Latest reviews

Hi Guys, I've recently bought this blade and thought of sharing a quick review
detailing my impressions about it. I'm had 2 practice sessions and 1 league game
with it and so far I'm pretty impressed. Before getting into details it might be worth
noting a couple of things. I'm a table tennis enthusiast regularly playing in the Bristol
UK (county) league. My level of play is bottom of premier league I enjoy playing
a somewhat offensive game, but I do rely a lot on a good blocking and positioning game.
Previously I was using Butterfly Innerforce ALC. I use tenergy 80 and 05 on my
forehand and backend respectively. The reason why I decided to change blade was
because my game has improved over the last couple of months and I was feeling the ALC
was a bit too soft and lacked pace. I had tried harder blades and liked them, so decided
it was time for a change. I bought the JMSZLC after watching TTdaily Dan's review.
I figured this blade would fit my game style better due to not being as hard as the ZJ,
and providing a rounder loop arc.

The blade impressed me immediately. The very first thing I noticed was the consistency
and the wide sweet spot. I really is very noticible that every shot is played consistently --
with my old ALC blade, the moment the ball hit the outer edges, I felt less confident
and the shots weren't too accurate. With the JM shots are easy and very consistent.

The bounce on the blade feels terrific. You get the impression that the ball speeds up as i
leaves the bat. Also noticed immediately that despite not having changed the rubbers,
the behaviour changed substantially. With the JM a had a lot of more time on the ball and
the tenergy rubbers felt they could spin the ball with less effort on my part.
On my game, I rely heavily on my backend blocking. The JM absolutely excels at this.
I reckon in a matter on a couple of weeks my backend technic and consistent will improve
drastically. It's an amazing feeling to be able to rely on a blade like this. Suddendly,
I've got a lot more confidence to spin the ball with my backend and this blade makes
it really easy. My forehand has also noticed improvements, mostly it's a lot easier to impart
spin on the ball. Overall I'm very happy and despite being tagged at a high price, I'll def think
it's worth it. I'm missing fewer balls and enjoying those beautiful shots a lot more. This is a
hard quick blade for the offensive player that wants control.

Finally, I would like to leave my thanks the "Best Table Tennis Equipment Store" http://saletabletennis.com
for selling me this blade (and also the ZJSZLC - which I haven't tried yet) at great prices. My experience
with them was very good and I would recommend them to anyone here on tabletennisdaily. The communication
was good, the blades arrived in about 8 working days, and I felt this was site running by one person in HK trying
to make an honest living out of selling TT products. I've recommend it and would definitely buy from them again.

I use this for my forehand and it gives me the power combined with the control that I need! The quality of this rubber is really good and I think it works great for all offensive players who plays with a lot of topspin. It's a durable rubber but because of the price I only give it 4/5 stars.

I have trained with this ball for a few practices and I had to change ball way to often because of the poor quality. The roundness was okay I but it's not fun when the ball breaks to easy. Compared to other plastic balls I think this one is the slowest I have tried. I give the Joola super-p 40+ 2/5 stars.

A lot of people have been saying these are the best plastic balls but I heartily disagree. They are prone to break anywhere on the ball surface and don't appear to be any more durable than the better seamless balls. They also have an inconsistent bounce and are not always round. I tried these on a couple of occasions but eventually decided to stick with the seamed balls.

Stiga rosewood V is blade with good speed and control balance. When you need a fast shot down the line it produces it with not much effort. I find the short game a little problematic with this one, but with training it will get better.

Hello,

I Play with the Tibhar Grass D.Tecs in 1.6mm in Red on a Butterfly Innershield DEF.

The Rubber is wonderful. I try all good Long Pips Rubbers, but no one is good as the Grass D.Tecs for me.
I play with the Rubber on all Def Blades i have. And i have a lot .

