Is the BTY Korbel (EU) head size and weight a problem?

[John_]

I'm looking to try out a European Korbel but I'm kinda worried it may be too headheavy because I read it has a longer head, unless it's not true. I'm putting on it a Battle 2 gold and friendship 802, does anyone have experience with it? Is it fine with heavier rubbers or is it a wrist snapper?

Thanks for any input.

 

[enoxzr]

I tried the Korbel with BTY Rozena's on both sides, one side a bit thinner.

I absolutely hated how headheavy that blade was, so I can imagine that with Chinese rubbers this even amplified.

I do have to say that I am very sensitive for headheaviness, so for others it might be less pronounced than it was for me.

 

[Tyce]

Weight... I have a 78g euro Korbel. Your mileage will probably vary

 

[John_]

I tried the Korbel with BTY Rozena's on both sides, one side a bit thinner.

I absolutely hated how headheavy that blade was, so I can imagine that with Chinese rubbers this even amplified.

I do have to say that I am very sensitive for headheaviness, so for others it might be less pronounced than it was for me.

I play with stiga Intensity that is naturally head heavy. Is it just a bit more head heavy than normal bty blades, or is it extreme, more than stiga or dhs?

Weight... I have a 78g euro Korbel. Your mileage will probably vary

My current blade, Intensity, is 80gr. I'm thinking of choosing 82~85gr korbel. Do you feel your 78 hollow? Also if you don't mind, what rubbers do you have on it, and do you feel it head heavy?

 

[enoxzr]

I play with stiga Intensity that is naturally head heavy. Is it just a bit more head heavy than normal bty blades, or is it extreme, more than stiga or dhs?

I have not tried Stiga or DHS blades, so can't comment on it.
I have tried the Stuor Long V clone (a DHS Long V clone) and that has a larger head than the Korbel. This blade felt less head heavy then my Korbel did, even with Chinese rubbers on it.

 

[John_]

I have not tried Stiga or DHS blades, so can't comment on it.
I have tried the Stuor Long V clone (a DHS Long V clone) and that has a larger head than the Korbel. This blade felt less head heavy then my Korbel did, even with Chinese rubbers on it.

That's really weird, do you remember the weight of the blade?

 

[Kopp]

I tried the Korbel with BTY Rozena's on both sides, one side a bit thinner.

I absolutely hated how headheavy that blade was, so I can imagine that with Chinese rubbers this even amplified.

I do have to say that I am very sensitive for headheaviness, so for others it might be less pronounced than it was for me.

Rozena topseet & sponge cake isn't heavy even with 1–2mm extra.

Many players prefer head heavy for powerful shots. Some edge tapes was made purposely for this.

IMO.

 

[mightymouse]

It basically depends on what you are using currently.

When I used senso-type Donic blades or WRB type Stiga blades, then switching to Korbel (Japanese version by the way, 158 x 152 mm head size), I did not notice anything different. It seemed like a normal blade for me.

But lately I have been using lots of neutral balance blades (no WRB, no senso, etc.) and when I tried my Korbel again, I definitely felt it is head heavy.

Being head heavy does not mean that it is bad, you just need some time to get used to it.

 

[John_]

It basically depends on what you are using currently.

When I used senso-type Donic blades or WRB type Stiga blades, then switching to Korbel (Japanese version by the way, 158 x 152 mm head size), I did not notice anything different. It seemed like a normal blade for me.

But lately I have been using lots of neutral balance blades (no WRB, no senso, etc.) and when I tried my Korbel again, I definitely felt it is head heavy.

Being head heavy does not mean that it is bad, you just need some time to get used to it.

I've been using stiga Intensity for quite some time now. I love that blade but I decided on the korbel because I want something softer.

The Intensity is also light, 80 grams. I've also played with Donic Persson Power AR V1 and Stiga Clipper Wood. Never had an issue with any of them. From what I've heard here I should probably find a lighter one but what do you think? It should be fine, right? Or will it be too hollow feeling? I don't know anything for these blades...

 

[Tyce]

I play with stiga Intensity that is naturally head heavy. Is it just a bit more head heavy than normal bty blades, or is it extreme, more than stiga or dhs?


My current blade, Intensity, is 80gr. I'm thinking of choosing 82~85gr korbel. Do you feel your 78 hollow? Also if you don't mind, what rubbers do you have on it, and do you feel it head heavy?

I have H3N 39 on FH and AK47 yellow on BH. The latter is light, H3 ofc dense and relatively heavy (orange sponge).
It feels pretty well balanced, comparable to the same rubber on a Yinhe Pro 01/05 which have a "regular size" head, and just a little heavier than similar rubber on an Appelgren Allplay Senso (which balances towards the handle despite the hollow bits, due to the head size being smaller)

We're ofc talking about millimeters here, I can actually put rubbers from Korbel on the Pro 01 without getting annoyingly big flaps of overhang.

