Weight of blade

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Hello there!

I'm curious about what your preferred weight is of your blade, and how much different does for exampel 5 grams.
I would also like to know if the preference varies between countries. For exampel, what do the japanese prefer?
 
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Last I looked at this issue a lot of higher level players and top level pros used blades that were somewhere between 88-92 grams, some like even heavier like up to 95 grams.

The thing about this issue is that, because you are dealing with wood, heavier versions of the same volume of wood almost always feel more solid and give you better ball feel. So, theoretically, the heavier a blade the better it will feel compared to blades of the same make. The limiting factor on that information is that, after a certain amount of weight, the weight will start slowing your swing and your reset speeds. The heavier blade will still feel better but there are diminishing returns at a certain point where the weight has slowed the swing more than is acceptable to the kind of strokes done in TT.

This also means, someone who is stronger, more physically fit, can wield a heavier weapon than someone who is not in as good physical condition or who is smaller.

But the operative directive being, the heavier blade you can wield without losing bat speed on your stroke, the better off you are in terms of feel and power from your blade.

So, for someone like Der_Ecthe who has enough mass on him to break a fork lift and bowl over a building in a single hip check, he likes his blades somewhere around 120 grams. But for mere mortals, 85-90 grams is reasonable and if you are in better physical condition there is likely no good reason you couldn't use a blade that weighed between 90-95 grams.

I don't know that any adult I know needs a blade lighter than 85 grams unless they have an injury like Tennis Elbow and then all bets are off.

I think we better watch out about this thread though. This topic could cause Der_Ecthe to blow a few gaskets and rant like a mad-man about subjects like beast mods and the goon squad. :)

Say, is that Yang Ha-Eun over there? Gotta Go!
 
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To me, weight of blade is about balance and feel.

Since many blades are head heavy, I like to add weight low.

Now Carl, he likes 2kg handle on the lever to activate the trap door for the Goon Squad to send them down the chute to the basement Septic tank for a 1 week stay with the rats in darkness.

Uh, Carl luvs to lure them in with a miniskirt model or a pile of unauthorized H3 Nation pro version rubbers.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk
 
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Formerly I was used to ~88-90g with 2 quite heavy Tenergy on it.
In recent times I played mostly with 85-87g blades and two Dignics, making the total combination a lot lighter and I have to admit that I like it a lot! Total racket currently is around 180g
 
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There are blades in the mid 80s that feel balanced well enough. The Akkad I am currently using is I think 85 or 87 grams. I won vs 2 each low/mid 2000s California types using it in last weekend's tourney. With UNGLUED freeking Hammond inverted 2.0 on BH for crying out loud... and I always hated on 2.0 sponge, but this one does the job, I get plenty of topsheet/sponge penetration for my BH spin shots.
 
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I have frequently championed the idea that a heavier solid offensive blade is MUCH more STABLE in blocking and in most shots vs a ball with high incoming energy.

Another Asian based guy 2200ish level name I forget agreed back then during one of the beast mod discussions. He made the point and I agreed, I have tried my best to mention that as a plus of a heavier blade.
 
says Spin and more spin.
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BFTP: Blast From The Past. This makes me think Der watched Soul Train in days gone by. Perhaps this is why Der likes heavy bass and heavy blades.

It took me a while to realize I liked heavy. For me, once I realized, I adjusted to heavier weight and started liking it more. Now when I have a blade that is below 90 grams in my hand it feels a little too light.

I also don't personally care if my blade is head heavy, center balanced or handle heavy. But, without question, a blade that is handle heavy will feel lighter than it actually is. I just care more about the ball feel on contact and I know that, what ever weight and balance a blade I am using is, I will adjust and get used to it if I train for 2-4 hours with the setup.
 
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I can also imagine it comes down to playing style. Players that play fast and close to the table, and focus mainly on speed maybe prefer lighter blades than guys that play a bit further away and focus mor on power. I also think defenders proably often use heave, and maybe also headheavy blades to be able to get a good feel in the chopping.
 
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I can also imagine it comes down to playing style. Players that play fast and close to the table, and focus mainly on speed maybe prefer lighter blades than guys that play a bit further away and focus mor on power. I also think defenders proably often use heave, and maybe also headheavy blades to be able to get a good feel in the chopping.

But what is considered a 'light' blade?
 
says Spin and more spin.
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Isn't the rubber weight important too in that regard? Most of rubbers I used weighed about 40-60 grams when cut. That deviation seems substantial if we are talking 5grams different on blade itself making difference..

I think, last time I checked, my setup is about 205 grams. But it feels good good to me.

When I was a kid, I played baseball and the bat I used was a lot heavier. :)

I can also imagine it comes down to playing style. Players that play fast and close to the table, and focus mainly on speed maybe prefer lighter blades than guys that play a bit further away and focus mor on power. I also think defenders proably often use heave, and maybe also headheavy blades to be able to get a good feel in the chopping.

I think defenders do often use blades with significantly larger head sizes like: 161x155mm instead of 157x150mm.

But don't the ones who use LP with think sponge also have one rubber that is really light as a result of the LP side?
 
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BFTP: Blast From The Past. This makes me think Der watched Soul Train in days gone by. Perhaps this is why Der likes heavy bass and heavy blades.

Sure, Otis Clay, the late/great Soul Merchant always delivered the goods.


And in 1983 in Japan in a university no one ever heard of, also featuring a future Japanese blues guitar legend, Japan loved Otis Clay.

 
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my blade is 85, with rubbers 172. I am on the lighter side :)

20170629_100518.jpg
 
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