Blade or Rubber?

**Style22** · 2 Weeks Ago

What’s more important?

A good blade or a good rubber?

What happens if you use a good rubber on a hobby bat? Fairly new to this, thank you for understanding!

**wheelbuilder** · 2 Weeks Ago

Subscribed for the answers to this. Great question.

Sent from my BBB100-1 using Tapatalk

**Bram Vroonland** · 2 Weeks Ago

Changing blades affects me more.. altho when you find a blade you like and that can carry you ahead for another level then by God... stick to it. I enjoy testing new blades a lot but in my heart I know the Harimoto ALC is always gonna be the one.

You're probably never gonna find a blade that's gonna be the best in every single shot. Find one that makes your best shots more stable or a high percentage shot.

**Lazer** · 2 Weeks Ago

I would say a waste. You would at least need an allround blade of a little higher grade such as Stiga Classic or Yasaka Sweden. There are lower grade blades that You could use as well, but I would not recommend it.

In reality the blade and rubber is one unit, but I would say the blade is slightly more important than the rubber. I would rather take a good blade and a cheap rubber than the opposite.

Cheers
L-zr

**Gozo** · 2 Weeks Ago

Originally Posted by Style22

What’s more important?

A good blade or a good rubber?

What happens if you use a good rubber on a hobby bat? Fairly new to this, thank you for understanding!

Let me answer you using 5v5 e-sport terminology. Your rubber is the support. The blade is the ADC ( Attack Damage Carry ). If your ADC is shitty, no matter how good your support, you'll still suxs.

If your skill suxs, no matter which hero you uses, you'll still suxs.

Hope this help.

**Rinforzando** · 2 Weeks Ago

blade + rubber isn't two different things. You need to consider it as a whole. Still I'd prefer to have a good blade with cheap rubber than the opposite (because your blade will last a lifetime and unfortunately this isn't the case for rubbers)Sometimes rubbers you like will be obnoxious on some blades, and blades you like will be horrible paired to some rubbers

**passifid** · 2 Weeks Ago

Rubber is far more important.
I would play better with a tomo bill all+ with high quality rubbers all round than I would with my inner alc with focus snipe 3.

Equally a hobby bat with MXP while bad feeling would work, a viscsria with flextra both sides would be a. Bit pants

But I recommend getting the blade first as rubbers are changed frequently and its the MAIN determinant to feel, which is important more than results to me

**SamTheMan** · 2 Weeks Ago

Rubbers are more important.

If you put great rubbers on a hobby bat, you would be able to spin the ball and do all kinds of shots.

If you put crappy rubbers without grip and sponge on a Super ZLC blade for 400€, you would not be able to spin the ball and do most shots.

**SamTheMan** · 2 Weeks Ago

To clarify. What makes a premade “1-star rated” bat lousy and unable to spin, is not the composition of the 5 plies in the premade blade. It’s the super thin sponge and the lack of grip in the rubber that makes it unable to spin.

**thomas.pong** · 2 Weeks Ago

Originally Posted by Style22

What’s more important?

A good blade or a good rubber?

What happens if you use a good rubber on a hobby bat? Fairly new to this, thank you for understanding!

The short answer is both.

The blade is the base for your hand and the rubbers, and the rubbers are the first thing and last thing the ball touches. Without a good base, the rubbers won't perform very well, without good rubbers you can't perform well either.

What's a good blade? A quality blade that suits your skill level and playing preferences. It can be anything from a Stiga Allround Classic or the likes to a Butterfly Lin Yun-Ju Super ZLC. Same with rubbers, anything from Palio AK47 and the likes to the fancy Dignics and Tenergys and the likes. If you get a blade and rubber combination that's too fast for you, you will overshoot too often, try to make up for it with bad technique and develop/get used to this bad technique that's hard to fix in the long run. Whereas if you get a blade that has appropriate control and speed, it will be easier and faster for you to develop proper technique and create your own power, speed, spin and explosiveness. The paddle doesn't make the player, technique makes the player. You can't grab a supposedly "better" paddle and expect to beat a better player, but the better player can grab any paddle and still beat you.

Many players will start with a good ALL+/OFF- 5-ply all-wood blade like a Butterfly Korbel and stick with it all the way to USATT 2400 and higher and to the pros. They just upgrade their rubbers as their level gets higher or needs change. In that sense, the blade is something you can keep a lifetime and upgrade, so I guess it takes a little precedence. But remembering what's good for a beginner and intermediate player (even higher) like a good 5-ply all-wood blade paired with good do-it-all rubbers like the Palio AK47's for example.

**Music&Ping** · 2 Weeks Ago

Originally Posted by Bram Vroonland

Changing blades affects me more.. altho when you find a blade you like and that can carry you ahead for another level then by God... stick to it. I enjoy testing new blades a lot but in my heart I know the Harimoto ALC is always gonna be the one.

