Past Innerforce users - what did you move to and why?

[Tyce]

Hi fellow TTD folk! Guess I'm back with the big old question of "what the hell do I actually want to play with?"

I've been playing for about 8 months now with the combo of [Innerforce Layer ALC / Fastarc G-1 FH / Fastarc C-1 BH] and while I can absolutely acknowledge the quality and feeling of the blade, something just isn't clicking for me in the mid-range.

I'm more or less set on moving to a Butterfly rubber for the spring sponge feeling that I really like. Which one it will be also depends a little on what blade I'm going to move forward with. Depending on the choice I am still open to use a Chinese rubber variant on the FH, but I would really only do that if the blade is fast.

What I would like to know are your experiences, from those who have played an Innerforce blade but moved on to something else. What did you move to? Why? And how did that choice work out, are you happy or would you move back?

 

[K.K]

i never played innerforce, but know many people that do and can tell you that these blades are not meant for the midrange.
you can go faster and get yourself an outer carbon blade, maybe something easier to play like Freitas ALC or Outerforce ALC, but since you change equipment quite often i would not advice this route. the better way is the second way and move to a stiff allwood blade, maybe a 7 ply like Korbel SK or a hard 5ply like Falcima.
you can put Glayzer and Glayzer 09c on and have a really intuitive blade that works great on the midrange but is not so fast/bouncy to loose the touch inside the table.

 

[Tyce]

i never played innerforce, but know many people that do and can tell you that these blades are not meant for the midrange.

I like this confirmation, thanks!

you can go faster and get yourself an outer carbon blade, maybe something easier to play like Freitas ALC or Outerforce ALC, but since you change equipment quite often i would not advice this route.

I know it looks that way, and I do have a crapton of different stuff, but my ambition is to have a "main blade" that I can use for years, not to find yet another one to fool around with.
I thought I found that with the IFL (I actually got two for this very purpose), but the volatile midrange is really messing with my game.

the better way is the second way and move to a stiff allwood blade, maybe a 7 ply like Korbel SK or a hard 5ply like Falcima.
you can put Glayzer and Glayzer 09c on and have a really intuitive blade that works great on the midrange but is not so fast/bouncy to loose the touch inside the table.

Falcima is a nice suggestion. I have mixed feelings about 7-ply so far and would really have to get a good impression of it.

 

[Amayzde]

I have used Innerforce ZLC for 1 year. Its a great blade, but it required consisstent training for me to be able to use it.

When I was training consistently I had my best season ever with that blade. I won 6 out of 9 matches in 1st class with it. I even won against a few high 1500 and low 1600 players (I was ~1300 at the start of that season, coming from a 3rd class team).

Then the season after that I had some other proirities besides table tennis that made it impossible to train consistently. My footwork and positioning got sluggish and my serves werent as sharp anymore.

So after that season I moved back to my Ma Lin Carbon and I immediately felt more comfortable with that blade. I was making alot less unforced errors, and I felt less handcuffed when put under pressure.

Allthough I am more comfortable with the Ma Lin Carbon as its a great blade. I sometimes wander about going back to the ZLC. Because I do miss how much more dangerous my backhand was. I would probaby pick a lighter one (mine is 91g), hoping its a bit less responsive.

But then I remind myself that I will be plagued by all kinds of priorities that prevent me from committing to table tennis as much as I would like. At least for a couple years. So I will stay with the Ma Lin for now.

 

[victormanriquey]

Some people with bigger hands try it and move on due to the handle design, not sure if it qualifies for the purposes of this thread though, but it's not a typical 'viscaria-like' handle For me is fine though, but worth mentioning

 

[Amayzde]

but know many people that do and can tell you that these blades are not meant for the midrange.

Sorry but I have to dissagree with this. Mid range is where I won most rallies with that blade.