With the Rubber you can Play all the things a Defensive Player wants to do. The Chop takes the Speed and brings the Ball with a lot of Spin. I can change the Spin when I want. Side Spin or more underspin is no problem. You can also chop with no spin (float) very easily. I also like how I can smash the ball if it sits up high enough. With all these skills i never have a Problem. Only if i make the fault from poor technique

For me this is the Best Long Pimple Rubber out there.

Thank You
Nico

Hello,

I like Tenergy 80 FX very much, I use it in 1.9mm

I am a Defensive Player, but I attack everything with my Forehand. I have played with a lot of Rubbers but the Tenergy 80 FX is the best Rubber for my Gameplay.

I can play very easy Touch Play and my attack from the first Ball is very spinny and i can place the ball around the table with good control. I can place the Blocks easy in any side of the table with enough power.

From Distance i never have any Problems to Counter with Topspin.

The most Problems i have before with other Rubbers is when the opponent attacks me with good spin I struggle to handle and block the ball back well. With the T80FX I can keep the ball low due to its dwell time and I can counter topspin when I want to. I have not found another rubber that does this so well.

My search has ended for my forehand rubber. The only thing I think is not so good is the durability. The price for the rubber is ok for me because it is very good. But the durability could be better.

Thank You.
Nico

I have been using these rubbers together with my Infinity vps v for a while now and I'm very happy with my setup.

I have read that Airoc M is made for the new ball and I can absolutely agree that it works great together. I think it's hard to find a rubber with better control and the spiny topsheet makes it easy to put high quilty topspins on the table. It's not the fastest rubber out there but for offensive players who prefer great control I really recommend it.

What I like the most about this rubber is the control I get in my serve and returns, the top sheet together with the sponge gives it a nice feeling in the short game, you don't get the feeling that the ball bounces of the rubber like you can get with many other alternatives out there.

The rubber is really durable and because I really can't complain to much about the price either I give Airoc M five stars!

I have been using WSUC V1 for 7 years. The beauty of this blade is that it has lot many gears, it can play slow on touch shots and short pushes and can really unleash its power while topspinning and hitting the ball.
One unique aspect of this product is its hollow handle which Donic calls as Senso technology. It is made to give more feedback during ball contact directly to your palm. From user perspective, I would say that this mechanism helps in determining the sweet spot. Since you get an awesome feel when you contact the ball on the sweet spot. This really helps in understanding the quality of the shot which you have executed. I have played with Soft and medium hard rubbers on this blade. If you are more of a spin oriented player then go with softer rubbers. The spin on your serves will surely increase as this blade offers very good dwell time. If you want to add additional punch then go with rubbers like Donic Coppa JO Platin or any new generation ESN rubber which offers longer trajectory and more depth.
Due to its hollow handle, this blade tends to be head heavy. So be cautious on what rubbers you choose for this blade. However, I personally feel having the weight more towards the head gives better results more oomph for those who snap fast with their forearm on their topspin strokes.
This blade is more suited for players who play close to the table and at mid-distance. Farther away from the table, it looses power and needs much more effort to hit the ball.

Update
--------
After moving away from this blade for approximately 1 year, my game started suffering. I have again started using this blade and I see immediate improvement in my strokes. I think it is the amount of control which you get along with the speed which inspires you to hit without hesitation. I will give this blade full marks now in terms of control and versatility.

Insane spin, insane control and perfect speed. Works best with little harder blades, Rosewood, Ebenholz, and the likes...

This rubber also has excellent durability.

With the blade: Hurricane Hao III (pen), FH: Jp 01-Turbo and this on the backhand. I must say I'm very pleased with this rubber.
It has a very grippy top sheet, yet not as reactive to spin as you'd think. The rubber is great for Looping and flicking, the flicking is even a bit more precise (maybe a bit linear is the right word?) and easy than on my fh rubber. (though overall it's the technique it comes down to)
Before I got this I was using Mark V (unboosted) I liked the Mark V, but I absolutely loved this one. It had a much nicer touch, a bit more speed and much more gears with at least as much control, if not more.
Probably suits several blades, but recommended to use it on a medium Hard-hard blade.
Overall I'd recommend anyone this as a bh rubber. (both for penhold and shakehand!)

