Suggestion choosing my first good TT Racket.

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I think it depends on your skill level and playing style. My first blade was Ma Lin Extra Offensive and I thought it was a very good choice. It helped me develop very precise strokes and timing. FYI I played squash and tennis before playing ping pong, so I started already having some skills and intuition.

Ma Lin Extra Offensive is quite hard and fast, but it is also quite flexible and allows for a lot of dwell time (especially with tacky rubbers).

I wouldn't recommend it to an absolute beginner, but I think it's a reasonable racket for someone who has been playing with a pre-made bat for a while. It also goes very well with Chinese rubbers like DHS Hurricane 3 Neo.
I agree, definitely depends on skill and style. My point is I cannot imagine the OP has the skill to use this blade yet and I expect it will hinder him.
There are different schools of thought of course and just differing individual experiences too but my approach has always been to develop touch and feel (fingers and hands first) because this helps with absolutely everything and then working to full stroke development alongside this.
My experience was the MLEO didn't really help this relative to softer/slower blades that gave me much more feeling for what I was doing.
Someone who has just arrived at a club will have lots of bad habits to be corrected and feel for whats going on is really necessary to facilitate corrections, imo.
I expect this blade to be a mistake for someone relatively new to the game.
Using the MLEO again on Wednesday eve (first time in 2 yrs) I found it to be a great blade for attackers with decent technique and half decent footwork and fantastic for blocking but the difference in my ability to use it V 2 year's prior was night and day.
Anyway, opinions opinions eh. Good luck to the OP in whatever they choose. Some good coaching and a bit of dedication can likely make most of the combos mentioned work out.
 
Using the MLEO again on Wednesday eve (first time in 2 yrs) I found it to be a great blade for attackers with decent technique and half decent footwork and fantastic for blocking but the difference in my ability to use it V 2 year's prior was night and day.
Anyway, opinions opinions eh. Good luck to the OP in whatever they choose. Some good coaching and a bit of dedication can likely make most of the combos mentioned work out.
Yeah you make some good points. MLEO is a somewhat advanced racket. @Aturev if you end up feeling like it's out of control, you can just get a softer blade (like Stratus Power Wood) and save the MLEO for 1-2 years in the future. It's a high-quality blade and you can play with it up until professional level. Even if you don't use it for learning, it's not a bad idea to have one in your possession (they're often sold out and hard to find lol because it's such a good blade for such a good price).

Honestly it's not a bad idea to have one of each type of blade -- they both have different types of strokes that they facilitate. I have a Neottec Voodoo Classic (same wood composition as the softer blades we've been discussing) and I use it to practice looping so that I can learn better looping technique and apply that to my game with hardwood blades.

There are different schools of thought of course and just differing individual experiences too but my approach has always been to develop touch and feel (fingers and hands first) because this helps with absolutely everything and then working to full stroke development alongside this.
My experience was the MLEO didn't really help this relative to softer/slower blades that gave me much more feeling for what I was doing.
Someone who has just arrived at a club will have lots of bad habits to be corrected and feel for whats going on is really necessary to facilitate corrections, imo.
Feeling is important for sure. I think there are different kinds of feeling, though -- there is feeling for looping, feeling for blocking, feeling for hitting, etc. I assume you are mostly talking about the feeling for driving/looping, in which case I completely agree that a softer blade is better for this.

But I also think that MLEO has better feeling on blocks, chop blocks, flicks, and smashes. As such, I think it promotes a style which is oriented around these strokes. I would definitely say that the reason I use MLEO is for its feeling and touch -- no other blade compares to it (except Stiga Rosewood imo). Hardwood has a different kind of feeling than the softer limba/ayous blades, but it's a distinct feeling nonetheless.

But yeah... best of luck! Make sure to pay attention to technique, and maybe even get some lessons if you can afford it.
 
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I was all set to order MLEO with Hurricane 3 Neo on both sides this week until today I played extensively with following 2 setup this weekend, after which I'm having second thoughts

1. Butterfly Primorac Carbon + DHS Hurricane 9 on both sides.
2. Butterfly Primorac Carbon + Razka 7 (FH) and Rakza 7 Soft (BH).

My Experience.
Forehand and Backhand rallies from mid table were effortless compared to my current unbranded Pre-Assembled one from Amazon.
I liked the speed which I was lacking with my current racket.
I could feel a significant difference in my game and I'm really amazed to see how a better racket could make so much to ones game.


