Offensive players do you prefer inner or outer carbon and why?

We all know that blades like Viscaria and HL5 are extremely popular, representing two different approaches to the offensive style. For all you offensive players out there, which blade archetype do you prefer? Why does this suit you better? Or if you have totally different archetype you like, feel free to say why.

I started out with the V14 Pro (outer alc) thinking that it was just the best all-around offensive blade style because it was so popular on the pro tour.

But recently switching to inner alc blades such as DHS Bo2, I now see the inner structure as being completely superior in every way. When I go back to playing with the V14 Pro, it feels so pathetic to me now. I can't really find anything good about it anymore.

1) inner provides more serve and short game touch and feel
2) inner gives more control and feel, allowing me to take bigger and harder loop-kill swings
3) inner gives more arc, giving me a feeling of safety to clear the net and curve into the table
4) some people warned me that inner would feel slower, but I have the exact opposite experience. I feel my inner blades are overall faster, especially at mid-range
5) the 2 most important shots for me, opening loops and topspin loops both feel easier to execute and have better feeling with inner blade

Would be very interested to hear your experiences.

If inner has more arc that means easier to overshoot the table, it is worse for blocking and for flat hits.
That is not personal experience but just a guess.
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Originally Posted by DukeGaGa

Hmm, I think more arc means it's easier to not overshoot the table, since it arcs more... as in the ball trajectory has more arc, as in the ball goes up then down more. Or less arc means the ball goes straighter and flatter. At least that's how I understands it.

Also, more arc means more spin, relative to the ball speed that is, since the arc is the result of gravity and spin (Bernoulli's principle), where gravity affects everything the same way, more arc means more spin (if speed is the same).

On the other hand, to answer OP's questions , I like inner blades better, for pretty much the same reasons.

So now I'm having a hard time understanding why players like FZD and LGY use the outer alc. The inner ALC really seems so much superior to me.

Maybe they think that outer alc is superior for the banana flick, which is how they return serve 70% of the time. But I actually don't see why outer would be superior for flick either. Inner gives more dwell time, more arc, and I would imagine suits the flick shot better than outer alc.

Originally Posted by Michael Zhuang

So now I'm having a hard time understanding why players like FZD and LGY use the outer alc. The inner ALC really seems so much superior to me.

Maybe they think that outer alc is superior for the banana flick, which is how they return serve 70% of the time. But I actually don't see why outer would be superior for flick either. Inner gives more dwell time, more arc, and I would imagine suits the flick shot better than outer alc.

Just my opinion, but I think it'll be a few factors.

1. It's what they are used to. They will have been using outer carbon blades for most of their life, and clearly doing quite well.....

2. From MY experience, outer carbon is better when playing an all out aggressive game.

When I'm feeling good.... The outer carbon blades I've used (TB ALC most recently) just feel untouchable.

The speed and precision you can get makes you feel unstoppable.

BUT.... Most non pros (and even some pros I'm sure), will not always feel like that.

For me, when I wasn't quite on my game, I felt the outer carbon blade caused a few more mistakes, and left me a little too open to be attacked.

So in a nutshell.....

Outer carbon allowed me to play at the top of my game, but also made me more likely to make mistakes and cause issues.

Inner carbon is pretty bloody close to the top level of outer carbon, but it's safer, and I make less mistakes and feel more confident, even if I'm not playing well.

For people like FZD, I imagine they don't care about that last part - They just want that extra 0.5% that an outer carbon blade will give them.

I think it is very very slightly worse for block, but really the difference is small.

There is more arc with inner carbon, but actually it leads to more consistency in my opinion. With the outer carbon, there is lower arc so in your effort to aim slightly more upwards to clear the net, you may overshoot the table. So in my experience, the inner is more consistent because the ball actually bends down into the table more in a natural way. Outer carbon actually slightly causes you to overshoot by aiming upwards more.

I like koto, koto gets mostly the outer treatment, so I play outer.

Originally Posted by JustANoob

I like koto, koto gets mostly the outer treatment, so I play outer.

