Advice for my new blade

This user has no status.
This user has no status.
New Member
Feb 2013
4
0
4
Hi!
I'm new to table tennis. Im still a beginner and not afraid to admit it :) (playing for only 1 year).
I like to play close to the table, little maybe middle play and i like fast attacking play.

I have Friendship 729 Blue Thunder Blade Transformer Glass Fiber Flared Handle with Butterfly Sriver G3 FX 2.1 on my FH and Xiom Omega IV Europe Black 2.0 on my BH.

I like my rubbers, but when I try other blades i can see that my blade is not good enough for me. :(

My blade is a little bit slow. When i try to spin it is difficult. But it has great control.
I like Sriver because of the blocks, and Xiom for the speed on BH.
When i switch Xiom on my FH control is not that good, it is a little too soft on FH.

I would like an opinion, because this will probably be my blade for a longer period of time.

I have tried a Primorac Carbon with Donic Acuda S1 Turbo and i like the speed and spin, but that rubber doesn't have that good control in my opinion...

I have tried Timo Boll ALC with Yasaka Mark V rubbers and i like the spin :) And i love how the bat is light :)

I have tried Sriver G3 and G3-FX, FX is better :)

My blade must be light, Timo boll has great weight...
I don't like the vibrations on my blade (example: Donic Epox Offensiv)

My questions:
1. Will Timo Boll ALC with Sriver G3FX and Tenergy 05FX will be good enough for me or should i take ZLC with that rubber settings?

2. My question is will ZLC be too fast?
100$ more for the blade is maybe too much, but if it is worth it ill buy ZLC.

3. Other options: Should i buy Xiom Strato/Axelo with Xiom Omega IV Pro rubbers? Or Xiom Strato/Axelo with Sriver G3FX and Tenergy 05Fx?
Little cheaper, but is Timo Boll worth extra $$?

From my post you probably know what would be better for me.
 
This user has no status.
try finding one that suits your style. if you are playing near the table, try something that has enough speed but somewhat more control. Best that you use lighter blades (with lighter rubbers) so that the heaviness wouldn't affect your play. Something like the Butterfly Shiwen is good for a start. Primorac is good too (the basic one), or if you want, just research blades under OFF-. It somehow suits your playing style. Hope it helps :)
 
says Spin and more spin.
says Spin and more spin.
Well-Known Member
Super Moderator
Dec 2010
16,146
17,685
54,747
Read 11 reviews
Here is info. Do not get Timo Boll ZLC. Too fast. I don't know of any pro who uses a blade that fast.

#2 Both blades by Butterfly that you are talking about are excellent blades. I am not really sure about the Xiom blade. It might be great but I have not hit with one.

Two blades that I might consider if I was you, over the ones you are looking at are: Timo Boll ZLF and the Innerforce ZLF. Why? They are about the same speed as the Timo Boll ALC but having the Zylon with no carbon you end up having better ball feel which helps your technique improve. You also have more dwell time which means more spin and more control without losing any speed. If you are going to get something that fast, I would go with one of those over anything else there is on the market.

Now I know you want a fast blade and I know you want a faster blade than you have but here is some information that I got from a few different pros and I decided to listen to it and it has helped my level go up. This came from a few pros who are friends of mine who I was asking questions about equipment. These guys played on teams in Europe when they were growing up and were being trained for their national teams. Independently they all agreed that an offensive player who is not at an expert level should use an all wood blade that does not have a faster speed rating than Off-. Here is why. An all wood blade gives you better feeling. If you can feel the ball on the surface of the wood better, you start knowing better what to do with the ball while it is on the surface of the rubber. With a carbon blade it is harder to feel that. At an expert level, the technique is already very very solid and the player will not need the blade to have excellent feeling for them to feel the ball and intuitively know what to do with it. At an intermediate level of play, the carbon will actually deter you from developing certain aspects of technique. With a slightly slower blade you will have more dwell time, more control and more spin all of which help you develop subtle aspects of technique like the contact of good brush and the timing of the wrist in the loop and the timing of when to accelerate the stroke with the forearm snap. It is much harder to perfect these things with a carbon blade because the dwell time is so short, the contact is so fast and the feeling is dampened by the carbon. A few of the players who gave me this advice told me that it is good to use soft rubbers to learn mechanical spin as well. And they told me that, on the team they played on as a junior in their country they were given their racket and rubbers by their coach and they did not have much of an option. They were told, this is the racket that you should use and that was that.

What are examples of blades that would be good:

Butterfly Primorac Off-

Stiga Allround Evolution

These are two of the best blades out there for a player who is moving from beginner level towards intermediate level or for an intermediate level player moving towards a more expert level.

Darker 2A-7p is another great blade that would be close to the same speed but a little faster.

If you really don't want to slow the blade down, and most people at your level really don't, you could try one of these blades:

Stiga Clipper

Darker 2A-7p.7t

They are all wood. But if you really want one of the fast technology blades, I would go with one of these two. They really are both amazing:

Innerforce ZLF

Timo Boll ZLF
 
says Spin and more spin.
says Spin and more spin.
Well-Known Member
Super Moderator
Dec 2010
16,146
17,685
54,747
Read 11 reviews
In my opinion the Timo Boll ZLF and the Innerforce ZLF, are the sleeping giants of the Butterfly blades. I think they are two of the best blades out there. Not everyone can feel what they actually do, but they do it, regardless of whether you feel it or not. The speed of carbon. Softness for extra control and dwell time without losing the speed and about as much feeling as a good all wood blade without sacrificing power or having a blade that weighs 95 grams.


Funny, I felt that the Photino was not so great. It is a ZLF blade also but it has a Hinoki outer ply. I don't think the softness and the spring of the ZLF go so well with the soft springy Hinoki outer ply. Too much. :)


However, I still feel blades like these:


Butterfly Primorac Off-


Stiga Allround Evolution


Or


Darker 2A-7p


Are a better fit for someone who is not playing in one of the higher intermediate level divisions in a league or, in USATT Rating, someone who is not above 2100 level.


However, many people who are below that level want a blade that is faster than what would be best for their development.
 
Last edited:
says Spin and more spin.
says Spin and more spin.
Well-Known Member
Super Moderator
Dec 2010
16,146
17,685
54,747
Read 11 reviews
Zhang Jike blade is an excellent blade. It is an upgrade on the Viscaria. A little faster, a little more control, lighter, better balance, different shaped head and handle, but very similar in how it feels. The Zhang Jike blade is really better for a top level player than it is for an intermediate level player. Good for pros, division 1 and 2 players. However, for a reasonably high level intermediate level tournament player, the carbon dampens enough of the feeling that, if you don't already have it in muscle memory, you will not feel certain aspects of touch for short ball, touch loops and power loops that need to be felt to learn them and that most top level players already have in muscle memory.


Those things can still be learned with a faster ALC blade like the Zhang Jike but it is harder and takes longer where with a blade with more feeling they just start happening on an intuitive level with less work to learn them.


I cannot compare ZJK blade to Chinese blades because the Chinese blades I have tried did not compare. I think blades like the Hurricane Hao and Hurricane King are very good all wood blades. And all wood blades are really very underrated. That is why I use an all wood blade. :). $37.00 USD and it is a great blade. :)


TB ZLF and IF ZLF are softer, have more feeling, are a tiny bit slower, but have more control and much more dwell time, so more spin. You give up a little on speed and gain in control, feeling and spin. I will take that trade.
 
Top