Your currently-fine blade vs Newly tried and you-really-like blade

Hamasaki_Fanz · Dec 16, 2019

You tried a blade you really like, but also like your current blade is also perfectly fine. What do you do?

context:

I've been using viscaria for 5 years with Chinese rubber on forehand. I used to use h3 but now I use Battle 2. Yesterday I tried Dynasty Carbon XX blade with H3 Neo OS on forehand & Omega7 Pro on backhand.. and oh boii, this blade feels amazing.

Solid feeling for both backhand and forehand, waaaayyy more solid than viscaria.
Vibrate more compared to viscaria.
More woody feeling compared to viscaria, but the speed is similar to viscaria.
The direct feeling is much less than viscaria but the dwell time is a lot more, which sometimes I feel what viscaria is lacking.

Now I'm wavering. Should I sell my viscaria and switch to this blade? As an ITTF coach can you recommend why I should switch to this blade instead of viscaria? I mean, all advanced players are using viscaria. So viscaria should be the 'safer/way to go' blade, right? I like viscaria, its direct feeling, fine amount vibration, but the solid feeling from this blade is very tempting. I feel Viscaria's main problem is that it's not very solid (mine is 88g) and the dwell time is sometime too little for my level.

Oh lord help me, I'm infected by EJ disease.

PS pls serious reply

I really dont know what to do, If i were rich I would just buy one immediately

bricec · Dec 16, 2019

rule 20

GusShnaps · Dec 16, 2019

20. The correct number of blades to own is n + 1 where n is the number you own now. An exemption can be made for players in committed relationships, in which case the correct number is s-1, where s is the number of blades that causes your spouse or partner to leave you.

Baal has spoken

Hamasaki_Fanz · Dec 16, 2019

pls serious reply

I really dont know what to do, If i were rich I would just buy one immediately

yoass · Dec 16, 2019

Every additional blade will just fuel the EJ fire more. So many other sides, each one greener than where you’re at.

Love the one you’re with. Seriously.

ps; rules shmules.

Tinykin · Dec 16, 2019

That is a serious reply. Life is short enjoy the moment whatever it is.
Rule 20 is telling you to buy the new blade and keep your Viscaria as spare.
If you insist that you can't keep both, then sell the Viscaria. You can always buy another in the future if you go off the Dynasty - this feeling usually occurs after you enter a phase of poor match performance

.

Brs · Dec 16, 2019

By the new blade used ona TT forum. Play with it for a couple weeks until you realize the blade isn't that different and you still play like you do now. Then sell the new blade (slightly more used) on the same TT forum. Roundtrip if you don't ding the blade should be only $25 - $35. I have done it many times.

Gekko · Dec 16, 2019

Be like Samsonov. Keep a few around. Change with opponents or with form.

lasta · Dec 17, 2019

Buy the Stiga and retire your old blade. After a while, try the Carbonado series to get the waaaayyy more solid high again. Then try the Clipper, and replace that with the Andro Timber 7 waaaayyy more solid. Try out the older CS7 and find its waaaayyy more solid before settling on the Xiom Hinoki S7 which is waaaayyy more solid. One day, you'll pick up a blade that they use between the 60s-90s, then you re-examine what waaaayyy more solid means.

n+1 y'all.

Eventually, you find yourself playing with a ceramic tile rather than wooden blades. Then ask yourself 'maybe this whole solid business is a bit out of line". Then you pick up a Viscaria and find out it plays fine, so does all the other stuff you've accumulated over the years.

Hysteresis · Dec 17, 2019

lasta said:
Buy the Stiga and retire your old blade. After a while, try the Carbonado series to get the waaaayyy more solid high again. Then try the Clipper, and replace that with the Andro Timber 7 waaaayyy more solid. Try out the older CS7 and find its waaaayyy more solid before settling on the Xiom Hinoki S7 which is waaaayyy more solid. One day, you'll pick up a blade that they use between the 60s-90s, then you re-examine what waaaayyy more solid means.

n+1 y'all.

One day, you find yourself playing with a ceramic tile rather than wooden blades. Then ask yourself 'maybe this whole solid business is a bit out of line". Then you pick up a Viscaria and find out it plays fine, so does all the other stuff you've accumulated over the years.

Hmm I feel like we can actually just solve this search for solid/dense blades with science. Just use a material that's really dense. Time for some depleted Uranium blades, Butterfly - get on it!

lasta · Dec 17, 2019

Hysteresis said:
Hmm I feel like we can actually just solve this search for solid/dense blades with science. Just use a material that's really dense. Time for some depleted Uranium blades, Butterfly - get on it!

A bit more complicated than that (I've tried). What "should" be solid might not feel that way. It can also get "too solid" that you no longer feel the solidity. But, that discussion is for another topic.

Lula · Dec 17, 2019

I think it is very hard to know if youjust played some balls. High risk to sell theviscaria. Want to keep it.

Donor know your situation But Maybe save a little every month. Surely you spend money on stuff you can save toward this blade instead.

Only need to buy it one time aswell.

lasta · Dec 17, 2019

Lula is right.

My post was a little sarcastic. But reality is, the Viscaria is a tried and true blade, most pros use it or a subtle variation of it, can't go wrong.

