Hoping For Some Feedback Prior to Purchasing My First Custom Blade

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Hello everyone, hope you’re having a nice day!

I’m sure the “What blade and rubbers should I use?” topic has been done a hundred timed before, so I’ll apologize in advance if everyone is tired of seeing these. I have been doing some research at least, and I’m really just hoping to get some feedback, or opinions before I place an order.

This will be my first custom blade, and I am still a beginner who is working on proper technique. I am after a setup with a high level of control, and good spin. Since I am still pretty new to the game, I’m sure my style will evolve as I progress and get better. But as of now, I would say I’m definitely more of a defensive minded player.

After doing my research, I believe I have narrowed it down to the following 2 setups:

1. Stiga Allround Classic - Yasaka Mark V 1.8 on both BH & FH
2. Joola Toni Hold White Spot (I know this is a defensive blade) - Yasaka Mark V 2.0 on both BH & FH

I am fairly positive the Stiga Allround Classic with Mark V 1.8 is a perfectly acceptable setup for a beginner.

The Joola Toni Hold White Spot really intrigued me though. It appears to have a higher level of control than the Stiga, but the numbers show it is slower. I choose the Yasaka Mark V 2.0 to compensate for the slower blade.

Since my only experience is with a pre-made Killerspin Jet 200 paddle, I really cannot judge the potential speed of either of these two setups.

I am 100% open to any recommendations, and I'm very much looking forward to any feedback people are willing to leave.

Thanks in advance,
Raegen
 
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First piece of feedback: ignore all the numbers that people and companies give for things like "Control" or "Speed". They don't mean anything and can't be compared blade to blade or company to company. Just ignore it.

I also think you can get 2.0 with Mark V on the Stiga Allround Classic. In truth, I you could probably get the Stiga Allround Evolution with Mark V 2.0 if you are getting Mark V.

What would help most in people helping you with equipment is posting video footage of how you play. It would only need to be 15-30 seconds of footage.

If you want to save some money, there are options from Chinese manufacturers like Yinhe/Galaxy, 729 or Dawei, where you could get a blade and rubbers for a lot less money that would be pretty darn good even when half the price.
 
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says Table tennis clown
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I agree with Carl,
the numbers given by the manufacturers are nothing but drivel.
Your best bet will always be to ask friends and club mates to let you have a go with their outfits.
Another step then will be to buy something that has been well tested and approved by experts here.
There are many many decent blades available at Aliexpress for under US25 and another 25 bucks for 2 rubbers like
for example palio CJ 8000.

Don't worry, you will have plenty of time later to spend more money 😆
 
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The Joola Toni Hold White Spot really intrigued me though. It appears to have a higher level of control than the Stiga, but the numbers show it is slower. I choose the Yasaka Mark V 2.0 to compensate for the slower blade.

Haha QUINTUPLE ahhahahahahahahahahahaaaahhhh.

My first serious TT blade was a hand-me-down Joola T-Hold White Spot. I slapped on a sheet of 999 to go with the sheet of 729 on that thing and it was what I used to learn looping as a rec player.

That blade is NOT a DEF class blade... it is maybe 3 levels SLOWER... like DEF minus minus something. Still, OP's main point that it is still controlable for looping and still possible to learn how to loop with it, I agree and Der_Echte Urs truly has empirically tested and verified that fact.

It wouldn't be my first choice to rcommend to someone... that blade is HUGE, so when you cut rubbers to it, 2x inverted rubbers, that sucka is gunna be sum serious HEQVY... but what the heck, wielding that thing would build Ur Popeye TT muscles anyway. And at $44.95 retail direct from Joola USA website... that is NOT an expensive blade.

So go for it weekend warrior... and oh... start eating that spinach if you want to use that sucka.

 
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Haha QUINTUPLE ahhahahahahahahahahahaaaahhhh.

My first serious TT blade was a hand-me-down Joola T-Hold White Spot. I slapped on a sheet of 999 to go with the sheet of 729 on that thing and it was what I used to learn looping as a rec player.

