Well, I got a kick out of seeing such good footage of the old Hungarian players. Jonyer, Klampar, Gergely, man oh man. So much has changed but so fun to watch.
The equipment they might be using: The Butterfly Jonyer-H and the Butterfly Klampar-H are very similar. They are both thin, light, 5 ply Hinoki. I will have to measure my Klampar, but I think the Klampar and the Jonyer are both about 5mm. They are definitely the same thickness. The different plies are all the same thickness. The main differences between them are the handles and the head size/shape. The Klampar-H has a slightly larger head.
By modern standards they are slow. But when you loop with them they are still a pretty decent speed.
Hinoki is a very unique wood. Most blades you can simply list a speed category like Off-, but an all Hinoki blade usually has more of a range of speeds. These thin, flexy 5 ply Hinoki blades have more of a speed range than the more modern, thicker Hinoki 5 and 7 ply blades they make today.
A Jonyer-H and a Klampar-H blade have a speed range from turtle slow All/All- on direct impact to Off on loop contact. It is totally weird when you try one of those blades. But they feel amazing for looping. And this also means that on offensive shots that you would make flatter contact on, you are better off drive looping than really hitting flat.
Because of how Hinoki grabs the ball, the short game is very good on a Hinoki blade too.
Why have Hinoki blades gone out of fashion then??????
There is a reason and it is a decently large one. Hinoki absorbs sweat like no other wood. Straight through the handle into the blade. When that happens the blade starts playing really weird and mushy. This is also why the composite Hinoki blades are still okay but the pure Hinoki blades are rare to see at the highest level.
Also, a one ply Hinoki will not be as affected by this as the multiply Hinoki blades. However, the problem with the One Ply Hinoki blades is that the they can split in two very easily.
Anyway, speed glue + thin, flexy Hinoki blades. Or for Gergely, speed glue, plus a rocket ship Hinoki composite blade and amazing touch. [emoji2] Fun to watch. [emoji2]
I really enjoyed watching these old school players. So, thank you Baal.
Sent from The Subterranean Workshop by Telepathy
