The moment money stops giving value

[Attitude]

So i am back EJing around thanks to offseason and many things that happened in the last couple weeks or even months probably.

I tested around and played with many high quality and high end blades like TB alc, Ovtcharov innerforce alc and some more. I even tested some newer niche blades like the Xuperman S1 and the Doublefish Project Z.
Now i am in the position of being capable to compare those quite well to my Yinhe Pro 01 i am playing with for some years now (not the entire time, but that is my go to blade i always came back for). And this makes me wonder, is the Pro 01 one of the best bang for your buck blade?

All of the blades i ever played with that cost more than the Pro 01 (especially my favorite for many reason the FZD alc) didnt do much more or more like the exact same thing as the Pro 01.
Some examples:
The FZD alc was slightly crisper and could get more power out, especially when im not in the best position. And the grip is still my favorite by far. But these margins are so freaking tiny, that they dont change my game or any outcome.
The Project Z has a different feel (really slightly). i have a little longer contact and it could be i have more feeling for the ball in some cases because of that. Highend speed, spin and everything else is exactly the same. I even tested it with several different players as trainingpartners, and they couldnt tell a difference aside from the different sound when i hit "through" the blade.

I dont want to make comparison with many more blades because if compare different compositions, ofcourse things change, maybe even a lot depending on the wood and fibers.

Buuuuuuuuut my point is, what do i get more if i pay like 100€-140€ more than i pay for the Pro 01?

Before i was sure that if i pay more i kinda get at least some kind of value, like more spin or power and with rubbers i can somewhat see that, especially if some good "technologies" are at work. But with blades i am not sure at all if that is still the case.
So currently i am struggling to see more value in more expensive blades.
Is that something you experience as well with other kind of blades or am i just lucky that Yinhe put out a really good fucking blade.
Oooooor am i just too oblivious or not good enough to feel the difference although i would line that out as i know a lot of better players who doesnt feel shit and cant tell the difference between inner and outer carbond blades...

Sidenote: That is my 3rd Pro 01 and all of them were almost the same. The only difference i had with one was a slightly (less than a milimeter difference) thinner but wider handle, the rest being on point.

And before this discussion goes into a wrong way and this matters:
I play tabletennis for some decades and on a decent level i would say, as some already know. Current at all time high 1730 german TTR so approximitly around 2k USA rating.

 

[chinacurious]

Do you know the Ronin Team Russian Youtube channel? He reviewed different Pro 01s and said he felt a difference between them. Might be an interesting watch for you. His newer videos are auto dubbed but idk if the Pro 01s are.

 

[lodro]

Regardless of high price, if an expensive blade is not making you into a better player,
(and we know it wont 😁 ) it is not worth spending the extra money.

 

[Archosaurus]

Regardless of high price, if an expensive blade is not making you into a better player,
(and we know it wont 😁 ) it is not worth spending the extra money.

What if you like it and it's more durable than the cheaper blade? I hardly believe even half of table tennis players purely buy equipment for the sake of performance and nothing else.

 

[DrBean]

Regardless of high price, if an expensive blade is not making you into a better player,
(and we know it wont 😁 ) it is not worth spending the extra money.

If anyone is honest with themselves, you don't EJ to get better. You EJ for the love of the game - spending money on fun toys. Literally the same as any other hobby.

Edit: I jest, but only slightly so.

So currently i am struggling to see more value in more expensive blades.
Is that something you experience as well with other kind of blades or am i just lucky that Yinhe put out a really good fucking blade.
Oooooor am i just too oblivious or not good enough to feel the difference although i would line that out as i know a lot of better players who doesnt feel shit and cant tell the difference between inner and outer carbond blades...

I'm not one to faff around with my equipment but I don't believe reviewers can tell you for sure minute differences between blades. It's a guess based on vibes, kind of like wine tasting. There are times when its obvious - much like the difference between reds and whites, when you play an Acoustic with training rubbers then immediately pick up a Viscaria with Dignics it's hard not to notice - but telling the difference between a V14Pro and a Viscaria is much harder. And you couldn't just test ONE V14Pro and ONE Viscaria - you would have to test a number of examples of each and compare the average since the variance between examples is high. Is this actually humanly feasible? Idk, probably not. So you come up with a system that feels generally consistent to you, but nothing about this is scientific, its all vibes.

