Weight of pro blades

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Depends what which pros you are talking about.
Asia? Europe?
Each countries have different preferences.

Depending on player's technique and power.

Exactly. It's all individual. You might just be able to rule out very light blades for lack of power.
 
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The only one I know uses a Viscaria around 90 grams. I suspect that is not unusual and maybe on the light end of the spectrum. I would be quite surprised if many shakehand players used 85g or less.
 
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No, they all use blades that are exactly the same weight: 105 grams.

Okay, if you didn't get I'm joking, sorry, I'm joking.

As has already been said, it really depends. But those guys train a lot. And they have the strength to use heavier blades. And since heavier blades play better, a lot of them are using blades that are somewhere between 88-95 grams.

What do I mean by heavier blades play better? If you take 50 blades of the same model, let's say, a TB ALC: if 10 were 95 grams, 10 were 92 grams, 10 were 88 grams, 10 were 85 grams, and 10 were 82 grams, the 85 gram blades would generally feel a little better and more solid than the 82 gram blades. The 88 gram blades would feel better, more solid than the 85 gram blades. The 92 gram blades would have bigger feeling than the 88 gram blades and the 95 gram blades would have even more solid crunch and crispness than the 92 gram blades. EVEN THOUGH they are all THE SAME MODEL BLADE.

So the actual tradeoff is where the weight starts to be too heavy for the THE STRENGTH of the player's arm: and Where the extra inertia behind the ball from the heavier blade starts negatively impacting the acceleration and reset speed of the player.

Since pros train 4-6 hours a day 4-6 days a week and the better ones include cross training like strength and cardio training as part of their regimen, most of them can handle a 92-95 gram blade.

Then there are guys like Der_Echte who is a big guy with biceps as thick as my thighs and a military background. He has been known to use blades that weigh 120+ grams with a smile on his face.

But for most people, the actually issue is finding the heaviest weight where you can whip really fast and reset fast.

For most people that falls somewhere between 85-93 grams.

Then there are the people who have a condition like tennis elbow and actually need a very light blade like 65-75 grams to make sure they do not aggravate the condition.

But for the most part pros use slightly heavier blades than us mere mortals because they train for the game.


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No, they all use blades that are exactly the same weight: 105 grams.

Okay, if you didn't get I'm joking, sorry, I'm joking.

As has already been said, it really depends. But those guys train a lot. And they have the strength to use heavier blades. And since heavier blades play better, a lot of them are using blades that are somewhere between 88-95 grams.

What do I mean by heavier blades play better? If you take 50 blades of the same model, let's say, a TB ALC: if 10 were 95 grams, 10 were 92 grams, 10 were 88 grams, 10 were 85 grams, and 10 were 82 grams, the 85 gram blades would generally feel a little better and more solid than the 82 gram blades. The 88 gram blades would feel better, more solid than the 85 gram blades. The 92 gram blades would have bigger feeling than the 88 gram blades and the 95 gram blades would have even more solid crunch and crispness than the 92 gram blades. EVEN THOUGH they are all THE SAME MODEL BLADE.

So the actual tradeoff is where the weight starts to be too heavy for the THE STRENGTH of the player's arm: and Where the extra inertia behind the ball from the heavier blade starts negatively impacting the acceleration and reset speed of the player.

Since pros train 4-6 hours a day 4-6 days a week and the better ones include cross training like strength and cardio training as part of their regimen, most of them can handle a 92-95 gram blade.

Then there are guys like Der_Echte who is a big guy with biceps as thick as my thighs and a military background. He has been known to use blades that weigh 120+ grams with a smile on his face.

But for most people, the actually issue is finding the heaviest weight where you can whip really fast and reset fast.

For most people that falls somewhere between 85-93 grams.

Then there are the people who have a condition like tennis elbow and actually need a very light blade like 65-75 grams to make sure they do not aggravate the condition.

But for the most part pros use slightly heavier blades than us mere mortals because they train for the game.