That blade is NOT a DEF class blade... it is maybe 3 levels SLOWER... like DEF minus minus something.



Well, considering the Joola T-Hold White Spot is so slow, then I recommend the TSP Blockman II
While with this blade you can be reeeeaaaal slow and use it as a def -blade with LP on one side you can then also
glue on a H3 on one side and a SP rubber on the other and it makes this into a perfect allround + blade .
But not for 45 dollars😉

 
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Hi ...

Stiga Allround Classic (or Allround Evolution) + Mark V is an classic/time-tested choice for entry-level players.. I would recommend Mark V in max sponge.. . .

Another very good and cost-effective option would be get Sanwei M8 Blade with Sanwei Target T88 iii rubbers on both sides ... This combo is also available as a pre-made setup...

Infact, I just bought both, the Stiga Allround + Marvk, and Sanwei M8 (without rubbers), in Jan 2021
 
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Hi ...

Stiga Allround Classic (or Allround Evolution) + Mark V is an classic/time-tested choice for entry-level players.. I would recommend Mark V in max sponge.. . .

Another very good and cost-effective option would be get Sanwei M8 Blade with Sanwei Target T88 iii rubbers on both sides ... This combo is also available as a pre-made setup...

Infact, I just bought both, the Stiga Allround + Marvk, and Sanwei M8 (without rubbers), in Jan 2021
SANWEI M8 New Version Table Tennis Blade (5 Ply Wood, with bag, for Training & Beginners) Racket Ping Pong Bat- SANWEI designed for clubs and beginners, OFF+ play.- Good choice for trainers and clubs.Ply: 5 Ply WoodType: Loop & fast attack

Wow, this seems to me a contradiction , a off+ junior blade 😆

 
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SANWEI M8 New Version Table Tennis Blade (5 Ply Wood, with bag, for Training & Beginners) Racket Ping Pong Bat- SANWEI designed for clubs and beginners, OFF+ play.- Good choice for trainers and clubs.Ply: 5 Ply WoodType: Loop & fast attack

Wow, this seems to me a contradiction , a off+ junior blade 😆

Oh wow .. you're so funny .. you should be a stand-up comedian...


If only we all went by the manufacturer's product description ... forums like TTD would be out of business.

 
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Hi ...

Stiga Allround Classic (or Allround Evolution) + Mark V is an classic/time-tested choice for entry-level players.. I would recommend Mark V in max sponge.. . .

Another very good and cost-effective option would be get Sanwei M8 Blade with Sanwei Target T88 iii rubbers on both sides ... This combo is also available as a pre-made setup...

Infact, I just bought both, the Stiga Allround + Marvk, and Sanwei M8 (without rubbers), in Jan 2021

Thank you for your advice. I believe the Mark V in max sponge would be the fastest option for that rubber. You still feel it is acceptable for a beginner?

 
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Haha QUINTUPLE ahhahahahahahahahahahaaaahhhh.

My first serious TT blade was a hand-me-down Joola T-Hold White Spot. I slapped on a sheet of 999 to go with the sheet of 729 on that thing and it was what I used to learn looping as a rec player.

That blade is NOT a DEF class blade... it is maybe 3 levels SLOWER... like DEF minus minus something. Still, OP's main point that it is still controlable for looping and still possible to learn how to loop with it, I agree and Der_Echte Urs truly has empirically tested and verified that fact.

It wouldn't be my first choice to rcommend to someone... that blade is HUGE, so when you cut rubbers to it, 2x inverted rubbers, that sucka is gunna be sum serious HEQVY... but what the heck, wielding that thing would build Ur Popeye TT muscles anyway. And at $44.95 retail direct from Joola USA website... that is NOT an expensive blade.

So go for it weekend warrior... and oh... start eating that spinach if you want to use that sucka.

Thank you so much for your response. Since you have real world experience with this blade, I found this information extremely helpful.

