Looking for help choosing new blade in off- region

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Help choosing new blade in off- region

Hello everyone,

First of all something about me. I started playing table tennis in 2007 and stopped 2011/12 because every player in my age just quit. I started playing again at my University 'club' last year right before WTTC. After one year with my old setup I require some new rubbers and a blade aswell because I never really liked it in the first place.
Which leads to my setup: Andro Kinetic All+ (concave), FH: Tenergy 64 (1,9mm), BH: Solcion (1,9mm)
The head size (155x153mm) of the blade is horibble, to be honest I don't even know why I replaced my old Timo Boll All+ back in the day with it. Followed by the handle, which is too thin because of the long grip. Furthermore the blade could be a tad faster aswell since I am a really forehand oriented player and so I go 'aggressive' everytime I get an opportunity. On the other hand I open short balls with some spinny backhand shots. Overall I am pretty offensive in that regard and I think my current setup could be a a little faster.

As the title says - I need help finding a new blade in the off(-) region. Here is a narrowed down list I have made after browsing some hours (lol - already EJ :D):

- Xiom Offensive S (supposed to be faster than Petr Korbel)
- Cornileau Simon Gauzy Quest Off (good Materials for the price)
- Nittaku Latika (supposed to be softer than Violin and faster than Accoustic)
- Yinhe Earth E-4 (Violin 'clone')
- Butterfly Primorac-, Petr Korbel (essentially the same - headsize: 159x150, Korbel: 159x151)
- Stiga Infinity VPS (thickest handle with 100x36x26mm - harder blade than the others?)

- DHS Hurricane 301 (inner layer carbon, Koto outer - FangBo 2 Limba outer, thinner handle)
- DHS PG5

Some kind of Viscaria 'clone':
- Donic OTC (for this price I would rather get a Viscaria tbh)
- Yinhe Venus V-14
- Sanwei F3 Pro
- Galaxy Pro Feeling

Personally I think an all-wood blade or some type of H301 or PG5 (ALC is inner) because I often read that ALC is 'making the technique worse' and it is not good because 'not good contact feels good'.
While I think my forehand technique is pretty good, I feel my backhand is slacking behind. It just feels weird using it other than opening or blocking. Although someone in the 'club' says my technique is alright.
Important for me is a normal headsize (around 157x150 is normal I think) and a relatively thick handle (my TB All+ is way better than the Andro). Of course I will go in a tt shop test some of the blades handles. Finish quality is important aswell.
Maybe worth mentioning is that my current setup has those carbon balls in the handle (kinetic technology) to absorb vibrations when hitting the ball. So I think a blade with not so much vibrations would be good.
Other than that I am open to other recommendations. Also what is with Nexy blades or the new coming Stiga Nostalgic Offensive. Can you say something about the relatively new blades Hurricane 301 and Simon Gauzy Quest Off or the quite 'unknown' Latika? Of course about the others too ;)
I am grateful for any advice or recommendation helping me out. Thanks in advance for answering.


Greetings from Germany :)
 
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says + Drinkhall Powerspin Carbon with Aurus Prime and Omega...
says + Drinkhall Powerspin Carbon with Aurus Prime and Omega...
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I recommend the below all wood blades as they have a similar construction:
Limba outer plies and Ayous Core and Medial

5ply
Adidas C300
Drinkhall Allround Classic


7ply
Stiga Clipper
Avalox P700
DHS PG7
Neottec Gamma Seven
Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black

Handles:
You can blindly trust Adidas, Tibhar, Avalox and Stiga handles (ST, FL) and CO for Neottec (they are comfortable)

For composite ones you can go with:

Adidas C500
Friendship v6
Hurricane Long 5


They will have a similar feeling with better speed (may require slight technique changes because of increase in speed)
 
says MIA
says MIA
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I'd say stick to a 5-ply all-wood blade for control, feel and to develop your technique. It'll also force you to generate power and speed from your legs and hips as opposed to relying so much on the carbon (this can lead to bad technique). I'd pair it with a medium or medium-hard rubber in 1-9-2.0mm, same on both side to avoid confusion and develop your BH. If you like T64, keep using it.

Off the blades you listed, you can't go wrong with BTY Korbel or Primorac. If you want a similar blade but with higher quality and feel, I'd recommend the OSP Virtuoso or Virtuoso+, you can order it in a 150 x 157mm headsize if that's what you prefer. If you want a Nittaku (great quality blades), I'd stick with either Acoustic or Violin, they really are some of the best standard wood blades out there. The Cornilleau Gauzy Quest OFF is excellent, very offensive for an all-wood blade, faster than the other I mentioned/tested but less control and feel.
 
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Xiom Offensive S, Stiga Infinity, Offensive Classic, Nexy Peter Pan, Xiom Solo
I knew that commend would come as you already mentioned those blades in an other thread :cool:
Can you say some more about those blades? Like which one was is the fastest, the most flexible, which one was the hardest to control?
Is 7-ply a good idea? Isn't it more offensive than usual off blades because of the extra plies?
I didn't mention the Stiga Offensive Classic because some people say it is 'too flexible'.
The PeterPan looks good but it seems like it is more an ALL+ wood. Also I wouldn't know where to buy them. One store in google says it has it, but when I click on it, there is an 404 error. Also some players say the handle is quite thin.

