What handle type do you use?

I prefer anatomic.

I used to prefer straight, now I prefer flare. Flare forces my fingers to stay where I think they are supposed to be for me to play my best.

XO21 said:

I was wondering... is there a stand out favourite when it comes to handle type?

Looking back, I've only ever bought blades with an anatomic handles. I've never been much of a fan of the flaired look so never gave it a chance when starting out.

So what I'm wondering is, are there any benefits to the handle type other than comfort and personal preference? What handle type does everyone use?

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Squarish Straight handle gives me the most stability.

Butterfly standard flare handle / Stiga legend handle. Gives a lot of thumb rest area

Flared all my life. Tried out straight one time because I am a Timo Boll fanboy but it felt like it could fall out of my hand at every stroke. I switch a lot between forehand and backhand grip, dunno what is better suited for that.

Best handle I ever had was that of my second frame, Stiga Kjell Johansson. Concave.

I can only play with ST, everything else just feels weird

NextLevel said:

I used to prefer straight, now I prefer flare. Flare forces my fingers to stay where I think they are supposed to be for me to play my best.

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Yep. A lifetime with FL, except for last 4 months switched to ST, but back to FL. It really does exactly that for me too.

Always FL. My favourite is Fl from butterfly Kiso hinoki V. It is really thick, round and smooth.

FL. I've tried square ST and anatomic: didn't like them.

Actually, though, another thing that is important for me is the wing shape.

I tried straight with Waldner Senso Carbon , otherwise I have played with flared handles of Butterfly blades .. which I get accustomed to after a while ...

Flared as it tends to stay in the hand easier. Straight works well if you would like to change grips often in between strokes, but you are at danger for the racket slipping out.

FL. It's also the most practial handle as some blades are only available in FL.

After having played with many handle shape from flared, over anatomic, to straight then the nowadays rare conical and even dotec handle i must say that after a while i've adapted to any shape. And more important is the blade composition to me.

But if I'll ever buy another custom made one day then the handle shape shall be super-anatomic!
Sort of like this here:

marauDEr said:

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View attachment 10810View attachment 10809

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Magic_M said:

That`s right. The handle is really rare. It was called "super anatomic". It`s anatomic on one side and flared on the other side, a very nice handle if your hands are not too big and not too small for this handle.

Yinhe copied this handle some times ago, for example on their Challenge Classic S6.

View attachment 10814


By the way: I am the guy who posted the pictures in Suga D?`s link. ;-)

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When I first started playing I liked anatomical handles. Part of why is, I grabbed the racket a bit like a club. Sort of like the way I would hold a baseball bat. Hahaha. Well, not really. But the anatomical handle gives the fingers something to grab onto.

When my grip relaxed more and I started using the fingers on the handle less to grab and more to guide, while controlling the blade face with my index finger and thumb, the shape of the flared handle started feeling like it left more space to use my wrist.

I've never really liked straight handles. Not sure why. But I have heard they are good for stability and they make it easier if you use a lot of grip switching. I am not really sure though since I just never liked them. I have been given a few blades with straight handles, and I just never want to use them because I don't like how the handle feels in my hand.

But what Baal said about the shape of the wings is important also. I have picked up a couple of blades where the wings were an odd shape for my hand and I just hated holding those blades.

If the Nexy Oscar was a different shape, I might really like that blade because the ball contact and the grab of the Hinoki feels really nice. But the shape of the wings cause me to feel as if I have an Evil Alien in my hand. [emoji89]

[emoji2]

Everyone is different. Best thing to do is test a few different types of handle and see what feels best. As your technique changes, it is possible that the handle that will work best for you may change as well.


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XO21 said:

I was wondering... is there a stand out favourite when it comes to handle type?

Looking back, I've only ever bought blades with an anatomic handles. I've never been much of a fan of the flaired look so never gave it a chance when starting out.

So what I'm wondering is, are there any benefits to the handle type other than comfort and personal preference? What handle type does everyone use?

Click to expand...

I began with jpen. Then flared. Then straight. Then flared. Now customized straight. Going through the various handle types and sizes, I realized that handles are like commercially made shoes. Regardless of size claims, they all fit differently and require you to adapt to them. Which ever type you happen to adapt to best is probably going to work the best for you. Most people customize their jpen to fit their hand, and that idea led me to trying it with my straight handle. It works for jpen, so why not shakehand?

There are subtle stroke advantages depending upon how you grip the handle, and the shape will facilitate these different grips. To me, I have ultimately arrived at a handle that I sanded to the shape of my hand and fits like a glove. It gives me the feedback I desire along with maximized tactile sensation. The customization process goes through several play sessions and adjusting the handle. I understand that not everyone would want to go through this process just like not everyone would want to wear bespoke shoes. It worked for me though, and I have no desire to look for anymore handles.

Flared handle they fit perfectly my hand.

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