Does a slower blade with a Viscaria-like feeling exist?

[Arch]

As the title asks, does such a blade exist? (20-30% slower)
I've been using a FZD Alc ( fancy handle Viscaria ) for half a year and while I can control the blade alright, I feel like I want a bit more control on my backhand.
I've tried soft rubbers, but they usually feel bouncy and I just dislike the mushy feeling when blocking/the dwell when topspinning.
I've tried going back to my Nittaku Acoustic to see where I stand in terms of technique and while the Acoustic is somewhat more cotrollable, I've come to not like the feeling of the blade anymore after using the FZD Alc for a while, I just like that crispiness and feedback.
I've thought about inner carbon blades, but since the carbon is on the inside, there's little chance they'll offer the same kind of feedback ( Franziska INF ALC, Ovtcharov ALC, Harimoto ALC, Stiga Cybershape, Donic Original True Carbon Inner, Acoustic Inner Carbon ).

 

[SFF_lib]

Why not try a tacky BH rubber. H3 37 or H8 soft are very popular in China.

For half tacky, Hybrid K1 is also very popular in China as a BH rubber.

With a tacky topsheet you get a lot more control

 

[Sedis]

20-30% might be a bit of a push, but you have a few options:

• You could go for slower, rather than softer rubbers, possibly in slightly thinner than Max. For example, for me Spinlord Ozelot is noticeably slower than the latest ESN Tensors or Butterfly rubbers, but the top sheet is just as grippy, if not better than some. The new Ozelot Pro is faster, but still a bit slower than the latest German or Japanese rubbers. Also it might be worth looking at slightly older generation rubbers or ones aimed at intermediate rather than advanced players.
• A light weight Viscaria
• A Donic Ovtcharov/Original True Carbon feels quite like a Viscaria and the couple I have tried have definitely been a bit slower. I also recently tried a Nittaku Gyo-En, which was a little harder feeling, but still reasonably close, and I would say slightly slower than a similar weight Viscaria

 

[P1ngP0ng3r]

What is the weight of your current blade?
If you like the overall feeling of the blade, you should try one with less weight. A 90gr viscaria is faster compared to an 81gr viscaria. A lighter version viscaria does provide more flex, but would still offer the crispy feeling you prefer.

Inner carbon blades will be able to match viscaria's speed, but you will not have the same crisp feeling (which comes from the relative hard koto top ply in combination with the carbon layer directly under it.)

 

[Arch]

Why not try a tacky BH rubber. H3 37 or H8 soft are very popular in China.

For half tacky, Hybrid K1 is also very popular in China as a BH rubber.

With a tacky topsheet you get a lot more control

I thought about it before, using D09C on BH, but my wrist is not very strong. I think I'll struggle to get good spin from a hard rubber like D09C/K1/P90/Dragongrip, etc.

I will do some research on tacky rubbers as well, although as far as I can recall, they are quite spin-sensitive and the H8 may have a low throw angle.

 

[Arch]

What is the weight of your current blade?
If you like the overall feeling of the blade, you should try one with less weight. A 90gr viscaria is faster compared to an 81gr viscaria. A lighter version viscaria does provide more flex, but would still offer the crispy feeling you prefer.

Inner carbon blades will be able to match viscaria's speed, but you will not have the same crisp feeling (which comes from the relative hard koto top ply in combination with the carbon layer directly under it.)

My scale was out of battery when I first bought the blade and I forgot to weight it in when I changed the rubbers so I don't know.
I'll try to see if I can get my hands on an Ovtcharov for testing. I know someone who has the Donic blade, I'll try that too.

