of what shot you're playing, so you can get everything prepared and hit a wonderful spinny shot. In a fast game its weight drags your whole bat down, making it harder to align it fast enough and accelerate unless the shot is really well prepared and position is perfect.

Great practice rubber, but not a good one for actual play. Other rubbers do it better.

At this price, it's a no-cons rubber if you stick it on the backhand, as you should.

Good speed, which is especially noticable when topspinning backspin balls and all manner of serve return.
One of the lightest rubbers on the market, which improves your whole bat and your performance, also making a hard sponge heavier rubber for the FH more viable.

Soft sponge makes up for lack of significant body rotation in the backhand and makes wrist motions all the more pronounced as it grabs the ball in.

The topsheet isn't on par with rubbers supposed to fill the same need like Rakza7 Soft etc and the ball leaves the racket a lot faster with less spin. But this may be good for some, and expected given it's like 1/3 the price or less.



Also, ignore these TT1 commercials here, this rubber costs $10 if you order it from aliexpress and shipment is free

My favorite 7 Ply wood blade. It’s a Limba/Ayous/Ayous/Ayous composition blade with incredible control and feel.

Considering it’s speed (solid Off- with the new ball) this blade has the best control I’ve ever encountered and I own close to 50 blades. On average they are around 85g and 6.5mm thickness (I own 5 of them varying from 84-87g and 6.4-6.6mm.) It offers (to me) a perfect balance between enough elasticity and flex for good looping and counter-looping and enough stiffness and backbone for good blocks, hits, and directional control. Weight distribution is fairly balanced. The flarred handle feels great in the hand and is the perfect size for my medium/large hands.

It does everything I ask it to do with great feeling and control and plenty of speed for my needs when paired with an offensive rubber. Incredible blade with typical Nittaku top of the line construction and finish.

Red comes with Medium soft orange sponge, Black with Medium soft blue sponge. Very good quality (much better than lightening rubber). This rubber comes with a film over the top but otherwise comes without packing.

Great board in class OFF. A video review that includes English subtitles. All reviews are also translated in many other languages. Subtitles can be corrected. Thank you for helping to improve the quality of your channel. This knowledge will be useful to many people.

I DO NOT boost this rubber and have been playing with H3NEO Domestic 39deg version for about 1 year changing the sheet once (first sheet is still very playable).
I am an all-rounded player who prefers to play 1-3ft from table.

This rubber allows me to vary the spin when I want and also flat hit or counter hit (closer to table). It's great for the short game and it excels for my awkward block shots where I like to suck the speed/energy and almost double bounce it (very good when opponent is mid distance looping it), I have found only the chinese tacky rubbers allow me to do this with such consistency and quality.
If I find myself 4-6ft from table the looping definitely takes more energy, full arm strokes/usage of waist/wrist are a must to produce a loop good enough to compete with rubbers like Tenergy and win a point.

These rubbers last a long time, you just need to make sure you clean with water after every session and use the protective films to get a long life 6+months. Without booster the rubber is definitely not as fast like Tenergy but has many gears and can reach high speed with the full stroke as I mentioned. The spin speaks for itself in all departments, the tackiness helps a lot with this. I find I have a lot of control with this rubber also but control is too diverse a topic to explain properly. But i find it great for blocking and service receive and slow spin up openers.

​Unboxing
It has been a while since I have played with a Joola blade. When I was a cadet/boy player I was using Joola and Donic equipment which at that time were decent brands and I would love to hit with an old Jörg Rosskopf OFF blade. The Joola Aruna OFF blade comes in a standard Joola box which is quite boring, but when looking at the Aruna OFF the color is referenced to the flag of Nigeria which is green and white. There are two black lines in the middle to break the color scheme and to tell the blade means business. On the front side of the handle there is a black plastic lens and in bottom there is a metal lens. There is also a JTTAA stamp in the bottom. The Hinoki outer plies have good grains and the finish is top class with rounded edges at the wings. The handle is very smooth as blades from Butterfly. I would say this blade has better finish than some of the high end blades and the quality is very good!

Composition: 7 ply (Hinoki, Koto, Carbon, Kiri Core, Carbon, Koko, Hinoki)
Handle: Flared
Head size: 157x150mm
Thickness: 5.8mm
Weight: 84g
Type: Carbon OFF rated by manufacture

Test setup: FH Joola Rhyzm 2.0mm and BH Stiga Genesis M 2.1mm. Total weight 184g.

