TSP Swat: Unpopular Popularity

Originally Posted by splasher78

Hey Tim. Good to know other victas enthusiasts are out there! I don’t see too many “real world” reviews out on their products besides the routine testing of a blade or a rubber for a weekend. I’m a huge fan of their gear. What’s your opinion on the swat power vs Koki Niwa wood? I’ve read they are basically the same blade. I own both and made the mistake of putting hurricane3 on the swat power and 15extra on the Niwa wood and was all over place! It could be in my head but the Niwa wood was a touch crisper on impact and faster than the swat power on harder strokes. I probably should have started with the “regular” Swat. Now both blades are in the closet I couldn’t get quality spin on loops with those blades I guess due to the stiffness/heavier weight/ and most likely my technique. (I’m roughly 1400). Lately I’ve been using an AFC and love it! It’s like a more controllable viscaria. I also just got a zx gear IN last night and can’t wait for try it tomorrow. Any advice on the above aforementioned blades? I have 15extra fh and V01 bh on the ZX blade. I also have Tenergy 80 and dignics collecting dust I was thinking of putting the butterfly rubbers on the Niwa wood. Yes I’m an equipment junkie. But that’s part of the fun for me. Thanks in advance.

Mike

Swat Power and Koki Niwa Wood are basically the same thing yes.
But I feel the Swat power is more consistent in close to table than the Niwa Wood. The Niwa wood is easier to counter loop though. Both are the same though. It's really hard to find the smallest difference. I'll have a small review on it below
TSP Swat Power
Speed: Off+ to Off ++
Feeling: Medium Hard
Good things about it: Easy to play blocks, flicks, counters, drives.
Bad things: Hardly any. I find it to be perfect for me.
Victas Koki Niwa Wood
Speed: Off+ to Off++
Feeling: Medium Hard
Good things: Easy to counter. More stable in the mid-distance.
Bad things: It's quite hard to drive with this and block with this as the arc is more direct.
Conclusion: Swat Power is made more for those who are wanting to stay close to the table and finish the point quick and Niwa Wood is made for those who do the same, but the attack are not as strong. So you need to rely mid-distance.
Koki Niwa himself has said that he prefers the Swat Power, but since he is sponsored by Victas he uses the Niwa Wood.
Tested rubbers are Victas V>15 Extra on FH and Dignics 05 on BH and vice versa. Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by Player Tim

Swat Power and Koki Niwa Wood are basically the same thing yes.
But I feel the Swat power is more consistent in close to table than the Niwa Wood. The Niwa wood is easier to counter loop though. Both are the same though. It's really hard to find the smallest difference. I'll have a small review on it below
TSP Swat Power
Speed: Off+ to Off ++
Feeling: Medium Hard
Good things about it: Easy to play blocks, flicks, counters, drives.
Bad things: Hardly any. I find it to be perfect for me.
Victas Koki Niwa Wood
Speed: Off+ to Off++
Feeling: Medium Hard
Good things: Easy to counter. More stable in the mid-distance.
Bad things: It's quite hard to drive with this and block with this as the arc is more direct.
Conclusion: Swat Power is made more for those who are wanting to stay close to the table and finish the point quick and Niwa Wood is made for those who do the same, but the attack are not as strong. So you need to rely mid-distance.
Koki Niwa himself has said that he prefers the Swat Power, but since he is sponsored by Victas he uses the Niwa Wood.
Tested rubbers are Victas V>15 Extra on FH and Dignics 05 on BH and vice versa. Hope this helps.

This helps immensely. Thanks for your very informative review.

-Mike

I will try zx out
because my friend bought it from other friend
For 60€
I think it would be too fast for him and for me too...

