New equipment

topoftheworld · Aug 25, 2016

Good day to everyone.

I played table tennis back in 1997. Back then I didn't have much of a variety to chose from. Mostly just pre made bats like sunflex, as far as I know back then.

So I decided to start playing table tennis again.

Now days there are so many brands and science behind the equipment.
I must admit it can be quite confusing and frustrating looking at all of this.
Not really knowing anything of the newest equipment and technology, where does one start?

SFF_lib · Aug 25, 2016

All depends on your style. Do you think you will stay close to table? Do you think you will play more speed than spin? Or more spin than speed?
Are you a penholder or shake hand?

Sent from my ONE E1003 using Tapatalk

topoftheworld · Aug 25, 2016

SFF_lib said:
All depends on your style. Do you think you will stay close to table? Do you think you will play more speed than spin? Or more spin than speed?
Are you a penholder or shake hand?

Sent from my ONE E1003 using Tapatalk

From what I remember I use to play close to the table 1m -1.5m to mid away from the table. Mostly closer to table
I play shake hand and used a combonation of spin and speed with no emphasis on either spin or speed

SFF_lib · Aug 25, 2016

topoftheworld said:
From what I remember I use to play close to the table 1m -1.5m to mid away from the table. Mostly closer to table
I play shake hand and used a combonation of spin and speed with no emphasis on either spin or speed

If you have strength - try getting a Yasaka Extra Offensive or Stiga Offensive Classic.

If you need more power with control - try Stiga Intensity NCT.

More budget options include DHS PG7, PG13.

topoftheworld · Aug 25, 2016

SFF_lib said:
If you have strength - try getting a Yasaka Extra Offensive or Stiga Offensive Classic.

If you need more power with control - try Stiga Intensity NCT.

More budget options include DHS PG7, PG13.

I was actually looking at the yasaka extra offensive and the yasaka ma lin extra off which Is a bit slower with a bit more control according to the specs. Both of these is all wood blades

Rubbers I am thinking of yasaka Mark v or Mark v hps? Both bh and fh in max. Leaning more towards the Mark V

any suggestions and comment welcome?

darnner123 · Aug 25, 2016

sorry i've never used these rubbers but from what i've heard from other people, mark v is a great rubber to use to get back into table tennis. mark v hps is relatively new and i don't think many people have used it yet.

hope this helps!

SFF_lib · Aug 25, 2016

You can't go wrong with Mark V on FH. It's a rubber for all types of play and that's why it's been around for so long. HPS was introduced after the booster ban. So it's a faster version.
I would also recommend a non-tacky rubber on your BH ( Mark V is semi-tacky from memory) . A cheap light option is 729 snipe 3. I loop with it from mid-table using RPB. If you have a bit more $$ Yasaka Rakza 7 soft 1.8mm would be a great BH option - grippy, fast yet very controllable.

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Jirrex · Aug 25, 2016

First of all, welcome to the forum.

I'm a new player myself and you're right, the amount of products that are available can be pretty overwhelming. Now I'm not sure about your previous experience with table tennis, but if you consider yourself a beginner (and don't really have a certain playing style yet) you can narrow down the choice by quite a lot.

You will want to avoid the fast carbon blades and tensor rubbers. Simply put, carbon blades dampen vibrations which are essential to develop a good 'feel' for the ball. Tensor rubbers are rubbers that are getting stretched before they're glued on the sponge. It's like a trampoline, the more tension on the jumping surface, the higher you'll jump. Therefore these rubbers tend to be more bouncy than non-tensor rubbers, so when developing the 'feel' for the ball, this isn't very desirable. This is a very basic explanation, but I think you'll get the point.

Now about options for developing players: there are many people that know a lot more than I do, but common advice would be to go for a 5-ply AR (allround) or OFF- blade. There are plenty of affordable 5-ply all wood blades. Some are mentioned in other threads, in this one for example: http://www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?13254-Recommending-a-bat-to-a-beginner

Regarding rubbers, my own experience is somewhat limited, but I choose for Yasaka Mark V 2.0mm rubbers myself. These rubbers seem to be pretty suitable for developing players. It's a more control based rubbers, which is something new players want. It's pretty versatile and it allows you to practice/develop all strokes in the book. Too bad I can't really compare it with other (classic) rubbers, but from my experience so far and from what I've read, I think you can't go wrong with these.

I hope this helps you a bit.

UpSideDownCarl · Aug 25, 2016

From the thread Jirrex just posted I will quote myself. It is worth the read:

UpSideDownCarl said:
Inexpensive Chinese blades that would be excellent for a beginner:

Yinhe/Galaxy 896 blade
Yinhe/Galaxy W6 blade

For a little more money you have loads of great blades that would be good for a beginner from all the major brands. Here are some, in no particular order:

1) Stiga Allround Evolution
2) Stiga Allround Classic
3) Stiga Offensive Classic
4) Yasaka Sweden Extra
5) Nexy Peter Pan
6) Tibhar Kim Jung Hoon
7) Tibhar Stratus Power Wood

There are loads more. Most of those are pretty reasonably priced. But I put a couple that are on the slightly more expensive side of things.