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IMO not only weight, the head-heaviness also affects whether it will strain your arm or not. A 88gr SPW with Rakza 7 gave me terrible muscle pain after practicing with it for a while. A 93g TBS with T05 feels much better in that regard
 
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Oh, and hopefully Der_Echte will tell the story of him being at the Nexy plant and watching Kim Jung Hoon selecting blades. It is a good story and you will get some good information from it.


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Oh, and hopefully Der_Echte will tell the story of him being at the Nexy plant and watching Kim Jung Hoon selecting blades. It is a good story and you will get some good information from it.


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Give me, give me ..... i like stories..... can`t wait
 
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Oh, and hopefully Der_Echte will tell the story of him being at the Nexy plant and watching Kim Jung Hoon selecting blades. It is a good story and you will get some good information from it.


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Kim Jung Hoon is the only pro I saw live testing and selecting blades, I was at Nexy Korea HQ by chance when KJH dropped by to tell Prez Moon what specs he wanted for his blade.

Pres Moon gave KJH 3 different Peter Pan bats (the blade KJH based his design on, but a 7 ply version) and almost IMMEDIATELY, KJH could tell which two were the lighter ones. He said the ball would "Jal Na-Ga" on hte heavier one. (That means ball moves out nicely.) KJH prefers the heaviest available of the model, he said the ball simply moves out better. I suspect that there is also a better balance and impact feel as well.

I saw the father of Lee Sang Soo at Nexy HQ one day selecting blades, he was weighing each one looking for heavy, even though Nexy Staff weighs the blades and puts a sticker on the blade with the weight. The Koreans also hold the top of the blade with thumb and forefinger and taps the blade handle on their head a few times a small tap. This gives them an accurate sensation of the frequency and type of vibration.

As for Der_Echte with super-sized bicpes, well they are really only average sized and I don't need biceps to swing a bat, I need legs and hips, maybe some back muscles, which I have almost size of elephant there. The ALIEN BABY I have been harboring inside me I suspect has the big biceps, that must be why I can and must eat.

Personally, I like the heaviest weight available, mostly as they tend to be more solid, better balanced, feel better at impact, and have the best top end, also they are stable in blocking and countering fast shots.

I do not subscribe to the light weight theory for health of wrist or arm. I believe weight distribution, balance points, feel at impact, solid, how bat feels in hand (handle size conformity) are a LOT more important factors than a low number for weight. I bat with weight center of balance low and solid is a LOT easier to accelerate and operate, plus it feels so much better at impact. I could slip a player a 120+ gram bat I modified and they would swear it felt like a 80s gram bat doing loops but felt better somehow. These are the same ones who publicly declare a light blade is needed.

All of these factors must be dine by the user, there is no way to know these before you buy, that is what makes buying over the internet a challenge.
 
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I'll be waiting for Der to share the story of KJH, and actually am more eagerly waiting for him to share the KJH blade... Ha!

I think what we need is to get Der to send you a Der_Echte custom KJH complete with Beast Mod. If anyone needs that to add to the collection it is you, rok! [emoji2]

Too much is never enough. [emoji2]


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I wouldn't say no... [emoji7]

Out of the Nexy blades I've been eyeing the KJH and Lissom (regular + oversize) for some time now.
Maybe when I have the chance to visit Korea I'll stop by the headquarter and get them while asking them the stories of the infamous Der_Echte [emoji41]
 
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I wouldn't say no... [emoji7]

Out of the Nexy blades I've been eyeing the KJH and Lissom (regular + oversize) for some time now.
Maybe when I have the chance to visit Korea I'll stop by the headquarter and get them while asking them the stories of the infamous Der_Echte [emoji41]
Over in Korea, on their largest forum I am BH-MAN. William at Nexy HQ. They have a gazillion blades on hand, but they will not do the BEAST MOD for you.

Fortunately, I now use a heat gun to heat up the glue and separate the handle pieces cleanly.

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Over in Korea, on their largest forum I am BH-MAN. William at Nexy HQ. They have a gazillion blades on hand, but they will not do the BEAST MOD for you.

Fortunately, I now use a heat gun to heat up the glue and separate the handle pieces cleanly.