I just got DHS Hurricane Long 3. Amazing blade!!! Tons of feel, tons of power.
Maybe it is better to add a price range :D
I thought about a blade with a limit around 60€ - 50 GBP - 65$.

5ply
Adidas C300
Drinkhall Allround Classic

7ply
Stiga Clipper
Avalox P700
DHS PG7
Neottec Gamma Seven
Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black

For composite ones you can go with:
Adidas C500
Friendship v6
Hurricane Long 5
Some blades like the Adidas are EOL. Therefore there are mostly ones with straight handles on the market. I like to stay with concave. The Drinkhall you mentioned is All+.
As mentioned above, I am not quite sure about those 7-play blades..
The Friendship v6 looks interesting.

What is your level/TTR?
Well, I don't play in an official club. Therefore I haven't played any matches to get a TTR. I can't remember one from 2012 either. So I can't realisticly say some sort of level for sure. I just can say I make most of my mistakes with serves or short game. But someone pretty good in the club said it is because my rubbers are at the end of their lives - so the ball falls down when using some sort of spin.
 
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Get a Primo Off- then and get rid of Tenergy and maybe get Vega Intro or something like that. Basically every blade in the All+ and Off- region should be fine and would work with medium hard rubbers. Don't get Carbon or 7 ply, it's not gonna help you develop a better game.
 
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I'd say stick to a 5-ply all-wood blade for control, feel and to develop your technique. It'll also force you to generate power and speed from your legs and hips as opposed to relying so much on the carbon (this can lead to bad technique). I'd pair it with a medium or medium-hard rubber in 1-9-2.0mm, same on both side to avoid confusion and develop your BH. If you like T64, keep using it.
I think generating power isn't much of a problem, because I like to move around quite much. Is inner and outer carbon the same as such? I heard i.e. the carbon on the H301 only kicks in when you are playing a higher gear.
A rubber thread is going to be made when I found a new blade :eek: I would like to continue to use the T64, but as a BH rubber instead of forehand. But the T64 is nearing his end. And a new T64 for 60€ is way too overpriced, I remember paying something around 40€.

Off the blades you listed, you can't go wrong with BTY Korbel or Primorac. If you want a similar blade but with higher quality and feel, I'd recommend the OSP Virtuoso or Virtuoso+, you can order it in a 150 x 157mm headsize if that's what you prefer. If you want a Nittaku (great quality blades), I'd stick with either Acoustic or Violin, they really are some of the best standard wood blades out there. The Cornilleau Gauzy Quest OFF is excellent, very offensive for an all-wood blade, faster than the other I mentioned/tested but less control and feel.

The OSP blades look great, but the are a little over my budget for an all-wood blade, so are the Violin and Acoustic. Around a limit of 60€ would be good.
How about the Latika, did you ever try it? Or a Violin 'clone'?
How is the build quality for the Gauzy Quest Off?
 
says MIA
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The OSP blades look great, but the are a little over my budget for an all-wood blade, so are the Violin and Acoustic. Around a limit of 60€ would be good.
How about the Latika, did you ever try it? Or a Violin 'clone'?
How is the build quality for the Gauzy Quest Off?

Yea, the Nittaku blades are very expensive, I had to buy them slightly used. I have not tried the Latika, but it seems like a fine blade for the price. The build quality of the Gauzy Quest is very good. You can pair any of these blades with Tibhar Evolution series, similar to Tenergy but much cheaper, you can usually find it for 35€ a sheet. I'd say EL-P or EL-S for a medium rubber if you like T64 (or MX-P for medium-hard = harder than T64).
 
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Why would you recommend a Clipper or a carbon blade to someone who is not even playing in a club (In Germany there are thousands of clubs, in every city a few)? People playing in Uni here are usually just recreational players who play once a week for 1-2 hours. They would barely make a point against club players in the lowest league here.

Even if belugma got proper training years ago he should just go for a 5 ply and some medium rubbers. You can go for fast blades like Clipper and so on if you practice 3-4 times a week and got a good foundation.

Make 7 unforced errors each set and hit one amazing loop or just play a solid game and win the match? You choose.

Power should come from the player and not from the equipment. Even a Korbel would give plenty of speed for that level.
 
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Why would you recommend a Clipper or a carbon blade to someone who is not even playing in a club (In Germany there are thousands of clubs, in every city a few)? People playing in Uni here are usually just recreational players who play once a week for 1-2 hours. They would barely make a point against club players in the lowest league here.

Even if belugma got proper training years ago he should just go for a 5 ply and some medium rubbers. You can go for fast blades like Clipper and so on if you practice 3-4 times a week and got a good foundation.

