Lifespan of the blades

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Hi 👋
I'd like to discuss under the topic of the blades' lifespan.
How long does a blade really last? I know it depends on how often you play, how you play XD (like playing too harsh with your blade being unable to control the rage), blades' stiffness like hard/soft (or less hard?) blades, the blade speed (how fast the blade is), the blade composition, materials and so on etc etc.

I do thanks beforehand to every1 who’s joining in this forum. Cheers usos !!
 

Brs

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Brs

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They last until you get stuck playing at the same level for longer than you think is fair.
 
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The only real wear on your blade comes when you replace the rubbers. Every time you do it, small splinters of the wood are pulled off with the rubber and glue. For pros who replace rubber every two weeks, this limits blades to about a year of life. Otherwise, they will pick up moisture over time, from the air and from your hand sweat. Eventually this will degrade the wood.
 
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The only real wear on your blade comes when you replace the rubbers. Every time you do it, small splinters of the wood are pulled off with the rubber and glue. For pros who replace rubber every two weeks, this limits blades to about a year of life. Otherwise, they will pick up moisture over time, from the air and from your hand sweat. Eventually this will degrade the wood.
I’ve seen articles and post about Lima blades (eg.,like dhs long 5) have higher tendency to splinter compare to koto due to the limba being softer wood. Is it so?

Does it depend on the material?
Especially I would like to know a comparison between
1. koto and lima
2. Inner Alc and Outer Alc

 
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I played with Timo Boll Spirit for around 15 years. One day I felt weird vibration: top layer separated from alc layer at couple of places. I guess, it was possible to repair it somehow, but I decided to reolace it with a new blade.
I see, 15 years is a pretty longgg time imo. Worth the use.

 
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I mostly have experience with limba, but pretty much everything splinters a bit. I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you change your rubber every 2 months and it can survive 25 rubber changes, I think 100 months/4 years is pretty good lifespan for a piece of equipment. Outer Alc may be more likely to delaminate early.
 
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I mostly have experience with limba, but pretty much everything splinters a bit. I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you change your rubber every 2 months and it can survive 25 rubber changes, I think 100 months/4 years is pretty good lifespan for a piece of equipment. Outer Alc may be more likely to delaminate early.
I see.
Mind if I ask why you think outer alc is more likely to delaminate faster than inner alc?

 
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Blade is not a rubber, it does not wear out. Some people say that blades lose their speed over time because we use water based glue to glue the rubbers, and you don't need to be an expert to figure out that water doesn't work very well with wood. Nevertheless, I believe that if you have blade adequate to the level you present, you should never change it until you break it.
 
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Blade is not a rubber, it does not wear out. Some people say that blades lose their speed over time because we use water based glue to glue the rubbers, and you don't need to be an expert to figure out that water doesn't work very well with wood. Nevertheless, I believe that if you have blade adequate to the level you present, you should never change it until you break it.

Thanks for sharing your opinion here. How about the lifespan compared in terms of the factors I’ve added above in the post? How do you think based on koto and Lima, outer alc and inner alc.

 
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Depending on your EJ level, and/or OCD level, lifespan ranges from "bought a new blade to play with", all the way to "chipped it slightly on the edge".

Depending on your skill level, and the amount you play, lifespan ranges from "a few months" to "tens of years", basically until the blade has lost its original characteristics.
 
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The only real wear on your blade comes when you replace the rubbers. Every time you do it, small splinters of the wood are pulled off with the rubber and glue. For pros who replace rubber every two weeks, this limits blades to about a year of life. Otherwise, they will pick up moisture over time, from the air and from your hand sweat. Eventually this will degrade the wood.

This is why you seal your blade, no splinters and water proof (mostly), and only a very thin layer of sealant is required, which has minimal effect on the characteristics of the blade.

 
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I dont see correlation between blade wear and the location of carbon layers in it. Also unfortunately I don't know if limba is going to wear out faster than koto but koto is harder than limba and usually the harder wood is more durable than the softer one but once again, I don't know.
 
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I played with Timo Boll Spirit for around 15 years. One day I felt weird vibration: top layer separated from alc layer at couple of places. I guess, it was possible to repair it somehow, but I decided to reolace it with a new blade.

I had the same problem with Xiom Stradivarius, don't know how old it is because I bought it used.
I guess ageing can be an issue. Maybe with carbon blades more likely than all wood or/and depends on gluing methods. Blade makers should know more about it.
Conclusion: don't store the blade like whiskey for later use because maybe you will find out its best years have passed.

 
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I had the same problem with Xiom Stradivarius, don't know how old it is because I bought it used.
I guess ageing can be an issue. Maybe with carbon blades more likely than all wood or/and depends on gluing methods. Blade makers should know more about it.
Conclusion: don't store the blade like whiskey for later use because maybe you will find out its best years have passed.

top layer peeling off the ALC or carbon is simply a sign of inferior manufacturing , not an aging process

 
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