Only thing I didn't like was backhand slices, which is also a major part of my game, the balls were bouncing way to high and would setup opponent for a good shot. The effect was slightly less on Hurricane 9.
With my existing racket the slices are flat and direct. This way I can place the ball either side of the table.

I have couple of questions
1. What causes the ball to bounce is it due to blade or the rubbers ?
2. If its due rubbers, will the bounce be less and slices more direct if go for sticky rubbers like Hurricane 3 ?

Right now only thing stopping me from getting a MLEO + Rakza 7 and Rakza 7 Soft is the high bounce on backhand slices.
 
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I need suggestion choosing my first good Racket and Rubber combination.

A bit about me.
I don't have any formal training, learnt playing casually with friends at office.
I don't have a very great blade either, a cheap $30 blade from Amazon.

Past few months I started visiting a club near me and started playing with folks there and started getting serious about the game.
I play well am able to do good rallies and some really close games. These are players who use good rackets/rubber and many of them have also had formal training.
I see my returns in rallies are no way as fast as opponents. In games I come really close to beating but can't get over the line.

I want to invest in a proper racket now.

Bit about my game.
I have very very good control and power with my BH. Be it flick, spin, chop or block I can control and place it as I want.
With FH I'm decent as well. But I would say BH is stronger of 2.

I tired couple of my friends rackets at club and some research online. I need help finalizing on a combination.

I'm planning
Blade - Timo Boll Spirit. (I like bit heavier blades and would like to invest in good one and keep it longer)
BH Rubber - Glayzer 09C 2.1
FH Rubber - Rozena 2.1

I don't want to spend a lot on rubbers initially, but would like to invest in a decent fast blade.
Rubbers I can swap out later.


What do you think of the combination ?
Am also open to other suggestions.
Completly overkill. Yinhe T10s for blade, Rxton 1 for forehand and Mercury 2 on backhand. 18€/$. This already good enough to have a regional level.

What will make your strokes faster is training to improve your technique, that's all.
 
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Completly overkill. Yinhe T10s for blade, Rxton 1 for forehand and Mercury 2 on backhand. 18€/$. This already good enough to have a regional level.

What will make your strokes faster is training to improve your technique, that's all.
Edited:

Thank You for the suggestion.
But it's definitely my current paddle. Its $25 one from Amazon right now. Am not saying my technique is perfect, surely there is scope for improvement and I'm working on it. Just need better paddle.

When I say lot slower, I mean to generate speed, I need to hit it really really hard.
And when I tried some of my friends rackets, I would say efforts to return the ball were almost 20-30% of mine :)
Hence looking for better options.

Few faser paddles I tried recently (after this thread), details to which can be found in following comment of mine.
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...ing-my-first-good-tt-racket.34975/post-476883.
 
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I was all set to order MLEO with Hurricane 3 Neo on both sides this week until today I played extensively with following 2 setup this weekend, after which I'm having second thoughts

1. Butterfly Primorac Carbon + DHS Hurricane 9 on both sides.
2. Butterfly Primorac Carbon + Razka 7 (FH) and Rakza 7 Soft (BH).

My Experience.
Forehand and Backhand rallies from mid table were effortless compared to my current unbranded Pre-Assembled one from Amazon.
I liked the speed which I was lacking with my current racket.
I could feel a significant difference in my game and I'm really amazed to see how a better racket could make so much to ones game.


Only thing I didn't like was backhand slices, which is also a major part of my game, the balls were bouncing way to high and would setup opponent for a good shot. The effect was slightly less on Hurricane 9.
With my existing racket the slices are flat and direct. This way I can place the ball either side of the table.

I have couple of questions
1. What causes the ball to bounce is it due to blade or the rubbers ?
2. If its due rubbers, will the bounce be less and slices more direct if go for sticky rubbers like Hurricane 3 ?

Right now only thing stopping me from getting a MLEO + Rakza 7 and Rakza 7 Soft is the high bounce on backhand slices.
The extra bounce you notice is caused by both the blade and the rubber. Rakza 7 soft is quite 'springy' and carbon blades are harder with less flex so it's also contributing more force to the ball than your old blade.
The point I want to make here is do not get too focused on the equipment, it is your practice and training that will count a lot more.
With a little coaching or proper training you will learn to control the extra bounce and your pushes will again be fine. It's a technique issue.
I can already tell you that if you execute your BH slice (push) a little sooner (take it earlier off the bounce) close the racket angle slightly and 'dig' into the ball you will fix your issue. It's just a bit of training.

