Modern JPen blades - overview??

Milan Nemec · Dec 9, 2017

Hi,

this is my very amateur attempt to start a discussion on a selection/classification of Jpen blades, there is so much choice for Shakehand or even Cpen but Jpen is a complete mystery to me. PLUS THERE ARE NO POPULAR MODELS IN JPEN. Please feel free to add your comments, experience etc. Are Jpen blades competitive in the plastic ball era? I always glue a rubber on the other side - even if only OX long pips, as playing with just one rubber is such a waste.

Here are my two cents:

(I play Donic Persson Power Carbon mainly in Shakehand, but also as CPen - I am better in Shakehand, Penhold is just my "deviation" which I play even in league matches sometimes

I have this passion for the unusual so I experiment a little with JPen.)

My first Jpen was PALIO TI-CARBON. Only for fun. Cheap. This is very thick and with narrow head so I did not like it that much. Handle and flat shots were fine but topspin attempts bad and RPB-shots difficult due to the narrow head.

YINHE 986 - 20 USD, rounded head, which is very tolerant for topspin. The blade itself is not really a pro blade - good for a beginner, good value, great finish, rubber case included... I would recommend this for beginners/newcomers to the game who want to play Jpen and want an affordable and "tolerant" blade - the rounded head really helps to avoid mishits and allows for rubbers on both sides after sanding the cork on the backside...

NITTAKU LARGE ACE Round - I plan to play this one for a while... I had great expectations but have mixed feelings after playing it just twice for an hour each time. Handle is veeeery narrow which is a plus for me - it makes it nice to hold but looks kind of funny in reality, on pictures it is OK

It seems to be hard and to have a flat trajectory. I have zero feedback when hitting the ball - which is both bad and good at times. I am trying to find a suitable forehand rubber. A rubber with a flat trajectory will probably not work. Acuda S2 is working half-way so I will try Acuda S1 or S1 Turbo for topspin play and report later...

Best regards, Milan

SFF_lib · Dec 9, 2017

The most famous Jpen players play with one-ply hinoki wood. It's a special wood with a special touch.

I mainly plays cpen with RPB. But I still love the hinoki feel - great feedback, endless catapult power, soft feel on slow stroke, faster-than-carbon speed on fast stroke.

No words can fully describe the feel. You have to try it yourself. Like many people, I am addicted to single ply hinoki. No other wood can replicate that feel.

In theory, Jpen with single ply hinoki can be a great choice for the poly ball. Hinoki is known for its great speed. However, its thickness (10mm) means RPB is not as flexible as cpen. Some blades could weigh 100g, if you slab two rubbers on it a Jpen set up can weigh 190g which too thick and too heavy for penhold.

But in the amateur world any style can prosper. One of the top players in my club plays Jpen.

But RPB is never meant for Jpen. At the amateur level if you can train to be as fast as Ryu Seungmin or Kim Taek Soo, you can still win many tournaments with Jpen.

Passionate about TT

Milan Nemec · Dec 9, 2017

I have heard of the 1-ply Hinoki but that is:
- not suitable for RPB
- way to expensive for a second or rather third racket - the good ones are above 150 USD?

I prefer two rubbers as well, what fascinates me most about Jpen is the fantastic grip - you can hook the index finger and have maximum stability and are free to go for a powerful shot. Also it seems to me that the traditional backhand is much better with Jpen - particularly away from the table, it is more powerful and more stable.

I will get a new piece of my blade - Persson Power Carbon Cpen, so I will probably heavily modify the old used one - change the grip for Jpen, narrow it and change/narrow the dimensions of the head - if the blade survives it

It is a pity that there are no standard models of blades in Jpen form, there are many Cpens - basically all the Yasakas and many Donics, Stigas...

Milan Nemec · Dec 9, 2017

There is a series of modern Jpens by Nittaku, originally ment for the 44 mm ball:

Large Ace
Large Blast
Large Shiny

All of them are meant for two rubbers and all are on the hard and fast part of the scale.

OhWell · Dec 9, 2017

if price is the issue, why not try an affordable single ply hinoki blade? Eg the Yinhe 982 or Sanwei R2.

Nuke Skywalker · Dec 13, 2017

I started as a JPEN player, and am gravitating back to that, but only for fun. Maybe more than that, who knows.
I LOVE Jpen. I love everything about it. I love TBP, I love hinoki, and I love the big forehand. I suck at playing it now, as I converted to a SH Chopper years ago. But as a kid I played mostly Jpen.

I have 4 blades, a TSP Birmingham (5 ply) a single ply American Hinoki WRC (Plays beautifully) an old Musashi (single Ply Hinoki) and a BTW Selebes (2 –sided rotary style with Arylate).
The Selebes is good for RBP and plays like CPEN in that regard, but with the handle of a rotary JPEN. It’s not hinoki, but it feels GREAT. If you can find a Selebes then try that, rather than converting your existing blades. The Selebes is discontinued now, but there are other rotary style blades

Still, personally I prefer TBP and the “Art” of JPEN, even though I look like a fool doing it now.

