Big Upset with W968 Golden Grand Slam Version

[vossi39]

The ITTF rules state a blade must be made from at least 80% "real wood" by volume. Those products however have almost as much adhesive in them as they do wood. To my mind, they should be classed as wood-based manufacturing materials, and therefore deemed as illegal in ITTF matches. How they are allowed to get away with using that sort of shit product without informing people about it is just staggering to me 🙄🙄🙄

I fully understand your point. But honestly, what do people expect when they buy a 25$ blade. Real Kiso Hinoki that has grown for 100+ years? If so, these people also believe in Easter Bunnies distributing eggs

 

[lodro]

I fully understand your point. But honestly, what do people expect when they buy a 25$ blade. Real Kiso Hinoki that has grown for 100+ years? If so, these people also believe in Easter Bunnies distributing eggs

these people also believe in Easter Bunnies distributing eggs """"" No we don't ! These blades are correctly advertised featuring "Northern chinese Hinoki"" . We also know that the true single layer , genuine Kiso Hinoki blades go for hundreds of dollars and the top models have a near mystical aura to them / It might actually be those very blades that are responsible for distributing the easter Eggs.

 

[SeyhunAliYalçın]

Somebody should sue DHS for this, selling unfinished products…

Exactly, This is what i mean!
If the product is not unfinished, or can be damaged by gluing/reguling at least there must have been a paper in the box which has introduction...
I used to work as an after sales specialist in a very popular company in bike industry, If this sort of problem had happened in bike/car industry, Company must cover all the cost and etc. under warranty.

 

[SeyhunAliYalçın]

Why are you gluing rubbers on a commerative blade? Complete waste. Keep it pristine and admire it, or just don't buy it. You could have sealed the blade.

Haven't you ever heard manufacturing defect ? In any other industry, there's a warranty process which covers both customer and producer.

If that sort of damage might occur by only gluing the blade, so write it somewhere in the box.

 

[SeyhunAliYalçın]

I have the same blade and the first thing i did was to seal the blade on all surfaces including the handle.
Would recommend you using DHS no 15 glue as the glue is easy to peel during removal. I did this a few times due to attempting to glue on a very hot day (37degs C) where the glue went dry before i could spread it evenly.
The sealing definitely helps to prevent splintering.

If sealing had to be done, It must have been written somewhere in/on the box as an introduction.

 

[Matteones]

Exactly, This is what i mean!
If the product is not unfinished, or can be damaged by gluing/reguling at least there must have been a paper in the box which has introduction...
I used to work as an after sales specialist in a very popular company in bike industry, If this sort of problem had happened in bike/car industry, Company must cover all the cost and etc. under warranty.

I don't want to be rude here, but it is up to you to inform yourself on the properties of what you buy, it is not a secret that limba and DHS blades splinters quite easily, which really say nothing on their quality (playing quality I mean) and I would certainly look up how to protect it if I buy a blade that costs several hundred euros.
It is not a manufacturing defect in my view, just a property of the material of which it is made.

 

[ttarc]

I fully understand your point. But honestly, what do people expect when they buy a 25$ blade. Real Kiso Hinoki that has grown for 100+ years? If so, these people also believe in Easter Bunnies distributing eggs

I don't know if this refers to the Kokutaku blade shown but there a two companies with this name. One from China and one from Japan. Btw my Cornilleau Hinotec (hinoki outer ply) also had such an issue. None of the several 729 Z-1 (limba outer ply) but a Fextra and one of my TSP Swats (the newer Victas Swat did not) also had this issue. Loki factory seals their Telson blades.

What DHS says about this issue...

2025 - Google Drive

drive.google.com

Handbook of DHS T.T. Products (in Chinese language) page 65 (76 in the PDF)
"How should a blade be maintained? How can I prevent the blade from showing signs of chipping or shedding?

The blade should be stored in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated place, avoiding high temperature or humidity, and preventing it from being subjected to heavy pressure or breakage. During play, pay special attention to collisions between the blade and the table surface and the ground. For multi-ball training, a spare blade can be used. Players using a chopping style should maintain an appropriate distance from the ground during practice, and should avoid bad habits such as deliberately smashing the racket, hitting the table with the racket, or hitting the block due to frustration after losing.

It is recommended to remove the rubber immediately after each game and store the blade properly to extend its lifespan.

Wood chipping generally occurs in two forms: a minor one is "splitting," and a more serious one is "peeling." Splitting is mainly caused by burrs on the blade. When a burr starts, the wood fibers connected to it are pulled up when the rubber is removed (a phenomenon known as "stress concentration" in materials mechanics, so removal of the rubber usually starts from the horizontal direction of the wood grain). Burrs on the blade are difficult to see directly, but can be felt by touch. Peeling is mainly caused by the softness of the wood on the board surface, resulting in high bonding strength with the adhesive. Therefore, to avoid this problem, the bonding strength needs to be appropriately reduced.