As for rubbers, inexpensive Chinese rubbers would be fine. 729 rubbers are fine. So would something like Dawei 2008XP.

Or your friend could go with classic Japanese rubbers like Butterly Sriver or Sriver FX; or Yasaka Mark V. Or you could go with an older generation ESN rubber like Xiom Vega Pro or Europe.

The rubbers on FH and BH should be the same or same but slightly softer on BH. But they shouldn't be very different for a beginner. Like you wouldn't want 729 on one side and Vega Pro on the other.

With that in mind the rubbers could be paired with any of the blades.

Sent from Deep Space by Abacus

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UpSideDownCarl · Aug 25, 2016

topoftheworld said:
I was actually looking at the yasaka extra offensive and the yasaka ma lin extra off which Is a bit slower with a bit more control according to the specs. Both of these is all wood blades

Rubbers I am thinking of yasaka Mark v or Mark v hps? Both bh and fh in max. Leaning more towards the Mark V

any suggestions and comment welcome?

And just for more information:

Yasaka Extra Offensive and Ma Lin Extra Offensive have hard top plies which are good for more ADVANCED players who already have developed excellent touch.

For a player coming back from a long break who is looking to get back the touch and technique you once had, the blades listed in my post that I quoted would be better than either of the blades you were looking at.

In fact, if you want me to make it simple, I will say: go for the Yasaka Sweden Extra. That would be a great choice.

You could choose a rubber like Mark V. It would be a good choice. It is excellent for both FH and BH. And I would get the same rubber for both sides until you REALLY know your game and what you need that is different on each side. And same on both sides is good for a lot of people who get very different rubbers for each side.

Mark V is a great choice but an older generation Tensor like Xiom Vega Pro or Vega Europe would also be great for developing. I actually will usually recommend a rubber like Vega Pro or Europe for someone starting out because it is the newer technology that you will eventually want to be using but it is a rubber that you WILL BE able to control. And it will make the jump to a newer generation tensor much easier. It will also help you learn to spin more fully and how to use the sponge and topsheet.

If you want more control to start, stick with Mark V. If you feel you will be ready for a tiny bit of extra juice (catapult) Vega Pro or Europe should be an excellent choice.

With a Sweden Extra the blade will supply the control you need so you WILL be able to handle either rubber.

Sent from Inside The Chamber of Secrets by Patronus

topoftheworld · Aug 25, 2016

Jirrex said:
First of all, welcome to the forum.

I'm a new player myself and you're right, the amount of products that are available can be pretty overwhelming. Now I'm not sure about your previous experience with table tennis, but if you consider yourself a beginner (and don't really have a certain playing style yet) you can narrow down the choice by quite a lot.

You will want to avoid the fast carbon blades and tensor rubbers. Simply put, carbon blades dampen vibrations which are essential to develop a good 'feel' for the ball. Tensor rubbers are rubbers that are getting stretched before they're glued on the sponge. It's like a trampoline, the more tension on the jumping surface, the higher you'll jump. Therefore these rubbers tend to be more bouncy than non-tensor rubbers, so when developing the 'feel' for the ball, this isn't very desirable. This is a very basic explanation, but I think you'll get the point.

Now about options for developing players: there are many people that know a lot more than I do, but common advice would be to go for a 5-ply AR (allround) or OFF- blade. There are plenty of affordable 5-ply all wood blades. Some are mentioned in other threads, in this one for example: http://www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?13254-Recommending-a-bat-to-a-beginner

Regarding rubbers, my own experience is somewhat limited, but I choose for Yasaka Mark V 2.0mm rubbers myself. These rubbers seem to be pretty suitable for developing players. It's a more control based rubbers, which is something new players want. It's pretty versatile and it allows you to practice/develop all strokes in the book. Too bad I can't really compare it with other (classic) rubbers, but from my experience so far and from what I've read, I think you can't go wrong with these.

I hope this helps you a bit.

Thanks Jirrex.
appreciate the advice

topoftheworld · Aug 25, 2016

UpSideDownCarl said:
And just for more information:

Yasaka Extra Offensive and Ma Lin Extra Offentransitionve hard top plies which are good for more ADVANCED players who already have developed excellent touch.

For a player coming back from a long break who is looking to get back the touch and technique you once had, the blades listed in my post that I quoted would be better than either of the blades you were looking at.

In fact, if you want me to make it simple, I will say: go for the Yasaka Sweden Extra. That would be a great choice.

You could choose a rubber like Mark V. It would be a good choice. It is excellent for both FH and BH. And I would get the same rubber for both sides until you REALLY know your game and what you need that is different on each side. And same on both sides is good for a lot of people who get very different rubbers for each side.

Mark V is a great choice but an older generation Tensor like Xiom Vega Pro or Vega Europe would also be great for developing. I actually will usually recommend a rubber like Vega Pro or Europe for someone starting out because it is the newer technology that you will eventually want to be using but it is a rubber that you WILL BE able to control. And it will make the jump to a newer generation tensor much easier. It will also help you learn to spin more fully and how to use the sponge and topsheet.