You're probably never gonna find a blade that's gonna be the best in every single shot. Find one that makes your best shots more stable or a high percentage shot.

Totally agree: when I came back after a 15 years hiatus, keeping the blade and changing rubbers (even if they were still grippy) really helped me making progress again. Now I'm changing the blade, cos' the 40+ P ball has really changed the game too much and I feel that the rubber won't be enough now.

It's the hand's extension, it's from the blade and its handle that you get all the informations, this is where you get the feeling via the vibrations.
https://pingsunday.com/top-10-table-...llent-quality/

It's like a guitar, or a violin, or any piano: you can put any strings or top of the line pickups you want on a badly designed instrument's body+neck, the sound will be poor.

Plus, you never change the blade 3 or 4 times a year as you would do with rubbers, it's the most stable component of the whole racket therefore replacing it too frequently would completely confuse the player's feelings.

**thomas.pong** · 2 Weeks Ago

Originally Posted by SamTheMan

To clarify. What makes a premade “1-star rated” bat lousy and unable to spin, is not the composition of the 5 plies in the premade blade. It’s the super thin sponge and the lack of grip in the rubber that makes it unable to spin.

Hey Sam, most premades' blade comp and quality are actually really shitty, cheap plywood that chips away, no density, terrible bounce... even from TT brands. It didn't use to be that way.

**Baal** · 2 Weeks Ago

Both mater a lot and in my experience equally. But rubbers and blades don't have to cost as much as Tenergy to be good.

**Lazer** · 2 Weeks Ago

I have seen players using just a blade without rubber, but not seen any player using a rubber without blade... 😜.

**Brs** · 2 Weeks Ago

Rubber is far more important.

The different characteristics of rubbers from frictionless anti through pips to tacky is massively wider than the difference between blades between a $5 premade and a $400 Bty CNF or [insert overpriced blade]. Not saying blades don't matter at all, obvs. We all have our personal faves. They just matter very little.

If you are talking about the importance of two rubbers that are essentially the same thing, like changing from Bluefire to Rasanter or whatev, then it makes no difference. The same as changing blades makes no difference to playing level after a very, very short adaptation time.

**Music&Ping** · 2 Weeks Ago

Originally Posted by Lazer

I have seen players using just a blade without rubber, but not seen any player using a rubber without blade... 😜.

THIS. Period.

It does not seem that silly: if you break your blade, without any spare racket it's game over. If you damage the rubbers only, it's still possible to play. It's the rules only that prevent you from continuing the game.

**latej** · 2 Weeks Ago

Recently I was in this shop, I forgot my credit card, just some cash, only enough to buy either good blade OR a good rubber. I didn't know what is more important... When this thread concludes, I'll for sure know what to do, when it happens next time :-)

I was thinking, rather than knowing whether it is more important to have good blade or good rubber, it is more important to know what does it mean for a blade or rubber to be GOOD.

Thomas already started explaining it...

**Lazer** · 2 Weeks Ago

Originally Posted by latej

Recently I was in this shop, I forgot my credit card, just some cash, only enough to buy either good blade OR a good rubber. I didn't know what is more important... When this thread concludes, I'll for sure know what to do, when it happens next time :-)

I was thinking, rather than knowing whether it is more important to have good blade or good rubber, it is more important to know what does it mean for a blade or rubber to be GOOD.

Thomas already started explaining it...

Change it to “and” and I’m in...

Cheers
L-zr

**latej** · 2 Weeks Ago

Originally Posted by Lazer

Change it to “and” and I’m in...

Warrior's blade is the warrior's soul!

P.S. M&P, don't misinterpret it :-)

**Der_Echte** · 2 Weeks Ago

Both blade and rubber have their contribution to the end result.

Since I am very familiar with the MX-K and FX-S or similar rubbers, when I get another blade and use those, I can very quickly learn what the blade is about.

On the flip side, if I use my main blade and slap on some rubbers, I can quickly learn what the rubbers are about and if I can use it effectively enough to suit me.

It took me a while, but I learned that on FH, I do best with a medium spong at ahrdest and maybe play better with a softer sponged modern dynamic rubber. On BH I discover I can use just about any inverted rubber, but am just a tiny bit better with softer modern dynamic rubbers or even softer old-school rubber, like say Nittaku Hammond or Moristo.

For a blade, when I need to develop more touch and shot construction, a slower ALL+ or OFF- blade that spins easy is the thing for me. When I am in tourney mode, most of the year I use an easy spinning OFF wood or composite blade with feel.

It is important for a player to discover what category works for them if they have matured enough as a player. While building skill, it is important to play with the equipment that makes it easier to do most of the shots needed, so that will vary, but many are developing attackers and can benefit from a couple categories.

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