Originally Posted by Player Tim

Swat Power and Koki Niwa Wood are basically the same thing yes.
But I feel the Swat power is more consistent in close to table than the Niwa Wood. The Niwa wood is easier to counter loop though. Both are the same though. It's really hard to find the smallest difference. I'll have a small review on it below
TSP Swat Power
Speed: Off+ to Off ++
Feeling: Medium Hard
Good things about it: Easy to play blocks, flicks, counters, drives.
Bad things: Hardly any. I find it to be perfect for me.
Victas Koki Niwa Wood
Speed: Off+ to Off++
Feeling: Medium Hard
Good things: Easy to counter. More stable in the mid-distance.
Bad things: It's quite hard to drive with this and block with this as the arc is more direct.
Conclusion: Swat Power is made more for those who are wanting to stay close to the table and finish the point quick and Niwa Wood is made for those who do the same, but the attack are not as strong. So you need to rely mid-distance.
Koki Niwa himself has said that he prefers the Swat Power, but since he is sponsored by Victas he uses the Niwa Wood.
Tested rubbers are Victas V>15 Extra on FH and Dignics 05 on BH and vice versa. Hope this helps.

tks, and TSP Swat speed? have you played with it?

Originally Posted by M.Hoang

tks, and TSP Swat speed? have you played with it?

Swat Speed about the same as the power, but less feeling and not much oomph on the ball. It's harder on counter looping, touch shots, anything that requires good feeling honestly. The speed I would say is the same as the power. Nothing amazing about it. I would recommend the Swat power as you get more around the same price.

Originally Posted by Player Tim

Swat Speed about the same as the power, but less feeling and not much oomph on the ball. It's harder on counter looping, touch shots, anything that requires good feeling honestly. The speed I would say is the same as the power. Nothing amazing about it. I would recommend the Swat power as you get more around the same price.

tks so much because i find you and me have the same style play, close to table, block, drive, flick, ...

I played with zx in and I like it
Feeling
Block
Is perfect

Originally Posted by Player Tim

Swat Power and Koki Niwa Wood are basically the same thing yes.
But I feel the Swat power is more consistent in close to table than the Niwa Wood. The Niwa wood is easier to counter loop though. Both are the same though. It's really hard to find the smallest difference. I'll have a small review on it below
TSP Swat Power
Speed: Off+ to Off ++
Feeling: Medium Hard
Good things about it: Easy to play blocks, flicks, counters, drives.
Bad things: Hardly any. I find it to be perfect for me.
Victas Koki Niwa Wood
Speed: Off+ to Off++
Feeling: Medium Hard
Good things: Easy to counter. More stable in the mid-distance.
Bad things: It's quite hard to drive with this and block with this as the arc is more direct.
Conclusion: Swat Power is made more for those who are wanting to stay close to the table and finish the point quick and Niwa Wood is made for those who do the same, but the attack are not as strong. So you need to rely mid-distance.
Koki Niwa himself has said that he prefers the Swat Power, but since he is sponsored by Victas he uses the Niwa Wood.
Tested rubbers are Victas V>15 Extra on FH and Dignics 05 on BH and vice versa. Hope this helps.

I'm on the lookout for a victas blade and I think I'm deciding between the Koki Niwa Wood and the zx gear in. Right now I'm playing with Timo Boll CAF and I like the feeling I got with it. I'm not really thinking to switch my ordinary blade out. I just want to test it out.

I think it would be interesting to try out a 7 ply all wood, like the niwa wood. I'm just a little worried that it's gonna be too quick. How would you say the niwa wood is speedwise, and how is it compared to like a viscaria or something like that?

Man I played with CAF.
Buy zx in you will like it More than CAF.
7ply blades are stiff

Originally Posted by Flight-Johan

I'm on the lookout for a victas blade and I think I'm deciding between the Koki Niwa Wood and the zx gear in. Right now I'm playing with Timo Boll CAF and I like the feeling I got with it. I'm not really thinking to switch my ordinary blade out. I just want to test it out.

I think it would be interesting to try out a 7 ply all wood, like the niwa wood. I'm just a little worried that it's gonna be too quick. How would you say the niwa wood is speedwise, and how is it compared to like a viscaria or something like that?