Wait, when you write on the Korean forums, are you able to write long rambling messages about chicken and beer bets as well as you do in English? [emoji2]


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I think what we need is to get Der to send you a Der_Echte custom KJH complete with Beast Mod. If anyone needs that to add to the collection it is you, rok! [emoji2]

Too much is never enough. [emoji2]


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Just wondering- is the beast mod or "blade name" special that you and Der_Echte always talk about a modification which increases the weight?
 
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Just wondering- is the beast mod or "blade name" special that you and Der_Echte always talk about a modification which increases the weight?

Yep. Most blade manufacturers make their blades with a hollow space in the handle which makes the blade lighter but more head heavy. Der opens the handle up and fills the hollow space, he has added anywhere from 10-30 grams that way.

I have tested several of these where I got a before and after. So I knew what the blade felt like without the extra weight in the handle. And I felt it after. The blade invariably feels more solid. But, more interesting, it also feels lighter and you get more whipping action with the extra weight in the handle.


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Pros in Japan generaly picks 85g-90g and prefers lighter blade as modern rubber weighs heavier.
Mizutani once said he used 85g blade but it really depends on what season it was weighed.

In a given model, they tend to pick heavier blade as it gives better feel.
Bear in mind that the heavier blade doesn't mean faster loops as you can see from J-pen players with 130-140g total weight.
 
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In the past, blades got heavier with age due to the multiple gluings. I don't think the water based glues sink into the blades as much. Plus, maybe, the carbon blades are not as absorbant as the all-wood of old, thus today's players go straight for the heavier ones. All theory of course.
 
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Wait, when you write on the Korean forums, are you able to write long rambling messages about chicken and beer bets as well as you do in English? [emoji2]


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Doing Chicken and Beer hustle is almost a national sport in Amature TT Clubs over there. What happened in Uijeongbu stayed on Uijeungbu... but any pics anyone took of the action stayed on Facebook forever.

If anyone wants to get friendly, all one has to do is suggest a round robin of 5-6 players to figure out who will progressively pay more for the chicken and beer. People hated finsihing last as they had a disproportionate share of the bill, and I will tell you that in the summer, you would pay 100% of my chicken bill and be happy at just $20. The beer portion in an outside setting would run considerable and it would be a major hit.

I had our club No 1 or No 2 invite me and another Div 4 player at the time to his apartment complex to eat at a chicken and beer place with outdoor seating. This was an hour after we got back from a national tourney in the summer, a real hot day. We talked away the night, I ate two full chickens and asked for two bowls of raw garlic. I was thirsty, so I didn't think much about the beer, I drank a 500cc beer, one replaced it almost instantly, frosty cold. I must have knocked off 12 or 14 of those in 2-3 hours.

The guy was the team captain and at 11 PM, apparently the tourney director of the national tourney is calling him about a foreigner registered to our club for the tourney about to play Div 3 (a 2000-2200 ave rating level) the next day. My 21 yr old friend had showed up at the venue, the Korea Horse Race Track building (KRA is a big sponsor of TT) and my friend was hitting around with another 2200 level foreigner to test out the light and table conditions. His practice strokes looked good and when all the enemy coaches found out our friend was playing Div 3 and registered to my club, the TD called up the team captain who invited us to eat/drink... and team captain must have had to explain that every Amature Korean team is loaded with ringers, it is a sport among coaches to field ringer teams so why the big deal? Our friend was only 2300 and that is the class of the top end of Div 3 national.

Well, I was laughing my azz off and kept knocking down those nice cold ones and talking to his wife, kids, and other team mate. By the time our team captain hangs up after another hour, it was midnight and I must have drank another ten beers and ate another chicken + bowl of garlic during his call.

What to do with Team captain a little upset? Naturally, we drank another 6 beers and called it a night. That is how you roll over there.

A few months later, I heard him tell others to be careful about losing the chicken and beer betting. He said the bill for me drinking was "Busy", that means you really gotta do a lot of busy work to pay off the bill.

I have at least two of these adventures for every big tourney I went to over there... and another three for the club tourneys.
 
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