Review: Sanwei Surge Prism Inner Carbon Blade

[The_TT_Bat_Guy]

Sanwei recently released a new series of blades aimed at the club players transitioning from all wood blades to fiber blades. Dubbed the Surge series, these new blades offer fresh choices for the discerning equipment junkie looking for quality in their journey 😊

I got the Surge Prism to try out so all my comments will be based on that blade. Sanwei describes it as being for, “intermediate players who value control, stability, and consistent looping”. Sounds like something right up my alley then since my whole game is based around control and ball placement

Technical details:
Name: Sanwei Surge Prism
Blade face size: 150x158mm
Handle circumference: 9.5cm at the narrowest point.
Weight: 93g (+/- 5.0g)
Structure: Ayous–ALC–Ayous–Limba
Thickness: 6.0mm (+/-0.2 mm)
Speed: OFF-

Sanwei made particular emphasis on a higher throw angle with this blade so, perhaps it’s one you can pair with low throw rubbers like the DHS Hurricane 3 or the Sanwei Target National (Surprisingly, the Target National isn’t even in RevSpin’s collated list of 100 lowest throw rubbers so other players clearly don’t think it’s throw angle is that low...).

First impressions
Another well-crafted offering from Sanwei, finely polished with no particularly sharp edges around the face of the blade. The blade surface takes in glue well without guzzling it down like a lost person finding water in a desert so it makes the gluing job more straightforward (simpler to get an even coat over the whole surface). The handle feels a bit narrow at the top so I made sure to measure the circumference at the narrowest point – 9.5cm. This means it could also fit younger players well. The design is sleek and the handle is a nice shade of blue with a thick yellow accent line along it.

The blade is ALC-based with a fairly standard composition of an Ayous core sandwiched between layers of aramid carbon, followed by a layer of Ayous with Limba forming the outermost layer, to create a “softer feel with excellent dwell time” (Aramid is the same fibre used in things like bulletproof vests).

How does it play?
I initially set it up with the 35° Target National Player Edition and the Xiom Vega Europe H. Drives felt crisp and blocking felt the same way too. Coming from the DHS Fang Bo B2X, I could feel the setup was slower and softer overall. Some of the players I let try the blade felt it was quite slow for them. They’d need to engage their core more in their strokes and make more effort for them. For context, these players use rubbers like the Butterfly Rozena on a Zhang Jike ZLC and a Xiom Vega Korea on a Yinhe V14 Pro. The player who used DHS Hurricane 3 on a reconditioned Stiga 5* Blade (they had the original crappy rubbers replaced) really enjoyed the Sanwei Surge Prism. Gave him great power paired with spin and control for his shots and he was keen to try it out more.

Overall, the Surge Prism is less great for hitting, which, to be fair, isn’t quite what this blade was designed for. It’s meant for loop de loop looping

I tried some heavy topspins and pleasingly, my shots with the Target National Player Edition rubber cleared the net and remained low throughout. On stiffer, harder blades, the low throw of Sanwei’s Target rubber would’ve meant needing more precision with the stroke so it was great to have a wider margin for error. Realistically speaking, most/all players playing below Central London League Division 2 level in the UK would benefit more from having bigger error margins than they would from having increased speed for winning shots anyway!

Blocking was really really nice and crisp throughout. The relative stiffness of the blade helped me keep blocks low and fast and it was really nice to execute those strokes. There’s possibly a case to be made that I enjoy blocking more than hitting though! 😀

I also switched out the Sanwei Target National Player Edition to a Xiom Vega Pro H to get a fresh perspective from the same players as mentioned above and they really liked that feeling. Primary comment was on how much spin they were generating from their shots now. Particularly one who was using the Vega Korea on a Yinhe V14 Pro and was getting more spin from the Xiom Vega Europe H and Vega Pro H on the Sanwei Surge Prism than he was getting on his own setup.