 

[Arch]

20-30% might be a bit of a push, but you have a few options:

• You could go for slower, rather than softer rubbers, possibly in slightly thinner than Max. For example, for me Spinlord Ozelot is noticeably slower than the latest ESN Tensors or Butterfly rubbers, but the top sheet is just as grippy, if not better than some. The new Ozelot Pro is faster, but still a bit slower than the latest German or Japanese rubbers. Also it might be worth looking at slightly older generation rubbers or ones aimed at intermediate rather than advanced players.
• A light weight Viscaria
• A Donic Ovtcharov/Original True Carbon feels quite like a Viscaria and the couple I have tried have definitely been a bit slower. I also recently tried a Nittaku Gyo-En, which was a little harder feeling, but still reasonably close, and I would say slightly slower than a similar weight Viscaria

I've tested a bunch of rubbers like R7, R7 Soft, S-1, C-1, G1, Bluestorm Z2 and d05 ( not for long enough, so I won't comment on that one).
I'll research some slower, grippy rubbers with high throw and ~medium hardness sponge, if such a thing exists somewhere out there.

 

[Sedis]

I'll research some slower, grippy rubbers with high throw and ~medium hardness sponge, if such a thing exists somewhere out there.

Andro Hexer Powergrip or Donic Baracuda possibly? They a both grippy with a medium sponge.
Although I would class them as offensive rubbers, they aren't as fast as some, but still reasonably fast.

 

[Egon]

Try a clone of Viscaria - Stuor sold on Aliexpress. It has lower speed and similar feel without spending a lot of money. If you buy, ask the seller for a blade with a low weight of about 85 - 86 grams, often heavier blades are faster, but you need the other way around.

 

[Khimmi]

Hello, the DONIC Skachkov Carbon blade is similar to Viscaria, but with 80% of the speed. It is not an expensive shovel and the finishes are not premium. But it is softer than the Viscaria. The Donic's handle is slightly longer. A hug.

 

[Haito]

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/ping-pong-mit-vispower-review.23963/

I think this might be something you are looking for.

 

[turbozed]

Yinhe Pro 01 is supposed to be a notch slower than the Viscaria despite having the same construction.

I've also heads the same about the Sanwei 75 ALC.

 

[Haito]

Can you show us how you play? Maybe some BH to BH rallies?

 

[Arch]

Hello, the DONIC Skachkov Carbon blade is similar to Viscaria, but with 80% of the speed. It is not an expensive shovel and the finishes are not premium. But it is softer than the Viscaria. The Donic's handle is slightly longer. A hug.

It's a nice blade, but didn't seem that much slower than my FZD Alc, definitely not 80%, tho the people using it had quite quick rubbers on it.

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/ping-pong-mit-vispower-review.23963/

I think this might be something you are looking for.

Conversations are deleted there. Also, I'm not comfortable being on video on the internet, sorry.

Yinhe Pro 01 is supposed to be a notch slower than the Viscaria despite having the same construction.

I've also heads the same about the Sanwei 75 ALC.

I've read mixed opinions on Yinhe pro 01, some say it's as fast, some say it's a bit slower, but that it's stiffer and heavier. I'm not sure what to believe. I know nothing about Sanwei blades.

I'll stick with the FZD ALC for a while longer, see how that goes, maybe I'll try a different BH rubber once this one wears out, since Bluestorm does seem to be a bit bouncy.
I'll swap and mess around with the G1 for a while too, idk.

 

[turbozed]

It's a nice blade, but didn't seem that much slower than my FZD Alc, definitely not 80%, tho the people using it had quite quick rubbers on it.

Conversations are deleted there. Also, I'm not comfortable being on video on the internet, sorry.

I've read mixed opinions on Yinhe pro 01, some say it's as fast, some say it's a bit slower, but that it's stiffer and heavier. I'm not sure what to believe. I know nothing about Sanwei blades.

I'll stick with the FZD ALC for a while longer, see how that goes, maybe I'll try a different BH rubber once this one wears out, since Bluestorm does seem to be a bit bouncy.
I'll swap and mess around with the G1 for a while too, idk.

I'd trust the reviews by table tennis Gan on Youtube. He seems to be an expert and makes sure to compare all the blades he reviews to Viscaria and W968. He's usually using H3 or some sort of Chinese rubber though so it's more reliable if that's what you're using too.