I recently found this old blade in my drawer and it gave me a nostalgic feeling so I wanted to try it since it was one of my first blades. I remember that I bought it when I was younger because of it's light weight since I was to weak for the "normal" blade weight.

So I tried this blade now after almost ten years and I felt directly that this was a blade for beginners even though it was pretty fast and a offensive blade. The light weight made it hard to get the power behind the strokes that I wanted, so it's not a blade for power guys. The control in the blade was pretty good so if you are a offensive beginner who likes light blades with control this can be a blade for you.

A great rubber with both the Speed and control and I'm not surprised that so many pros are using it! It's a rubber for advanced players so don't buy it just because many pros are using it if you don't have the skill for it. But if you do have the skills the Tenergy 05 is a deadly weapon!

Sadly I must also complain a little bit about the price like everyone else but if you got the cash for it I recommend it.

Pure Wood

Weight: 88 grams
Plies: 5 (ayous-???-ayous-???-ayous)
Blade Head Size: 150x156mm
Hardness: Medium Soft
Thickness: 5.9mm (approx.)
Speed: ALL to ALL+
Test Rubbers: Tenzone Ultra SF, Xiying 999 LP, Moon Speed

This is a simple and classic blade. It is more suited to an all around playing style or a long pimple attacking or blocking style. With its speed you can even chop with this blade. It is like an all around classic but a notch faster. Control is its best asset and is very much suited to a defensive or blocking style. You can still attack with it using fast rubbers. The feel and ball feedback are very good with minimal vibration. I would recommend this for beginners since this is a very newbie friendly blade and it could be a developmental stage blade. For all around style of play I suggest using faster rubbers with it like MX-P or 5Q power series since other players might find this slow to their liking.

My review of the Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition

Weight: 89 grams
Plies: 7 (limba-ayous-ayous-ayous-ayous-ayous-limba)
Blade Head Size: 150x156mm
Hardness: Slightly Stiff
Thickness: 6.7-6.8mm (approx.)
Speed: OFF
Test Rubbers: Tenzone Ultra SF, Globe 999 National, Tenergy 05fx

I waited for about 6 months in order to get my hands on this blade! The Force Pro Black Edition (let's call it the FPBE) is indeed a great improvement over the previous Force Pro blade with the blue handle design that came out 2 years ago. The handle which is flared is bigger than most Tibhar flared or concave handles and is comfortable to my large hand. It is surprisingly comfortable to hold unlike those blades that are too squarish in shape. The FPBE also has a large handle. Compared to the Stratus Powerwood, the FPBE has a cross sectional size of 36x26mm compared to the SPW's 34x24mm



Speed

The Force Pro Black Ed. is convincingly faster than its predecessor Force Pro. The original Force pro is rated between OFF- to OFF. Sometimes in some shots it is quite slower than the FPBE. Among other brands, the FPBE is faster than a regular Clipper wood but slower compared to the Clipper CC or an Adidas Challenge speed blade. The FPBE is a good counter hitting or smashing blade. This is good until middle distance. Far from the table it seems have lesser speed and power in shots. The optimal distance is close to the table and middle distance.

Spinning

The FPBE can spin good but the original Force Pro seem to be easier to do spin especially on loops and spin drives because you could brush or graze the ball easier with the Force Pro. Middle distance, the FPBE seem to shine better when counter spinning the ball. The Globe 999 national version was equally good on both blades on looping with the favoring heaving slow top spins on the original Force Pro. The FPBE however spins better when you need more power and speed. The FPBE gives a medium to high arc on slow loops when using the Globe 999 national and T05 fx.

Feel

The FPBE feels a little bit harder compared to the original FP blade. The regular FP is almost similar to the stiffness of the regular Clipper but the FPBE feels harder and gives a more solid feeling when flat hitting the ball.