Drive
When driving with the Aruna OFF I could immediately feel that this blade was very controllable on both sides. The setup has a very good center balance with these rubbers and the feeling is more towards an all wood blade than a carbon blade.The speed is decent and is comparable to some of the Innerforce series.

Even faster than the normal ZLC and Viscaria! But having that said the blade also had an amount of feel and dwell that you normally don't experience when blades are that fast. I think this might be due to the outer limba layer combined with the SZLC. The Super Zylon-Carbon layer adds lightness, stiffness and flexibility to the blade. Another thing that was noticeable was the large sweet spot.

Loop
When looping with the Aruna OFF I could really feel this setup was a spin machine. This is the second time I have made a review on a blade with Hinoki outer plies. Here I could really get the grip that I wanted with medium effort. Struggled a bit with the Stiga Genesis M due to the lower throw, which I was not used to, but having that said the spin was great with both rubbers. I felt that I could create more spin with the Joola Rhyzm rubber and the power from the carbon was quite obvious when looping.

Block
In the passive game the Aruna OFF also delivers control! I was very stable and consistent due to the large sweet spot which the carbon gives. Still if I was a bit active on the ball I felt that I couldn’t miss the table. Directing the ball was easily done without having the feeling you were losing control even with huge incoming loops.

Flick/short game
The aspect of this part of the game the Aruna OFF is shining. Due to the outer Hinoki and the overall softness of the blade it was not difficult to flick the ball or keep the ball low and short when playing over the table. You always feel the ball and do not have the impression that the ball is jumping away from you.

Conclusion
Joola has made a signature blade for Aruna Quadri which accommodate his needsi. The retail price is 79.90 Euro (in Europe) and 95.03 USD (in US) which is a decent price for a signature blade. For that price you get very good quality and I have heard the blades from Joola should be very durable.

I would recommend the blade to players who focus on an offensive game with spin and control in focus.The blade fits well away from the table as in close. Also the player that favors the stability and consistency in their blocking and attacking game. The blade is good value and if you like Hinoki as outer due to Hinokis attributes then you would not go wrong in town choosing this blade.

I used to play with T05 and Joola Ryzhm, both good rubbers, but both expensive to change three times a year. So I looked for other alternatives and someone suggested H3 neo. So I bought a couple of sheets. Initially I found them completely different from the two other european rubbers I was used to, but then have quite strong physical strokes, I began to find this rubber very good in all departments and I didn't miss the more catapult effect that the european rubbers offer. H3 neo offered to me far more control and great speed and spin when using good technique and a strong stroke. Great for flat hits also. For £16 a sheet represents great value.

I use this as rpb rubber red 1.8mm thickness on my Hurricane Hao 2.. very good control.
insensitive to spin..
short pushes are amazing..
blocking is very easy.
it seems very durable and doesn't collect dust much..
my only problem is that I can't do my 3rd ball attack with my rpb.. I think it was my technique needing adjustment.
overall I love it

My blade is 86g and 6.3mm. 7 Ply Limba/Ayous composition. This is my second favorite 7 Ply blade after my holy grail Nittaku Ludeak.

It’s speed is a solid Offensive - being faster than a DHS PG7 but slower than Ma Long 3 or Force Pro Black edition. I have this as well as the newer Black edition blade, but prefer this one. The Black edition is a little too stiff (6.7mm) for my game and is similar to a Stiga Clipper. The Blue edition offers more flex for looping while still being stiff enough for hits and blocks. Compared to Tibhar’s other great wood blade, the Stratus Power Wood (thick Limba 5 Ply), this blade is less head heavy, a few grams lighter on average and I feel a touch slower with better feel. Both are great and I enjoy both depending on my mood.

Overall, this is an excellent, balanced, do it all blade for a fair price and one of my favorites as a Limba/Ayous wood blade fan. Recommended.

This gets my vote for the best blade in the world in the $35 or under price range. It’s a 7 Ply wood blade with Limba/Ayous/Ayous/Ayous construction. My blade is 87g and 6.3mm thick.

The blade offers great feel and control with Off- speed with the new ball. Build quality is good for the price and feels good and balanced in the hand. I also have the $200 DHS Ma Long 3 blade and this blade has similar construction with lower quality control and a smaller sweet spot. The speed is a little slower but I think this blade actually has better control. It’s a very well balanced blade with enough flex for great looping and counter looping and enough stiffness for good directional control, hitting, and blocking.

