❓What Is Your Setup, and WHY?

[Bryan TT]

What is your current setup, and why are you using it? Are you thinking about changing it?

I’m using the Freitas ALC, with dignics 09c on both sides. It gives me a great mix of speed and control. But i’m thinking about switching to a Vicaria for even more speed.

 

[John_]

Intensity with t05 and bluestorm z3. Blade gives crisp feeling with good control, t05 has stable high arc and good spin and z3 has great control and doesn't bite spin.

 

[Bryan TT]

Intensity with t05 and bluestorm z3. Blade gives crisp feeling with good control, t05 has stable high arc and good spin and z3 has great control and doesn't bite spin.

Nice! I’ve never heard about the intensity blade, what brand is it? Tell me more about it

 

[GOAT 🐐]

Viscaria CNT with H3 National Neo 41°(custom sponge) very stiff sponge, grass dtecs ox on backhand. Attacker. Thinking of switching forehand rubber to CNT D09c with custom sponge for easier backhand usage after twiddle. I twiddle a lot.

 

[Bryan TT]

Viscaria CNT with H3 National Neo 41°(custom sponge) very stiff sponge, grass dtecs ox on backhand. Attacker. Thinking of switching forehand rubber to CNT D09c with custom sponge for easier backhand usage after twiddle. I twiddle a lot.

Oh nice! Why do you twiddle a lot? I don’t know the backhand rubber is it softer and more European style?

 

[mcfly]

my current setup… hmm which one.

i am still thinking about it and also thinking about why i am using it

after a while i am wondering if i am gonna change it

still thinking…

 

[John_]

Nice! I’ve never heard about the intensity blade, what brand is it? Tell me more about it

It's xu xin's old blade. Stiga Intensity NCT.

 

[greenbeanmachine]

It's xu xin's old blade. Stiga Intensity NCT.

It's a clone of Yasaka's Ma Lin Extra Offensive. Xu Xin was using Rosewood NCT V, but then he started using Ma Lin EO for a while. He's sponsored by Stiga so they had to make the Ma Lin EO for him with the Stiga brand name.

 

[greenbeanmachine]

I use 2 main setups, one with short pips and one with inverted rubber on both sides:

1. Ma Lin Extra Offensive cpen + 802-40 short pips (red) + Skyline 2 (black, blue sponge).
Used for twiddling, but mostly playing with pips on FH. 802-40 is a great pip for playing an offensive penhold game -- it's fast, and it's very versatile. It can play topspins, loops, and flat hits, but it also has many disruptive properties of pips which allow for chop-blocking, spin-reversal, and quickly changing directions.

In particular, I really like the combination of 802-40 with the Ma Lin EO. Conventional wisdom for short-pips penholders is that the best blade is Stiga Clipper, but I didn't like it as much. I tried Clipper + 802-40, and my impression was that this setup was much spinnier. The hard surface of Ma Lin EO allows the pips to play fast and flatly with more disruption and spin reversal, whereas the soft surface of Clipper makes the pips much more spinny and sensitive to spin. Clipper + 802-40 feels like playing with a low-quality inverted rubber -- if I'm playing with Clipper + 802-40, I may as well just use inverted rubber instead.

Skyline 2 works well for twiddling because it's so different from 802-40. In rallies, I often twiddle the racket or use RPB to play a slow spinny shot. This throws off the opponent's rhythm and gives me a great opportunity to twiddle again to play a fast forehand attack.

2. Rosewood NCT V cpen + Skyline 2 FH (black, blue sponge) + Skyline 2 BH (red).
I got it out of admiration for Xu Xin and I enjoy it immensely. Xu Xin has excellent taste -- I've tried a lot of the equipment he used and liked all of them. Rosewood blade has a very similar composition to Ma Lin EO, but substituting the walnut outer ply with rosewood. Very similar feeling to Ma Lin EO, but has more kick and "pop" on hard shots. Better suited to inverted Chinese rubber compared to short pips (I tried using pips on this blade and it's too difficult to control the fast shots).


I'm experimenting with a third setup as well, using a Clipper borrowed from a friend. As stated above, I don't like 802-40 on this blade because it's too spinny... but if you use a less spinny pip it feels quite good. Right now the setup is:
Stiga Clipper + TSP Spectol Speed short pips + Nittaku Fastarc G-1
Spectol is much less spinny than 802-40 and I think it works well with the Clipper.

Looking for suggestions for how to set up the Clipper for short pips play. I want to understand why so many SP players like this blade. Please let me know if you have a suggestion

 

[John_]

It's a clone of Yasaka's Ma Lin Extra Offensive. Xu Xin was using Rosewood NCT V, but then he started using Ma Lin EO for a while. He's sponsored by Stiga so they had to make the Ma Lin EO for him with the Stiga brand name.

Xu Xin was using Intensity for almost a decade until the dynasty carbon came out.

He used rosewood nct V for a few years and then made the intensity with the yeo for a basis.

