did any part of your game that you usually play suffer when you did the cork modification?
also that is a really sexy blade indeed
just curious, why are you considering the square-round version and not the square version? if you're looking for more power in smashes, wouldn't the square revofusion help in this aspect?
You're smart. Think of the little things.
So yes you're right. The square, elongated head for sure would offer more power. But because those blades are even narrower, with my pips play on the other side, the occasional RPB chop and for some reason after all these years I'll occasionally have a finger ball which makes me either question my eyes or natural eye-hand coordination, I think it's best I play it safe with the larger surface area and thus the round shaped head.
So I need more time vs more opponents but here's what I'm thinking for me personally how some things will be different.
- TPB, I don't know if it's the added weight or the freedom to swing more freely on the TPB but that block felt more accurate, more controllable and was flat out better. I don't know why. But TPB in just about every aspect is better for me when I have that hook for my index finger. Perhaps it's the more secure grip. Not sure.
- FH, my bread & butter shot worried me for the first 5 minutes of hitting with him. I initially thought "Oh no. This might have been a BIG mistake". So as I mentioned earlier, I'm a spin based FH penholder. Perhaps too much spin & not enough into the ball. Anyways, I usually keep a relatively loose index finger around my CPens. I like the paddle angle flexibility it gave me. Depending on shot I wanted, I could easily adjust the angle of the blade. But long story short, I rarely if ever hooked my index finger tight around the front side like you would in a Jpen.
So my first few hits on the FH felt a little awkward. With my finger firmly around that nub, the angle of the paddle I suppose is more open than what I'm use to. But after 10 or so minutes, I started to adjust. Hitting into the ball felt very natural and easy on those high kill balls. On low balls that I might spin up, I found that there's no rule saying I had to keep that tight grip 100% of the time. So maybe I'd let up pressure on the index finger slightly (while pushing down a little with my thumb to close that angle) and do my normal side-spin shots when needed. Really it's just and adjustment that once I fully get use to it, will probably feel normal to me.
My next hit with it against a better player will be tomorrow over lunch. I'll report back if I'm still liking it.
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PS - At this moment, if I'm playing dual inverted or was looking to work the RPB more, I think I prefer Cpen there. My natural grip and the good grip my fingers get on the RPB side with inverted rubber feels very secure & natural.
If I'm playing TPB (which if me is better than my RPB consistency wise. Not in power or spin naturally) and something weird on the back-side like some long pips or something, I think I prefer a blade with that Jpen style hook for my index finger.