I personally would recommend those Rakza 7 rubbers for anyone at your stage as they are just about perfect for learning. Have you tried the regular Rakza 7 on your BH? Many people use R7 for both FH and BH but 7 soft is absolutely fine if that's what you want, the regular 7 is slightly less 'springy' is all.

The Chinese rubbers you mentioned have harder sponge and are less springy so more controlled in the short game. The trade off is that it takes better technique and more force to activate the sponge to get more speed from the rubber. But if you have a coach then they could work fine too.
If your set on the MLEO and have no coach I would pull the trigger on the Rakza 7s and start training. It is a great choice for learning techniques and improving your game from beginner status.
Good luck!
 
I was all set to order MLEO with Hurricane 3 Neo on both sides this week until today I played extensively with following 2 setup this weekend, after which I'm having second thoughts

1. Butterfly Primorac Carbon + DHS Hurricane 9 on both sides.
2. Butterfly Primorac Carbon + Razka 7 (FH) and Rakza 7 Soft (BH).

My Experience.
Forehand and Backhand rallies from mid table were effortless compared to my current unbranded Pre-Assembled one from Amazon.
I liked the speed which I was lacking with my current racket.
I could feel a significant difference in my game and I'm really amazed to see how a better racket could make so much to ones game.


Only thing I didn't like was backhand slices, which is also a major part of my game, the balls were bouncing way to high and would setup opponent for a good shot. The effect was slightly less on Hurricane 9.
With my existing racket the slices are flat and direct. This way I can place the ball either side of the table.

I have couple of questions
1. What causes the ball to bounce is it due to blade or the rubbers ?
2. If its due rubbers, will the bounce be less and slices more direct if go for sticky rubbers like Hurricane 3 ?

Right now only thing stopping me from getting a MLEO + Rakza 7 and Rakza 7 Soft is the high bounce on backhand slices.
Rakza 7 is a good choice. Compared to Hurricane 3, it has
- less control on slices but more control on "standard" shots like drives and loops
- less control in the short game if you have to receive a slow serve with lots of spin
- less high-end power, but more low-end power

Hurricane 9 is similar to Hurricane 3, but Hurricane 9 is worse imo. Hurricane rubbers have more gears than Rakza 7, meaning that you can hit very slowly with a soft stroke, and you can hit very fast with a powerful stroke. Rakza 7 will be more consistent than Hurricane 3, meaning that you will hit with a medium speed regardless of if you are hitting soft or hard. Rakza 7 is one of the best rubbers to learn with, and it would be a good decision to get Rakza 7 on both sides.

Hurricane 3 will probably be a bit harder to learn with because it has more gears. The main benefit of Hurricane 3 is that you can stick with it until you are a very advanced player. As a general rule, advanced players do not use Rakza 7, so you would have to switch rubbers and re-learn your techniques with a new rubber at some point.

Rakza 7 soft is extremely springy, even more springy than regular Rakza 7. Did you try the regular Rakza 7 on backhand? If not, give that a try and see if the control on slices is better. I think you should stay away from soft rubbers unless you have a specific reason for it (i.e. shoulder injury that doesn't let you hit hard / missing range of motion, etc)

The blade also contributes to lack of control on slices. Primorac Carbon is a very fast blade with almost no vibrational feedback, and I think most people would advise you to stay away from it because you won't develop feeling or control.

Ma Lin Extra Offensive is also pretty fast, but because it is all wood it will give you better feeling and feedback. Carbon blades don't give you much feeling, so it's hard to get a sense of what kind of shot you're hitting.
 
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Edited:

Thank You for the suggestion.
But it's definitely my current paddle. Its $25 one from Amazon right now. Am not saying my technique is perfect, surely there is scope for improvement and I'm working on it. Just need better paddle.

When I say lot slower, I mean to generate speed, I need to hit it really really hard.
And when I tried some of my friends rackets, I would say efforts to return the ball were almost 20-30% of mine :)
Hence looking for better options.