The Dynasty feels "fresh and new", but I doubt you will play any better than you did before, same for all the other blades I listed. Its hard to resist trying something new, but if money is a concern; don't do it. It won't change much other than curiosity.

As other people have posted, the best EJ experience is when you buy something different when the old one wears out. After a dozen or 2 of variety, you will realize you've gotten to a point where the subtle variations are just that, you play better because you played more.

Hamasaki_Fanz · Dec 17, 2019

Lula said:
I think it is very hard to know if youjust played some balls. High risk to sell theviscaria. Want to keep it.

Donor know your situation But Maybe save a little every month. Surely you spend money on stuff you can save toward this blade instead.

Only need to buy it one time aswell.

I mean, I can afford it, but I dont want to waste money on something that is 'meaningless'. If I dont get any benefits from changing

lasta said:
But reality is, the Viscaria is a tried and true blade, most pros use it or a subtle variation of it, can't go wrong.

The Dynasty feels "fresh and new", but I doubt you will play any better than you did before, same for all the other blades I listed. Its hard to resist trying something new, but if money is a concern; don't do it. It won't change much other than curiosity.

This is what I'm afraid of. I mean, im sure blade with better feeling will give better development to your technique, but how much development? Because basically this 2 blades has the same composition, similar properties, but just different feeling (dwell time and solidness).

lasta · Dec 17, 2019

Here's my take (I haven't tried the Stiga):

The Stiga Dynasty is Koto-composite-ayous-ayous
The Viscaria is Koto-composite-limba-kiri
Cores are thicker than the intermediaries our the outer.

The stiga will have a more solid feel because the thick core is slightly harder than kiri. In hindsight, I would say yes, I should like the Dynasty better because I've always found the Viscaria to be too hollow, too soft. The Dynasty should be less "hollow" feeling than the Viscaria, but because of the hard-to-soft transition towards the core, I would still think it is a relatively hollow "type" blade.

The so called Textreme is also thinner, so the dreaded composite vibration dampening properties "should" be lower (more impact sensation preserved). But as I already have enough blades, this is not enough to pique my interest. The best way to preserve impact sensation is to "try" and not dampen it at all.

You've been on TTD since 2013, I'd assume you've been playing too, so skills should definitely be pretty solid. It's probably about time you started a quest on something that "feels right". I like that you are starting the EJ business later than most people (who run like headless chickens after something that magically loops better).

Wister · Dec 17, 2019

i would keep the old blade anyway because you won't be able to find exactly the same again. At least you have a proven one

If you have it since a long time, why not try something new now. If not just a few month ago, it's not so EJ in my opinion

yogi_bear · Dec 17, 2019

Give it lime 2 weeks more of testing and see if you still like the blade.

langel · Dec 17, 2019

Well, I stick to my current blade, always.
But you have to understand that the scenario in the topic is absolutely irrelevant to my blade.
Its just that a better blade could not exist, ever!
So why am I supposed to hypothetically like some piece of scrap?
Uhrm?

thot · Dec 17, 2019

If the current blade is perfectly fine don't change it. Especially not with a 206 Euro blade if money are an issue.
Usually the urge of buying it will diminish over time, now it's a thought stuck in your mind which keeps bugging you to buy the new blade.
If you insist to buy this new blade make a comparison between Viscaria and Dynasty for pros and cons of both. Also, if you can, borrow the blade for a few more sessions.

Edit: Update the price.

Hamasaki_Fanz · Dec 17, 2019

lasta said:
Here's my take (I haven't tried the Stiga):

The Stiga Dynasty is Koto-composite-ayous-ayous
The Viscaria is Koto-composite-limba-kiri
Cores are thicker than the intermediaries our the outer.

The stiga will have a more solid feel because the thick core is slightly harder than kiri. In hindsight, I would say yes, I should like the Dynasty better because I've always found the Viscaria to be too hollow, too soft. The Dynasty should be less "hollow" feeling than the Viscaria, but because of the hard-to-soft transition towards the core, I would still think it is a relatively hollow "type" blade.

The so called Textreme is also thinner, so the dreaded composite vibration dampening properties "should" be lower (more impact sensation preserved). But as I already have enough blades, this is not enough to pique my interest. The best way to preserve impact sensation is to "try" and not dampen it at all.

You've been on TTD since 2013, I'd assume you've been playing too, so skills should definitely be pretty solid. It's probably about time you started a quest on something that "feels right". I like that you are starting the EJ business later than most people (who run like headless chickens after something that magically loops better).

This is the quality advice im looking for! Thanks man!

I'd say my technique is solid, but still a lot room for improvement, for example on explosiveness. The lack of solid feeling in viscaria is not helping me to achieve it.

It's probably about time you started a quest on something that "feels right".

This is what my friend said too. Viscaria is more like close to table counter, but XXDC is better for open up and rallies. At the end, it's up to me on what kind of style I want to play.
I guess I'll do what Yogi said and buy it :>

Btw, do you know the head size specification for this blade? I found out that there's 98g version of it.

Your currently-fine blade vs Newly tried and you-really-like blade

What do you do?

You stick to your current perfectly-fine blade

You buy and switch to this new amazing blade that you really like

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