The niwa wood is definitely fast, but compared to the viscaria not as much. I'd say the Viscaria is slightly faster, because of the carbon.
If you are worried about the speed on both I would recommend
- Victas Firefall AC
-Victas Quartet AFC
Here's a small review
Victas Firefall AC
Speed: Off - Off+
Feeling: Soft
Good things: Easy to loop short distance, Short game, counter hit close to the table
Bad things: Counterlooping, hard to block, not much 'feeling'
Victas Quartet AFC
Speed: Off slightly+ - Off ++
Feeling: Medium- Soft
Good things: best of both worlds with Viscaria and Niwa wood
Bad things: hard to play passive.
Summary
7 Ply blades are the trend right now. I would recommend the AFC to you more as it is a really good blade. The only reason I don't use it is, because of the feeling. I like medium hard feeling.
My backup set-up is Victas Firefall VC with V>15 Extra both sides. The VC is insanely fast. Faster than Viscaria.
So my solution to you is go for the AFC I know for sure you will like it while transitioning from TB CAF. Not much difference the only difference really is the arc and speed, but that's what you'll get with any other blade too. AFC is suited for you I believe.
Let me know if you have any other questions.

Originally Posted by Konrad Bak

Man I played with CAF.
Buy zx in you will like it More than CAF.
7ply blades are stiff

Not all 7 ply blades are stiff, but most yes.
The Zx-in blade is a good blade of choice, but i can tell it has less control than Viscaria.
The viscaria is little more all round, while the zx-in is more aggressive. The AFC fits in perfectly between these 2 without losing in much.

Originally Posted by Player Tim

The niwa wood is definitely fast, but compared to the viscaria not as much. I'd say the Viscaria is slightly faster, because of the carbon.
If you are worried about the speed on both I would recommend
- Victas Firefall AC
-Victas Quartet AFC
Here's a small review
Victas Firefall AC
Speed: Off - Off+
Feeling: Soft
Good things: Easy to loop short distance, Short game, counter hit close to the table
Bad things: Counterlooping, hard to block, not much 'feeling'
Victas Quartet AFC
Speed: Off slightly+ - Off ++
Feeling: Medium- Soft
Good things: best of both worlds with Viscaria and Niwa wood
Bad things: hard to play passive.
Summary
7 Ply blades are the trend right now. I would recommend the AFC to you more as it is a really good blade. The only reason I don't use it is, because of the feeling. I like medium hard feeling.
My backup set-up is Victas Firefall VC with V>15 Extra both sides. The VC is insanely fast. Faster than Viscaria.
So my solution to you is go for the AFC I know for sure you will like it while transitioning from TB CAF. Not much difference the only difference really is the arc and speed, but that's what you'll get with any other blade too. AFC is suited for you I believe.
Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thank you very much. Maybe I should take a look at the AFC. But if you can play well and control the viscaria the speed in Niwa wood shouldn't be a problem?

Originally Posted by Flight-Johan

Thank you very much. Maybe I should take a look at the AFC. But if you can play well and control the viscaria the speed in Niwa wood shouldn't be a problem?

Well let me put like this. Viscaria is very controllable if you have good technique. Since it is a carbon blade.
Niwa Wood is controllable from the very start no matter how bad your technique is. Since it is a all wood blade.
Here's a small summary of the difference between carbon and all wood.
All wood
-Controllable
-Have more feeling than carbon.
-can spin easier
-less errors meaning you can tell if something was not right.
-Slower than carbon
Carbon
-Faster than all wood
-less feeling of the ball
-more errors
-ball 'leaves' faster
- less control
I don't know how you play or what your technique looks like, but Viscaria is a blade for more technical strokes and niwa wood well for everyone really. The only reason I don't recommend Niwa wood to beginners is because of it's insane speed. You need to treat Niwa wood like a carbon almost to have a good feeling.
AFC makes best of both world. The fleece carbon is almost like all wood, but has a characteristic of a carbon. AC is like cheaper ALC. Once you figure out which you prefer control or speed. Then can I recommend you a bit more. ZX-In is 100% much faster than Viscaria. So that's out of the question. Go for the AFC. That should be a good place to start. Once you get good technique you can upgrade from there. Do you want more control or speed? What does your game look like? Are thing you should be asking once you get a blade that has a little bit of both. Hope this helps