For example, limba is a material prone to stringing. Double Happiness has specifically produced a wood protectant; applying it to the board according to the instructions effectively prevents stringing.

In 2020, Double Happiness added a high-polymer coating to the surface of the boards, significantly reducing the likelihood of stringing.

If you don't have the wood protectant, you can try the following simple method:

Step 1: Sand the board appropriately. Find one or two pieces of blank kraft paper or white printing paper, crumple them into a ball, and vigorously rub them evenly on the board surface for a few minutes. For used boards, clean off any residual adhesive first before rubbing. Note that some boards have a thin surface layer; excessive sanding can damage the surface and impair the board's performance. Therefore, sanding should be done moderately.

Step 2: Reduce Adhesion Strength Appropriately. Find some paper with a waxed surface, such as the backing paper of self-adhesive labels or some candy wrappers.

Wipe it on the blade surface until it feels even. Note that you should not apply wax directly to the blade surface, as too much wax will prevent the blade and rubber from adhering properly.

Step 3: Post-Use Maintenance.

After each use, the rubber should be removed from the blade and stored separately.

This correct method of removing the rubber also effectively protects the blade—remove the rubber slowly from the sides of the blade towards the center."

And on the next page:
"How to use wood sealant? Is it necessary to use it before each rubber application?

Some surface materials, such as limba, are quite delicate and prone to stringing when peeling off the rubber. In 2014, DHS launched wood sealant, which was used by the national team to reduce surface stringing.

1. Use the brush provided with the wood sealant to quickly and evenly apply it to the blade surface; estimate the amount of sealant accurately; if unsure of the amount, practice on a similar piece of wood first;

2. After applying the wood sealant, do not do any further treatment. Place it in a cool, ventilated place to dry completely before applying the rubber.

Note: Wood sealant should be applied thinly; too much will affect the blade's performance. Furthermore, wood sealant does not need to be used before each rubber application. One application can be used for a long time."
(Google Translate)

 

[lodro]

I don't know if this refers to the Kokutaku blade shown but there a two companies with this name. One from China and one from Japan.

Thank you for this great post. I thought you might be able to shed some light on this as well : Does this " K-JTTAA" stand for Korea-Japan Table Tennis Association Approved ? Or is it just a sales gimmick ?

 

[ttarc]

View attachment 40782
Thank you for this great post. I thought you might be able to shed some light on this as well : Does this " K-JTTAA" stand for Korea-Japan Table Tennis Association Approved ? Or is it just a sales gimmick ?

You're lucky... I looked that up recently because I wanted to know if Yasaka uses J.T.T.A.A. or something else
https://jtta.or.jp/official-products / https://jtta.s3.ap-northeast-1.amaz...s/2025/09/29160732/250717-engraved-mark-N.pdf
It seems that Kokutaku just uses K-JTTAA like Nittaku uses N-JTTAA

 

[banbekas]

No surprise there. There's no bigger sucker on earth than TT enthusiasts and DHS has mastered the craft of selling cheap blade for premium price.

It wouldn't surprise me that the Letter series as I call them, W, Q, S are of the same quality as Power G series.

 

[The0rigina1]

Exactly, This is what i mean!
If the product is not unfinished, or can be damaged by gluing/reguling at least there must have been a paper in the box which has introduction...
I used to work as an after sales specialist in a very popular company in bike industry, If this sort of problem had happened in bike/car industry, Company must cover all the cost and etc. under warranty.

It's not really unfinished, a raw surface gives better feeling and aids in power transfer within the blade

 

[Lazer]

Did the outers tear, did the timber lose splinters due to impact damage, or did the outers have fibers lift due to cohesive failure of the surrounding lignin? 🤨

If it's the latter, then something is decidedly up with that, because at the risk of repeating myself, to the very best of my current knowledge, softwoods do not have fibers or vessels, only hardwoods do.

If the outer is a genuine softwood species, there really are simply no fibers to lift.

No impact, on the primo carb out was close to the center, on the Appelgren WC 89 it was on the edge, could be moisture. But regardless I always seal blades now…

Cheers
L-zr

 

[rbtitco]

968's are weird, because they play awesome, but you kind of cant win. If you even think of putting sealer on it, everyone hyperventilates and has a brain aneurysm. If you dont and it splinters, you get victim blamed for peeling rubber at the wrong angle or attempting rubber removal in the wrong moon phase or whatever. If you didnt glue with number 15 ur def gonna hear about it, but the fact is DHS needs to work on this at these prices. You dont hear about Butterfly inner forces doing this all the time

 

[myl_nathxn]

Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a DHS W968 Golden Grand Slam blade. Since this blade is not sold in my country, I had to buy it through an intermediary service. After receiving it, I verified the serial number on the official website and confirmed that the product is completely authentic.