Let me give you another example - you go to the gym and decide you're going to squat 100kg today. Does it feel different if you started with 100 kg versus if you worked your way up with 4 warm up sets? Absolutely it does. So how could you be sure the feeling of the second blade you used today wasn't because you're more warmed up? And if you switch back and forth how do you know your brain hasn't assigned characteristics to them subconsciously? If you flip the order around tomorrow, how can you be sure you're at the same physical and mental capacity today and yesterday? You couldn't - again you have to go with your gut. And sometimes it's close enough, sometimes it's heavily influenced by other things. And even more damning - some swear there's a difference between the current Viscaria and FZD ALC (and their Super variants), despite the fact that Butterfly (and sponsored pros) tells you they're identical.

All the blades you describe are essentially Viscarias. You're just choosing the one that gives you the most confidence, whether it's the shape of the handle or the cosmetic design. So I think a more helpful question is, would you catch yourself staring longingly at another blade if you stuck with the Pro01 forever? If yes maybe that's the one in your heart you want to play with. It's not a matter of performance, but desire. In the much more expensive coffee/keyboard hobbies they call it endgame. I've certainly spent an indefensible amount of money for imperceptibly "better" espresso, or sometimes just a better workflow.

 

[Attitude]

If anyone is honest with themselves, you don't EJ to get better. You EJ for the love of the game - spending money on fun toys. Literally the same as any other hobby.

Edit: I jest, but only slightly so.



I'm not one to faff around with my equipment but I don't believe reviewers can tell you for sure minute differences between blades. It's a guess based on vibes, kind of like wine tasting. There are times when its obvious - much like the difference between reds and whites, when you play an Acoustic with training rubbers then immediately pick up a Viscaria with Dignics it's hard not to notice - but telling the difference between a V14Pro and a Viscaria is much harder. And you couldn't just test ONE V14Pro and ONE Viscaria - you would have to test a number of examples of each and compare the average since the variance between examples is high. Is this actually humanly feasible? Idk, probably not. So you come up with a system that feels generally consistent to you, but nothing about this is scientific, its all vibes.

Let me give you another example - you go to the gym and decide you're going to squat 100kg today. Does it feel different if you started with 100 kg versus if you worked your way up with 4 warm up sets? Absolutely it does. So how could you be sure the feeling of the second blade you used today wasn't because you're more warmed up? And if you switch back and forth how do you know your brain hasn't assigned characteristics to them subconsciously? If you flip the order around tomorrow, how can you be sure you're at the same physical and mental capacity today and yesterday? You couldn't - again you have to go with your gut. And sometimes it's close enough, sometimes it's heavily influenced by other things. And even more damning - some swear there's a difference between the current Viscaria and FZD ALC (and their Super variants), despite the fact that Butterfly (and sponsored pros) tells you they're identical.

All the blades you describe are essentially Viscarias. You're just choosing the one that gives you the most confidence, whether it's the shape of the handle or the cosmetic design. So I think a more helpful question is, would you catch yourself staring longingly at another blade if you stuck with the Pro01 forever? If yes maybe that's the one in your heart you want to play with. It's not a matter of performance, but desire. In the much more expensive coffee/keyboard hobbies they call it endgame. I've certainly spent an indefensible amount of money for imperceptibly "better" espresso, or sometimes just a better workflow.

If that is the case i would stay with Pro 01 or with a Pro 01 with a better fitting handle^^
I have something similar as your example with coffee. But sorry every investment i made in that department was worth it. My almost 300€ coffeegrinder made a significant difference compared to my last 80€ grinder.
Same goes for the kettle.
So yeah if this is just vibe stuff i could see myself playing with the Project Z because i do like ZQ, but would go back to the Pro 01 the moment it breaks, just like my FZD alc did -.-

 

[Tyce]

Having experience with both Pro 01 and Fzd I have to agree. If you're on a budget, Pro 01 is maybe 80% of the experience, with most of the difference being a harder rebound, a little bit less feeling and a slight decrease in sweet spot.
The Butterfly version is just more in harmony, but the Yinhe blade played quite well, might just take a little longer to get used to because it doesn't transfer feeling the same way.