Control

There are times the FPBE behaves like a an OFF+ blade and so does its control. The original Force Pro is more controllable than the FPBE but I wouldn't say that the FPBE lacks it.

Overall:

The Force Pro Black Ed. is a great improvement over the original Force Pro. People need a little bit of adjustment when playing with this great blade. I would not recommend this to a beginner unless they choose a thinner rubber because the bounciness can be quite uncontrollable. Playing chinese rubbers are highly recommended because it pairs very well with a hurricane 3 or globe 999 national provided you can tolerate an increase in its weight. Also, the only draw back i can think of this blade is that you need to seal the blade surface especially if you change rubbers or reglue your rubbers frequently. I notice sort of very thin, hairlike splinters even with the use of a rubber cement glue but this is not a problem as long as you seal the blade when a thin layer of sealant.

R4 Black
Thickness: 2.2mm or max
Weight: Uncut 53-54 grams 171x171mm; 38 grams cut to an Adidas C500 carbon blade
Sponge hardness: about 36 degrees in a DHS Scale

Basically, the faster rubber in the R- Series. It has the same topsheet with the R6 but with a harder sponge.

FH to FH, Bh to BH:

same with the R6 but faster by 10-15%. R6 has more control and dwell time.

Pushes:

A bit more stable in the pushing department because with the harder sponge, the ball doesn't pop up.

Loops:

on fh and bh loops i liked this better since I could brush the ball better. Its really a matter f preference though since I have a somewhat Chinese stroke which emphasizes more on brushing the ball and not hitting through the sponge. The trajectory is still low a bit higher than the R6 but still considered low and long.

Countering, blocking ad Smashing:

Same with the R6 but faster and the ball has a lesser dwell time.

All in all the R6 and R4 have surpassed my expectations for their level of rubbers. These rubbers are the first generation of Adidas rubbers the company has produced. It can compete with the level of those JO Silvers and JO Gold but are faster and more controllable. I have noticed that the topsheets are much durable than that of the JO series too. These 2 rubbers are user friendly especially to beginners and intermediate rubber though I am not saying this are beginner rubbers only. These rubbers are good because they have more than enough speed coupled with very good control. The best thing about these rubbers is that both are very light and when i weighed the set up: R4 38 grams + R6 36 grams + C500 blade 85 grams = a staggering 159 grams only! That is very, very light compared to 170-180 gram blades that are already considered normal in weight

R6 Red

Thickness: Max or 2.2mm
Weight uncut: 50-51 grams 171x171mm ; cut 36 grams to an Adidas C500 carbon blade
Sponge Hardness: this is the softest Adidas rubber I have tried. By DHS Scale its about 34 degrees. My fingers really dug deep into the sponge upon pressing it.

FH to FH BH to BH:

doing speedy fh and bh drives with this rubber. I tested this mainly on the forehand and I love its very loud sound. Maybe because it was due to its softness combined with the C500 carbon blade. Having a soft sponge means I had to hit the ball through the sponge to get the full effect. Control is very good and driving is effortless.

Pushes:

Pushes are above average and can still produce very spinny balls. Need to adjust the angle of the blade when receiving pushes to compensate for the height of the ball.

Loops:

Low throw trajectory. Somewhat of a straight, long line when looping. This rubber has a very good dwell time because of its softness but you need to dig deep into the sponge to get maximum spin. Control is not an issue but i liked this better in my fh for looping.

Blocking:

This rubber excels in blocking - active and passive. The blocks are very stable and this rubber is not sensitive to incoming spin.

Countering:

Awesome rubber for countering topspins in all ranges -near-middle and far from the table. lobbers, counter drivers and blockers will surely love this rubber. Control and stability makes this rubber a hitter's dream.

Smashing:

Despite its very soft sponge this rubber is built for smashers who wants a soft and controllable rubber than its very fast.