 

[Denso]

I played a Harimoto ALC with D09c on FH and BH for a few years before moving to the Hugo HAL. I made the switch because I was a bit unsatisfied with the somewhat non-linear response and the high throw angle of the Harimoto/D09c combination.

For me, the HAL/D09c combo solved these issues without compromising on the speed from mid- and far distance. I am very happy with my racket now and every EJ attempt to switch to other material was an utter disappointment so far.

 

[steve888]

A friend of mine I play against. He used a innerblade for quiet awhile but found it not fast enough so went to Timo Boll alc and he found he didn't have much dwell for the short game so now he purchased a fast inner carbon blade Butterfly Octcharov. Put a D09c on the FH and Zyre on the backhand, and wow that backhand is fast, his forehand is so much more controlled than he was with the Timboll. I did try it but found it was to head heavy for me (6.2mm thick 194g overall).

I've gone through various blades including from wood (Korbel) to inner carbon (Butterfly innerforce) and probably 6-9 months ago went to outer carbon blade. However recently I put a fast rubber (Hammond z2) on a cheap DHS pg5x and found I was hitting more shots in than my FZD blade and was easier close to the table.

I compared the innerforce (5.9mm thick 1390 hz ) vs pg 5x (6.1(2) mm 1440 hz - has thicker core) for speed and was surprised the pg5x was a bit faster and easier to attack at mid distance. So I think a fast inner can be an advantage over a outer carbon at times as its more controllable and seemed less spin sensitive - especially if you are more an intermediate player (like me). However I do like the direct feel and the attacking power of an outer carbon blade. I have been using some more chinese rubbers (Battle 2, etc) on outer carbon blades that has helped with control & spin too. So I like both inner and outer carbon and still working out what's best for my level.

 

[K.K]

Sorry but I have to dissagree with this. Mid range is where I won most rallies with that blade.

maybe the term mid range is to vague to agree on it in the first place. but from what i heard by the players mentioned, you need a bit more force to get the carbon activated, so the power starts later compared to outercarbon blades

 

[TackyForehand]

Unfortunately there is no known cure for EJ. Don't fight your nature.

As for outer and inner carbon blades, I find their gear change a liability. You never quite know when the carbon kicks in, even more so in the heat of a game. Sure it adds speed, but the table is only so long. How many points have you really lost because the ball was not fast enough?

All wood is just more predictable.

 

[Tyce]

Unfortunately there is no known cure for EJ. Don't fight your nature.

As for outer and inner carbon blades, I find their gear change a liability. You never quite know when the carbon kicks in, even more so in the heat of a game. Sure it adds speed, but the table is only so long. How many points have you really lost because the ball was not fast enough?

All wood is just more predictable.

I have netted plenty of balls, mostly blocks against people who look like they are playing with quality while they are not. On the level I play, I am usually the person who has to build the speed, spin and power in the rally.

 

[steve888]

One thing I add , I was able to pick up a second hand Butterfly Freitas alc (limba outer carbon), I think that is a good compromise between Outer and inner carbons, throws slightly higher than FZD and not quite as fast but with more feeling and control in short game.
It is limba outer and it provides enough speed to be generally faster than innerforce blades and enough dwell to be good in the short game. It also has good spin levels too. I am going to try a hammond z2 (2mm) on it, tried a D05 (1.9) on it still and had plenty of speed and control.

 

[Scarfed Garchomp]

I think inner ALC is better for me than outer ALC for high power off the table, but only if you have the energy to expend. In general they are slower than outer fiber blades but in my experience they provide higher safety especially when hitting hard. Outer fiber blades you tend to have to hit more upwards when hitting hard off the table to compensate for the lower trajectory nature of having a stiffer and harder blade from outer composition. The thing that made me switch away from conventional inner style blades is that they often behave a bit soggy for me if you are not giving it the juice, I prefer the earlier carbon activation of outer fiber blades because I'm lazy and prefer to stick closer to the table using compact and driving style shots. A good compromise might be to get a thick core style inner fiber blade like Synteliac VCI or Ovtcharov ALC, they are stiffer and punchier than Innerforce ALC/Harimoto ALC but maintain some of the softer touch and allwood-esque behavior.