The oversized sweet spot and good control initially attracted me to this blade, but the weight is definitely a concern to me. I saw on RevSpin.net that the weight was listed the same as the Stiga Allround Classic. But as others have mentioned, perhaps the numbers from these sites cannot be trusted.

I'm now wondering if the Stiga Allround Classic with Mark V would also be a very heavy setup?

 
This user has no status.
Hello everyone, hope you’re having a nice day!

I’m sure the “What blade and rubbers should I use?” topic has been done a hundred timed before, so I’ll apologize in advance if everyone is tired of seeing these. I have been doing some research at least, and I’m really just hoping to get some feedback, or opinions before I place an order.

This will be my first custom blade, and I am still a beginner who is working on proper technique. I am after a setup with a high level of control, and good spin. Since I am still pretty new to the game, I’m sure my style will evolve as I progress and get better. But as of now, I would say I’m definitely more of a defensive minded player.

After doing my research, I believe I have narrowed it down to the following 2 setups:

1. Stiga Allround Classic - Yasaka Mark V 1.8 on both BH & FH
2. Joola Toni Hold White Spot (I know this is a defensive blade) - Yasaka Mark V 2.0 on both BH & FH

I am fairly positive the Stiga Allround Classic with Mark V 1.8 is a perfectly acceptable setup for a beginner.

The Joola Toni Hold White Spot really intrigued me though. It appears to have a higher level of control than the Stiga, but the numbers show it is slower. I choose the Yasaka Mark V 2.0 to compensate for the slower blade.

Since my only experience is with a pre-made Killerspin Jet 200 paddle, I really cannot judge the potential speed of either of these two setups.

I am 100% open to any recommendations, and I'm very much looking forward to any feedback people are willing to leave.

Thanks in advance,
Raegen


I don't know that much but i can tell you my first setup.
My first wood was and still is a Donic Appelgren Allplay.
The rubbers on it were Stiga Mendo Energy 1.8mm rubbers or so which are maybe not so great for spin but good enough for control for beginners from what i've experienced.

 
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Oh wow .. you're so funny .. you should be a stand-up comedian...


If only we all went by the manufacturer's product description ... forums like TTD would be out of business.

Just because you recently bought a $ 10 blade from China does not mean you have to take yourself so serious " Funk Fu Master" 🤣🤣🤣

 
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Thank you for your advice. I believe the Mark V in max sponge would be the fastest option for that rubber. You still feel it is acceptable for a beginner?

This is a common misconception. It is usually presented that thinner sponge is slower and thicker sponge is faster.

This is not so much just an oversimplification, it is flat out incorrect.

If you think about it logically, the sponge dampens impact. So why would something that reduces impact be faster than something that does not dampen impact force?

There are videos on line that show that thinner sponge, on direct impact, creates a faster return.

Here is what thinner and thicker sponge actually do:

Thinner sponge is faster on direct impact but easier to control because there is less sponge to cause the ball to do something you may not have expected. However, thinner sponge makes it harder to spin the ball. And thinner sponge makes it so you may not be able to swing quite as hard unless you are really precise with your contact.

So, thinner sponge is good for someone who knows he is not going to learn how to loop and create massive spin and just wants to hit flat or semi-flat and make direct contact.

Thicker sponge is slower, but, if you have the technique, it allows you to swing harder and therefore hit the ball faster. But, in itself, it is actually slower. Thicker sponge makes it easier to learn how to spin the ball and how to make spin contact. But if you make direct contact with thicker sponge, you have to be more precise because it is harder to control your shots ON DIRECT CONTACT when you use thicker sponge.

HOWEVER, when you make spin contact, thicker sponge makes it easier to control your shots because it gives you more spin and a good player uses spin to control the arc of their ball so the ball lands on the table. That is one of the biggest uses of spin in a topspin shot. It effectively makes the table much larger.