All in all the R6 performed above average for speedy attacks and strokes which are not prioritizing spin. I would rate the spin as above average for a tensor rubber but not on the level of a donic baracuda or tibhar genius though the R6 is faster than both rubbers. I would greatly recommend this rubber for beginners (2mm) who wanted a stable and controllable rubber to develop their game and for intermediate players (max) and advanced players (max) who wants an extra speed on their game but dont want to lose a lot of control. The R6 should be paired with an off- or off all wood blade to fully utilize its spin potentials according to the blade designer which I fully agree since I tested it with a carbon blade, it suits more to an all wood blade.

My review of the Adidas Avenger 5



- 5-ply offensive blade of hard surface and 5.9mm thickness.
- Feeling : Surface is hard. But, overall feeling is quite soft, and it holds ball very well.
- Proper playing style : Continuous topspin at close area to table.
- Tagreted players : Aggressive topspin players of all level.

Plies: 5 (walnut-tanne-ayous-tanne-walnut)
Weight: 87 grams (average weight is 86 grams)
Blade head dimension: 150x157mm
Thickness: 5.9mm
Vibration: Minimal
The slowest among the 3 avenger but not necessarily slow. When you remove the 2 soft carbon fleece of the Avenger carbon you would get the Avenger 5. Designed with a hard walnut outer ply and a thick core of ayous with a tanne sandwiched in between, this blade offers a balance of speed and control.

If I am a developing player who has an all+ blade and rubber set up and wanted to shift to a faster blade to further develop my game especially on an all around basis, I would choose this blade simply because it has good sense of control and feel plus some good speed to offer. If I am an advanced player who is looking for a blade that will help my aggressive attacking game close to the table without removing control on my arsenal, this would be the blade for me. While using the max P5 on this, I really find the combo one hell of a spin maker. The Av 5 has sufficient dwell time looping is its forte. It loops better and more controllable that its Av Carbon brother due to its lesser speed and more control. Slow spinny loops are very good on a delayed contact and even off the bounce aggressive loops are powerful enough. I found this suitable for an all around based game meaning you can do a good blocking game with it then switch suddenly to an aggressive attacking game. Control is abundant in this blade its very good in the short game like flicks and drop shots. The good feel of the blade helps execute strokes that are a bit sensitive to perform during a close, hard scoring game. I would recommend medium to hard rubbers for this blade. The Adidas Tenzone, P7 and P5 pair well with the Av 5. Chinese players who use hard Chinese rubbers would also benefit greatly from this controlled looping blade.




In conclusion, even these blades are still under development and are not available in the market, they show a great amount of promise once introduced to the market and the various necessary improvements made during testing will be implemented. Its like Adidas is making developments and improvements with each series of blades and rubbers they are introducing showing the world of table tennis that they have the equipment to compete with the top companies that presently dominate the market.

My review of the Avenger Carbon



- Soft carbon blade of 5.6mm thickness. (Softer than FiberTec Classic.)
- Feeling : Feeling is very soft and comfortable. It holds ball very well.
- Proper playing style : Continuous topspin at close area to table.
- Tagreted players : Aggressive topspin players of all level.

Plies: 7 (walnut-tanne-carbon-ayous-carbon-tanne-ayous-walnut)
Weight: 89 grams (average weight is 90 grams)
Blade head dimension: 150x157mm
Thickness: 5.6mm
Vibration: Minimal