Compared to the yeo, the intensity is much lighter, has more flex, is thinner and has the nct technology. It's faster with more dwell time and better feel.

It's not a yeo clone, I have both and they play nothing alike. The yeo is a brick compared to the intensity. Do your research, you're stuck in 2013.

 

[joshmak10]

I currently use a Fan Zhendong ALC with a Hurricane 3 Neo Provincial Blue Sponge for FH and Dignics 09c for BH. It’s Fan’s exact setup and it fits my game perfectly

 

[robot2]

yinhe pro 01 + big dipper 39 deg + tornado v5. Unboosted

Closest to viscaria for 1/4 the price. Wish blade is little bit slower on in-table play

 

[Bryan TT]

It's xu xin's old blade. Stiga Intensity NCT.

Ohh alright

 

[Bryan TT]

I use 2 main setups, one with short pips and one with inverted rubber on both sides:

1. Ma Lin Extra Offensive cpen + 802-40 short pips (red) + Skyline 2 (black, blue sponge).
Used for twiddling, but mostly playing with pips on FH. 802-40 is a great pip for playing an offensive penhold game -- it's fast, and it's very versatile. It can play topspins, loops, and flat hits, but it also has many disruptive properties of pips which allow for chop-blocking, spin-reversal, and quickly changing directions.

In particular, I really like the combination of 802-40 with the Ma Lin EO. Conventional wisdom for short-pips penholders is that the best blade is Stiga Clipper, but I didn't like it as much. I tried Clipper + 802-40, and my impression was that this setup was much spinnier. The hard surface of Ma Lin EO allows the pips to play fast and flatly with more disruption and spin reversal, whereas the soft surface of Clipper makes the pips much more spinny and sensitive to spin. Clipper + 802-40 feels like playing with a low-quality inverted rubber -- if I'm playing with Clipper + 802-40, I may as well just use inverted rubber instead.

Skyline 2 works well for twiddling because it's so different from 802-40. In rallies, I often twiddle the racket or use RPB to play a slow spinny shot. This throws off the opponent's rhythm and gives me a great opportunity to twiddle again to play a fast forehand attack.

2. Rosewood NCT V cpen + Skyline 2 FH (black, blue sponge) + Skyline 2 BH (red).
I got it out of admiration for Xu Xin and I enjoy it immensely. Xu Xin has excellent taste -- I've tried a lot of the equipment he used and liked all of them. Rosewood blade has a very similar composition to Ma Lin EO, but substituting the walnut outer ply with rosewood. Very similar feeling to Ma Lin EO, but has more kick and "pop" on hard shots. Better suited to inverted Chinese rubber compared to short pips (I tried using pips on this blade and it's too difficult to control the fast shots).


I'm experimenting with a third setup as well, using a Clipper borrowed from a friend. As stated above, I don't like 802-40 on this blade because it's too spinny... but if you use a less spinny pip it feels quite good. Right now the setup is:
Stiga Clipper + TSP Spectol Speed short pips + Nittaku Fastarc G-1
Spectol is much less spinny than 802-40 and I think it works well with the Clipper.

Looking for suggestions for how to set up the Clipper for short pips play. I want to understand why so many SP players like this blade. Please let me know if you have a suggestion

Love the details! Why do you use 2-3 setups! I use only 1😂

 

[Bryan TT]

I currently use a Fan Zhendong ALC with a Hurricane 3 Neo Provincial Blue Sponge for FH and Dignics 09c for BH. It’s Fan’s exact setup and it fits my game perfectly

Nice!! I’m thinking about getting either fan zhendong or viscaria. People are telling me that the fan zhendong alc is slower than the viscaria, but don’t they have the same characteristics?

 

[joshmak10]

Nice!! I’m thinking about getting either fan zhendong or viscaria. People are telling me that the fan zhendong alc is slower than the viscaria, but don’t they have the same characteristics?

They have the same composition, but FZD does indeed feel slightly slower and softer with more spin.

 

[Bryan TT]

They have the same composition, but FZD does indeed feel slightly slower and softer with more spin.

What do you think is better? Is it still quick? Have you tried both?

 

[FZD999]

Dignics 80 on both sides (best rubber in the world, no weaknesses)

Innerforce Layer ZLC for excellent feel for the ball


All-around rubber + all-around blade...perfect fit for all-around play!

Jack of all trades, master of some

 

[joshmak10]

What do you think is better? Is it still quick? Have you tried both?

I have, I like FZD more for a more balanced BH and FH frel

 

[Bryan TT]

Dignics 80 on both sides (best rubber in the world, no weaknesses)

Innerforce Layer ZLC for excellent feel for the ball


All-around rubber + all-around blade...perfect fit for all-around play!

Jack of all trades, master of some

Yeah i hear that the dignics 80 is great, never tried it though…
And of course you can’t go wrong with an inner force blade. Great setup! Why do you say that the dignics 80 is perfect?