SDC Handmade Blades

[SDC]

Does different wood or colors affect handle performance? e.g., how much sweat it can absorb or drying

They do, not the color specifically, but the type of wood. There are many types of handles, natural wood, fineline, "G-Fless", stabilized wood, cork...

There are many different wood species, and they can greatly differ in hand feeling/sweat absorption, depending on their properties. There are too many to name, but generally softer woods absorb sweat better but they get soggy and are less durable. Denser woods don't absorb as much sweat, but they remain dry and are very durable. Most commercial brands don't use natural wood for handles anymore, they use fineline.

Fineline is essentially pre-dyed wood veneers that are glued together. This is done because it's very hard to dye a piece of wood all the way through, so they dye thine veneers and them glue them together. This technique ensures more homogeneity when making many handle pieces, and allow for intricate and colorful patterns. However, the base for fineline are usually soft and light woods, that will absorb color easily, so they will also get soggy and the colors will fade with time.

G-fless is basically extruded PVC, I have been using this since the beginning, but it's really not a good material for handles, so I avoid it. The colors are bright and they don't fade, it has a nice texture, which improves grip, but it's very soft and it dents very easily so the durability is very poor.

Stabilized wood is essentially wood infused with epoxy resin. You can use interested woods such as Karelian Birch and infuse it with different colors to achieve beautiful patterns. The downside is that it becomes very heavy and it has virtually no sweat absorption because all the wood pores are filled with resin.

Cork is cork, nature's "G-fless" 😅.

 

[SDC]

What kind of wood is Awan and what characteristics does it have?

Never heard of Awan wood, but it might just be my own ignorance...

I know some brands use it, but for example Donic has a habit of using different names just to make the compositions sound more exotic. In the burn series it's Ayous for example, not Awan.

 

[SlowPower]

I think awan is a fantasy name for their burned abachi wood...

 

[moment2019]

How about making some counterweights made of Stabilized wood，just like how the Cyberwood did？
That might be cool.

 

[\_Kairos_/]

Never heard of Awan wood, but it might just be my own ignorance...

I know some brands use it, but for example Donic has a habit of using different names just to make the compositions sound more exotic. In the burn series it's Ayous for example, not Awan.

I think awan is a fantasy name for their burned abachi wood...

For what it's worth, there is also a Sunflex blade, the Zen Off 5, which arguably uses Awan as a core ply, albeit not heat treated. On closer inspection, this Awan core ply looks a lot like regular Ayous.

table tennis blade - Sunflex Zen Off 5 Table Tennis Online Shop

The Zen Off 5 is a hard and fast offensive table tennis blade made by Sunflex. Perfect for the poly ball. Find out more at spinfactory.de

www.spinfactory.de

 

[SDC]

How about making some counterweights made of Stabilized wood，just like how the Cyberwood did？
That might be cool.

Stabilized wood is very heavy compared to natural wood, but it still doesn't have enough mass for that purpose, it would need to be something heavier or they would be very big.

 

[SDC]

I've been away for some time again, I have plans, but life always get's in the way 😅

Ok, let's get back to posting some blades, starting with this very basic, straight up Vis composition with a slightly different handle shape.

#1101 - Outer ALC - OFF
- Koto / ALC / Ayous / Kiri core
- 87.8g
- 5.8mm
- 157x150mm
- ST (102x28.8x22.2mm)
- Balance: 2.6cm (Low)

 

[SDC]

#1102 - Outer IC - OFF-

This is a stiff but soft blade, it prioritizes control and spin over speed, while keeping a certain directness typical of outer fiber blades. I already have this blade ready for a while, so it's merely a coincidence, but this is the same concept as the new Outerforce blades. So, on paper at least they should play similarly, although the construction is not exactly the same. They use Ayous as the top layer on those blades, which is softer than the Limba I have used here, but I also use Innegra-Carbon underneath, which is softer than the ALC they use.

Available FS.

- Limba / Innegra-Carbon / Ayous / Kiri core
- 87.0g
- 6.3mm
- 157x150mm
- FL (101x25.4-22.6mm)
- Balance: 2.4cm (Low)

 

[Khimmi]

Hello, what is your frequency? Best regards.

 

[SDC]

Hello, what is your frequency? Best regards.

1400Hz for this one

 

[SDC]

#1126 - 3+2 - OFF/OFF+

By using a plain Aramid fabric instead of a plain Carbon fabric in this composition, we get something along the lines of a Primorac Carbon, but with a softer feel. Still a very stiff and stable blade with plenty of speed for a more direct playstyle.

Available FS.

