Help me decide on my new purchase

Fiftysomething · Feb 23, 2020

Hi there. New poster here. Looking for advise on my next purchase. I'm a recreational player. We have a league at work and I want to be able to challenge some of the stronger players. My game is typically a short serve followed by an attempt to attack the 3rd ball. Also I play a lot defensively, while waiting for opportunity to strike. Would like to improve my ball control and accuracy of my top spin.

I'm considering two blades:
1) Stiga Allround Classic with Hurricane Neo Chinese sticky rubbers; 2.15mm FH and BH
2) Yasaka Sweden Guardian with same rubbers as above.

I'm favoring the Yasaka because it has higher Control rating and larger sweet spot. Hoping it will help me control my oponents spin. The Stiga Has good reputation for beginners and intermediates. I can only buy one or the other.

yogi_bear · Feb 23, 2020

Are there any other Chinese rubbers available in your area?

Fiftysomething · Feb 23, 2020

yogi_bear said:
Are there any other Chinese rubbers available in your area?

Can't post links yet...

Fiftysomething · Feb 23, 2020

Lots of brands available:
JOOLA (39)
Andro (36)
Butterfly (48)
XIOM (27)
Sanwei (4)
Yasaka (29)
DHS (17)
Gewo (28)
TSP (22)
Victas (12)
Killerspin (2)
Stiga (18)
Gambler (14)
Tibhar (10)
Donic (33)
729/Friendship (14)
LKT (2)
Nittaku (7)

jefftberg · Feb 23, 2020

I recommend not using Hurricane Neo on your BH. Most people play something a little softer than Hurricane on their BH. I'd recommend something like Vega Intro or Vega Euro for your BH. For a Yasaka blade comparable to the Allround Classic I recommend the Yasaka Sweden Extra. It's an outstanding 5 ply wood blade with plenty of control.

thomas.pong · Feb 23, 2020

You've got the right idea with the Stiga Allround Classic blade. If you want control, pair it with Xiom Vega Intro rubbers in 1.8mm on both sides instead of the Hurricane. Have fun!

Fiftysomething · Feb 23, 2020

thomas.pong said:
You've got the right idea with the Stiga Allround Classic blade. If you want control, pair it with Xiom Vega Intro rubbers in 1.8mm on both sides instead of the Hurricane. Have fun!

thomas - why not hurricane on FH. I'm not a club level player, but also not an absolute beginner either. I can hit forehand shots with topspin...just not with desired consistency. Hoping sticky rubber can improve things for me

thomas.pong · Feb 23, 2020

Fiftysomething said:
thomas - why not hurricane on FH. I'm not a club level player, but also not an absolute beginner either. I can hit forehand shots with topspin...just not with desired consistency. Hoping sticky rubber can improve things for me

I understand you're not a beginner but you're not a classically trained player either and since you're looking for control and more consistency, a good entry-level European/Japanese-style grippy rubber like Vega Intro will give you just that and allow you to develop your shots and technique with more ease than a very hard Chinese-style sticky rubber which requires more work and precise technique to produce quality shots (spin and speed). I will not only be more forgiving but also easier to switch between offense and defense.

Fiftysomething · Feb 23, 2020

Thx for the explanation

Fiftysomething · Feb 23, 2020

Unfortunately they can't assemble my blade with Vega intro rubbers...is Vega Europe comparable?

thomas.pong · Feb 23, 2020

Fiftysomething said:
Thx for the explanation

You're welcome!

thomas.pong · Feb 23, 2020

Fiftysomething said:
Unfortunately they can't assemble my blade with Vega intro rubbers...is Vega Europe comparable?

Have you checked tabletennis11.com? They're usually cheaper than everyone else and their shipping to the US is fast.

Vega Europe is quite a bit faster and bouncier so it's going to be less controllable. If you can't get Vega Intro, get Vega Elite instead, and if you can't get either, Vega Europe will do.

Der_Echte · Feb 23, 2020

I say this all the time... if a player is USA based and in the early stages of their TT life, you DO NOT need to spend $100-$200 USD on a bat.

Cole at colestt.com has dozens of appropriate possible bat combinations that range from $35 to $50 USD delivered.

He will not sell you something inappropriate, just ask him and you will be squared away and have money left over for pizza, beers, and two lessons.

I say this as someone else who is an equipment reseller and a customer of Cole before I became a reseller. Cole ships USPS priority for way less than actual cost.

The_TT_Bat_Guy · Feb 23, 2020

I actually get this type of question quite a lot and never advise spending more than £50. My go-to build for those transitioning from prebuilt bats tends to be a Yinhe N11 with either Yinhe galaxy 9000e on both sides or Yinhe Mercury II on both sides. Cheap and cheerful.

thekleifheit13 · Feb 23, 2020

Der_Echte said:
I say this all the time... if a player is USA based and in the early stages of their TT life, you DO NOT need to spend $100-$200 USD on a bat.

Cole at colestt.com has dozens of appropriate possible bat combinations that range from $35 to $50 USD delivered.

He will not sell you something inappropriate, just ask him and you will be squared away and have money left over for pizza, beers, and two lessons.

I say this as someone else who is an equipment reseller and a customer of Cole before I became a reseller. Cole ships USPS priority for way less than actual cost.

I second Der_Echte and can vouch that Cole is a good guy and sells good stuff cheap.

UpSideDownCarl · Feb 23, 2020

Yeah. I say http://www.colestt.com as well.

I think he will be able to set you up with something good for you for an inexpensive price.

I still like the Yinhe Galaxy 896 blade. And any number of rubbers would be fine.

I also think, it is possible H3 would be fine for Fiftysomething. It is a pretty unforgiving rubber and if you are sort of starting with it, it might be fine.

Fiftysomething · Feb 24, 2020

I know nothing about Yinhe, but I would not want to spend $50 to get same performance that I get from my Slyspin ready made bat. I would rather spend a little extra now for something that can get me more control or more spin in my attacks. Chances are I'm not going to buy another bat for a long time.

UpSideDownCarl · Feb 24, 2020

Fiftysomething said:
I know nothing about Yinhe, but I would not want to spend $50 to get same performance that I get from my Slyspin ready made bat. I would rather spend a little extra now for something that can get me more control or more spin in my attacks. Chances are I'm not going to buy another bat for a long time.

The stuff on colesTT is not like premade rackets. It is stuff made in China so it is much cheaper. But the performance is pretty close to as good as something from Europe or Japan that costs 3-6x more.

If I used an 896 blade and any of those rubbers, my level would not drop.

You can get whatever you want. I would not get the Yasaka Sweden Guardian. You should know that is a defensive blade and the head size is: 165x157mm.

Standard head size for a normal blade is: 157x150mm.

The larger head size makes it head heavy and harder to swing fast for Offensive shots. If most of what you are doing is chopping, that is fine. But if you do more offensive shots, then you don't want a blade that big. And DEFINITELY not with a rubber as heavy as H3. That will weigh a crazy amount.

UpSideDownCarl · Feb 24, 2020

If you are getting a Euro/Japanese blade, you could get:

1) Tibhar Appelgren Allplay
2) Yasaka Sweden Extra
3) Stiga Allround Classic
4) Stiga Allround Evolution

But the blades you can get from Cole are just as good as any of those. From the standpoint of playing characteristics, there is really not much difference except the price and the brand name.

Fiftysomething · Feb 24, 2020

Good info thanks.

Help me decide on my new purchase

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