Closing thoughts
The Sanwei Surge Prism is a really interesting addition to Sanwei's inner carbon options and certainly feels like a great option for players moving to their first carbon blade. Those already using fast carbon blades can also consider this to add more control and feel to their game.

So, for this blade, I’d suggest using the Target National Player Edition rubber on the backhand with either a Target National on forehand or something like the Xiom Vega Pro H or Tibhar MX-S/MX-D. Alternatively, consider other hybrid rubbers like the Stiga DNA Hybrid or the Tibhar MK for placement-based gameplay.

 

[tomfusionz]

I bought it and had 2 sessions with it so far. I'm very impressed, for the price you get a lot of control for a carbon blade and seems perfect for intermediate players like myself.

 

[vanjr]

93 grams!!!! Where are the sub 85 gram blades when you need 'em?

 

[Celebration]

Anyone else played with this blade?
There is a YouTube guys who praised it as cheap harimoto iforce alc. Is this correct? (Just wanted to know if it's the same because I never played harimoto blade)
I played it with rozena on backhand and so many topsins fly over the table, it's kinda hard to control and normally Rozena is my standard rubber .. so maybe I need more time?
Read that harder rubber maybe fit better, what do you think about that?

 

[The_TT_Bat_Guy]

93 grams!!!! Where are the sub 85 gram blades when you need 'em?

Just took a Sanwei Froster Pro which is feeling on the lighter side!

 

[rwk92]

Sanwei recently released a new series of blades aimed at the club players transitioning from all wood blades to fiber blades. Dubbed the Surge series, these new blades offer fresh choices for the discerning equipment junkie looking for quality in their journey 😊

I got the Surge Prism to try out so all my comments will be based on that blade. Sanwei describes it as being for, “intermediate players who value control, stability, and consistent looping”. Sounds like something right up my alley then since my whole game is based around control and ball placement

View attachment 38807

Technical details:
Name: Sanwei Surge Prism
Blade face size: 150x158mm
Handle circumference: 9.5cm at the narrowest point.
Weight: 93g (+/- 5.0g)
Structure: Ayous–ALC–Ayous–Limba
Thickness: 6.0mm (+/-0.2 mm)
Speed: OFF-

Sanwei made particular emphasis on a higher throw angle with this blade so, perhaps it’s one you can pair with low throw rubbers like the DHS Hurricane 3 or the Sanwei Target National (Surprisingly, the Target National isn’t even in RevSpin’s collated list of 100 lowest throw rubbers so other players clearly don’t think it’s throw angle is that low...).

First impressions
Another well-crafted offering from Sanwei, finely polished with no particularly sharp edges around the face of the blade. The blade surface takes in glue well without guzzling it down like a lost person finding water in a desert so it makes the gluing job more straightforward (simpler to get an even coat over the whole surface). The handle feels a bit narrow at the top so I made sure to measure the circumference at the narrowest point – 9.5cm. This means it could also fit younger players well. The design is sleek and the handle is a nice shade of blue with a thick yellow accent line along it.

The blade is ALC-based with a fairly standard composition of an Ayous core sandwiched between layers of aramid carbon, followed by a layer of Ayous with Limba forming the outermost layer, to create a “softer feel with excellent dwell time” (Aramid is the same fibre used in things like bulletproof vests).

How does it play?
I initially set it up with the 35° Target National Player Edition and the Xiom Vega Europe H. Drives felt crisp and blocking felt the same way too. Coming from the DHS Fang Bo B2X, I could feel the setup was slower and softer overall. Some of the players I let try the blade felt it was quite slow for them. They’d need to engage their core more in their strokes and make more effort for them. For context, these players use rubbers like the Butterfly Rozena on a Zhang Jike ZLC and a Xiom Vega Korea on a Yinhe V14 Pro. The player who used DHS Hurricane 3 on a reconditioned Stiga 5* Blade (they had the original crappy rubbers replaced) really enjoyed the Sanwei Surge Prism. Gave him great power paired with spin and control for his shots and he was keen to try it out more.