That being said, 78g is extremely light for a Korbel (which goes over 100g too sometimes) and I can imagine with the handle basically staying the same, that any heavier version would automatically be head-heavier due to the density/weight increase being mostly in the head.

As for hollow feeling... I don't quite understand what that is. There's a lot of vibration but I'm used to that after playing Appelgren Allplay for ages. Plenty of feedback at the index finger (see ttgearlab too) which apparently I like. It gives me very precise feedback on the position and quality of the impact.

 

[John_]

I have H3N 39 on FH and AK47 yellow on BH. The latter is light, H3 ofc dense and relatively heavy (orange sponge).
It feels pretty well balanced, comparable to the same rubber on a Yinhe Pro 01/05 which have a "regular size" head, and just a little heavier than similar rubber on an Appelgren Allplay Senso (which balances towards the handle despite the hollow bits, due to the head size being smaller)

We're ofc talking about millimeters here, I can actually put rubbers from Korbel on the Pro 01 without getting annoyingly big flaps of overhang.

That being said, 78g is extremely light for a Korbel (which goes over 100g too sometimes) and I can imagine with the handle basically staying the same, that any heavier version would automatically be head-heavier due to the density/weight increase being mostly in the head.

As for hollow feeling... I don't quite understand what that is. There's a lot of vibration but I'm used to that after playing Appelgren Allplay for ages. Plenty of feedback at the index finger (see ttgearlab too) which apparently I like. It gives me very precise feedback on the position and quality of the impact.

Thank you for the feedback! I'll watch out for the weight then, I'll take my clipper with me and compare the center of mass relative to weoght to it and I'll go from there.

Btw the hollow feeling is that boxy sound you get from very light blades and thin rubbers. Some blades have that sound naturally, like hobby rackets.

 

[yoass]

Weight... I have a 78g euro Korbel. Your mileage will probably vary

Head heaviness isn't so much about weight. It's about balance. A low balance blade (say, <2.4cm) of 90+g won't feell all that heavy, and certainly not head heavy all that easy. A 70g high balance (say, >3cm) blade will start feeling heavy easily, even with light rubbers on it.

 

[Tyce]

Head heaviness isn't so much about weight. It's about balance. A low balance blade (say, <2.4cm) of 90+g won't feell all that heavy, and certainly not head heavy all that easy. A 70g high balance (say, >3cm) blade will start feeling heavy easily, even with light rubbers on it.

Yeah I understand that. There was a question about weight in general too, though

Thank you for the feedback! I'll watch out for the weight then, I'll take my clipper with me and compare the center of mass relative to weoght to it and I'll go from there.

Btw the hollow feeling is that boxy sound you get from very light blades and thin rubbers. Some blades have that sound naturally, like hobby rackets.

Hmm... I'm trying to feel it, comparing it to the Appelgren and my daughter's thin Waldner Youngstar, but I don't get it. Probably better to try that for yourself if you can.
I've heard comments from people (people I trust with it) saying EU Korbel has a more hollow feeling, but from me that's just hearsay.

 

[mightymouse]

I've been using stiga Intensity for quite some time now. I love that blade but I decided on the korbel because I want something softer.

The Intensity is also light, 80 grams. I've also played with Donic Persson Power AR V1 and Stiga Clipper Wood. Never had an issue with any of them. From what I've heard here I should probably find a lighter one but what do you think? It should be fine, right? Or will it be too hollow feeling? I don't know anything for these blades...

Sorry for the late reply.

If you are using Stiga Intensity, then BTY Petr Korbel is fine then, in term of head heavy factor. Stiga, although not WRB type, still have a hole in the handle, so it is rather head heavy. For BTY Korbel, although I am not sure about the handle (normal or has a hole), but having bigger head (158x152 mm) and small / slim handle will make it head heavy. So I don't think head heaviness will be a problem for you.

Now the issue is regarding the weight.

You are accustomed to light blade, having used 80 grams Intensity. If you choose BTY Korbel, I am not sure about European Korbel, but Korbel JPN is usually above 90 grams. Can you get below 90 grams? Yes. I once had 87 and 89 grams Japanese Korbel (old black tag version). It is possible. But for many many years, every time there is new batch of Japanese Korbel arriving at the store nearby, the average weight is about 93 - 95 grams. So it will takes you quite some time to adjust.

How about Donic Persson Power AR V1? I had 2 (V1 version), and 1 is 76 grams and the other is 82 grams. Trust me, go for the higher weight. It is already a slow blade, having more mass will help you generating better power. It is a good controlled blade (AR+) but you will lose on the speed that you are accustomed to (using Intensity).

