Donic Ovtcharov True Carbon

TT-Chris · Nov 2, 2016

Hello. This blade looks interesting. In the german forum they said it plays similar to the butterfly Zhang Jike Alc. Anybody tested it?

Baal · Nov 2, 2016

Yes. German forum is correct.

This is the blade I am using at the moment (after almost a decade of playing with Butterfly Viscaria). It is an ALC blade, very similar to Butterfly ALC blades. I switched to it from Viscaria because I discovered almost by accident that I play well with ST handles (a round ST handle in the case of the True Carbon). And Viscaria is not generally available in ST except at stupid prices for ancient blades. I have two of the True Carbons. One of them (my spare) is almost indistinguishable from a pair of ZJK-ALC blades with ST handles that are sitting in a box in a closet at my house. It would very difficult to tell one from the the other in a blind test. The one I actually play with is a bit heavier and faster. I guess things made of wood are rarely identical. Anyway, I think the heavier one (92 gram) is a great blade in every way. I am very happy with it. Great balance, great handle, high degree of workmanship. Highly recommend.

I have never seen or held a FL version.

TT-Chris · Nov 2, 2016

Big thx for your reply

Baal · Nov 3, 2016

One other thing if money is an issue. I like it a lot with MX-P which is cheaper than T-05.

Magic_M · Nov 26, 2016

In my eyes OTC is very close to Zhang Jike ALC, which is a good compromise between the softer (and bouncier) Viscaria and the harder (and more direct) Boll ALC.

Both ST hanfles (of OTC and ZJ ALC) are very fine. The only difference between OTC and ZJ is, that ZJ is a bit faster and a bit more crispy, but not much. I would call it a controlled version of ZJ ALC.

romanzdk · Dec 25, 2016

Hello, somebody has info about exact ply composition?

Brookerbig · Dec 26, 2016

How about FL handle? Same dimension of Viscaria? Anyone try it?

tabletennis11.com · Aug 3, 2017

We recently gave this blade to our equipment tester Patrick to review.

Here's what he said about it:

"The Donic Ovtcharov True Carbon is a great blade for advanced and upwards players with an aggressive and direct game style (think Dima). The blade is probably better suited for European and Japanese rubbers than very hard Chinese rubbers, as the latter result in a numb feeling that I found challenging with FH loops."

If you'd like to find out more about this blade, feel free to read our full review here.

Baal · Aug 3, 2017

I am back with my Viscaria because my ST handle experiment ended awhile back, not because there is anything wrong with the True Carbon. It is pretty much like Butterfly ALC blades (especially the ZJK-ALC actually). Plenty of Chinese players use, for example, a Butterfly Viscaria, with very hard tacky Chinese rubbers (think Zhang Jike for example). Consequently, if you like that kind of thing (i.e. if you used that kind of rubber to learn to play) you could use it effectively on the Donic True Carbon. I for one can't play with any Chinese rubber, so would agree that European and Japanese rubbers would be better. Again, anything that you might think of using on a Viscaria or a Timo Boll-ALC for example, would work fine with a True Carbon.

But you could use it with various Rasanter rubber, or the Evolution of your choice, or Tenergy or really any number of things.

Van2112 · Oct 2, 2017

I just bought the True Carbon and put Bluefire M1's on FH & BH. After practicing with it today, I began to notice a numb feeling in my hand/fingers. I had an accident yesterday and jammed all of my fingers in that hand so I am sure that doesn't help. Just curious though, is there anybody else that has had this experience with European rubbers or just Chinese rubbers? Considering putting an M2 on my BH to see if that would help any. I really love the M1's though. Don't necessarily want to change them.

rokphish · Oct 2, 2017

Baal said:
I am back with my Viscaria because my ST handle experiment ended awhile back, not because there is anything wrong with the True Carbon. It is pretty much like Butterfly ALC blades (especially the ZJK-ALC actually). Plenty of Chinese players use, for example, a Butterfly Viscaria, with very hard tacky Chinese rubbers (think Zhang Jike for example). Consequently, if you like that kind of thing (i.e. if you used that kind of rubber to learn to play) you could use it effectively on the Donic True Carbon. I for one can't play with any Chinese rubber, so would agree that European and Japanese rubbers would be better. Again, anything that you might think of using on a Viscaria or a Timo Boll-ALC for example, would work fine with a True Carbon.

But you could use it with various Rasanter rubber, or the Evolution of your choice, or Tenergy or really any number of things.

How about using flared handle True Carbon? Ha!

Andy44 · Oct 2, 2017

Van2112 said:
I just bought the True Carbon and put Bluefire M1's on FH & BH. After practicing with it today, I began to notice a numb feeling in my hand/fingers. I had an accident yesterday and jammed all of my fingers in that hand so I am sure that doesn't help. Just curious though, is there anybody else that has had this experience with European rubbers or just Chinese rubbers? Considering putting an M2 on my BH to see if that would help any. I really love the M1's though. Don't necessarily want to change them.

Not sure what the M1's would have to do with numb fingers. Seems most likely that your accident yesterday is the culprit. Adjusting to a new handle -- especially if it's smaller than you're used to and you're unconsciously tensing your hand for a tighter grip -- could also be contributing to the problem. I tried a True Carbon (with T05) with a straight handle that turned out to be smaller than expected. Loved the blade, but got wrist and elbow pain (like golfer's elbow) within a week. Grip tape to make the handle larger got rid of the pain.

shakehand · Oct 2, 2017

Is this blade made in germany? Is it possible to get around 90g?

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Baal · Oct 2, 2017

rokphish said:
How about using flared handle True Carbon? Ha!

Indeed, why not? But I already have a closet full of nice FL Viscarias so someone else will have to try that.

Baal · Oct 2, 2017

shakehand said:
Is this blade made in germany? Is it possible to get around 90g?

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I don't know where it is made, but yes, they exist in that weight range. Ask the vendor when you order.

shakehand · Oct 4, 2017

Baal said:
I don't know where it is made, but yes, they exist in that weight range. Ask the vendor when you order.

Just one more question. Is the composite layer alc or kevlar carbon? The review by Patrick in TT11 blog says only kevlar.

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rokphish · Oct 4, 2017

shakehand said:
Just one more question. Is the composite layer alc or kevlar carbon? The review by Patrick in TT11 blog says only kevlar.

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Same difference

shakehand · Oct 4, 2017

rokphish said:
Same difference

Could u elaborate?

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rokphish · Oct 4, 2017

Same kind of materials are used, just different names.

Baal · Oct 4, 2017

shakehand said:
Just one more question. Is the composite layer alc or kevlar carbon? The review by Patrick in TT11 blog says only kevlar.

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The composite weave definitely has carbon in combination with either arylate (Vectran) or some other aramide fiber like kevlar. The resulting composite plays pretty much identically to Btfly ALC, even if it is not an absolutely identical material (it might be, I am not sure, one would need to take the blade apart to know for sure and i don't want to do that). Kevlar and vectran are not exactly the same thing but they have very similar properties in blades, indeed the weave density and the weave pattern probably would matter more than whether it is kevlar or vectran with the carbon.

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