Your first setup, Or where did it all go wrong?

my first setup was andro super core cell off+ blade and andro 450 rubbers. It was terrible choice, i just thrusted seller values before buying. In speed glue era, andro was almost new, rubbers are not good like hexer or rasant. I used so much speed glue to increase feel, control, speed, spin, eventually rubbers are died quickly.
After that with the suggestion of my coach, we bought second hand bty primorac carbon, byt bryce fx, tg3 blue sponge. it was amazing i was very happy with that combination. Eventually, speed glue is banned and i switched to andro hexer power sponge rubbers, it was quite okay. however, while i was playing better players than me, i felt lack of control over table. Primorac Carbon was fast like rocket and stiff like rock.
To get more control, i bought bty timo alc and xiom elite for both sides. it was second mistake i made. bty timo alc was not so controlled as i wanted. it was stupid action. also elite rubbers are too mushy for my taste. then i bought tenergy 05 and fx. it was quite nice to play than elites still no control of course.
Then i searched and bought avalox 550, it was okay but after alc it feels dull and very slow.
Then i bought rosewood V, it was quite fine blade i did not know its beauty at that time. i was not quite happy with that, then i dropped in match it cracked. i repaired but not used anymore.
Then i bought yasaka extra offensive with suggestion of my friend and vega pro rubbers, it was nearly perfect, i found most of i wanted. straight shots, quick spins, over table aggressive flicks etc.
Then i quit playing for 3 years, then i wanted to softer taste and control for rehab. i bought yasaka sweden classic and hurricane 3 and yasaka rakza 7, its good but very slow for hurricane 3 rubber, then i bought stiga infinity its quite perfect but still lack power for hurricane and mine was 98gr it was heavy as dumbbell. So i bought hurricane long 3 blade recently. After playing couple session i impressed a lot, but thinking to buy viscaria or long5 for more power with this stiffness and hardness. i think it fits my taste.

Then i realized i became EJ, or i already was EJ, my first setup was not wrong.

Shuki said:

Every time I try a hard sponged rubber, like H3, and I lose my touch. Things go wrong.

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?huh? Did i miss something?

Suga D said:

?huh? Did i miss something?

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I like soft sponge.

I actually think it is quite interesting how the theme of "Your first setup," is tied to the idea of, "or where did it all go wrong?"

All my setups went right in some way. Even the ones that were not good for me. Because they all brought me deeper into my love and addiction for this great sport!

I remember as a kid having one of those old terrible hardbats from the 1970s that were heavy like a tank. I remember realizing I could buy Butterfly Sponge rubber from the sporting goods store I got all my baseball and skateboarding equipment. I remember buying two sheets of rubber and thinking they were crazy expensive. I don't remember the price. But the two sheets together cost me what a baseball fielders glove would cost. It may have been $15.00 each. But back then that seemed like a fortune to me. And I remember feeling like I spent a large portion of my summer job earnings on those rubbers.

I don't remember how I cut them. I don't remember how I glued them. I don't remember how I got that old green pimpled rubber off both sides. I do have a memory of the blade face with this weird cloth from the pips rubber and that it was crazy hard to get off. But I don't really remember much aside from hitting the ball with it. And that $0.50 (fifty cent) hardbat with those crazy expensive rubbers felt like a wet dream to me back then.

Back then if I had known there was a such thing as TT clubs, coaches, high level play, I would have gotten fully sucked in at the age of 12 (40 years ago!!!).

Then 15 years later, after not really playing in 15 years, I found premade Butterfly blades at that same sporting goods store.

I got a Jonyer H. It had Sriver on both sides. Then I got one Mazinov and another. They both had Sriver on both sides as well. That was in 1991. And the Jonyer cost $70.00 and the Mazinovs were $100.00. Man that is a lot of money from back then. But I was between jobs, had the money and was addicted. The rationalization for why I got more than one was that I was playing at a pool hall. And I let my friends borrow the other two.

But then the guy at the pool hall told me about a club. I went. I became a member. Then three months later I got a job, moved to a new apartment. And didn't play again for another 18 years.

When I started playing in 2009 it was really as a beginner. I made some equipment purchasing mistakes then too. But I don't regret any of them and all of them also brought me deeper into the sport. So, I would never categorize any of my setups as "Where did it all go wrong."

But that doesn't stop me from being jealous of rokphish's EJ-quipment Collection. Now I would probably say, "that is where it all went right!" [emoji2]


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My first racket was Gergery with 1.8mm Tackiness Drive. Looking back, it was pretty good choice as Gergery was nice and light and non-speed glued T-Drive was very easy to handle.

20 years later, I'm on my 4th Gergery. Can't part myself from that chunky grip and the crisp Hinoki feeling.

ttpshot said:

My first racket was Gergery with 1.8mm Tackiness Drive. Looking back, it was pretty good choice as Gergery was nice and light and non-speed glued T-Drive was very easy to handle.

20 years later, I'm on my 4th Gergery. Can't part myself from that chunky grip and the crisp Hinoki feeling.

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Gergely is an awesome blade and Hinoki is a unique wood. Very addictive how well it grabs the ball and helps you spin.


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