I’ve been toying with the idea of going back to it despite the fact that I’d be 3 levels worse. I have had some coaching, and I’ve found that some of the touch has come back to me. Problem is, there no JPEN specific coaches here. None. And it is different than CPEN.

I have never tried one of the top end Single Ply Hinoki blades like Darker 90, Kokutaku Super Cho, Nittaku, etc, but I’ve been thinking long and hard about trying a 10mm Hinoki blade from a decent company. The Single Ply TSP blades are supposedly as good as any and 1/3 the price (at least they were.)
But everyone is right.

The feel of Hinoki…it’s so money.

suds79 · Dec 13, 2017

I play Cpen but have a soft spot for Jpens. Particularly 1 ply hinokis. Had one once. A Nittaku Airuline 8.8

Having said that, the only way I'd ever consider going back to one is if it was a two sided Jpen.

ex: like the Nittaku Sou as sold on tabletennis11

Milan Nemec · Dec 18, 2017

More about Nittaku Large Ace:

Very good: TPB-flick, TPB-block, FH-smash
Good: pushing, TPB-"fishing", FH-topspin
OK: RPB

I will make an review in the equipment section

Milan Nemec · Dec 20, 2017

Adding my own review of NITTAKU LARGE ACE

STYLE: two-sided Jpen with rounded head

WEIGHT: 83g

FINISH and APPEARANCE:
excellent - an attractive red & thin JPen handle out of wood - looks great & will not get dirty/deteriorate as cork does. Two lenses on the handle - white Nittaku Large Ace & red LA at the tip. Has a black edge guard and is slightly sanded

FEEL: rather hard

THROW: rather flat, I tried it with a Rhyzm rubber and it was too flat, matches very well with high throw rubbers

SPEED: towards OFF+

MY OBSERVATIONS:
- suited for a very aggressive style with rubbers on both sides close to the table/mid distance. I use JP01 on FH and 388C-1 on RPB side.
- offers a very stable JPen grip plus good wrist movement
- encourages fast strokes and swings
- excels in the fast game: TPB block/punch, TPB-smash, FH-smash, powerful topspins
- I flick serves & pushes & occasionly punch with medium pips RPB
- great for both relentless attacking and combination play

Nuke Skywalker · Dec 27, 2017

TIBHAR H-1-9S
10mm/Single Ply Hinoki

STYLE: TPB traditional JPEN, Forehand attack
WEIGHT: 91g
FINISH and APPEARANCE:
Perfect. I like thinner handles on JPENS, and this one has the same style handle and cork as TSP/Nittaku/Kokutaku. The grains are nice and tight and the craftsmanship is just as good as any I've seen.
FEEL: Soft and Stiff (typical Kiso Hinoki Feel)
THROW: High throw as all Jpens feel, and paired well with soft rubbers (Tibhar MX-P and Omega IV Asia).
SPEED: towards OFF+
MY OBSERVATIONS:
- Agressive Forehand drive and loop.
- Excellent TPB Smash
- Very well balanced, easy to transition from BH to FH.
- Great for flicks, and the TPB banana flick.
- If I had one criticism it's that I think the cork is a little tindy bit short. I have long fingers and my index rests on the black painted part of the blade. I'd rather have the cork there for more grip. Top be fair, Ihave this problem with most Jpens.
- Inexpensive as far as Kiso Hinoki goes, and because it's "Tibhar" and not a Japanese manufacturer, I believe you are getting the same quality for less. At the very least, it's a great bargain.

genrel001 · Feb 20, 2018

Anyone here ever tried the new Xiom M Power 1 ply blade 9mm? It's dirt cheap for a 1 ply blade worth only around $35, even cheaper than some chinese made 1 ply. But my main concern is the wood used to make the blade, unlike the other Xiom 1 ply jpens the M Power doesn't indicated that it is made of Hinoki. It does indicate though that it is made in china. Therefore I think it is safe to assume that the blade is not made of hinoki wood based on its price and area of production but a rather made from a cheaper kind of wood, maybe american cypress (softer than hinoki) or chinese cypress (harder than hinoki), or maybe even ayous wood like the Yinhe J1. Anyone who confirm this? Thanks!

Ch3nM3ng · Aug 15, 2021

Nittaku with their Sou MF model
Armstrong with Kase Grip
Sanwei with Su-type Grip
these seem to be the companies who get modern Jpen designs taking into account RPB but there don't seem to be many buyers.

For the most part leading companies still stick to traditional design despite using modern composite materials. It's up to the player to sand to their specific needs to make the RPB side accessible

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Modern JPen blades - overview??

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