I just watched a review by Table Tennis Gan, it's for an inner carbon, koto surface blade by Gewo. I don't think it's on youtube yet, here's the link on bilibili https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1or4y1s7NW

Originally Posted by DukeGaGa

I just watched a review by Table Tennis Gan, it's for an inner carbon, koto surface blade by Gewo. I don't think it's on youtube yet, here's the link on bilibili https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1or4y1s7NW

There is a bit of a language barrier problem for me

I am also waiting for the 301Z, which should be a 301 with zlc. Hopefully the handle is not too thin.

Originally Posted by JustANoob

There is a bit of a language barrier problem for me

I am also waiting for the 301Z, which should be a 301 with zlc. Hopefully the handle is not too thin.

wow, a 301 with zlc? that sounds pretty powerful combination. How much is it and where do you buy it?

Originally Posted by Michael Zhuang

wow, a 301 with zlc? that sounds pretty powerful combination. How much is it and where do you buy it?

It has not been released yet, only announced by dhs. As far as i know.

Originally Posted by DukeGaGa

I just watched a review by Table Tennis Gan, it's for an inner carbon, koto surface blade by Gewo. I don't think it's on youtube yet, here's the link on bilibili https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1or4y1s7NW

Inner carbon with Koto surface? So did he say it feels similar to DHS 301?

Is it a combination that works? or is limba surface still superior

Inner. I love outer too.
but I'm not the best player in the world with a killer loop drive in every shot.
I mostly rely on heavy spin but slowish looping to get the job done.
I find outer helps my backhand blocking and speed but negatively impacts my spin (unless it's Hinoki outer)
Therefore not for me!
But I don't really like all wood that much exception is the acoustic and Hurricane long 3

My favourite blades are: ALC innerforce, Hurricane BO 2 and the Hurricane long 3

18-20 years ago I blindly chosen Timo Boll Spirit as my next blade (wanted to switch from all wood to carbon one). I didn't think about whether it is inner or outer or any other characteristics, except it being faster than my previous blade. I don't think that I'll be able to switch to something different to koto-outer ALC now, I just play with it for too long (well, maybe koto - outer Super ALC is an option for me 😁 )

Try adding an all-wood alternative to your comparison. You state you value ease of execution and feel for your loops (you even say that is your most important shots). I doubt neither inner nor outer carbon blades will be better in that department than a good all wood blade(Korbel, Clipper, ...).

Originally Posted by Tembel

Try adding an all-wood alternative to your comparison. You state you value ease of execution and feel for your loops (you even say that is your most important shots). I doubt neither inner nor outer carbon blades will be better in that department than a good all wood blade(Korbel, Clipper, ...)

I have Stiga Offensive CR and Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive. Both 5w blades.

The Stiga is a little bit slow, and although I like flex, maybe it was even too flexy for me. On my biggest loop kills, it didn't inspire confidence because it felt flimsy. Also it sorta lacks the punch from mid-range.

MLEO is faster, but it has a lower arc than the inner carbons. It's fast enough for most shots, but from mid-long range, it maybe feels just a tiny bit underpowered. Still very playable though. But I think the lower arc gives me less confidence than I can bend the ball into the table. I think with the inner carbons, the carbon layer gives the blade an extra little kick which gives the ball a higher arc. This is lacking in the MLEO.

I actually like the Viscaria, even though I don't play with it now. I don't think it is too fast for me, especially when paired with H3 rubbers. And I don't even think I play better/different if I play with my current setup vs when I play with Viscaria. For me it is just subjective preference between the two. The feeling from the outer carbon, it is like the Viscaria wants to be played all out, like if it prefers certain range of speeds/strokes/intensities, subjectively of course. The Horejsi ALC has deeper vibration, it is like it invites for wider range of strokes/intensities. Still when hit hard I get the feedback I want from it. Viscaria is shallow in a sense. Still great.

But the T5000 blades, that is just different beast. Especially when paired with dignics, etc. Way above my head. After couple of hits with such blade, both Viscaria and Vodak Horejsi ALC feel like good buddies or siblings :-)

One minor point, out of 8 blades (not an EJ really) I bought, I like only 3. And none of those is cheap chinese blade. This is just my personal experience. I don't claim it is so always.