Overall, the Surge Prism is less great for hitting, which, to be fair, isn’t quite what this blade was designed for. It’s meant for loop de loop looping

I tried some heavy topspins and pleasingly, my shots with the Target National Player Edition rubber cleared the net and remained low throughout. On stiffer, harder blades, the low throw of Sanwei’s Target rubber would’ve meant needing more precision with the stroke so it was great to have a wider margin for error. Realistically speaking, most/all players playing below Central London League Division 2 level in the UK would benefit more from having bigger error margins than they would from having increased speed for winning shots anyway!

Blocking was really really nice and crisp throughout. The relative stiffness of the blade helped me keep blocks low and fast and it was really nice to execute those strokes. There’s possibly a case to be made that I enjoy blocking more than hitting though! 😀

I also switched out the Sanwei Target National Player Edition to a Xiom Vega Pro H to get a fresh perspective from the same players as mentioned above and they really liked that feeling. Primary comment was on how much spin they were generating from their shots now. Particularly one who was using the Vega Korea on a Yinhe V14 Pro and was getting more spin from the Xiom Vega Europe H and Vega Pro H on the Sanwei Surge Prism than he was getting on his own setup.

Closing thoughts
The Sanwei Surge Prism is a really interesting addition to Sanwei's inner carbon options and certainly feels like a great option for players moving to their first carbon blade. Those already using fast carbon blades can also consider this to add more control and feel to their game.

So, for this blade, I’d suggest using the Target National Player Edition rubber on the backhand with either a Target National on forehand or something like the Xiom Vega Pro H or Tibhar MX-S/MX-D. Alternatively, consider other hybrid rubbers like the Stiga DNA Hybrid or the Tibhar MK for placement-based gameplay.

Hi @The_TT_Bat_Guy , thanks for the nice review as always! What is the weight of your blade?

I am really interested in buying one myself, but was conflicted on getting Prism (which is more likely to suit my preference for looping) or Nitro (which design I like more). Do you have any plan to review Nitro as well?

I am planning to move my T05 on FH and C1 on BH from my old Parla once I bought one of the Surges.

Alternatively, I am also interested in buying relatively cheap sanwei gear hyper 38 degree for my forehand and andro gtt45 (blue) or Xiom Vega Korea (blue) for backhand. However, my brother said the GH is quite difficult to use for my current level, especially since I am used to play with tensor european style rubber

Any suggestion on this? Thanks in advance!

 

[Ninja26Go]

yeah, I have the same struggle as @rwk92

 

[The_TT_Bat_Guy]

Hi @The_TT_Bat_Guy , thanks for the nice review as always! What is the weight of your blade?

I am really interested in buying one myself, but was conflicted on getting Prism (which is more likely to suit my preference for looping) or Nitro (which design I like more). Do you have any plan to review Nitro as well?

I am planning to move my T05 on FH and C1 on BH from my old Parla once I bought one of the Surges.

Alternatively, I am also interested in buying relatively cheap sanwei gear hyper 38 degree for my forehand and andro gtt45 (blue) or Xiom Vega Korea (blue) for backhand. However, my brother said the GH is quite difficult to use for my current level, especially since I am used to play with tensor european style rubber

Any suggestion on this? Thanks in advance!

Hey! Thanks for the feedback! Not currently focused on the Nitro but I've just reviewed the Froster Pro which could be worth a look from Sanwei's stable? I forgot to properly illustrate in my Prism review that the blade was actually 93g and it weighed 189g when paired with a 35 degree Sanwei Target National Player Edition and a Xiom Vega Euro H.

You'll feel quite a difference in switching from T05 to Sanwei Gear Hyper. It might have been a nicer shift if you had something like my friend had before, a Donic BlueFire M2. As it stands, your brother has some point because the Gear Hyper is a hybrid-type rubber which I use consistently as my 'Review Control' rubber since I know it's feeling and characteristics very well and because it still has great performance without being too fast for my game (I favour placement over power).

