Sanwei Echo and Parla review - 2023 new all wood table tennis blades

[Dominikk85]

Sanwei has released two new blades under their Trio series banner in 2023 and have graciously sent them to me for review. The Parla, a seven ply all wood blade, and the Echo, a five ply all wood blade.
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To start with, I asked Sanwei a few questions:

1. Parla and Echo are part of the Trio series – Is there another blade coming within the Trio series?
   Yes, we had a plan but there is no specific target date for this to happen.
2. Where does the Parla sit in Sanwei’s product line compared to the Fextra One?
   They serve two different markets. Though both are 7-ply all-wood blades, the Fextra One uses 3 Ayous plies of even thickness as its core. The Parla has a more conventional 7 ply structure with a single thick ply as its core.
   
   They have different playing characteristics. The Fextra One is more attacking while the Parla is more balanced.
3. What research went into creating the Echo and the Parla and how long did it take?
   It took a few months for the R&D. The idea for the Echo and Parla came from a brainstorming meeting. We found we didn’t have suitable products for this market, so we started.

Testing setups
Sanwei Parla
FH: Sanwei Gear 38 degrees hardness
BH: DHS Hurricane 8-80 37 degrees hardness

Sanwei Echo
FH: Sanwei Gear 38 degrees hardness
BH: Sanwei Target National blue sponge 39 degrees hardness

First impressions
Packaging
Both blades arrived with simple, functional packaging comprising a thin black cardboard box with a clear plastic ‘window’ at the front to show the blade. Each box had a simple thin, black plastic frame to ‘house’ the blade so it wouldn’t go swimming around in the box.

You don’t get a premium feel with the packaging, but it’s not needed since the blades aren’t meant to serve the high end of the market.

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Build quality
The build quality of both blades more than makes up for the simple, humble packaging.

The printing on both blades is both high quality and sharp. I liked the colours of both blades a lot, particularly the vibrant blues around the handle of the Echo. The wood surface is even, nice and smooth all over both blades as well with no rough spots to the playing surface or the sides of the blade. Sanwei describes the Echo as having, “flawless wooden texture”, and I’m inclined to say they got it right! The lens on each blade also adds to the overall look to give a good impression of build quality and design.

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I got the shakehand flare handled version of the Parla and the Chinese penhold (cpen) version of the Echo.

It’s worth noting the Echo cpen blade didn’t come pre-sanded like I’ve experienced with some cpen blades from other manufacturers. It not a standard thing so that’s understandable. Anyway, penhold players always sand their blade down until they get the right amount of comfort and grip so having it pre-sanded is arguably only useful for reviewers... 😁

More about the blades
The Sanwei Echo
Technical details
Plies: 5 all wood (Limba | Ayous | Ayous core)
Thickness: 5.9mm
Handle: Chinese penhold
Handle width at widest point: 32.4mm / 3.24cm
Blade face size: 150x155mm
Weight: 74g

View attachment 26458I shifted to my punch blocking style of play and happily this blade performed very well compared to other 5 ply all wood blades like the Yasaka Sweden Extra, Stiga’s Arctic Wood, and Yinhe’s budget N10 and N11 blades. It also greatly improves on Sanwei’s training series blade, the CS (New Century). I was able to block shots where I wanted and with very high consistency.

There was lovely feedback throughout, giving me confidence about where the ball was being hit. Both are key elements when it comes to blocking for me since I want to move my opponent around the table by changing the angle and force of my returns.

When it came to looping, this blade had a wonderful ability to help deliver shots that would kick off the table once it bounced on the other side – delivering a surprising boost of speed, catapulting the ball off the table with extra force (Sanwei describes this type of speed as ‘second speed’), probably from the amount of spin I was able to generate from this setup.

During practice play, once I increased the speed of my strokes, I could feel the Sanwei Echo wasn’t lacking in the speed department unlike some blades with carbon layers like the Yinhe Y4 (rated as ALL+ by Yinhe, while the Echo is rated as ALL by Sanwei).

I tried both the Sanwei Gear Hyper and the Sanwei Target National on this blade and found greater consistency in making shots with the Gear Hyper. Looping felt great and simple with that combination where I had a greater margin for error and didn’t need a perfect stroke angle each time.

