Some advice please

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I agree on the idea that a more elastic topsheet suits a speed focused game more, especially in terms of control.
 
says Spin and more spin.
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I am going to ignore the stuff that was said and explain something simply:

If your game is predominantly based around flat hitting and blocking, even if you can spin, if you prefer to hit flatter and tend to use this more when you play:

1) A blade that is decently stiff (not too much flex) would be more what you want;

and,

2) For rubbers, if the above is the case, you would be better off with rubbers that have these characteristics: non-tacky-grippy rubbers, that have an elastic topsheet and a sponge that has some spring or "catapult" effect to it. So, rubbers like a lot of the Euro/Japanese type rubbers like the Tenergy series, Evolution series, Rasanter series of rubbers. There are lots more. But, rubbers that give you some kick.

Back in the day when pretty much all of the top CNT players were using H3 on FH and one of the Tenergy rubbers on BH, when the ball was high and they would smash (instead of looping) THEY WOULD ALL FLIP their rackets so they were smashing with the softer, springier BACKHAND RUBBER because hard, tacky, Chinese rubbers are not so good for those kinds of flat hits.

As far as using a stiffer blade: A blade with more flex makes contact that is more direct, less accurate. A stiffer blade on direct contact helps you be able to control those shots that have more direct contact better.

A blade with more flex is good for making tangential (brush) SPIN contact. It would make a loop a little more spinny and a little more accurate. But it would do the opposite for a shot that was a more drive oriented shot.
 
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I am going to ignore the stuff that was said and explain something simply:

If your game is predominantly based around flat hitting and blocking, even if you can spin, if you prefer to hit flatter and tend to use this more when you play:

1) A blade that is decently stiff (not too much flex) would be more what you want;

and,

2) For rubbers, if the above is the case, you would be better off with rubbers that have these characteristics: non-tacky-grippy rubbers, that have an elastic topsheet and a sponge that has some spring or "catapult" effect to it. So, rubbers like a lot of the Euro/Japanese type rubbers like the Tenergy series, Evolution series, Rasanter series of rubbers. There are lots more. But, rubbers that give you some kick.

Back in the day when pretty much all of the top CNT players were using H3 on FH and one of the Tenergy rubbers on BH, when the ball was high and they would smash (instead of looping) THEY WOULD ALL FLIP their rackets so they were smashing with the softer, springier BACKHAND RUBBER because hard, tacky, Chinese rubbers are not so good for those kinds of flat hits.

As far as using a stiffer blade: A blade with more flex makes contact that is more direct, less accurate. A stiffer blade on direct contact helps you be able to control those shots that have more direct contact better.

A blade with more flex is good for making tangential (brush) SPIN contact. It would make a loop a little more spinny and a little more accurate. But it would do the opposite for a shot that was a more drive oriented shot.

Thanks for your reply Carl and to all all the other posters as well. After playing with my current blade/rubber combo I feel I need something more powerful that suits my game style and I need a 2nd bat (doesn't everybody) so after much investigation and research I'm about to pull the trigger on a Primorac Carbon. What rubbers would you guys put on ?

 
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Thanks for your reply Carl and to all all the other posters as well. After playing with my current blade/rubber combo I feel I need something more powerful that suits my game style and I need a 2nd bat (doesn't everybody) so after much investigation and research I'm about to pull the trigger on a Primorac Carbon. What rubbers would you guys put on ?

Is there any way for you to show some footage of yourself?

I can't be certain without seeing you play, but, based on everything you have said, it seems to me, a Primorac Carbon would NOT be an intelligent choice. Truthfully, for 95-98 out of 100 that would be a very bad choice.

Again, I can't say what would be good for you without seeing you but....what about something like a Stiga Clipper or a Xiom Extreme S with Tenergy 64 on both sides? That would be exponentially faster than what you have because the rubbers would work for the way you play and the blade is a decently stiff, fast blade whichever of those blades you choose.

The reason your setup is too slow for you is you are not using the Chinese rubbers the way they are meant to be used. Not because the blade is too slow.