Few faser paddles I tried recently (after this thread), details to which can be found in following comment of mine.
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...ing-my-first-good-tt-racket.34975/post-476883.
I don't know about your 25$ amazon racquet. I can assure you that after some months of TT, you're not skilled enough to need a better racquet than the one I suggested. You can even buy the 729 6 stars racquet and it will still be enough for years of playing.
 
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less control in the short game if you have to receive a slow serve with lots of spin
Exactly, this is what I meant when I said I was able to return but ball bounces higher than my current one.
My current rubbers are very grippy and blade am not sure what to make of it, but it definitely lacks power.
So when I return, the ball stays longer on my paddle, I tend to put lot of under spin and ball travel slightly over net, but I can cover almost entire table with my returns.
Not only servers, but if ball is closer to net, I tend to use this a lot in my game.

Hence my question, if I go with H3 Neo, with MLEO blade, will this be solved to some extent.
Obviously I'll also be working to improve my technique.
Rakza 7 soft is extremely springy, even more springy than regular Rakza 7. Did you try the regular Rakza 7 on backhand? If not, give that a try and see if the control on slices is better. I think you should stay away from soft rubbers unless you have a specific reason for it (i.e. shoulder injury that doesn't let you hit hard / missing range of motion, etc)
I did try Rakza 7 for backhand as well. I liked 7 better than 7 Soft. Especially for the loops and flicks.
Honestly I don't recollect specifically if I tried slicing with 7.
The blade also contributes to lack of control on slices. Primorac Carbon is a very fast blade with almost no vibrational feedback, and I think most people would advise you to stay away from it because you won't develop feeling or control.
Yes, I agree, there was not much feeling with both Carbon Blades I've tried so far. Hence by this experience and all suggestions am sticking to all wood.

And if curious this is my current racket :)
It does say ITTF approved, and google search says they could use rubbers from couple of manufacturers like Butterfly, Donic etc. But I couldn't find much details to find a closer but faster match to what am playing with.
 
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I don't know about your 25$ amazon racquet. I can assure you that after some months of TT, you're not skilled enough to need a better racquet than the one I suggested. You can even buy the 729 6 stars racquet and it will still be enough for years of playing.
Premade rackets are shite.
He wants to buy a nice blade and choose rubbers suitable for his game and his development.
Your Yinhe Loki combo may work, or may not but buying your first personal racket is a nice milestone for most players and something ya to get right!
If all we wanted was cheap we'd just slap rubbers on any ol bit of wood n play right....
 
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The Chinese rubbers you mentioned have harder sponge and are less springy so more controlled in the short game. The trade off is that it takes better technique and more force to activate the sponge to get more speed from the rubber. But if you have a coach then they could work fine too.
If your set on the MLEO and have no coach I would pull the trigger on the Rakza 7s and start training. It is a great choice for learning techniques and improving your game from beginner status.
Thanks, yes right now can't seem to make up my mind on Razka 7 or Neo 3.
I had not not tried Neo 3 but after research it seemed to be grippy and much suited to my game especially closer to table. Hence was all set to order it until today I played with Rakza 7. (Which also few people had recommended on this thread.)
I did try Hurricane 9 today, which is somewhat closer to H3 I believe. I found it lacked speed of R7, but gave me better control over the slices which am talking about. I'm ok with to compromise the difference in speed for better backhand slices/chops.

Maybe I'll get both, one on each side and then swap out other one if required.
 
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Thanks, yes right now can't seem to make up my mind on Razka 7 or Neo 3.
I had not not tried Neo 3 but after research it seemed to be grippy and much suited to my game especially closer to table. Hence was all set to order it until today I played with Rakza 7. (Which also few people had recommended on this thread.)
I did try Hurricane 9 today, which is somewhat closer to H3 I believe. I found it lacked speed of R7, but gave me better control over the slices which am talking about. I'm ok with to compromise the difference in speed for better backhand slices/chops.