Sanwei Parla
Technical details
Plies: 7 ply all wood (Limba | Ayous | Ayous | Ayous core)
Thickness: 6.0mm (Sanwei rates this as 5.9mm +-0.2)
Handle: Shakehand Flared handle
Handle width at widest point: 34.9mm / 3.49cm
Blade face size: 150x155mm
Weight: 89g

View attachment 26464This blade performed above expectations for me – I handed it to several intermediate-level players, they all adapted very quickly to it and made their shots confidently. I did a few video recordings of a few players making use of it and they all liked the feel of it. Even advanced beginners used to slower equipment (like the Sanwei CS paired with Yinhe Mercury II rubbers on both sides) were able to use my setup with some ease. Usually, the speed jump would understandably trip them up but not with the Parla paired with the Sanwei Gear Hyper.

Blocking with this blade was naturally faster than the Echo and, pleasantly, I was able to retain a strong level of control throughout. Forehand shots came out with power when I started speeding up my strokes and I retained a good feeling for the ball throughout.

The Parla is an offensive 7 ply all wood blade and works great for the modern, offensive, two wing game. Sanwei rates it’s speed at a modest ALL+ range but it feels capable of higher speeds in the OFF- range while maintaining control. Given that Sanwei has marketed this blade as having the ‘ultimate in control in the Trio series’, this is a good thing!

Conclusion
Of the two blades, I felt the Sanwei Parla was a better fit for me thanks to its stronger offensive capabilities. Blocks were sent back crisp and fast without ever feeling like I was struggling to control the blade.

On the other hand, I had an easier time doing blocks with the Sanwei Echo, possibly because of the slightly slower speed compared to the Parla. I felt like all I needed to do was stick my hand out at the right angle and the return would bounce back safely.

It’s worth noting again that other players I lent the Parla to adjusted very quickly to it and commented on how nice it felt to use it. With a lot of new setups, there’s typically a short adjustment time (admittedly, generally the higher the playing level, the shorter this adjustment time would be). With the Parla, players of varying levels were able to adapt to it quickly.

Both blades are well worth considering in their price range and competes well with more expensive blades.

Is the echo similar to the m8?

 

[The_TT_Bat_Guy]

Is the echo similar to the m8?

No, it isn't. The M8 feels stiffer and faster even despite it being a training class blade. What I've noticed about the M8 versus the Echo is that the Echo has a much nicer feel, design, and stronger level of control.

 

[rwk92]

I also decided to use Sanwei Parla after watching your review video (since my Tibhar BSS1 was lost during my flight T_T). Initially tried using Yinhe Moon Pro on FH, but it didn't work well for me. Then I paired it with T05 on the forehand and Fastarc C1 on the backhand. It feels very nice to use. The build quality is very nice. Not as smooth as Tibhar BSS1 and Tibhar SPW, but already pleasant to hold. The handle size is perfect for me (I am 160cm tall), and the wing size is nice (not too big so that it hurts to grip). Blocking and looping are very comfortable. I can generate fast attacks and controlled shots, such as a hooked loop, with ease. My win rate jumped from 25% over the last two seasons to 100% currently. Definitely can recommend for the very high value-to-price ratio!

Strangely, I tried to compare the frequency of my Parla with my friend's Echo. Mine was 1257 Hz, and his Echo was around 1310 Hz 😅

How can the Echo be "faster" than Parla?
Maybe @Andrea Jiang can explain?

 

[Lazer]

I also decided to use Sanwei Parla after watching your review video (since my Tibhar BSS1 was lost during my flight T_T). Initially tried using Yinhe Moon Pro on FH, but it didn't work well for me. Then I paired it with T05 on the forehand and Fastarc C1 on the backhand. It feels very nice to use. The build quality is very nice. Not as smooth as Tibhar BSS1 and Tibhar SPW, but already pleasant to hold. The handle size is perfect for me (I am 160cm tall), and the wing size is nice (not too big so that it hurts to grip). Blocking and looping are very comfortable. I can generate fast attacks and controlled shots, such as a hooked loop, with ease. My win rate jumped from 25% over the last two seasons to 100% currently. Definitely can recommend for the very high value-to-price ratio!