 

[Tyce]

I think inner ALC is better for me than outer ALC for high power off the table, but only if you have the energy to expend. In general they are slower than outer fiber blades but in my experience they provide higher safety especially when hitting hard. Outer fiber blades you tend to have to hit more upwards when hitting hard off the table to compensate for the lower trajectory nature of having a stiffer and harder blade from outer composition. The thing that made me switch away from conventional inner style blades is that they often behave a bit soggy for me if you are not giving it the juice, I prefer the earlier carbon activation of outer fiber blades

So this is actually what I tried to say when I confusingly said midrange. My issue is going from low to medium power, carbon activation gets iffy and unpredictable especially combined with a rubber that also has a clear activation threshold.

It's almost allwood slow... Until it isn't. And IFL ALC is already more smooth than something like Pro 05, even if the thicker core of that blade helped push the moment of activation up the power curve.

because I'm lazy and prefer to stick closer to the table using compact and driving style shots. A good compromise might be to get a thick core style inner fiber blade like Synteliac VCI or Ovtcharov ALC, they are stiffer and punchier than Innerforce ALC/Harimoto ALC but maintain some of the softer touch and allwood-esque behavior.

 

[ThePongCommenter]

i never played innerforce, but know many people that do and can tell you that these blades are not meant for the midrange.
you can go faster and get yourself an outer carbon blade, maybe something easier to play like Freitas ALC or Outerforce ALC, but since you change equipment quite often i would not advice this route. the better way is the second way and move to a stiff allwood blade, maybe a 7 ply like Korbel SK or a hard 5ply like Falcima.
you can put Glayzer and Glayzer 09c on and have a really intuitive blade that works great on the midrange but is not so fast/bouncy to loose the touch inside the table.

There are plenty of innerforce blades that are great from the midrange, more powerful ones like Ovtcharov or maybe the Super ALC. Wouldn't recommend an IFL ALC from the mid range to higher level players as its probably too slow but not all innerforce blades can be grouped together.

 

[Gekko]

I am playing inner carbon, I have been for the last maybe 4 odd years, and have made several attempts to change to outer unsuccessfully. Now I'm also attempting the 'faster inner' type, and the 'harder top ply' routes.

One thing not mentioned by anyone yet is how inner carbon gets slower over time. You can only crush forehands for about 1-2 years before the core gives out and gets too soft. Granted this timeframe is level dependant, but it is something to keep in mind.

 

[joshmak10]

I used to play inner carbon for a while after starting with outer carbon, but I realized outer carbon suits my game better as I have a better BH and the crisp feeling is what I like even on FH. I trained my short receive well enough that outer carbon feels controllable in the short game for me.

 

[banbekas]

Get Mazunov

 

[Scarfed Garchomp]

Get Mazunov

Where? Lol

So this is actually what I tried to say when I confusingly said midrange. My issue is going from low to medium power, carbon activation gets iffy and unpredictable especially combined with a rubber that also has a clear activation threshold.

It's almost allwood slow... Until it isn't. And IFL ALC is already more smooth than something like Pro 05, even if the thicker core of that blade helped push the moment of activation up the power curve.

It might be a lot to adjust to, but I think its worth it to add an outer ALC blade to your test pool to see if you vibe with it. Pro 01 or D715 are both pretty cost effective and well built Viscaria-type blades to get a taste for outer ALC

 

[steve888]

Where? Lol


It might be a lot to adjust to, but I think its worth it to add an outer ALC blade to your test pool to see if you vibe with it. Pro 01 or D715 are both pretty cost effective and well built Viscaria-type blades to get a taste for outer ALC

I agree , 1/3 price of butterfly outer blades, the yinhe pro 1 is a good blade and one of the most controllable outer carbon blades