- Kumamoto Hinoki / Aramid / Kiri core
- 87.4g
- 6.8mm
- 157x150mm
- ST (100x23.0x28.7mm)
- Balance: 2.9cm (Low/Med)

 

[Khimmi]

Thank you

 

[olive-nguyen]

Any attempt of 8.5mm ALC Jpen with round head, raised grip that is not sweat absorbing cork? Maybe an OFF rated with sweet tpb blocks and nice feeling but the inner carbon providing balance of speed, as it's not gonna be 1 ply slapper hinoki. Maybe a 5 ply?

 

[olive-nguyen]

Any attempt of 8.5mm ALC Jpen with round head, raised grip that is not sweat absorbing cork? Maybe an OFF rated with sweet tpb blocks and nice feeling but the inner carbon providing balance of speed, as it's not gonna be 1 ply slapper hinoki. Maybe a 5 ply?

Was thinking hinoki, Ayous, ALC, Kiri core. Not sure just fantasizing.

 

[SDC]

Any attempt of 8.5mm ALC Jpen with round head, raised grip that is not sweat absorbing cork? Maybe an OFF rated with sweet tpb blocks and nice feeling but the inner carbon providing balance of speed, as it's not gonna be 1 ply slapper hinoki. Maybe a 5 ply?

That is way too specific not to be a custom order 😅.

 

[SDC]

#1138 - Outer Aramid - OFF-/OFF

This is a 5+2 with a 7 ply all wood pedigree. The construction is very similar to a 7 ply blade with 3 thick center layers, but underneath the top ply I have used a very thin and light Aramid fabric. The feeling is essentially all wood, with some dampened vibrations, and it's a very uncatapulty blade, for those who like to hit hard.

Available FS.

- Walnut / Aramid / Ayous / Ayous //
- 89.8g
- 6.1mm
- 157x150mm
- FL (101x24.3-22.3mm)
- Balance: 2.5cm (Low)

 

[olive-nguyen]

#1138 - Outer Aramid - OFF-/OFF

This is a 5+2 with a 7 ply all wood pedigree. The construction is very similar to a 7 ply blade with 3 thick center layers, but underneath the top ply I have used a very thin and light Aramid fabric. The feeling is essentially all wood, with some dampened vibrations, and it's a very uncatapulty blade, for those who like to hit hard.

Available FS.

- Walnut / Aramid / Ayous / Ayous //
- 89.8g
- 6.1mm
- 157x150mm
- FL (101x24.3-22.3mm)
- Balance: 2.5cm (Low)

Woww

 

[olive-nguyen]

That is way too specific not to be a custom order 😅.

Yeah it's not about the custom order, it's about the price. I'm just a broke hobbyist.

 

[SDC]

#1158 - Inner AC - OFF-

Although the composition on this one is similar to a HL5, I would say it's a little different. That's because I used a very low density Ayous core, almost the density of Kiri. These low density boards are getting increasingly harder to find, and in fact I used my last one on this blade. This allows a low balanced blade for this composition, which is very unusual. What I have learned, and also from past builds, is that this structure needs the head heaviness, it needs that dense core. This is what generates more momentum on harder shots and gives the powerful Fh. This blade does not generate that kind of momentum, so it feels more direct on the Fh, but it does have other qualities. It's much more maneuverable and less demanding to play, and the Bh doesn't need as much effort so it feels better as well. With blades, everything is a compromise, you win something, you lose something...

Available FS.

- Limba / Ayous / AC / Ayous core
- 91.2g
- 6.05mm
- 158x152mm
- FL (100x25.4-23.1mm)
- Balance: 2.8cm (Low)

 

[latej]

#1158 - Inner AC - OFF-

Although the composition on this one is similar to a HL5, I would say it's a little different. That's because I used a very low density Ayous core, almost the density of Kiri. These low density boards are getting increasingly harder to find, and in fact I used my last one on this blade. This allows a low balanced blade for this composition, which is very unusual. What I have learned, and also from past builds, is that this structure needs the head heaviness, it needs that dense core. This is what generates more momentum on harder shots and gives the powerful Fh. This blade does not generate that kind of momentum, so it feels more direct on the Fh, but it does have other qualities. It's much more maneuverable and less demanding to play, and the Bh doesn't need as much effort so it feels better as well. With blades, everything is a compromise, you win something, you lose something...

Beautiful...

I was forced to play with Viscaria for the last month, because I injured the main blade which you've built for me. The thing is, I'm addicted to the ayous core, and the super-dense one which you used, made the addiction worse. Everything feels hollow now. And I don't speak balsa-hollow, I mean even the Viscaria now feels hollow ;-) Everything... At the same time, it is also clear that the lower density core absorbs more, which I can feel during serve receive. So it does have a benefit... It's as you say, the compromise...