Difference between Balsa and 5 ply blades

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Hi all,

apart from the obvious weight difference of balsa being very light.

What would be the typical characteristics of a balsa blade compared to a standard 5 ply wood blade say for example a Yasaka Sweden Extra.

What sort of player / technique would a balsa blade suit and same question for the 5 ply wood.?
 
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That graph doesn't look right. I am being nice. If the lines were different and the axes were speed after impact as the y axis and speed before axis on the x axis ( COR as function of speed would do also ) I would give it more credibility.

The force of impact is depended on the amount of energy of the ball when it hits the paddle and the "spring constant" of what ever is being impacted.

The force on the ball is not constant. When the ball just makes contact with the ball, the force is 0. The force increases as the ball, rubber and blade deform. When the ball rebounds the forces decrease. In most cases the rubber, and blade cannot keep up with the ball during rebound and that is why energy is lost.

I doubt any research went into it. There are no units
 
says Table tennis clown
says Table tennis clown
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That graph doesn't look right. I am being nice. If the lines were different and the axes were speed after impact as the y axis and speed before axis on the x axis ( COR as function of speed would do also ) I would give it more credibility.

The force of impact is depended on the amount of energy of the ball when it hits the paddle and the "spring constant" of what ever is being impacted.

The force on the ball is not constant. When the ball just makes contact with the ball, the force is 0. The force increases as the ball, rubber and blade deform. When the ball rebounds the forces decrease. In most cases the rubber, and blade cannot keep up with the ball during rebound and that is why energy is lost.

I doubt any research went into it. There are no units


Fancy seeing YOU here 😂, you know, I never even saw the graph.
I just read some of the text.
Let's face it , as usual, all we will get here are some personal opinions and there is nothing wrong about that.

The bottom-line is always the same : One can write OR read hundreds of pages but nothing beats having a blade in ones hand and whacking some balls with it, trying it out with different rubbers etc etc .

 
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I had a BCX5 which I like lot. I it broke when it hit the table when I was serving. It was good for blocking and hitting.
I have 2 Dr Neubauer Firewall+ blades I use for push blocking.
I have played with a Joola R1 which was maybe good for hitting. It was WAY too fast for me so I played with it for about 5-10 minutes.
Not all Balsa's are the same. Some are faster than others even if they are all very light.
I could give opinions but they are not as important as videos.
For the most part I only ask "what can I do with this blade that I can't do with another." The firewall+ allows one to block short and is good for hitting.
I can loop a Firewall+ but any looping action comes from tangential brushing..
The main point about a Firewall+ is that is is really meant for LP 0X push blocking. The Firewall+ isn't that slow.

https://deltamotion.com/peter/TableTennis/Jeff and Peter with Blocking LP 2min.mp4
Here I am playing with my Firewall+ with Giant Dragon Talon 0X on the BH and DHS h2 NEO on the FH. I am playing push blocker style. The spin reversal and blocking short is winning points. My opponent usually has a very good flat BH shot that just skims the net and lands deep. It normally gives me a lot of problems but here he is having troubles adjusting to my LPs

This setup is good for tournament where people probably haven't played against this style. I would hope to win the first 2 games before they adapt.
I can twiddle if the opponent gets too cautious and surprise them with a fast top spin ball instead of a slow back spin ball.

The question one should ask is could I block short with inverted rubber on my BH or with my TB ALC?
Is this the style you want to play?
 
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says toooooo much choice!!
says toooooo much choice!!
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There are many types of balsa with different properties, yep they are generally light, but balsa can be harder, softer, stiffer, flexi etc
when used as a centre core, the other veneer layers then play an important part in how the blade feels and plays. So a 5 ply blade could comprise for example
Hinoki - Kiri- Balsa - Kiri - Hinoki
Limba - Ayous - Balsa - Ayous - Limba

There are many options of blade composition available!!
 
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