The price/performance ratio for this blade is remarkable. If you or someone you know is on a tight budget but still looking for a high quality blade with good performance, this is highly recommended.

My main blade and one of the best values in table tennis equipment. I paid $35 with a discount and I like it more than any of the $150+ blades that I own. Limba/Limba/Ayous construction. My blade is 87g and 6.2mm thickness. The head size is slightly bigger than standard for those of you that switch cut rubbers between different blades. Head heavy which I like for increased spin in serves, flicks, and loops.

Similar to the Xiom Offensive S and Butterfly Petr Korbel but a little stiffer and faster. Great balance, great control, good speed for a 5 Ply wood blade. I’d place the speed at the higher end of Off- or the lower end of Off. It's stiff enough for good directional control with enough flex for effective looping. Good feeling, do everything well, wood blade.

You really can’t go wrong with this blade. I chuckle when I see people describe this as a beginners blade. While beginners could use this blade with control rubbers, this blade has ample speed and performance for 95% of amateur players when paired with an attacking rubber. And 95% of amateur players would play better with this vs their faster, less feeling composite blade. Great blade for a fair price. Highly recommended.

Hey i have buyed the donic bluefire m1 for 6 Months. I have test it out. The Rubber is very Good but if you a amateur then DONT buy this. Because if you Played , you have Good Topspin and spin but you dont have Control. You cant Control any Balls its too hard to do it. I have play this Rubber 3 Months and it was Broken.
(I have played 12 hours per Week).The upper rubber is extremely grippy and very tight. But when it comes to topspin against block, he goes forward powerfully.
Reminds me strongly of the tenergy 05. The rubber is very light on the racket. Sorry for my bad English. (my blade was Dhs 6002)

I've played with both blades with several versions of both blades (straight, concave, small, medium) for over a year and have gotten to know some of the pros and cons of owning them

Background: Blades played for more than 3 months: Galaxy N10, Stiga allround Allround NCT, Zhang Jike ALC, Galaxy Earth 1, Virtuoso+, Virtuoso-. Good technique, lacking experience (3 years of proper play).

Currently playing the Virtuoso- for more than 6 months.

The both blades differ in their outer plies. The limba outer-ply is slightly treated to be a bit harder on the Virtuoso-
View attachment 14617

1. First impressions/handle/Gluing

Both blades are very high quality. The workmanship is top-notch. Nothing to complain about here. You can get them in S/M/L head sizes. Weight is generally around 87-90 grams. From personal experience, straight handle + medium head size is head-heavy for most modern rubbers so keep that in mind. Straight + small head size is slightly head heavy. Concave + small is balanced at the center./handle I tried a friend's flaired+ medium and found it to be more or less balanced at the center too.

You can choose from a variety of handles. For some reason, I found the Virtuoso+'s flaired handle to be quite a bit larger than the Virtuoso-'s flaired handle. Don't go 100% on what I'm saying because I couldn't compare them side by side (bought the Virtuoso- after I sold the Virtuoso+) but it would be good to ask OSP yourself. I had to sell the Virtuoso+ in flaired simply because it didn't feel comfortable but I found the Virtuoso- in flaired to be much more comfortable.

I normally use Free Chack II but for the Virtuoso- I had to use the Free Chack I (stronger glue) because the rubber was simply not sticking that well to the top ply. Perhaps with time it will be easier to glue. I had a similar experience with my Stiga Allround NCT but it got better with time.

2. Playing characteristics.

2 a). Serving/Short game.

Both blades give you good dwell time though the Virtuoso- offers slightly more dwell. Serving was nearly identical with both of these blades. Spin production is similar to the Allround NCT and you can keep with serve short without any problems.

However, I did find that the Virtuoso- gave me slightly better feeling on my receives. It was easier to keep with ball short because of the softer outer ply.

I almost always do a soft spin-flick (either backhand or forehand). If you really want to go for a flipkill, you can get more acceleration with the Virtuoso+ as the top ply is better suited for harder flicks. It was definitely easier to do a spin-flick with the Virtuoso- though.

Wasn't too much difference in the long push but my long pushes aren't a very strong part of my game so I can't compare the performance very well in this department.