 

[enoxzr]

You can always give some cheaper Stuor blades a try. Got one atm (Inner-ALC, DHS Long V clone) and that feels amazing.

Got a Viscaria clone (with new style handle, cloned of the Viscaria Super ALC) coming soon.

Stuor offers all sorts of blades, inner and outer carbon, different types of carbon, all in the 30 ~ 50 euro range (~60 for Cybershape clones) on Aliexpress. Makes it affordable to try out a carbon composition, and once you've found what you like you can look at name brands with similar compositions that offer a tad more performance!

 

[Arch]

You can always give some cheaper Stuor blades a try. Got one atm (Inner-ALC, DHS Long V clone) and that feels amazing.

Got a Viscaria clone (with new style handle, cloned of the Viscaria Super ALC) coming soon.

Stuor offers all sorts of blades, inner and outer carbon, different types of carbon, all in the 30 ~ 50 euro range (~60 for Cybershape clones) on Aliexpress. Makes it affordable to try out a carbon composition, and once you've found what you like you can look at name brands with similar compositions that offer a tad more performance!

I've seen those, but I'm not sure if the wood is of good quality or if the ALC is really ALC. Not sure how the weave is done, etc. I may buy a viscaria clone and see.

 

[enoxzr]

I've seen those, but I'm not sure if the wood is of good quality or if the ALC is really ALC. Not sure how the weave is done, etc. I may buy a viscaria clone and see.

All I can say about that is that the Stuor Long V clone is a great blade for its price. Quality is good, it even has sanded edges on the arch of the grip, and plays well with the right rubbers.

It convinced me enough to buy a second one and may have kindled a new EJ bug in me 😂

 

[ttarc]

Some reviewers (https://forum.tt-news.de/showthread.php?t=407102) say that the Donic True Carbon Inner feels like a slower Viscaria. The Yinhe Pro 01 is only a bit thinner, more flexible and slower than a Yinhe V14Pro but the V14Pro itself is quite a fast blade (at least as fast as the Timo Boll Spirit I briefly used to try Glayzer 09C).
The problem is that all Viscaria clones use the same wood types, have the same thickness or are even thicker like the V14Pro and are therefore as fast or faster. It seems that there are no thinner outer carbon blades with the same construction. I like my 729 Blue Arylate so far (easier to control/generate spin than my V14Pro or TBS) but I don't know if I was just lucky and got one I like or if all Blue Arylates play like that. Certainly it's not 20% to 30% slower than my V14Pro...
Donic Baum Esprit and Skachkov could also be an alternative but they have a larger head size...
Budget option: Maybe a 729 F-1 (koto, ayous/limba (not sure anymore), 3k carbon, kiri core). Definitely not as crisp as my outer blades but crisper than the typical limba, ayous inner carbon blades I've tried. Light and flexible.
Weight: Like all blades even Butterfly blades vary a lot (Korbel 80g to over 100g), Viscarias from 80g to at least over 90g. FZD ALC: Good question but if there are lighter/thinner ones these could be an option too but I doubt that they will be 20% to 30% slower.
Best rubber option might be either a tacky, slower rubbers like H3 37 (better boosted), Skyline 3-60 or H8-80 37 or a more linear, tamed down (compared to Tenergy or Dignics) rubber like the Glayzer 05. I don't comment much on ESN rubbers like the G-1 or Z2 that I've played myself for too long. With hindsight these rubbers were just a waste of time and money (durability, no grip (when using a thin contact) in high humidity environments like the Z2, less spin, only more speed on lower power strokes i.e. less controlled when it matters most)
Best option besides probably the True Carbon Inner: SDC https://www.sdcttblades.com/ or other blade builders that are able to build such a slower FZD ALC/Viscaria. Cheaper and less time consuming than trying all rubbers and blades mentioned so far...
Much text but that's the problem of today's TT: Too much to choose from.

 

[lodro]

It convinced me enough to buy a second one and may have kindled a new EJ bug in me 😂

😂😂 😂 😂 😂 SUCKER !!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