W968 Replica from Aliexpress

[JoeZhendong]

Alright, so what’s the view on replica blades?

As an equipment junkie, I’ve purchased a few replica blades namely: TB ALC, Viscaria, and W968.

The TB ALC replica was actually called Timo Boer 😂. This one had wide wings. I assembled it with Palio AK47 Red and Blue. It had insane speed and spin. Sadly, I sold it to a friend and have since regretted. I never got enough play time with it.

Two Viscaria replicas were terrible. Nothing good to say.

Latest edition is this beautiful W968 replica. Weighing 88g. The wood surface has a soft feeling. The craftsmanship is very nice. Comfortable to hold. Forehand has DHS H3N commercial 39 boosted and backhand has Yinhe Moon 12 Blue with the medium hard sponge. Total weight is 188.7g.

I play tested last night first time and it really surprised me how nice it is. It gives good feedback. I didn’t feel that I needed to adjust too much from my main setup FZD ALC with H3N commercial 39 boosted and Tenergy19. I was actually down in the decider game at 5-9 against a fellow aggressive seemiller player and came back to win 12-10 in my first match; letting me know that this setup is not bad at all. I alternated between the two paddles against another player and he mentioned that my FZD setup felt faster at him. So far I feel that the forehand is not as penetrating as FZD but the backhand is much more controlled. I had a really fun time with it. I will update as I get more time with it.

 

[Loladin]

Can you please share the name of the seller on Aliexpress?

 

[boretennis]

this one?

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008602948549.html

 

[Tyce]

I don't support actual counterfeit products. If they want to make it look somewhat like the real one but incorporate clear differences, that's a grey area, but this one is just counterfeit. It's listed as a W968, there's serials and everything, but the technical offense is where they are putting DHS on it.

 

[JoeZhendong]

Can you please share the name of the seller on Aliexpress?

boretennis shared the correct link. Seller is Too Fun Store.

 

[JoeZhendong]

this one?

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008602948549.html

Yep, that’s the one.

 

[Kilogramme]

I don't support actual counterfeit products. If they want to make it look somewhat like the real one but incorporate clear differences, that's a grey area, but this one is just counterfeit. It's listed as a W968, there's serials and everything, but the technical offense is where they are putting DHS on it.

I agree. Stuor did a Hurricane long 5 , but it looks the same, blue handle with yellow line, but no Ma Long, and HL5 name on the side. Copying everything is counterfait, and illegal. Personally my Stuor Clone is a 2nd blade to test, my main is original DHS. And that is fine. I don't think a 968 copy is fair. It is probably worst than a commercial Long 5, which is the same compo as 968.

 

[lodro]

I agree. Stuor did a Hurricane long 5 , but it looks the same, blue handle with yellow line, but no Ma Long, and HL5 name on the side. Copying everything is counterfait, and illegal. Personally my Stuor Clone is a 2nd blade to test, my main is original DHS. And that is fine. I don't think a 968 copy is fair. It is probably worst than a commercial Long 5, which is the same compo as 968.

This is something that really bothers me . STUOR is perfectly capable of making high quality blades and I wish they 'd have the courage and stop selling their products as copies

 

[Gekko]

They really could've capitalized things and offered "custom service" but adding in your favourite player plaque and name on those lenses.

I personally would love a Hurricane FZD hahaha

 

[Kilogramme]

This is something that really bothers me . STUOR is perfectly capable of making high quality blades and I wish they 'd have the courage and stop selling their products as copies

I am not the type of guy that hate copie. I mean, If the product is good, it is smart to copy, or do it the same. What I meant, is that they don't try to do the exact same and sell it like it is the same blade at a 1/10th of the price. They advertise it as a blade with similar structure and somewhat similar feeling. And the look is similar yet not a pure copy to scam buyer. And Indeed, Stuor blade are very good for the price. Mine was 2nd hand, and either it is the sealing or the blade, but compared to my main blade, it is harder and stiffer, but also considerably faster. The feel is kinda similar to koto compared to limba (it is still softer than a koto, but to get an idea of the difference in feeling). I would add that the weight balance is more centered and less head heavy.

 

[JoeZhendong]

UPDATE

The new blade EJ has wore off. The blade itself still plays with good feedback. Biggest downside: the blade has a low throw angle, which seems to be consistent with some people’s response to my post in a facebook group.

The H3N commercial boosted plays good. I’ve come to find that the Yinhe Moon 12 Blue also has a low throw angle. I have to constantly lift every ball and makes it difficult when I’m playing bh-bh rally and then go for a winner but instead it goes straight into the net. I’m disappointed because I actually really like the liveliness and spin that rubber generates. I’m not sure if the medium soft sponge would be better.