However, I encountered a serious problem. After gluing rubbers onto the blade using Butterfly Free Chack glue and playing with it for a while, I decided to remove the rubber. When I did, the top ply of the blade was severely damaged and parts of the wood surface came off with the rubber.

I also experienced the exact same issue on the other side of the blade when removing the rubber there as well.

Honestly, I was very surprised and disappointed to see this happen on such an expensive blade. I did not expect something like this from a product at this price level.

I contacted DHS support via email and included the blade’s serial number along with photos explaining the situation, but unfortunately I have not received any response so far.

Has anyone here experienced something similar or knows what I should do in this situation? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

this is why most people seal their dhs blades before gluing

 

[SeyhunAliYalçın]

Hey everyone,

I’ve attached detailed photos of my repaired blade, and I wanted to hear your thoughts about how the repair looks overall.

Honestly, I’m surprised by how well it turned out. Even after the repair, the weight is almost exactly the same as before, which gives me some hope that the original playing characteristics may have been preserved.

The blade feels solid in hand, but I’m still very curious about how it will perform on the table compared to before the damage. I’m especially wondering whether there will be any noticeable differences in feeling, vibration, speed, or control during play.

If anyone here has experience using a repaired blade long-term, I’d really appreciate your opinions. Do repairs like this usually affect performance noticeably, or can the blade still play very close to its original form?

I’ll test it properly soon and share my own impressions after a few sessions.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

 

[GhostBackhand]

All DHS blades are like that — extremely poor quality regardless of the price range, or whether the outer ply is Limba or Koto: Q968, FangBo B2X, 301X, King ACB...
The issue becomes slightly better when I use Yasaka NORISUKE glue.

 

[Kilogramme]

All DHS blades are like that — extremely poor quality regardless of the price range, or whether the outer ply is Limba or Koto: Q968, FangBo B2X, 301X, King ACB...
The issue becomes slightly better when I use Yasaka NORISUKE glue.

No problem on my GOlden Hurricane long 5. Top quality, no splinter. I don't know if it was sealed (I bought it 2nd hand), because it does not look like it. Feeling is amazing. So far, the best blade I had. I did play with Viscaria, I did not like. DHS blade, and handle just works amazingly well for my topspin game. The balance, feel and behaviour, is just perfect for its purpose. FH topspin machine. People usually say that the bade is meh for BH. I disagree. My BH has never been so good with this blade. Maybe because I have a huge BH swing, and not a small one like many european has. But I have stability, dwell, and everything. I have never felt this good in blocking, and controlling the game. The limba and inner composition allows for a lot more control than outer koto blade. For me DHS is not the shiniest equipement, but efficiency driven. It just works well.

Also, I find it also premium because you have the card with your blade data, like point of weight balance, % of height rebound, blade mass, and others I don't remember. I don't think you have such info on other non pro blade. To chose the right one, you can just ask the same blade with a similar card. I am not aware of any other brand offering such a thing on a 200+$ blade.

 

[Grumms]

I have no splinter at all on my King aCB or 301. I sealed them with Gewo varnish and I use Sueke/Suke glue.

 

[Sriver1]

I own two dhs acB, one Wang Chuqin and a Golden slam. None of then have splintered.

 

[GhostBackhand]

No problem on my GOlden Hurricane long 5. Top quality, no splinter. I don't know if it was sealed (I bought it 2nd hand), because it does not look like it. Feeling is amazing. So far, the best blade I had. I did play with Viscaria, I did not like. DHS blade, and handle just works amazingly well for my topspin game. The balance, feel and behaviour, is just perfect for its purpose. FH topspin machine. People usually say that the bade is meh for BH. I disagree. My BH has never been so good with this blade. Maybe because I have a huge BH swing, and not a small one like many european has. But I have stability, dwell, and everything. I have never felt this good in blocking, and controlling the game. The limba and inner composition allows for a lot more control than outer koto blade. For me DHS is not the shiniest equipement, but efficiency driven. It just works well.

Also, I find it also premium because you have the card with your blade data, like point of weight balance, % of height rebound, blade mass, and others I don't remember. I don't think you have such info on other non pro blade. To chose the right one, you can just ask the same blade with a similar card. I am not aware of any other brand offering such a thing on a 200+$ blade.

You are one of the lucky people here. And maybe your rubber replacement process is very careful, and you also use good glue. But not everyone is like that.


I agree that the Q and W series are excellent for a forehand topspin-oriented game, with a high arc and heavy spin, but they are not suitable for close-to-the-table players with a fast backhand-oriented style like mine. The main reason is that they are head-heavy, which slows down wrist usage and wrist acceleration.


In addition, blocking with this series does not provide particularly effective results either. Maybe you feel your backhand has improved because your previous backhand lacked spin, and that is exactly the outstanding advantage this series brings.


However, the key point of the modern backhand game is speed and wrist usage, especially with techniques like flicks and demi. The rebound needs to be crisp and direct, while speed is prioritized.