How about Stiga Clipper? OK, here I am talking about plain Stiga Clipper, which is Stiga Clipper Wood (not the WRB, not the Stiga CR, not the Stiga CC, etc.). Speed is faster than Intensity but not too much. But short game with Clipper Wood is very nice as it is soft and not bouncy. How about weight? Usually they are above 90 grams as well (because of the 7-ply construction), but I have 84 grams Clipper Wood and 84 grams Clipper CR. And more often I can get lower than 90 grams Clipper compared to those of Korbel.

Now with Stiga Clipper, the problem is that it is quite stiff, which is very different to the flexible Intensity. Intensity is modeled after Yasaka Extra Offensive (YEO). YEO is stiffer than Intensity but YEO is more flexible compared to a Clipper. So you are on the opposite extreme here (flexible Intensity vs Stiffer Clipper). You need more time to adjust then.

So according to me, you have tough choices here. However, Korbel and Clipper are popular blades. You can try both and sell the one you don't like for minimal loss. No verbal statements nor testimonies can really describe any blades, as individual preferences vary.

 

[John_]

Sorry for the late reply.

If you are using Stiga Intensity, then BTY Petr Korbel is fine then, in term of head heavy factor. Stiga, although not WRB type, still have a hole in the handle, so it is rather head heavy. For BTY Korbel, although I am not sure about the handle (normal or has a hole), but having bigger head (158x152 mm) and small / slim handle will make it head heavy. So I don't think head heaviness will be a problem for you.

Now the issue is regarding the weight.

You are accustomed to light blade, having used 80 grams Intensity. If you choose BTY Korbel, I am not sure about European Korbel, but Korbel JPN is usually above 90 grams. Can you get below 90 grams? Yes. I once had 87 and 89 grams Japanese Korbel (old black tag version). It is possible. But for many many years, every time there is new batch of Japanese Korbel arriving at the store nearby, the average weight is about 93 - 95 grams. So it will takes you quite some time to adjust.

How about Donic Persson Power AR V1? I had 2 (V1 version), and 1 is 76 grams and the other is 82 grams. Trust me, go for the higher weight. It is already a slow blade, having more mass will help you generating better power. It is a good controlled blade (AR+) but you will lose on the speed that you are accustomed to (using Intensity).

How about Stiga Clipper? OK, here I am talking about plain Stiga Clipper, which is Stiga Clipper Wood (not the WRB, not the Stiga CR, not the Stiga CC, etc.). Speed is faster than Intensity but not too much. But short game with Clipper Wood is very nice as it is soft and not bouncy. How about weight? Usually they are above 90 grams as well (because of the 7-ply construction), but I have 84 grams Clipper Wood and 84 grams Clipper CR. And more often I can get lower than 90 grams Clipper compared to those of Korbel.

Now with Stiga Clipper, the problem is that it is quite stiff, which is very different to the flexible Intensity. Intensity is modeled after Yasaka Extra Offensive (YEO). YEO is stiffer than Intensity but YEO is more flexible compared to a Clipper. So you are on the opposite extreme here (flexible Intensity vs Stiffer Clipper). You need more time to adjust then.

So according to me, you have tough choices here. However, Korbel and Clipper are popular blades. You can try both and sell the one you don't like for minimal loss. No verbal statements nor testimonies can really describe any blades, as individual preferences vary.

I love that kind of replies!

So I have 2 Clipper Wood, one 91g and one 84g. I like them but they're too fast for me. Bh hurts when I play the 91g one. The 84 is a bit twitchy for my liking, so that's why I'm staying away from them.

I've had a couple of Donic blades and all have ended up in the bin because the top plies came off at the first peel. We don't get good quality Donic equipment here...

My old Viscaria was 90g, was too heavy, it also hurt my wrist a bit, but the main issue was the speed, hence why I went back to intensity.

I've read quite a few stuff and I've settled on the euro korbel, it seems to be lighter on average than the jp and people here have 80 and below. My local bty vendor has quite an inventory of these, they're the most popular blade here, and I'll go there in person in a few days to check it out.

Since the headheaviness is similar to stiga, it sounds pretty perfect.

Thanks for the input!

 

[John_]

Thread closed boys, got the blade.

Went to the shop in person and found one at exactly 83 grams.

Now it's sanded and ready to seal, next is the rubbers. Decided to put on it a Battle 2 gold and 802 mystery 3. (will update on that thread)

For sealing I'll probably use the andro free seal, but if anyone has any sealer preference or any other advice, I'm all ears. I want to make this blade last.