How do you choose between blades of the same model?

lVegita · Jul 30, 2019

Say you have 10 blades of the same model and same weight in front of you and you have to choose one, without playing it. What do you look for?

Just curiosity.

Ioiettino · Jul 30, 2019

Knock on wood.

An0n · Jul 30, 2019

Smell them.

lVegita · Jul 30, 2019

Ioiettino said:
Knock on wood.

Looking for what exactly? Same sound on the whole surface?

lVegita · Jul 30, 2019

An0n said:
Smell them.

I really like that you registered on the forum to give this answer.

Ioiettino · Jul 30, 2019

Yes, I was being smart in my answer (tune!! https://youtu.be/cAyayY6KGZI) but basically, I would want the blade to sound and "feel" right in terms of the pitch and vibrations it emits. Think of it as your one-of-a-kind Tibetan prayer bowl / analog guitar amp / whatever else you're into, where you can't quite explain it but the sound and vibrations will get into your guts just so. No two people would feel the same. Then again I speak as an all-wood player, and I half-joking for emphasis but I rely on these things quite a bit.
Other than that - weight, balance and finishing, probably in this order but would need a real-life situation to gauge the first two. So long as they all feel solid, then balance first.

Der_Echte · Jul 30, 2019

Korean elite amateurs will hold end of blade in thumb and forefinger, then tap handle against forehead to feel frequency. Also bounce ball on bare blade to hear and feel frequency.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

An0n · Jul 30, 2019

lVegita said:
I really like that you registered on the forum to give this answer.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. But in all seriousness, the first thing I would do is check for visual imperfections and discard those, wouldn't necessarily mean the blade is bad but when I get something new I like it to be pristine. Tapping the blade in different spots to check for any sounds or feels out of the ordinary would be the second thing I do.

yogi_bear · Jul 30, 2019

Check sound of the blade and stiffness by bouncing the ball on the bare blade.

Pondus · Jul 30, 2019

Besides the things mentioned (checking sounds, checking for imperfections...), you can also take a look at the wood veneers used on the outer layers to see if anythings stands out. Some wood species have some variance in feel depending on the specific veneers - as it for example is commonly known with koto veneer (people tend to prefer the veneers with a 'fishscale' as opposed to general linear grain structure).

Lula · Jul 30, 2019

Do people actually Do this? Anyone with knowledge about how big difference it can be?

UpSideDownCarl · Jul 31, 2019

lVegita said:
Say you have 10 blades of the same model and same weight in front of you and you have to choose one, without playing it. What do you look for?

Just curiosity.

A different scenario where I can try all of them.

Also, I would want the heaviest one that is under 98 grams. If there was one that was 99 grams and the next heaviest was 83 grams, I would still take the 99 gram blade.

But if there was one 99 and one 94 grams, 94 grams would be the one provided there were no defects.

Heavier blades have better feeling. As long as it isn't too heavy for me to get some real and decent acceleration.

Back in 1991 I used to use a Mazanov blade that was 108 grams. Man did that thing feel good.

But 98 grams is really heavy enough.

Also, one time Der_Echte handed me a racket with a blade that weighed 120 grams. That one felt pretty nice too.

Like wielding the power of the beast.

langel · Jul 31, 2019

Yes, Carl, but the OP scenario is with blades of the same weight.
I think that the most important qualities to be observed are already mentioned above - overall craftsmen look and feel, veneer quality, preferd ballance /although of same weight, the ballance may be different/, frequency pitch /though for for some models it may have limited to none usefull information - for example the 7+4 layered Palio V1/. I would add handle and wiings neck feel - although they may look the same, they may feel different.
And at the end I must add that after all the particular real life performance of any of these blades may be different from what we have expected.

ttpshot · Jul 31, 2019

I've had 4 Butterfly Gergery and probably tried dozen of them at the local shop. Only, but not small, difference I noticed was how the handles felt. Some are more comfortable than others so I'd say pick the one with the best hanle. Some people would have super sensitive hand and pick up the difference in playability between same model. I can't and won't care as my inconsistancy in techniques far outweighs inconsistancy in same model.

langel · Jul 31, 2019

I've never had the chance to examine 10 blades of a model, but I have 3 Xiom Vega Tour blades of one and the same lot and weight, ttjapan were so kind to do it for me. They all have equal average fequancy pitch /you can't take equal pitches with a ball test, so you have to take the average of 10 or 20 picks/, but in real play I feel 2 to be identical and the third is different. So I play with the two, which I just feel to be identical, and the third is in my son. It has to be mentioned that with some rubbers the difference between my blades and the third is bigger, with other rubbers its less /same rubbers for all blades/.

UpSideDownCarl · Jul 31, 2019

langel said:
Yes, Carl, but the OP scenario is with blades of the same weight.
I think that the most important qualities to be observed are already mentioned above - overall craftsmen look and feel, veneer quality, preferd ballance /although of same weight, the ballance may be different/, frequency pitch /though for for some models it may have limited to none usefull information - for example the 7+4 layered Palio V1/. I would add handle and wiings neck feel - although they may look the same, they may feel different.
And at the end I must add that after all the particular real life performance of any of these blades may be different from what we have expected.

I still would want the heaviest one.

yogi_bear · Jul 31, 2019

If you ever go to a tt store and would find several wts of the same blade with 2 to 3gms difference, there are times that the pitch of the sound of the ball bouncing is kinda different. You can also attribute the quality of the wood.

QUOTE=Lula;284123]Do people actually Do this? Anyone with knowledge about how big difference it can be?[/QUOTE]

yogi_bear · Jul 31, 2019

And yes you would do this especially if you are an EJ. Lol

Simas · Jul 31, 2019

X-ray of course

(couldn't resist too... sorry

)

yoass · Jul 31, 2019

Simas said:
X-ray of course

(couldn't resist too... sorry )

Noooooo! That will seriously degrade the Z fibers!

How do you choose between blades of the same model?

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