I replaced the Yinhe Moon with an old T05FX and the throw angle was much better but the topsheet is worn and doesn’t grip and spin as much as I want it to. Going for down the line with my bh the ball would shoot off the table. I didn’t feel like it helped my bh game, though hitting with it on forehand drives were satisfying. Next I replaced that with an old Palio AK47 Blue. Much more controlled and I could put the ball where I wanted but it could not generate the spin anymore; perhaps planning to try a new sheet of it on bh at some point. At the moment, I replaced that with an older T05 and it’s just overall playing much better. Not as spinny and powerful but it’s enough to win games. Just bothers me a little bit to see the exposed wood from the rubber being too small to cover it all lol.

I take back my word on it feeling comfortable in the hand. The handle is flared but the upper part is slim and the grip doesn’t feel full. Unlike the FZD ALC that feels very full in the hand. Just a personally like of mine.

 

[lodro]

UPDATE

The new blade EJ has wore off. The blade itself still plays with good feedback. Biggest downside: the blade has a low throw angle, which seems to be consistent with some people’s response to my post in a facebook group.

The H3N commercial boosted plays good. I’ve come to find that the Yinhe Moon 12 Blue also has a low throw angle. I have to constantly lift every ball and makes it difficult when I’m playing bh-bh rally and then go for a winner but instead it goes straight into the net. I’m disappointed because I actually really like the liveliness and spin that rubber generates. I’m not sure if the medium soft sponge would be better.

I replaced the Yinhe Moon with an old T05FX and the throw angle was much better but the topsheet is worn and doesn’t grip and spin as much as I want it to. Going for down the line with my bh the ball would shoot off the table. I didn’t feel like it helped my bh game, though hitting with it on forehand drives were satisfying. Next I replaced that with an old Palio AK47 Blue. Much more controlled and I could put the ball where I wanted but it could not generate the spin anymore; perhaps planning to try a new sheet of it on bh at some point. At the moment, I replaced that with an older T05 and it’s just overall playing much better. Not as spinny and powerful but it’s enough to win games. Just bothers me a little bit to see the exposed wood from the rubber being too small to cover it all lol.

I take back my word on it feeling comfortable in the hand. The handle is flared but the upper part is slim and the grip doesn’t feel full. Unlike the FZD ALC that feels very full in the hand. Just a personally like of mine.

When i first read the opening post I thought: "why is he not comparing the 2 blades using the exact same rubbers" ???????

 

[JoeZhendong]

When i first read the opening post I thought: "why is he not comparing the 2 blades using the exact same rubbers" ???????

My FZD ALC had H3N Commercial 39 boosted on FH. This replica W968 also has H3N Commercial 39 boosted on FH. So there is some comparison there. I think its safe to say that FZD ALC has a medium to high arc. The shot quality from the FZD feels much crispier. I felt that the replica W968's FH ball is slightly lower and deeper.

So I did test that same Yinhe Moon 12 Blue on my FZD ALC as I thought the FZD ALC's higher arc would compensate for the low throw. I tried it on BH and although at contact the ball starts high and moves linearly but again I was having the same issue with the ball shooting into the net unless I constantly brushed upward. It's certainly playable. When I brush upward with power on the counter topspins, the quality of the shot is amazing, but having to constantly do it just doesn't fit my game. The verdict is the Yinhe Moon 12 Blue has a low throw angle and the replica W968 has a lower and direct arc compared to the FZD ALC. With that being said, a rubber with a high throw angle would work much better with the replica W968 for my personal game.

 

[am0y]

How does the replica compare to a legit W968 or even a comparable innerfiber limba blade? and is it the same head size?

 

[Julzig]

How does the replica compare to a legit W968 or even a comparable innerfiber limba blade? and is it the same head size?

I own a replica such as the one shown above (roughly payed 30bucks). Quality wise it is not so good, the veneer shows a big dark spot, the carbon is sticking out and is kinda annoying to hold. But in terms of dimensions it seems like a 1:1 copy. Mine had a weird dissonance indicating poor quality aswell.

In terms of playing it was fine, decent touch and power. So it did what it supposed to do of giving me a rough idea if I like those type of blades.
I use it for multiball and outdoor stuff.

Thats why I landed on the Stiga Surge having esencially the same composition as the W968 but quality is 100x better.
For people on a budget: I would rather get Yinhe or comparable brands that offer much more for the same price.

 

[am0y]

thanks! that has been insightful, i have been looking for a cheaper backup blade with the same structure and head-size and was debating on just buying a replica. I will look into Yinhe, ive had pretty positive experiences with their products