The only carbon blade in the Avenger Series, this blade is not to be underestimated on its performance even though it is not as fast as other super or ultra fast blades in the market. For those who wants to maintain a woody feel when using a carbon blade, the Avenger Carbon is sufficient for this need. The placement of the soft carbon fleece after 2 layers instead of just after the 1st ply results to a woody feel. Adidas said they designed this blade especially for players who are close to the table attackers. This is fast maybe between the speed of a Butterfly Gergely and a Primorac carbon. The soft carbon fleece balances the harder outer walnut plies which when combined provides a soft feeling and at the same time helps make power shots. It has a large sweet spot that it gave my shots stability when I was looping close to the table. The blade has very good feel. The vibration is minimal and the sweet spot is large. Although it has similarities with the construction of a Yasaka Ma Lin Soft Carbon blade, the feeling is quite different and the speed is a lot more. It is faster than the Ma Lin SC blade and has more feel. Sometimes I would felt that the Ma Lin SC blade lack the feel compared to the Avenger Carbon. It was fun doing topspins over the table and pure looping with the Avenger carbon since this blade has a good feel and the dwell time is really good to produce spinny loops. Unlike its brute brother, the Avenger 7, the Avenger carbon was built for looping more. When I was looping the ball, it has a long trajectory mid distance from the table though this blade is more of a close to the table looping blade. Countering was very good as I felt my shots have stability including my active blocks against loops or drives. Chinese rubbers are good with the Avenger Carbon though I havent tried hard rubbers like the H3 or TG3 neos on this but a soft 36 degree Dawei SPrungfeder on the forehand and a medium soft Adidas Syntec Fast on the backhand. Soft to medium rubbers are ideal with this blade like the Adidas P5, Tenzone SF and the Syntec Series. This blade is also for players who would like to shift to a carbon blade but will not tolerate a loss of control and the woody feel coming from an off 5 or 7 ply all wood blade.

My review on the Adidas Avenger 7

- 7-ply offensive blade of hard surface and very unique construction. 6.2mm.
- Feeling : The mixture of hardness and softness. Very strong feeling.
- Proper playing style : Aggressive topspin from all area.
- Tagreted players : Skilled players who want speedy blade.



Plies: 7 (walnut-ayous-tanne-ayous-tanne-ayous-walnut)
Weight: 92 grams (average weight is 90 grams)
Blade head dimension: 150x157mm
Thickness: 6.2mm
Vibration: Minimal
This blade has thin outer plies and a thick central ayous core. The outer walnut plies provide stiffness and speed to the blade. The ayous and tanne layers provide a feeling of softness and control to the blade. The thick central ayous core provides additional speed to the blade.

This is the powerhouse of the Avenger series. They rated this as OFF but its clearly OFF+. I placed a 2.0mm Adidas P5 black on this and a Dawei Sprungfeder G3 red max. I immediately started doing fh to fh drills and bh to bh drills with this beast and i noticed right away how fast it is. Lets just say its faster than a Mazunov blade, A stiga Ebenholz 7 or a Clipper CR blade but with a softer feel. Apparently, Adidas has found a way to mix both hard and soft wood layers that produces a soft feeling when doing power shots enabling control and sensitivity. Having tried a lot of 7 ply blades and collected a few 7 ply all wood blades in the past, I would say Adidas is on the right track making this kind of blade for the reason that it offers a unique option among 7 ply lovers. I would attribute the feeling of softness despite the hard outer plies to the tanne layer. Tanne as what I have read about is a Fir tree related to Cypress. The blade designer told me that it has a mixture of softness and hardness on feel, I really agree with him when I tried it. On power shots, I didn't feel the hard impact like what i felt with the Ebenholz 7, it felt a bit soft but my shots were fast especially on fh drives, smashes and spin drives. This blade is good for close-to-the-table and mid-distance shots. This is more of a hitter's and spin driver's blade rather than a pure looping blade. Though, I suggest getting a 2.0mm medium soft rubber or a chinese rubber to pair with it if you want to loop with it. I still find my shots spinny enough using the dawei and 2.0mm P5. On passive shots like blocking and drop shots, the tanne layers really help absorb the shots and provide a great amount of control. It is surprising that for a beast like the Avenger 7 it is not hard to do controlled shots. I love blocking with this both punch blocks and passive slow blocks.

I would recommend this blade to aggressive players who do not want to use a carbon blade. It takes some skill to fully utilize this and also some muscle because this blade is a 90gm blade (-+3 or 4 grams). Also good for players who want a hard blade but doesn't want the excessive vibration produced by other hard 7 ply blades.