When someone is decently advanced and can spin the ball, it won't make much difference whether that player uses 2.0 or Max. They will be able to make spin contact, control how deeply or thinly the ball penetrates the topsheet and sponge and so, it just won't matter. But for someone learning to make brush contact, [tangential contact, contact where you only touch the smallest fraction of the edge of the ball] and let the ball sink into the topsheet and sponge without ever impacting the wood, FOR SOMEONE JUST LEARNING TO DO THAT, it is harder to learn with thinner sponge because you have to be EVEN MORE PRECISE THAN with thicker sponge. And THINNER SPONGE rewards direct contact and sort of punishes tangential contact unless your technique is very good and your contact is very precise.

So, if you just hit flat and don't really think you can learn higher level TT technique, get 2.0 or 1.8. If you want to try and learn to actually make spin contact, get Max. I just wanted to simplify. But, if I am honest, I agree with Funk Fu Master about the thickness. Get Max. :)

Also, watch this video and practice the stuff in it.

The first two exercises and the last exercise actually show spin contact. Please note the angle at which the racket contacts the ball and how it touches a small part of the ball and not the back or bottom of the ball and how this allows the rubber to grab and spin the ball. Perhaps you can also see this in the way the player at the beginning contacts the ball when he serves. Delicate, brushing past the ball, barely touching the edge of the ball, not banging into the ball like in tennis or baseball.

The exercises where you are trying to catch the ball help you learn to control the blade face so you can make that kind of tangential contact.

Hopefully this information helps you.
 
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Thank you for your advice. I believe the Mark V in max sponge would be the fastest option for that rubber. You still feel it is acceptable for a beginner?

Yep .. Even in the 38mm ball era, the Allround Classic with Mark V (in Max) was a very common entry-level setup .. Now, in the 40mm era, some might say that even in the Max thickness, the Mark V may not be enough, or is redundant .. So yeah, I think it's very acceptable ..

I'm also quite certain that the Sanwei M8 + Sanwei Target T88 setup would offer you great deal of control ..Speaking in terms of price:performance, Stiga Allround + Mar V combo, does not even come close to the M8 + Sanwei T88 combo

 
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Yep .. Even in the 38mm ball era, the Allround Classic with Mark V (in Max) was a very common entry-level setup ..

Ok so Gatien won a world championship with a "common entry-level setup", right ? That's so refreshing to read that we could all have been world champions at that era ... 😏

 
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Music&Ping;339735 said:

Ok so Gatien won a world championship with a "common entry-level setup", right ? That's so refreshing to read that we could all have been world champions at that era ... 😏

umm... yeah, I know Mark V and Sriver (Wang Hao Reportedly used Sriver on his BH ... Probably a custom, and/or super-boosted) were used by some pros... But, still, back when I was a kid, Joyner, Allround, + Mark V were considered standard entry-;level custom setups.. Anyone who started to take TT seriously, and move-on from a premade to a custom, got either an Allround Classic or Joyner with Mark Vs, as their first custom setup.. Some would use Mark V on one side and Sriver on the other..

Also, do you really think that just by owning a setup similar to a pro's, we could play like one ? ... every other tom, dick n harry, these days, plays with a Viscaria or TBALC + T05s- does it makes them World Champ material ... baahh ..

 
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This is a common misconception. It is usually presented that thinner sponge is slower and thicker sponge is faster.

This is not so much just an oversimplification, it is flat out incorrect.

If you think about it logically, the sponge dampens impact. So why would something that reduces impact be faster than something that does not dampen impact force?

There are videos on line that show that thinner sponge, on direct impact, creates a faster return.

Here is what thinner and thicker sponge actually do:

Thinner sponge is faster on direct impact but easier to control because there is less sponge to cause the ball to do something you may not have expected. However, thinner sponge makes it harder to spin the ball. And thinner sponge makes it so you may not be able to swing quite as hard unless you are really precise with your contact.

So, thinner sponge is good for someone who knows he is not going to learn how to loop and create massive spin and just wants to hit flat or semi-flat and make direct contact.

Thicker sponge is slower, but, if you have the technique, it allows you to swing harder and therefore hit the ball faster. But, in itself, it is actually slower. Thicker sponge makes it easier to learn how to spin the ball and how to make spin contact. But if you make direct contact with thicker sponge, you have to be more precise because it is harder to control your shots ON DIRECT CONTACT when you use thicker sponge.

