Want to test a custom blade for free?

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I’m keen to support custom blade-makers and to that end I’m offering FREE trial periods with a couple of their blades that I own.

Let me explain further:

I understand that many folks are hesitant to buy ‘made-to-order’ blades from custom or artisan blade-makers because they can’t just try one at a local club, or look up reviews on RevSpin (or elsewhere), and so are unsure if they’ll like what they get. And then, for those same reasons, it might be harder to sell the blade they’ve bought if they end up not liking it. Given that they’re not cheap (even if they are good value for money), I think this makes many folks reluctant to give them a go.

With that in mind I’d like to support the craftsmen in our TT community by offering two blades I own for FREE trial periods. So, if you’d like to try either of these two blades at no cost and no risk, here’s your opportunity.

The two blades I’ll make available are the Vodak Rebel Carbon OFF and the Vodak Hinoki Carbon OFF. You can find my reviews of both of them on this site. I also own a Vodak M. Hořejší ALC EnTech – but that’s my favourite blade and I’m not letting it out of my sight! Ever!

This is how it’ll work:

  • If you want to have a go with one of the blades then PM me and let me know.
  • I’ll send it to you (at my cost) and you can try it for a few weeks. Let's say a month max.
  • The blade will come ‘bare’ (ie. With no rubbers).
  • When you’re done you remove your rubbers and I’ll give you the address of the next person to send it to.
  • I will put a few £5 notes in the box, and when you send it to the next person you keep one of the £5 notes to contribute to the postage costs.
  • Leave the rest of the £5 notes for those coming after you in the queue.
  • If you decide you love the blade and want to keep it then PM me to let me know. I’ll ask you to still send it on its way to let others in the queue test it, and then after four or five people have tested it I’ll randomly select one of those (if any) who have said they want to keep it and it will be sent back to that person as a gift (ie. FREE).
  • If no one wants to keep it, then it comes back to me.
  • If the blades get damaged in the process I accept that risk.
  • If you steal the cash – shame on you! (Besides, we'll know because the cash won't arrive at the next person.)
These are the requirements:
  • You must have been a member of the TTD community for at least six months.
  • You must be in the UK/Europe (otherwise postage costs will be too high).
  • You must leave a written review on both RevSpin and TTD.
  • You must be a good and experienced enough player (or coach) to give a reasonable review. I will trust you to self-certify on these two criteria, but what I have in mind is not necessarily that you are (or have been) an elite-level competitor, but that you are (or have been) at least a reasonably competitive club/league level player.
Just to clarify: My objective here is to help promote the work of ALL the custom/artisan blade-makers in the TTD community – not just Vodak. I do not work for Vodak, not am I in any way associated with Vodak. It just so happens that I have a handful of Vodak blades and so am offering those as a way to help. I’d love it if others of you who own any ‘spare’ custom blades of ANY blade-maker would consider doing something similar to support our friends. I'd love to see all of them get more credit for their craft, and more players have the chance to try these excellent blades!
 
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Nice idea but I don't get the £5 notes reasoning because:

- players interested in testing should be able to afford postage fees
- £ is not the most common currency in Europe
- higher risk to get parcel intercepted

In my opinion, no need to put bills in the blade parcel.
 
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says 2023 Certified Organ Donor
says 2023 Certified Organ Donor
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One would be surprised at the surprisingly HIGH number of the SCROOGE miser types in our sport. Just saying.

I see MILLIONAIRES in my are who come to the club daily wearing the same $2 white shirt, use only one blade, and have not changed their rubber in 10 years... then you are the first in line to complain about paying $5 for a round robin kind of tourney where they are matched up with similar skilled players to fight for glory.
 
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One would be surprised at the surprisingly HIGH number of the SCROOGE miser types in our sport. Just saying.

I see MILLIONAIRES in my are who come to the club daily wearing the same $2 white shirt, use only one blade, and have not changed their rubber in 10 years... then you are the first in line to complain about paying $5 for a round robin kind of tourney where they are matched up with similar skilled players to fight for glory.

Really? Good for them.
The forums make it seem like most players switch every week, more often than Pros even.
In my club I encountered a priest/pastor with no fundamental strokes show up with 2 brand new setups in his first month of learning the game.
Some ZLC/ALC blades with T05 both sides of course

 
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