Best cheap defensive blade?

[lovenaru63]

Hi all, just wonder for Palio chopper no.1 vs Sanwei defense alpha which one is better? I see Palio have a better rating at revspin, but I saw some people suggest that quality of Palio blade is meh. Thank you all

 

[Ultravisitor]

I have tried the Palio chop no.1 and I didn't like it, it was to stiff and bouncy for my taste. Quality is fine, but for me the feeling was not right.

My favorite cheap DEF blades are

Donic Defplay Senso
Lion Shield

Both are really slow, highest control. The Defplay has soft outer plys and high throw, the Shield has pretty hard and low throwing, but still flexy which favors OX LPs.

 

[tzifos]

There is also Yinhe (Galaxy) 980 blade.

 

[lodro]

and then there is TSP/ Victas Blockman II.
Total blocker with pimples out but still a good allrounder with H3 or Loki rxton rubbers

 

[piligrim]

Diode V

 

[the-don]

You can also use an offensive blade.
Panagiotis uses a Korbel.

 

[FZD999]

Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive
Yasaka Ma Lin Carbon
Yasaka Ma Lin Soft Carbon

^^^These are $60 blades, best bang-for-your-buck blades out there.

 

[ejprinz]

IMHO the key question is whether you want the larger head size or not.

For the larger head size:

Yinhe 980XX: $65.00 from AliExpress/Playa Ping Pong, 5-ply Willow top, used by Kim Song I. 1150Hz, 84.0g, 5.4mm thick
Yinhe 980: $30.00 from AliExpress/GHSports, 5-ply Not Limba/3xAyous/Not Limba). ~1150Hz (guess), 85g (guess), 6.2mm, handle similar to Victas Swat
Neottec Kanji Def: $23.84 from TT11, 5-ply Limba/3xAyous/Limba, 1356Hz, 89.6g, 6.4mm, handle similar to Victas Swat

For the "normal" head size:

Victas Swat: $51.00 from Megaspin, soft 7-ply, Limba/?/3xAyous/?/Limba (? probably is Ayous). 1150Hz, 85.16g, 6.1mm, handle center 26.8mm/24.1mm

The larger head size blades are a little top heavy, but with a long pips rubber they end up being pretty light, also they come in at ~85g which helps.

I have the best control with the Yinhe 980XX and the Victas Swat, I could play them interchangeably. Also the feeling is similar. The Yinhe 980XX is hard to get and can be more expensive. I also played long pips (but not in tournament) on other faster blades like the 7-ply Yinhe 437S and the 7-ply Yinhe U1-VB and even the Yinhe Pro-05 but given that I always play the long pips with 0.8mm-1mm sponge it gets more challenging to control the ball.

OTOH, for a "cheap" solution I would try the Yinhe 980, Dawei 388D-1, 1.0mm or 0.8mm long pips (or OX if you prefer it, I don't), and the unboosted DHS N3-Neo on the forehand. With this setup I can even play forehand chop with good control. I have found the quality of the Yinhe blades to be very good, consistently.

I don't know which AliExpress shops assemble for you, I always assembly myself. Note that to cut the OX or thin sponge long pips rubbers you need to lubricate the scissors or knife with e.g. cooking oil so you get a clean cut.

 

[piligrim]

You can also use an offensive blade.
Panagiotis uses a Korbel.

You should be on his level to be able to use Korbel in defense

 

[the-don]

You should be on his level to be able to use Korbel in defense

are you on xu xin's level to use dynasty carbon?

 

[piligrim]

are you on xu xin's level to use dynasty carbon?

I use offensive blade for offensive game. Don't need to be XX for this .Using offensive blade for defensive game need to be high level, its not for begginer IMHO

 

[h3llary]

Having tried quite a few:

Yinhe 980, Donic Defplay Senso V3, Victas Koji Matsushita Defensive, Butterfly Joo Sae Hyuk, Butterfly Diode V, Yinhe 980xx pro

I could say that I liked Donic Defplay Senso V3 the most because the outer layer is oneigre? And it has unique feel due to hollow handle. The handle, though, was quite slim so I use it with an overgrip but it was the best control, super flexy though but the shots paired with hurricane 3 neo are pretty fast and spinny and yet controlled. Definitely a unique blade in terms of feeling and control

 

[NoSpin]

You cant beat Donic Defplay Senso v3 even if you get another blade for free.

 

[TheProfessor]

IMHO the key question is whether you want the larger head size or not.

For the larger head size:

Yinhe 980XX: $65.00 from AliExpress/Playa Ping Pong, 5-ply Willow top, used by Kim Song I. 1150Hz, 84.0g, 5.4mm thick
Yinhe 980: $30.00 from AliExpress/GHSports, 5-ply Not Limba/3xAyous/Not Limba). ~1150Hz (guess), 85g (guess), 6.2mm, handle similar to Victas Swat
Neottec Kanji Def: $23.84 from TT11, 5-ply Limba/3xAyous/Limba, 1356Hz, 89.6g, 6.4mm, handle similar to Victas Swat

For the "normal" head size:

Victas Swat: $51.00 from Megaspin, soft 7-ply, Limba/?/3xAyous/?/Limba (? probably is Ayous). 1150Hz, 85.16g, 6.1mm, handle center 26.8mm/24.1mm

The larger head size blades are a little top heavy, but with a long pips rubber they end up being pretty light, also they come in at ~85g which helps.