You'd still get great spin in your game but you will feel a drop in power thanks to a switch a more hybrid-style rubber and a natural, marked increase in control. It kinda depends what you want to adapt in your game since Table Tennis is all about balancing different characteristics to suit and enhance your playstyle.

For what it's worth, I did have one friend comment that he had more control from a Sanwei Gear Hyper on the Froster Pro than the Dignics 09C he had on his blade (I've forgotten whether it was an inny or an outy carbon blade...)!

 

[The_TT_Bat_Guy]

yeah, I have the same struggle as @rwk92

Consider the Tibhar Hybrid MK or the Stiga DNA Hybrid M if you want a bit more punch compared to the Sanwei Gear Hyper. There's a drop in control of course from the added bounciness.

 

[rwk92]

Hey! Thanks for the feedback! Not currently focused on the Nitro but I've just reviewed the Froster Pro which could be worth a look from Sanwei's stable? I forgot to properly illustrate in my Prism review that the blade was actually 93g and it weighed 189g when paired with a 35 degree Sanwei Target National Player Edition and a Xiom Vega Euro H.

You'll feel quite a difference in switching from T05 to Sanwei Gear Hyper. It might have been a nicer shift if you had something like my friend had before, a Donic BlueFire M2. As it stands, your brother has some point because the Gear Hyper is a hybrid-type rubber which I use consistently as my 'Review Control' rubber since I know it's feeling and characteristics very well and because it still has great performance without being too fast for my game (I favour placement over power).

You'd still get great spin in your game but you will feel a drop in power thanks to a switch a more hybrid-style rubber and a natural, marked increase in control. It kinda depends what you want to adapt in your game since Table Tennis is all about balancing different characteristics to suit and enhance your playstyle.

For what it's worth, I did have one friend comment that he had more control from a Sanwei Gear Hyper on the Froster Pro than the Dignics 09C he had on his blade (I've forgotten whether it was an inny or an outy carbon blade...)!

Ah I've read that review as well, but didn't really absorb the information

Now that you mention it, the froster pro should have similar characteristic like Nitro, right?

That means I would most likely struggle with the stiffness+hardness of GH and Nitro combination, too. Hahaha

Thanks for the input!

 

[The_TT_Bat_Guy]

Ah I've read that review as well, but didn't really absorb the information

Now that you mention it, the froster pro should have similar characteristic like Nitro, right?

That means I would most likely struggle with the stiffness+hardness of GH and Nitro combination, too. Hahaha

Thanks for the input!

Welcome! Hope all this info helps me make the best possible decision for your game!

 

[rwk92]

I ended up buying a Prism myself. My Prism weighs 92 grams with a measured frequency of 1383 Hz.

I moved my old T05 and C1 from Parla to Prism. Based on my 1st try, I can feel the higher stiffness on my Prism compared to Parla. Looping is a bit more difficult, probably due to the lower dwell time, but I hope I can adjust quickly to my new blade.

 

[Bob]

I also bought one, I received a 96 gr blade. It's slower than a Donic Waldner Senso carbon and has a strong difference btw passive and active shots: passive is almost a def blade and active some form of OFF-. I'll resell it. Beginners' stuff.

 

[tomfusionz]

I also bought one, I received a 96 gr blade. It's slower than a Donic Waldner Senso carbon and has a strong difference btw passive and active shots: passive is almost a def blade and active some form of OFF-. I'll resell it. Beginners' stuff.

That's strange, a friend of mine has a waldner senso carbon and it feels way slower (similar Rubbers)

 

[Bob]

That's strange, a friend of mine has a waldner senso carbon and it feels way slower (similar Rubbers)

Probably because his game is based more on smashing than on looping.
I find looping slower, smashing is not. I used donic M2 to test it.