says
Spin to win!
says
Spin to win!
Well-Known Member
OK, so I’ve had a bit of a hit with it now.
Disclaimer - I pretty much went straight into the cup final (weird points system/handicap type cup), in an unfamiliar venue with terrible tables (everyone considered the tables poor).
I’ll be having a couple of proper practice sessions at the usual venue next week, so that’ll give me a better idea of where the Harimoto sits.
But….. Initial feedback. I’ll be comparing this in part to the VS Unlimited, which is what I’ve been using exclusively since September, with T05 Hard on the FH and T05 on the back hand.
Speed:
Definitely a Jekyll and Hyde bat here. One of the reasons I went for an Innerforce bat was because I don’t have problem generating power and speed myself, and wanted to really hone the short game and control aspect of the attacking game.
On blocks near the table, the Harimoto is beautiful - Very easy, very controllable and you can comfortably put a bit more of a punch if you need to.
If you are passive blocking, you may end up just putting the ball up for your opponent to kill - It’s really not that fast, and has a nice woody feel.
If aggressive blocking, you’ll love it.
Looping was quite typical of your Butterfly ALC type blades to be honest - You lost the woody feel and it felt like a typical ALC blade - Perhaps a little less sharp, which the ALC can sometimes give you - But very good on both wings.
Serve and return were very good for me, as the slower blade allowed my serves to be shorter and spinnier.
Returns were comfortable, although if you aren’t a fan of the heavier blades, you might not enjoy this.
Feel of the bat:
Subjective, of course, but having played with the VS Unlimited for the past 8 months, the handle felt a little smaller than I’d like - I’m not sure there is much difference between them, but even the Garydia (which is supposed to have the same handle), felt a little chunkier.
I don’t have massive hands (despite my height/size), although I imagine my hands are still bigger than average.
If you have large hands, you may want an over grip - I don’t like them, so I’m going to carry on with it bare for the time being.
The bat also felt quite head heavy, with the over sized head and the heavy Tenergy rubbers (plus the feeling of a slightly thinner handle).
So, initial impressions are a little muted at this point - In part because it wasn’t a fair comparison (given the match circumstances), but also because there are a few things that I’ll have to learn to love about the blade - Although from memory, I felt exactly the same about the VS Unlimited when it arrived (the handle actually felt too big at the time).
This definitely isn’t a bat for passive play - You need to be aggressive and stay aggressive to make the most of it (something I’ll need to improve on).
Lastly - The person I played tonight was Colin Wilson, who runs a dedicated Table Tennis centre in Corby (Corby Smash).
We ended up 2-2 on the night (you only play 4 sets as it’s a handicap cup), and I started 1-0 up. Pretty pleased with some of the points, and the blade shone at times.
Will report back after a practice on Saturday (although that’s not a proper practice either), and then again next week!
Disclaimer - I pretty much went straight into the cup final (weird points system/handicap type cup), in an unfamiliar venue with terrible tables (everyone considered the tables poor).
I’ll be having a couple of proper practice sessions at the usual venue next week, so that’ll give me a better idea of where the Harimoto sits.
But….. Initial feedback. I’ll be comparing this in part to the VS Unlimited, which is what I’ve been using exclusively since September, with T05 Hard on the FH and T05 on the back hand.
Speed:
Definitely a Jekyll and Hyde bat here. One of the reasons I went for an Innerforce bat was because I don’t have problem generating power and speed myself, and wanted to really hone the short game and control aspect of the attacking game.
On blocks near the table, the Harimoto is beautiful - Very easy, very controllable and you can comfortably put a bit more of a punch if you need to.
If you are passive blocking, you may end up just putting the ball up for your opponent to kill - It’s really not that fast, and has a nice woody feel.
If aggressive blocking, you’ll love it.
Looping was quite typical of your Butterfly ALC type blades to be honest - You lost the woody feel and it felt like a typical ALC blade - Perhaps a little less sharp, which the ALC can sometimes give you - But very good on both wings.
Serve and return were very good for me, as the slower blade allowed my serves to be shorter and spinnier.
Returns were comfortable, although if you aren’t a fan of the heavier blades, you might not enjoy this.
Feel of the bat:
Subjective, of course, but having played with the VS Unlimited for the past 8 months, the handle felt a little smaller than I’d like - I’m not sure there is much difference between them, but even the Garydia (which is supposed to have the same handle), felt a little chunkier.
I don’t have massive hands (despite my height/size), although I imagine my hands are still bigger than average.
If you have large hands, you may want an over grip - I don’t like them, so I’m going to carry on with it bare for the time being.
The bat also felt quite head heavy, with the over sized head and the heavy Tenergy rubbers (plus the feeling of a slightly thinner handle).
So, initial impressions are a little muted at this point - In part because it wasn’t a fair comparison (given the match circumstances), but also because there are a few things that I’ll have to learn to love about the blade - Although from memory, I felt exactly the same about the VS Unlimited when it arrived (the handle actually felt too big at the time).
This definitely isn’t a bat for passive play - You need to be aggressive and stay aggressive to make the most of it (something I’ll need to improve on).
Lastly - The person I played tonight was Colin Wilson, who runs a dedicated Table Tennis centre in Corby (Corby Smash).
We ended up 2-2 on the night (you only play 4 sets as it’s a handicap cup), and I started 1-0 up. Pretty pleased with some of the points, and the blade shone at times.
Will report back after a practice on Saturday (although that’s not a proper practice either), and then again next week!