2 b) First topspin, spinny looping, drive-looping, mid-distance

Both blades had a relatively high throw angle but there are closer in terms of speed that I had expected. Both blades are noticeably faster than my Allround NCT, which makes the OSP Virtuoso- on the higher side of OFF-. With the Allround NCT, I was really having trouble playing tournaments or training for more than 2 hours, especially with the plastic ball, but both of the blades have enough zip for looping.

The throw angle is still lower than the Allround NCT blade as a direct result of the speed. Perhaps the V- has a slightly higher throw than the + but it's very, very marginal.

It was easy to open against backspin with both blades. The V- is a bit more tolerant of being in the wrong position because it takes less energy to activate the blade. Then again, my forehand rubber is also on the harder side so with a softer one both blades will forgive imperfect footwork. V+ is still much more forgiving compared to say, an ALC blade.

The spin quality is high but it's what I expected after getting used to the blade. My forehand opening shot is my strongest shot and I didn't really see a difference in terms of spin if I compared it with the Allround NCT. However, I did have better quality in my shot compared to the Earth 1 or the ZJK ALC but that's because my timing/contact is not good enough to create that much spin with a koto outer ply. What I'm trying to say is, that you shouldn't expect these blades to magically increase the spin of your loops but it can help you improve your contact (because of the feedback that I'll talk about later), which will improve the spin of your loops.

If you go for a harder loop or a drive-kill, you will feel the increased stiffness of the V+ giving you more zip but for regular looping and for half-distance spinny looping, both blades felt comfortable. However, as I said, the V- gives you a bit more safety.

2 c) Blocking, Countering, Smashing

It depends on your blocking style. If you like to punch or push the ball, or give it bit more speed, you will like the way the V+ blocks. If you like spin-blocking, you will like both of these blades. For an emergency block against a powerful shot, I think the V- gives me a touch more control, but the V+ also doesn't lack control.

For low-spin shots such as countering and smashing, you will feel an increase in speed with the V+.


3 Ball-feeling

As others have pointed out, the vibration that you feel with both blades is very pleasing and you do know where you've contacted the ball and how good your contact was. This is not exclusive to the V+ or V- as other allwood blades give you good feedback as well. I do have to say that the feeling and feedback from these blades and especially the V- were better than anything I've tried and the feeling from the V- was on par with the more expensive Nittaku Acoustic. This can really help non-advanced players improve their game. In the short game, I also felt that I had better feeling with the V- compared to with the V+.

4. Other Feedback

Two higher lever players (TTR 1700 and TTR 1900) than me also tested these blades. The 1900TTR rated player (2200+USATT) went with the V- as he really enjoyed the feeling. The 1700 TTR rated player still plays with his Boll ALC but preferred the V- as well. His reasoning was that if he wanted a blade with great feeling, he would get the V-, if wanted to go the stiffer route, he would rather have something like his Boll ALC.

5 Final thoughts

I think that the V- is a standout blade. It's fast enough and gives you great feeling. Personally, my playing level/rating is at the highest it's been because of how well I've been able to train with this blade. If you want a touch more speed on straight shots, you can get the V+ but the speed difference is not that high and not always felt. If you really want a stiffer all-wood blade, you can check out the other OSP 7 ply allwood blades.

I've played with both blades with several versions of both blades (straight, concave, small, medium) for over a year and have gotten to know some of the pros and cons of owning them

Background: Blades played for more than 3 months: Galaxy N10, Stiga allround Allround NCT, Zhang Jike ALC, Galaxy Earth 1, Virtuoso+, Virtuoso-. Good technique, lacking experience (3 years of proper play).

Currently playing the Virtuoso- for more than 6 months.

The both blades differ in their outer plies. The limba outer-ply is slightly treated to be a bit harder on the Virtuoso-
View attachment 14617

1. First impressions/handle/Gluing

Both blades are very high quality. The workmanship is top-notch. Nothing to complain about here. You can get them in S/M/L head sizes. Weight is generally around 87-90 grams. From personal experience, straight handle + medium head size is head-heavy for most modern rubbers so keep that in mind. Straight + small head size is slightly head heavy. Concave + small is balanced at the center./handle I tried a friend's flaired+ medium and found it to be more or less balanced at the center too.

You can choose from a variety of handles. For some reason, I found the Virtuoso+'s flaired handle to be quite a bit larger than the Virtuoso-'s flaired handle. Don't go 100% on what I'm saying because I couldn't compare them side by side (bought the Virtuoso- after I sold the Virtuoso+) but it would be good to ask OSP yourself. I had to sell the Virtuoso+ in flaired simply because it didn't feel comfortable but I found the Virtuoso- in flaired to be much more comfortable.