Maybe I'll get both, one on each side and then swap out other one if required.
If you're thinking Neo 3 for BH forget about it, it's too hard. It's sticky and you can have fun with it but if you want to develop seriously as a TT player then it's not a beginner BH rubber.
It is a Chinese FH rubber but imo hard Chinese rubber needs Chinese technique coached to use it properly.
Honestly you u are way too early in your journey to worry about these things, Rakza 7 is all you need.
I still recommend a blade other than MLEO but you seem to be set on it. Imo Butterfly Korbel or Primorac (non carbon versions) would suit better.
On the other hand if you are just equipment focused and want Carbon fast blades and speed then obviously go ahead, the advice you're getting in here is with a view to helping you develop but if that's not the priority then go exotic!
I'll say it again, equipment doesn't make the difference you think it will but too fast equipment will make a negative difference, you just need basic good stuff like Korbel and Rakza 7 to get practicing properly. It's training with the right equipment that's gonna lead to real improvement.
Over 👍
 
I did try Hurricane 9 today, which is somewhat closer to H3 I believe. I found it lacked speed of R7, but gave me better control over the slices which am talking about.
Hurricane 9 is a bit shitty imo. Its main appeal is "pretty colors", and the quality of Hurricane 3 is not there.

I did try Hurricane 9 today, which is somewhat closer to H3 I believe. I found it lacked speed of R7, but gave me better control over the slices which am talking about. I'm ok with to compromise the difference in speed for better backhand slices/chops.
Hurricane 3 lacks speed if you are only hitting with your arm. If you hit from your core/back/legs, H3 will have more than enough speed. One of the long-term benefits of H3 is that it will FORCE you to play with good technique, whereas with Rakza 7 you will be able to hit a medium-fast shot with just your arm.

If you play the stroke with good technique, Hurricane 3 is arguably the most powerful rubber out there.

Maybe I'll get both, one on each side and then swap out other one if required.
This is an option, for sure. Playing with 2 very different rubbers tends to suit players who have very different forehand vs backhand styles and strokes. I think that learning with two different rubbers can impede your intuition for how to hit the ball, because you will have to hit the ball differently on each side. But it could be good for experimentation to see which rubber you like better.
 
If you're thinking Neo 3 for BH forget about it, it's too hard. It's sticky and you can have fun with it but if you want to develop seriously as a TT player then it's not a beginner BH rubber.
Lots of Chinese players learn with H3 on backhand, but you're right that a lot of people find it hard to play with. If you have a strong backhand or are backhand-dominant, I think it's reasonable to play H3 on backhand. The reason it's considered a forehand rubber is because most players are forehand-dominant.

You do need proper technique, though, and coaching would help with that.

Honestly you u are way too early in your journey to worry about these things, Rakza 7 is all you need.
Fair point. Rakza 7 is a great rubber, probably the best option for someone who is learning how to play TT.

You could try getting Rakza 7 on one side and Hurricane 3 on the other side, try them on both FH and BH, and reassess after that. If you go that route, get H3 in black (this is the "purest" version of H3; the red dye kind of dampens some of the desirable H3 properties).
 
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@greenbeanmachine @Sims
Thanks guys for taking time and helping out with all the suggestions, really appreciate it.

Sorry, I guess my subject line might be misleading into thinking I'm a beginner but I would say am an intermediate.
I've played on and off for few years now (not at club but at office or outside for recreational purposes). It is recently I started going to a club for past few months.
Again my technique may not be textbook and surely scope for improvement, but my basics are covered and I do have a very good control over ball even with cheap paddle.
I was never serious about equipment, and even today paddle works fine for me. Honestly I never bothered about blades, rubbers and effect it can have on your game.
It's just that when I play at club with more established players, I feel my paddle lacks power and I have to hit really really hard to match their speed (which gets exhausting after a while)


Hence my quest for faster paddle and my first non pre-assembled one.

As I said above I did try Primorac Carbon and Timo Boll Spirit earlier, I had no problems whatsoever to control it and I could play fast rallies (topspins, blocks etc both FH and BH). Only problem I had was controlling my slices on those closer to net serves. The problem which I don't face with my existing racket.

Getting a coach, I don't know, may be not yet, but I can surely talk to folks whom I play with and improve my technique and practice more.

If you play the stroke with good technique, Hurricane 3 is arguably the most powerful rubber out there
Yes my forehand strokes does have a good swing, moving from waist and generating power. I'm kind of forced to because my blade hardly has any punch. And when I say hard, I mean hit really hard if I need speed.:D

Hence H3 Neo on both sides was my first choice, until today when I played with Rakza 7


I'll probably go ahead with MLEO (for speed), H3 and Rakza 7.
I'll try both for FH/BH and decide.
I'll keep this group updated about my experience once I try out.
 