HOWEVER, when you make spin contact, thicker sponge makes it easier to control your shots because it gives you more spin and a good player uses spin to control the arc of their ball so the ball lands on the table. That is one of the biggest uses of spin in a topspin shot. It effectively makes the table much larger.

When someone is decently advanced and can spin the ball, it won't make much difference whether that player uses 2.0 or Max. They will be able to make spin contact, control how deeply or thinly the ball penetrates the topsheet and sponge and so, it just won't matter. But for someone learning to make brush contact, [tangential contact, contact where you only touch the smallest fraction of the edge of the ball] and let the ball sink into the topsheet and sponge without ever impacting the wood, FOR SOMEONE JUST LEARNING TO DO THAT, it is harder to learn with thinner sponge because you have to be EVEN MORE PRECISE THAN with thicker sponge. And THINNER SPONGE rewards direct contact and sort of punishes tangential contact unless your technique is very good and your contact is very precise.

So, if you just hit flat and don't really think you can learn higher level TT technique, get 2.0 or 1.8. If you want to try and learn to actually make spin contact, get Max. I just wanted to simplify. But, if I am honest, I agree with Funk Fu Master about the thickness. Get Max. :)

Also, watch this video and practice the stuff in it.

The first two exercises and the last exercise actually show spin contact. Please note the angle at which the racket contacts the ball and how it touches a small part of the ball and not the back or bottom of the ball and how this allows the rubber to grab and spin the ball. Perhaps you can also see this in the way the player at the beginning contacts the ball when he serves. Delicate, brushing past the ball, barely touching the edge of the ball, not banging into the ball like in tennis or baseball.

The exercises where you are trying to catch the ball help you learn to control the blade face so you can make that kind of tangential contact.

Hopefully this information helps you.

Amazingly detailed response, thank you so much for taking the time to explain all that valuable information to me. And for the bonus video also, I will definitely check it out.

I have been reading and trying to research blades and rubbers for the past couple months, I was very hesitant to jump in and buy something. I feel like I could spend an eternity going through blade and rubber options, so all the information presented by the forum members has been extremely helpful!

Since price is not my biggest concern, I think I will go with the Stiga Allround Classic with Mark V (Max) on both sides, and just try to be happy with my choice. It seems like a solid setup to develop my strokes, and start working on improving my game.

A sincere thank you to everyone who took the time to comment and provide feedback.

Cheers!
Raegen

 
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Ok so Gatien won a world championship with a "common entry-level setup", right ? That's so refreshing to read that we could all have been world champions at that era ... [emoji57]


Let’s be fair: equipment that was fast for the 38mm ball was a little slower but still fine for the 40mm ball. But the switch from the 40mm to the 40+ ball which also included a change in material for the ball caused a lot of things to change.

40+ is much slower than the 40mm. The change was a big change because of the material change that went with it.

In 2010 8 of 10 players in the top 10 were using all wood. By 2016 8 of 10 players in the top 10 were using composite blades.

Is anyone in the top 10 using an all wood blade these days? I am not sure. But someone knows the answer to that. And that shift came as a result of the 40+ Poly ball.

It is more complicated than just slower. You need to make deeper impact even when you spin the ball with the 40+.

So, I am not fully sure an Allround Classic is what I would recommend. That is why I suggested the Allround Evolution.

I think Allround Classic and Mark V Max might be fine. But I think those rubbers with the Allround Evolution might be better based on the 40+ Poly ball. Even for a true beginner.
 
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Also, there is a difference between a beginner who wants to buy a ZJK SZLC with D05 or T05-Hard or something in that category and someone who is a beginner who is erring on the side of caution.

Allround Classic with Vega Europe: okay

And

Allround Evolution with Mark V: also okay.

These days, either of the above are often an okay way to go for a more beginner player.

Of course, the only way we could really tell is if we saw footage of DoubleDarts play.
 
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