First: My OSP Virtuoso Plus is about 92 grams. The result is, it is not noticeably slower than the TB ZLF was. It might be a little slower. I no longer can really remember. But, man, nothing feels as good to me as this blade.
I do not need any more speed than this blade. But, truthfully, I don't need any more speed than a Stiga Allround Evolution either. I can make nasty shots with spin and pace with any blade. Because that is much more about technique than equipment. Which is also why, a younger player, who is developing, who could be using legs and hips but isn't because he is using a blade that is so fast that he has to cut down his stroke to get the ball on the table, is slowing the pace at which he will develop good technique. A slower blade will force you to learn how to use your legs, hips, core rotation, weight transfer TIMED WITH THE WHIP OF the forearm and wrist.
The key part is in capitals. You don't need a lot of force. You just have to pop the timing of legs, hips, weight transfer, core rotation with the whip of the arm and the contact of the ball. When you do this you can make powerful shots very efficiently. It is more about everything being timed and coordinated. Rather than it being brute force. And when you do that, the power comes right from the ground up.
Then the other thing, if you are really spinning the ball, you are not really using the blade so much for speed; you are not even letting the ball compress the sponge enough to touch the wood. Instead you are using the stretch and distortion of the topsheet and how it rebounds, so you are using the rubber; not the blade. And when you do that, a blade that seemed slow, will still produce shots that are quite fast.
That TB ZLF feels really good. I love that blade. I really like the feeling of Zylon without the carbon.
Zylon is a soft material almost like plastic. Really, closer to a polyester. Very similar to Kevlar. They used to make bullet proof vests from Zylon too but they found that after a certain number of years, the material changed and stopped being bullet proof. So, not as good for a bullet proof vest. And, that soft material that has some rebound to it, helps you hold the ball on the blade face and then rebounds to help propel the ball out. Which means you can generate a heck of a lot of spin if you know how to use it.
But on an inner layer, when the composite material is deeper, Zylon without the Carbon is actually a bit of a waste of time. Because when it is alone and deeper, it can't really do what I just described to anywhere near the same extent as it can when it is next to a thin top ply. That is why I said, not to get the IFL ZLF. But I didn't feel like explaining it. Too many words.
So the TB ZLF is amazing for spinning the ball. However, the Koto top ply is hard and I like the soft feel of Limba better. And Zylon, like most composite materials dampens the feeling of the best vibrations from the wood. So the feel of the wood and the ball contact feel muted compared to a good all wood blade. Which is why, that day, which I already described in a previous post, where I tried my friend's all wood blade, I realized how much I missed the feeling of an all wood blade. And how good LIMBA feels to my hand.
I have lots of blades. I have about 20-25 blades. More than enough. I have given a bunch of blades away too. Since I started using the V+ I have not really bothered trying anything else. Nothing is as good, at least not for me.
I name my blades. My Clipper that was 95 grams, (wow was that a beast), was "The Death Stick". The ZLF was "The Wand of Destiny"; I never thought I would switch from that one. (Those are both wands from Harry Potter).
The black tag Viscaria that I had that I sold to Anno Van Doorn from MyTT (some people will kill me for the fact that I sold a black tag Viscaria for $70.00 but Anno liked the blade and I didn't need it, so I was happy for it to be in the hands of someone who liked it) that blade was really a beast and it was called "Mjolnir", that is the name of Thor's Hammer.
Now, in Harry Potter his wand is a regular old wand. But he likes it. And it works for him. And it has special powers, but only against Voldemort. His wand is made of Holly and Phoenix Feather. In the last book the Holly and Phoenix Feather wand is broken and he needs a new wand. In the end, he ends up with the Death Stick, also known as The Wand of Destiny and also known as The Elder Wand. That is the most powerful wand in history and the true owner of the wand cannot be beaten in a fair wizarding duel. So, Harry ends up with the Death Stick, and decides he doesn't like it. So he uses that most powerful wand to fix his broken Holly and Phoenix Feather wand. And then puts the Death Stick in Dumbledore's tomb. In other words, he chose a wand that was less powerful because he liked it more.
So, the Virtuoso Plus is named: "Holly and Phoenix Feather".
Maybe my story there makes why I use the blade make some sense.
Either that, or I just like telling stories.