I have the best control with the Yinhe 980XX and the Victas Swat, I could play them interchangeably. Also the feeling is similar. The Yinhe 980XX is hard to get and can be more expensive. I also played long pips (but not in tournament) on other faster blades like the 7-ply Yinhe 437S and the 7-ply Yinhe U1-VB and even the Yinhe Pro-05 but given that I always play the long pips with 0.8mm-1mm sponge it gets more challenging to control the ball.

OTOH, for a "cheap" solution I would try the Yinhe 980, Dawei 388D-1, 1.0mm or 0.8mm long pips (or OX if you prefer it, I don't), and the unboosted DHS N3-Neo on the forehand. With this setup I can even play forehand chop with good control. I have found the quality of the Yinhe blades to be very good, consistently.

I don't know which AliExpress shops assemble for you, I always assembly myself. Note that to cut the OX or thin sponge long pips rubbers you need to lubricate the scissors or knife with e.g. cooking oil so you get a clean cut.

How's the Kanji Def? Sounds interesting

 

[tzifos]

Having tried quite a few:

Yinhe 980, Donic Defplay Senso V3, Victas Koji Matsushita Defensive, Butterfly Joo Sae Hyuk, Butterfly Diode V, Yinhe 980xx pro

I could say that I liked Donic Defplay Senso V3 the most because the outer layer is oneigre? And it has unique feel due to hollow handle. The handle, though, was quite slim so I use it with an overgrip but it was the best control, super flexy though but the shots paired with hurricane 3 neo are pretty fast and spinny and yet controlled. Definitely a unique blade in terms of feeling and control

On the other hand, I have Yinhe 980 (x2), Yinhe LQ1, Defplay Senso v3, Victas Koji Mats. (x2) and Koji Mats. Offensive, BTY Korbel (jap), DHS 08X (straight handle), Neottec Kanji Def and also played with Diode V, Victas KojiM Def, Sanwei Def Alpha and Diode Pro. My favorites are the Victas Koji Matsushita and 980. I don't like the Defplay Senso, it is my least favorite from all these!!!


Neottec Kanjhi Def is quite fast, I have it just a week now and I haven't played much, first impresions are very good but no solid opinion for the moment.

 

[h3llary]

On the other hand, I have Yinhe 980 (x2), Yinhe LQ1, Defplay Senso v3, Victas Koji Mats. (x2) and Koji Mats. Offensive, BTY Korbel (jap), DHS 08X (straight handle), Neottec Kanji Def and also played with Diode V, Victas KojiM Def, Sanwei Def Alpha and Diode Pro. My favorites are the Victas Koji Matsushita and 980. I don't like the Defplay Senso, it is my least favorite from all these!!!


Neottec Kanjhi Def is quite fast, I have it just a week now and I haven't played much, first impresions are very good but no solid opinion for the moment.

980 is a very soft blade, too soft to my taste. Koji Matsushita is a lot harder but I hate the handle, it's too slim and slippery

 

[Tha_Homeless]

Dandoy Sports has the Yasaka Sweden Defensive (ST handle) in clearance. For 23 Euros, it's surely a bargain. But I don't know how much the shipping costs for Hong Kong are.

Otherwise, there are cheap defensive blades from Ali Express. Look for the Sword D-Magic 9Ply Wood.

Yasaka Sweden Defensive

SWEDEN DEFENSIVE from Yasaka is a blade produced in the famous table tennis factory in Tranås, Sweden. Most defensive players are looking for optimal soft touch of the ball combined with exceptional feeling and control. Yasaka’s SWEDEN DEFENSIVE is designed to meet that demand. Fractionally...

www.dandoy-sports.com

 

[tzifos]

I don't think 980 is soft, yes it is flexy. But you have to agree to this; Donic DefPlay Senso has lovers and haters So any def player should try it, might suit him very much, or not

The good thing is that with 30 up to 50 USD/EURO you can easily find a good def blade.

 

[AutomaticBackhand]

I found this to be a decent option.
Very slightly larger head.
Light weight with short pips on backhand.
Not too fast for chopping, good control and enough power for attacking.
A bit stiff, not flexible like other similar blades.

Yang Wang also uses Harimoto ALC for chopping, although his chops are not the "best" per se.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_EJbHjH7

 

[ejprinz]

How's the Kanji Def? Sounds interesting

Kanji Def is harder & faster despite the Limba top and it's a new blade (at TT11) so I don't know how consistent it is. So maybe the blade designers are trying to figure out what to do for modern defenders who do more top spin from the back. I found that if I want to play a 1350Hz Limba blade and can forego the larger head I am better off with a Yinhe Pro 05 (Limba top, KLC inner), same speed but better control and maybe sweet spot. I still like the Yinhe 980XX for the traditional feeling (I play it once in a while for fun) but for tournaments the Pro 05 or Victas Swat are better for me (normal head size, good control).