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@greenbeanmachine @Sims
Thanks guys for taking time and helping out with all the suggestions, really appreciate it.

Sorry, I guess my subject line might be misleading into thinking I'm a beginner but I would say am an intermediate.
I've played on and off for few years now (not at club but at office or outside for recreational purposes). It is recently I started going to a club for past few months.
Again my technique may not be textbook and surely scope for improvement, but my basics are covered and I do have a very good control over ball even with cheap paddle.
I was never serious about equipment, and even today paddle works fine for me. Honestly I never bothered about blades, rubbers and effect it can have on your game.
It's just that when I play at club with more established players, I feel my paddle lacks power and I have to hit really really hard to match their speed (which gets exhausting after a while)


Hence my quest for faster paddle and my first non pre-assembled one.

As I said above I did try Primorac Carbon and Timo Boll Spirit earlier, I had no problems whatsoever to control it and I could play fast rallies (topspins, blocks etc both FH and BH). Only problem I had was controlling my slices on those closer to net serves. The problem which I don't face with my existing racket.

Getting a coach, I don't know, may be not yet, but I can surely talk to folks whom I play with and improve my technique and practice more.


Yes my forehand strokes does have a good swing, moving from waist and generating power. I'm kind of forced to because my blade hardly has any punch. And when I say hard, I mean hit really hard if I need speed.:D

Hence H3 Neo on both sides was my first choice, until today when I played with Rakza 7


I'll probably go ahead with MLEO (for speed), H3 and Rakza 7.
I'll try both for FH/BH and decide.
I'll keep this group updated about my experience once I try out.
You're welcome man. They're good questions to ask and I had similar equipment stress when I returned to the game a few yrs ago, I hadn't played much since school!
You'll only find out your true level by playing tournament and competitions.
As z hobby office player joining his first club I would still rate you as a beginner (no offence intended here) but unless your office is at the ESN factory or IFFT headquarters 😂 then office lvl is still beginner. You will learn and improve so much at the club! Enjoy your new racket and I look forward to hearing more after you've tried it.
 
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Not to hijack the thread or anything, but I saw the rubber Yasaka Rising Dragon being discussed as a forehand rubber and was wondering if people have experience with the differences between this and Yasaka Rakza Z. I have played with Rakza Z for a long time as a beginner and was hoping for a slower tacky forehand, yet more responsive than H3. At the moment I am considering just playing with Mark V for a year or so to force the speed down while not having to switch blades and really develop my slow spinny forehand technique. Harder rubbers like Rakza Z takes a lot of the feeling out of my all wood blade (as I have noticed when trying to loop with my backhand rubber), but it certainly helps when gripping the ball far from the table in fast rallies (rarely happens on my level).

So, to answer the OP: you just have to put the time and effort into some equipment to learn the techniques and then switch after a year or two and then develop other parts of your game with this equipment as well. There is no one size fits all, so most popular and balanced setups will be good for the beginning development ... as long as its not too fast. Its like Vladimir Samsonov used to say -- he always looked for the most balanced setup (blade and rubber that support each other).

My experience from starting up is that I was dead set on playing with a flexible OFF- 5 ply blade, which has caused me some issues, but also helped me in other areas. When I decided to play with Mark V on backhand for a whole year to develop it, my backhand slowly turned into my strongest side and now I prefer attacking with the backhand. My forehand Rakza Z rubber is mainly used for good blocks and spinny serves ... and turning backspin to topspin with it is easy ... but whenever I put a lot of power into it, the rubber kinda just absorbs the power in its own strange way -- the power curve flattens out really fast (which is also why it is so good for controlled blocking to spots on the table that the opponent dont like).
 
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Premade rackets are shite.
He wants to buy a nice blade and choose rubbers suitable for his game and his development.
Your Yinhe Loki combo may work, or may not but buying your first personal racket is a nice milestone for most players and something ya to get right!
If all we wanted was cheap we'd just slap rubbers on any ol bit of wood n play right....
Buying a first personal racket completly not fitted to your current technique is a mistake and wasted money. Thibar 4L and 2 Mark V are enough for any beginners. A friend is at provincial level with a premade racquet.

If you want to buy a blade because it feels nice, it's pretty, it's the same than your friends or Ma Long, it's fine as long as you admit it. But buying the most expensive blade pretending the purpose to fit the level of a beginner is a joke.
 
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