 
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says Spin and more spin.
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A recommendation: if you play at a club, start asking club members to let you take a few hits and try their setups. Do this to as many rackets as you can and when there is something in your hand that you really like, write down what the blade is and what the rubbers are.
==
Do it till you have tried several that make you think, "this is what I really want to use." Then get the one you think you liked the best. That is much less of a stab in the dark than getting a fast flexible carbon blade with Chinese rubbers (301+H8) or getting a crazy fast Carbon blade that was state of the art in 1990 (Primorac Carbon), regardless of what rubbers you put on it.
==
Try as many rackets as you can so you can start feeling what works for you. The stuff that is written on the internet about equipment needs a context. And the way you say you play--mostly flat hitting, drives and blocks--is probably not what the people writing the reviews are doing with the equipment you are reading about or you would not have ended up with the 301 with H8.
==
Truthfully, if you want a simple solution: just get T64 and put it on your DHS 301 blade and see how that feels. Or Rasanter R 48. Or MXP. Or Rakza 7. Or Bryce High Speed. Or Stiga Calibra. Stiga Calibra may actually be a perfect rubber for you.
==
Try as many setups as you can. :)
 
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Is there any way for you to show some footage of yourself?

I can't be certain without seeing you play, but, based on everything you have said, it seems to me, a Primorac Carbon would NOT be an intelligent choice. Truthfully, for 95-98 out of 100 that would be a very bad choice.

Again, I can't say what would be good for you without seeing you but....what about something like a Stiga Clipper or a Xiom Extreme S with Tenergy 64 on both sides? That would be exponentially faster than what you have because the rubbers would work for the way you play and the blade is a decently stiff, fast blade whichever of those blades you choose.

The reason your setup is too slow for you is you are not using the Chinese rubbers the way they are meant to be used. Not because the blade is too slow.

Thanks again Carl, I might order one of the rubbers you mentioned earlier and see how I go with the existing blade.

 
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If you ever buy a new blade I highly recommend buying used from a local guy. Table tennis blades are made from wood. There were alive at some point. None of the two blades of the same brand will feel good. Arguing about blade composition online is great fun and can get you close to what you might want. But good old let me try before I buy is much much better. At this point I think I've played with 5 different Tibhar curious, 3 different Tibhar Lebesson, god knows how many Viscarias and Innerforces. None of them were the same. Some of them were dull as a knife and some of them were very very good, I knew exactly where the ball hit. Like if they were talking to me.

I don't know why these differences occur but in my experience, it is not worth buying blindly based on online suggestions. Hell, even my Virtuoso seems dull compared to my Ovtcharov Senso No 1... And that thing has carbon in it, and the Virtuoso is all blade, which by online myth standards should be the other way around...
 
My bang-bang bat is a Palio TNT-1 blade, stiff and hard as a fry pan, Xiom Omega V Tour both sides.
I use it only to block-assist in training.
These rubbers are very spin capable, but on such a blade generating spin is very difficult.
But for bang-bang it's ok even with old rubbers.
T64 and T80 would be good too, but are more expensive.
Xiom Omega 7 Pro would be a good choice too.
Frankly said for bang-bang I would never use fresh new rubbers, and regarding bang-bang blades I think that Palio is absolutely enough, but again you'd have to ask players with real experience, because, for example, the 11 ply Palio V-1, 7 wood+4 carbon, seems to be hard and stiff as hell, but in fact is mid-soft and mid flexy.
 
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So just to give you all an update since I last posted in here. I joined a new table tennis club with much more advanced players than my old club and thoroughly enjoy my sessions with the new players. The sessions are very demanding physically as well as technically. I can feel my game improving a lot. Having said that the itch that needed scratching just would not go away and I know a few of you advised against it but I'm stubborn once I put my mind to something so I pulled the trigger on a Butterfly Primorac Carbon and Nittaku Fastarc G-1 rubbers in max on both sides. All I can say is WOW. I absolutely love my new blade and rubbers and contrary to what some of you said my game has improved. I can feel it as well as comments from the club members I play with.
 
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