Make 7 unforced errors each set and hit one amazing loop or just play a solid game and win the match? You choose.

Power should come from the player and not from the equipment. Even a Korbel would give plenty of speed for that level.

He said he played for 3-4 years and then been playing more than a year now. Also the way he words his post I felt like he isn't new and can play TT to a decent club standard. Could be wrong but either way thats where I based it on.
The blades I recommended are hardly too fast compared to his ALL+ ones he uses already. The regular Clipper isn't even that fast imo compared to some of these new blades out in recent years.

I also wrote 'perhaps look into Joola Emotion' as I know it has some carbon layers but honestly isn't even a very fast blade.
These are fair upgrades from his ALL+ to a OFF- type blade.
 
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Get a Primo Off- then and get rid of Tenergy and maybe get Vega Intro or something like that. Basically every blade in the All+ and Off- region should be fine and would work with medium hard rubbers. Don't get Carbon or 7 ply, it's not gonna help you develop a better game.


Primorac Japan or Europe version? Because to be honest I find quite a difference between the two.
Europe feels like it has harder outer layer (different limba?) and is much more similar to Timo ALC (in terms of a hard feel, not the speed) in my opinion. I'm thinking going back to it - speaking about off(-). Japan version I currently have is just too soft and flexy.

@See it got you here too Fabian ...
; )
 
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I’d recommend a Korbel and only because of the slower plastic ball. What I see on the internet is a lot of people overestimate their skills. You see people reviewing a Long V or Viscaria which can’t even play a proper forehand topspin.

In Germany’s lowest leagues people have 1000-1200 TTR maybe which should be something like 1300-1600 USATT. This means you still lack a lot in technique. That’s what I base my recommendation on. He does not even play in those leagues so I guess he would be at the lower end. You will not have any advantage playing with a fast and stiff clipper.
 
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I’d recommend a Korbel and only because of the slower plastic ball. What I see on the internet is a lot of people overestimate their skills. You see people reviewing a Long V or Viscaria which can’t even play a proper forehand topspin.

In Germany’s lowest leagues people have 1000-1200 TTR maybe which should be something like 1300-1600 USATT. This means you still lack a lot in technique. That’s what I base my recommendation on. He does not even play in those leagues so I guess he would be at the lower end. You will not have any advantage playing with a fast and stiff clipper.

Yes I would agree with you there. Actually if thats the rating you put them at then I wouldn't even change blade. Better to stick to Classic ALL blades with more forgiving rubbers. Would even dare to recommend Mark V lol. But your Vega Intro is also a good one. Tenergy is a terrible choice imo.
But again, I don't know his rating, but his wording was good and he was very detailed.
 
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Why would you recommend a Clipper or a carbon blade to someone who is not even playing in a club (In Germany there are thousands of clubs, in every city a few)? People playing in Uni here are usually just recreational players who play once a week for 1-2 hours. They would barely make a point against club players in the lowest league here.
I want to join a proper club in 1-2 months, so training wouldn't be a problem then.
Yes, there are some older guys who play 'their own style' with weird looking topspins and so on, but there are many aswell, who don't play 'recreational'.

Make 7 unforced errors each set and hit one amazing loop or just play a solid game and win the match? You choose.
Well, thats not fun. That happened to me some weeks ago where I tried some serves, because I can only practice them again opponents.

So after reading, ALC blades (Viscaria and clones) drop out of the blade list, now it is at follows (prices are without shipping):
- Xiom Offensive S - 30€ - is it really faster than Korbel?)
- Cornileau Simon Gauzy Quest Off - 35€
- Butterfly Primorac- - 40€ for euro version, 60€ japan version
- Butterfly Petr Korbel - 45€ for euro version, 70€ japan version
Euro or Japan Version and better a heavier Primoarc- rather than a lighter Korbel?
Or maybe a handmade blade similiar to primoarc, which would be around 50€?
- Stiga Infinity VPS - 50€ (hollow handle and apparently for some people a weird sound?)
- Nittaku Latika - 55€ + probably high shipping costs because no shop has it in Germany)
- Yinhe Earth E-4 - 45€ - is it a good Violin 'clone'?
- Nexy Peterpan - no clue where to buy it, from America 90€+
- DHS Hurricane 301 - 40€ without shipping, so probably + 10€ - does it hinder technique like BTY ALC blades do? - I really like the design :cool:

So, what do you think about those blades? Any I can give a pass and kick out of the list, because they aren't flexible or do have any downsights to them? And which has the least vibrations? As I said, my current setup seems to have some 'special' technologie which absorbs them to a certain degree. So I would prefer less vibrations aswell, because I don't want my hand to vibrate with the blade^^

I also wrote 'perhaps look into Joola Emotion' as I know it has some carbon layers but honestly isn't even a very fast blade. These are fair upgrades from his ALL+ to a OFF- type blade.
You mean the JOOLA Rosskopf Emotion? I would prefer inner layer carbon, if its gonna be one 'carbon-like blade' because of the wood-feeling, or is it inner?
 
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