I normally use Free Chack II but for the Virtuoso- I had to use the Free Chack I (stronger glue) because the rubber was simply not sticking that well to the top ply. Perhaps with time it will be easier to glue. I had a similar experience with my Stiga Allround NCT but it got better with time.

2. Playing characteristics.

2 a). Serving/Short game.

Both blades give you good dwell time though the Virtuoso- offers slightly more dwell. Serving was nearly identical with both of these blades. Spin production is similar to the Allround NCT and you can keep with serve short without any problems.

However, I did find that the Virtuoso- gave me slightly better feeling on my receives. It was easier to keep with ball short because of the softer outer ply.

I almost always do a soft spin-flick (either backhand or forehand). If you really want to go for a flipkill, you can get more acceleration with the Virtuoso+ as the top ply is better suited for harder flicks. It was definitely easier to do a spin-flick with the Virtuoso- though.

Wasn't too much difference in the long push but my long pushes aren't a very strong part of my game so I can't compare the performance very well in this department.

2 b) First topspin, spinny looping, drive-looping, mid-distance

Both blades had a relatively high throw angle but there are closer in terms of speed that I had expected. Both blades are noticeably faster than my Allround NCT, which makes the OSP Virtuoso- on the higher side of OFF-. With the Allround NCT, I was really having trouble playing tournaments or training for more than 2 hours, especially with the plastic ball, but both of the blades have enough zip for looping.

The throw angle is still lower than the Allround NCT blade as a direct result of the speed. Perhaps the V- has a slightly higher throw than the + but it's very, very marginal.

It was easy to open against backspin with both blades. The V- is a bit more tolerant of being in the wrong position because it takes less energy to activate the blade. Then again, my forehand rubber is also on the harder side so with a softer one both blades will forgive imperfect footwork. V+ is still much more forgiving compared to say, an ALC blade.

The spin quality is high but it's what I expected after getting used to the blade. My forehand opening shot is my strongest shot and I didn't really see a difference in terms of spin if I compared it with the Allround NCT. However, I did have better quality in my shot compared to the Earth 1 or the ZJK ALC but that's because my timing/contact is not good enough to create that much spin with a koto outer ply. What I'm trying to say is, that you shouldn't expect these blades to magically increase the spin of your loops but it can help you improve your contact (because of the feedback that I'll talk about later), which will improve the spin of your loops.

If you go for a harder loop or a drive-kill, you will feel the increased stiffness of the V+ giving you more zip but for regular looping and for half-distance spinny looping, both blades felt comfortable. However, as I said, the V- gives you a bit more safety.

2 c) Blocking, Countering, Smashing

It depends on your blocking style. If you like to punch or push the ball, or give it bit more speed, you will like the way the V+ blocks. If you like spin-blocking, you will like both of these blades. For an emergency block against a powerful shot, I think the V- gives me a touch more control, but the V+ also doesn't lack control.

For low-spin shots such as countering and smashing, you will feel an increase in speed with the V+.


3 Ball-feeling

As others have pointed out, the vibration that you feel with both blades is very pleasing and you do know where you've contacted the ball and how good your contact was. This is not exclusive to the V+ or V- as other allwood blades give you good feedback as well. I do have to say that the feeling and feedback from these blades and especially the V- were better than anything I've tried and the feeling from the V- was on par with the more expensive Nittaku Acoustic. This can really help non-advanced players improve their game. In the short game, I also felt that I had better feeling with the V- compared to with the V+.

4. Other Feedback

Two higher lever players (TTR 1700 and TTR 1900) than me also tested these blades. The 1900TTR rated player (2200+USATT) went with the V- as he really enjoyed the feeling. The 1700 TTR rated player still plays with his Boll ALC but preferred the V- as well. His reasoning was that if he wanted a blade with great feeling, he would get the V-, if wanted to go the stiffer route, he would rather have something like his Boll ALC.

5 Final thoughts

I think that the V- is a standout blade. It's fast enough and gives you great feeling. Personally, my playing level/rating is at the highest it's been because of how well I've been able to train with this blade. If you want a touch more speed on straight shots, you can get the V+ but the speed difference is not that high and not always felt. If you really want a stiffer all-wood blade, you can check out the other OSP 7 ply allwood blades.