Strangely, I tried to compare the frequency of my Parla with my friend's Echo. Mine was 1248 Hz, and his Echo was around 1310 Hz 😅

How can the Echo be "faster" than Parla?
Maybe @Andrea Jiang can explain?

The frequency only tells you the blades stiffness (and hardness to a certain degree). More often than not a blade with higher frequency is faster but not always.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Larshos]

I also decided to use Sanwei Parla after watching your review video (since my Tibhar BSS1 was lost during my flight T_T). Initially tried using Yinhe Moon Pro on FH, but it didn't work well for me. Then I paired it with T05 on the forehand and Fastarc C1 on the backhand. It feels very nice to use. The build quality is very nice. Not as smooth as Tibhar BSS1 and Tibhar SPW, but already pleasant to hold. The handle size is perfect for me (I am 160cm tall), and the wing size is nice (not too big so that it hurts to grip). Blocking and looping are very comfortable. I can generate fast attacks and controlled shots, such as a hooked loop, with ease. My win rate jumped from 25% over the last two seasons to 100% currently. Definitely can recommend for the very high value-to-price ratio!

Strangely, I tried to compare the frequency of my Parla with my friend's Echo. Mine was 1257 Hz, and his Echo was around 1310 Hz 😅

How can the Echo be "faster" than Parla?
Maybe @Andrea Jiang can explain?

Can you give a brief summary of the playing characteristics of the Parla vs. BSS1?

 

[rwk92]

Can you give a brief summary of the playing characteristics of the Parla vs. BSS1?

Hmm.. Unfortunately, my level is not high enough to really identify the difference between two blades yet. Moreover, my BSS1 was already lost, so I cannot make a direct comparison.

However, based on my memories, the BSS1 was a little faster than Parla. Its sound is crisper; I was even surprised the first time I heard the sound. I liked that the vibration of both blades is more muted than a 5-ply all wood blade (Tibhar SPW and Gewo Power Offense for comparison). Playing from close to the table up to mid distance (2-3 m from the table) is easy with both blades, but beyond that, I need to give more power to reach the table. Overall, I think they are quite similar, which is why I can easily adjust to Parla from BSS1. Both blades have similar thickness and similar composition. Parla's handle is a little slimmer, though.

If you want a much more complete review of BSS1, I suggest you read the link below. Mine weighed 85g with a frequency of 1378 Hz. It is a beautiful, amazing blade, for sure.

https://blog.tabletennis11.com/review-tibhar-bernadette-szocs-signature-1

 

[The_TT_Bat_Guy]

I also decided to use Sanwei Parla after watching your review video (since my Tibhar BSS1 was lost during my flight T_T). Initially tried using Yinhe Moon Pro on FH, but it didn't work well for me. Then I paired it with T05 on the forehand and Fastarc C1 on the backhand. It feels very nice to use. The build quality is very nice. Not as smooth as Tibhar BSS1 and Tibhar SPW, but already pleasant to hold. The handle size is perfect for me (I am 160cm tall), and the wing size is nice (not too big so that it hurts to grip). Blocking and looping are very comfortable. I can generate fast attacks and controlled shots, such as a hooked loop, with ease. My win rate jumped from 25% over the last two seasons to 100% currently. Definitely can recommend for the very high value-to-price ratio!

Strangely, I tried to compare the frequency of my Parla with my friend's Echo. Mine was 1257 Hz, and his Echo was around 1310 Hz 😅

How can the Echo be "faster" than Parla?
Maybe @Andrea Jiang can explain?

Nice! Glad you found the review and the blade useful for your game!

 

[rwk92]

Can you give a brief summary of the playing characteristics of the Parla vs. BSS1?

One more difference between BSS1 and Parla: Even though both blades have the composition of limba/5ayous/limba, the thickness of the core is different. BSS1's core consists of 3 ayous with even thickness. On the other hand, Parla's core consists of 1 thick ayous layer, with the other layers thin. The different thicknesses would affect the stiffness of the blade in some way (which I unfortunately don't understand yet 😅)