If you want more control to start, stick with Mark V. If you feel you will be ready for a tiny bit of extra juice (catapult) Vega Pro or Europe should be an excellent choice.

With a Sweden Extra the blade will supply the control you need so you WILL be able to handle either rubber.

Sent from Inside The Chamber of Secrets by Patronus

Thanks for the advise.

Think ill go for the Yasaka Sweden extra with the vega pro. Just makes more sense as you said towards the transition of the newer tensor style rubbers.

Does the thickness of the rubber matter?

is there a reason for having a softer rubber on bh?

Jirrex · Aug 25, 2016

topoftheworld said:
Thanks Jirrex.
appreciate the advice

You're welcome

.

Feel free to let us know about your choice.

topoftheworld · Aug 25, 2016

I now see that the Shop that I want to order from has a special on xiom table tennis equipment. The closest to an all round blade they have on special is an offensive s.
I had a look at their website and it says it falls in the category of all to off.
will this blade also be an option with the vega pro rubbers?

UpSideDownCarl · Aug 25, 2016

topoftheworld said:
Thanks for the advise.

Think ill go for the Yasaka Sweden extra with the vega pro. Just makes more sense as you said towards the transition of the newer tensor style rubbers.

Does the thickness of the rubber matter?

is there a reason for having a softer rubber on bh?

Now those are good questions.

If you did want to go with slightly softer on BH and get Vega Pro for FH and Vega Europe on BH, that would be fine. Not a bad idea.

Thickness. A lot of people say that if you want more control, thinner like 2.0 or 1.8 and if your technique is solid Max for more spin.

I think the thickness issue is sort of like that and sort of not. Personally, I like Max because it gives me more room to spin. So, for me, Max actually gives me more control. I also like the feeling of more sponge.

But if you hit and make direct contact more than you brush and make spin contact, thinner rubbers give you more control.

My personal opinion is that either should be fine. But based on that information, I have a feeling you will be able to choose what you what will be better for you because you are asking the right questions which means you have a good understanding of what you are actually looking for.

If you have more questions, ask away.

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topoftheworld · Aug 26, 2016

topoftheworld said:
I now see that the Shop that I want to or
der from has a special on xiom table tennis equipment. The closest to an all round blade they have on special is an offensive s.
I had a look at their website and it says it falls in the category of all to off.
will this blade also be an option with the vega pro rubbers?

So I had a look. If I Go the Yasaka Sweden extra with xiom vega rubbers it will cost me about 40 US dollars more than the xiom offensive s with vega rubbers.
Is it worth it to pay the 40 extra for more control in the blade?

Shuki · Aug 26, 2016

Only you can decide if it's worth spending the extra on a blade. To me, it's worth buying new sheets of tenergy every 2 months. To most other players, it's not.

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Tony's Table Tennis · Aug 26, 2016

topoftheworld said:
So I had a look. If I Go the Yasaka Sweden extra with xiom vega rubbers it will cost me about 40 US dollars more than the xiom offensive s with vega rubbers.
Is it worth it to pay the 40 extra for more control in the blade?

I would recommend more control with good rubbers.

I would say softer sponge on BH does make it easier to control and having your Vega Pro on the forehand.
I am currently out of stock of Sweden Extra, maybe you can consider Gewo Allround Classic?
I am more than happy to do a TTD special for you and give you the above blade and 2 Vega rubbers, couriered to you at R1500, so it is only R100 more than the special you saw.

My shop was formed for giving back to the TT community, so most of the times, I take a knock on bottom line, to try make TT more widely affordable to all. By doing so, more TT players can come back to the sport.

I started this shop when someone wanted to sell me a Stiga rubber for R1200 a sheet (that time it was 100USD), I told them, I am not an idiot and starting importing stock and making sure all pricing is fair!

topoftheworld · Aug 26, 2016

Tony's Table Tennis said:
I
would recommend more control with good rubbers.

I would say softer sponge on BH does make it easier to control and having your Vega Pro on the forehand.
I am currently out of stock of Sweden Extra, maybe you can consider Gewo Allround Classic?
I am more than happy to do a TTD special for you and give you the above blade and 2 Vega rubbers, couriered to you at R1500, so it is only R100 more than the special you saw.

My shop was formed for giving back to the TT community, so most of the times, I take a knock on bottom line, to try make TT more widely affordable to all. By doing so, more TT players can come back to the sport.

I started this shop when someone wanted to sell me a Stiga rubber for R1200 a sheet (that time it was 100USD), I told them, I am not an idiot and starting importing stock and making sure all pricing is fair!

Thanks Tony.
Im thinking of getting the Xiom offensive s with xiom vega pro on fh an bh both in max.
will let you know when im ready to order.

topoftheworld · Sep 4, 2016

Is Chinese Tacky rubbers like yasaka rising dragon easier to ply with, have more control. Is European rubbers easier and more control? Like xiom vega pro or Europe
this would be for a person that didn't play for many years.

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