Originally Posted by Player Tim

Well let me put like this. Viscaria is very controllable if you have good technique. Since it is a carbon blade.
Niwa Wood is controllable from the very start no matter how bad your technique is. Since it is a all wood blade.
Here's a small summary of the difference between carbon and all wood.
All wood
-Controllable
-Have more feeling than carbon.
-can spin easier
-less errors meaning you can tell if something was not right.
-Slower than carbon
Carbon
-Faster than all wood
-less feeling of the ball
-more errors
-ball 'leaves' faster
- less control
I don't know how you play or what your technique looks like, but Viscaria is a blade for more technical strokes and niwa wood well for everyone really. The only reason I don't recommend Niwa wood to beginners is because of it's insane speed. You need to treat Niwa wood like a carbon almost to have a good feeling.
AFC makes best of both world. The fleece carbon is almost like all wood, but has a characteristic of a carbon. AC is like cheaper ALC. Once you figure out which you prefer control or speed. Then can I recommend you a bit more. ZX-In is 100% much faster than Viscaria. So that's out of the question. Go for the AFC. That should be a good place to start. Once you get good technique you can upgrade from there. Do you want more control or speed? What does your game look like? Are thing you should be asking once you get a blade that has a little bit of both. Hope this helps

Yes, thanks alot, I really appreciate this help. I've played table tennis for about 10 years and I'm training 7-8 sessions a week. I have a good backhand and I would say that my backhand is my strenght and my killing killing stroke. My forehand is a little weaker but not bad.I would not say I have a straight game, I don't play power shots or really quick shots at all balls. I'm like a more creative player. Shop-block, hook, you name it. I've got really good feeling too, or I think so. I play close-mid close to the table. I play my best game closer to the table, because I'm quick and can play with good spin even when I'm close to the table with shorter strokes.

I have 90 grams viscaria and its faster than tb zlc

Hi Player Tim,

Have you ever played with Victas Gear Fiber?
if, yes, can you compare it with either Viscaria or Korbel please.

thanks

Originally Posted by typhoon111

Hi Player Tim,

Have you ever played with Victas Gear Fiber?
if, yes, can you compare it with either Viscaria or Korbel please.

thanks

Yes I have played with it. I have all the victas equipment lol. So comparing Viscaria to the Gear Fiber. The gear fiber is definitely more controlled, but has less speed. They both feel about the same. Just the control and speed is different really.
With the Korbel, the gear in has more speed. The control is about the same. I'd say the Korbel are for people in the 0-1600 rating. Gear in for players in the 1700-1900s. Then the gear in for players in the 2000s lol.
Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by Player Tim

Yes I have played with it. I have all the victas equipment lol. So comparing Viscaria to the Gear Fiber. The gear fiber is definitely more controlled, but has less speed. They both feel about the same. Just the control and speed is different really.
With the Korbel, the gear in has more speed. The control is about the same. I'd say the Korbel are for people in the 0-1600 rating. Gear in for players in the 1700-1900s. Then the gear in for players in the 2000s lol.
Hope this helps.

Oh, tks. Can you compare victas quartet afc and vfc? Some one said that afc ~ innerlayer alc and vfc ~ innerlayer zlc of butterfly. Is that right?

Originally Posted by Konrad Bak

I will try zx out
because my friend bought it from other friend
For 60€
I think it would be too fast for him and for me too...

Originally Posted by Konrad Bak

I played afc and control was perfect, I really like super ventus.... The throw is very high and quality of material is very good

I know that this thread is about tsp swat, but do you think that tsp super ventus goes well with 5-ply allwood blades? I’m using a Xiom Offensive S and I’m in doubt between super ventus 2.0mm or Fastarc G1. What do you like the most?