I would not have bought the Fzd for retail price. Just happened to get a really sweet second hand deal. I don't think it's worth, for me, the extra €100+

 

[DrBean]

If that is the case i would stay with Pro 01 or with a Pro 01 with a better fitting handle^^
I have something similar as your example with coffee. But sorry every investment i made in that department was worth it. My almost 300€ coffeegrinder made a significant difference compared to my last 80€ grinder.
Same goes for the kettle.
So yeah if this is just vibe stuff i could see myself playing with the Project Z because i do like ZQ, but would go back to the Pro 01 the moment it breaks, just like my FZD alc did -.-

I think going from 80-300 grinders the marginal benefits are very high. When you go 300 to 2000+, much less. I'm in the latter category, unfortunately

The Z is a very good looking blade. I always think it's a N though. But it's important to look good

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[Nash77]

1) If table tennis is really a big passion for you.

2) And if you're doing well financially and can afford it :

3) Then I would just get the highest quality setup you can find that suits your needs.

I don't see the point of a working financially stable man "saving" 100$ (or even 200$) when it comes to his main hobby. We only live once, this amount of money isn't going to change your life. A good blade can last us for many years. Think of it as the cost of a fancy restaurant we didn't go to 1 time.

I believe that if you love something - investing in it is money well spent.

 

[Tyce]

1) If table tennis is really a big passion for you.

2) And if you're doing well financially and can afford it :

3) Then I would just get the highest quality setup you can find that suits your needs.

I don't see the point of a working financially stable man "saving" 100$ (or even 200$) when it comes to his main hobby. We only live once, this amount of money isn't going to change your life. A good blade can last us for many years. Think of it as the cost of a fancy restaurant we didn't go to 1 time.

I believe that if you love something - investing in it is money well spent.

This is why I EJ nowadays: because I can. I still like bang-for-buck though and I don't like spending top dollar for something that might not even really suit me.

 

[Archosaurus]

1) If table tennis is really a big passion for you.

2) And if you're doing well financially and can afford it :

3) Then I would just get the highest quality setup you can find that suits your needs.

I don't see the point of a working financially stable man "saving" 100$ (or even 200$) when it comes to his main hobby. We only live once, this amount of money isn't going to change your life. A good blade can last us for many years. Think of it as the cost of a fancy restaurant we didn't go to 1 time.

I believe that if you love something - investing in it is money well spent.

At the risk of encouraging rubber manufacturers to raise prices and for EJs to engage in futile capitalism: tabletennis at an amateur level is one of the cheapest things you can possibly do. All of my other hobbies cost one or two magnitudes more.

Point being that you can spend 10 times more than you already spend and maybe you're scratching the low-end of actually expensive hobbies. Don't worry about it so much if it won't bankrupt you. Just get the thing that makes you happy.

 

[Tyce]

At the risk of encouraging rubber manufacturers to raise prices and for EJs to engage in futile capitalism: tabletennis at an amateur level is one of the cheapest things you can possibly do. All of my other hobbies cost one or two magnitudes more.

Point being that you can spend 10 times more than you already spend and maybe you're scratching the low-end of actually expensive hobbies. Don't worry about it so much if it won't bankrupt you. Just get the thing that makes you happy.

I agree that TT is generally not that expensive of a hobby, but it depends:

I like Geocaching, making puzzles, listening to music, basically all my other hobbies are (nearly) free of cost.
My car is economical and (relatively) cheap. I haven't spent more than a few tenners on bicycle materials in the past couple of years even though they are my main mode of transport.
So yeah, I spend most of my hobby cash on TT


Buuuttt when the narrative changes, sure as hell! People riding $5000 race bicycles in $200 suits, or having a hobby motorcycle/car, buying pay2win upgrades in online games, getting an expensive top line 3d printer and never using it...