Cornilleau Simon Gauzy Quest Blade
Weight: 81g
Type: OFF
Composition: 5 ply (Ovangkole, Kiri)
Rubbers used with blade: Target Pro GT



Written Review:

What’s going on guys it’s Dan from TableTennisDaily, in this review we are joined alongside World Number 13 Simon Gauzy to review his latest personal blades with Cornilleau! The Gauzy blades come in both All+ and OFF.


Forehand:

All wood blades are designed for optimum control and feeling, and the Gauzy quest Blades both possess these attributes in abundance. This fantastic level of control helped me especially when blocking Simon’s relentless forehand topspins. I was really taken aback by the amount of control both blades gave me whilst still maintaining good speed. This was especially apparent with the Quest OFF.

I have used and reviewed a lot of carbon blades recently, this wood blade reminded me how much control and feel you can get on the ball with an All-wood blade. I felt confident on my backhand side especially when playing punch shots.

Sometimes I struggled on high balls. I couldn’t get the balance of playing with maximum power. It was probably due to me over forcing the ball worried of Simon’s incoming attacks, which put me under a lot of pressure. Perhaps it’s also because I am used to a Carbon blade where I get more power without as much effort needed.

Playing backhand and forehand topspin from close to the mid distance worked very well. I felt I could stay relaxed and really swing through the ball without having to worry too much about it going off the end of the table. I could create good amounts of spin when finely brushing the ball during topspin play, and the Quest OFF also gave me great accuracy when it came ball placement.


Blocking and feeling:

When blocking for Simon I had a huge amount of feeling and control on the ball, you can really feel the ball onto the bat when blocking with this OFF wood blade.


Spin:

The dwell is superb with this blade when playing open ups even though the outer wood plys using ovangkole. Ovangkole being a relatively hard wood yet it still allows the ball to sink into the blade and catapults it with great spin. This harder outer wood helps during 5th ball follow up attacks.

Once again even when blocking against Simon’s heavy topspins, the blade gave me the time to feel the ball back onto the table, although I did need to use quite a closed bat angle and delicate touch.

It’s easy to create a good amount of spin with the Gauzy Quest OFF blade. You get a lot of time on the ball due to the ample dwell.

I found a lot of stability with backhand open ups, I could accelerate with a lot of racquet speed and confidence.


Backhand Flicks:

Similar to the backhand open up, the All wood quest off blade helps with gripping the ball when playing backhand flicks over the table.. When I took my time and managed to read the spin on Simon’s serve I got a lot of rotation on the ball which help to set me up for my next shot.


Counter topspin:

I had loads of control on my counter topspin. Even though Simon was loading the ball with ridiculous amounts spin. The ball does not shoot of your bat like you find with carbon blades which tend to be much stiffer and more reactive. The Gauzy quest OFF makes counter spinning much easier and I surprised myself quite a few times on ho
w well I could perform these shots with this blade.

Serving:
Serving with the Quest OFF is a breeze due to the dwell that it’s all wood construction provides. Here are some examples of Simon serving to me. The amount of spin was insane!


Conclusion:

I had a great time filming with Simon Gauzy in the brilliant Ochsenhausen training center,, as you can see from the review we both had a lot of fun.
I was very impressed with the Gauzy quest OFF blade, I really like the feeling and control it gives you. The weight of the blade is very evenly balanced when paired with average weighted tensor rubbers like cornilleau target pro which we used in this review. Some players may prefer a heavier blade for more power, however I found it really comfortable FOR my topspin game as I quite enjoyed the variation of shots you can play it. The Gauzy Quest off blade is noticeably slower than your average ALC Carbon blade for example, although it makes up for this in the control department where it really excels.

I was often blocking for Simon as he put me under a lot of pressure yet I was still able to contain most of his shots. This attribute of the blade I think is its strongest point, it's feeling and control is really is outstanding.

I did find on some occasions that when I wanted to go for all out attack I was quite limited with the blades speed. This is again because the Quest OFF is a wood blade tailored for spin and variation based players rather than for those with an all out attacking game.

As noted before, close to the table punch and counter topspin shots are easy to execute with this blade, this helped my style of play giving me good consistency.

For players starting out or looking to develop their game the Gauzy Quest ALL+ is a high controlled solid allround blade, the soft limba plys gives you great control and feel. The OFF is more suited for all round attacking players who value control and spin over extreme speed. The OFF is definitely faster and more direct than the ALL+ which is slower and but gives you even more control and dwell time.