Help me chose new equipment

Ivo Georgiev · Jul 26, 2022

Hello everybody,

I would love to see your recommendations for a new configuration. I have been saving some money for a long time now Tand table tennis is really the only hobby I have that I really enjoy. That's why I want to put some time and consideration into this new purchase. I appreciate every recommendation, yet I would especially love to hear from people with experince.

I have been using Yasaka Sweden Extra + 2x Xiom Vega Europe (red 1,8mm black 2,3mm; I am not sure about this) and I have been loving it. I love the amount of control and precision it gives me. I am really able to put the ball exactly where I want it to go and manipulate it just how I want. At the same time I love the fact that I can spin, attack but also chop most balls with this racket.

Now that I have developed my technique and feel more comfortable, I have the feeling I could profit from spinnier rubbers.
This is where you come in play!

Could you please recommend me something with the same control and precision as the Xiom Vega Europe, but with more spin and optionally more power. However, control and precision are the most important factors for me and I would not sacrifice them for crazy amounts of spin.
Also, I have no idea of blades, so I am open to any suggestion that will pass to my wishes I stated above.
My budget is around 200-250€.

Thank you in advance!

Best
Ivo

Lazer · Jul 26, 2022

Yasaka Rakza 7 could be a good choice. No need to change blade just upgrade the rubber. Then next time do the blade.

Cheers
L-zr

ttarc · Jul 26, 2022

I would also recommend not to switch to a new blade and to new rubbers at the same time. Try out new/different rubbers first and than decide if you also need a different blade.
Same control with more spin and maybe more power... depends on how control is defined... more spin can mean more control if it e.g. allows us to get some balls on the table that otherwise would go long but 1. we must be able to generate it with the help of the rubber and 2. this usually comes with higher spin sensitivity which might feel like having less control. For me usually harder rubbers have higher precision but they require better technique/faster strokes than softer rubbers...

Rubbers: One somewhat natural step up from the Vega Euro could be the Vega Pro. Vega Pro has a harder sponge so you need to change strokes to get the most out of that rubber and it's also heavier than Vega Euro. Depending on sponge thickness up to 10g per sheet so the whole setup will at first feel quite different from what you are using now.
The mentioned Rakza 7 could also be a good upgrade. Although having a harder sponge (same hardness as Vega Pro) than the Vega Europe it has a softer topsheet so it doesn't feel as hard as a Vega Pro.
If you want to keep more of the feeling of softer rubbers I would try the Tibhar Aurus Soft. Same sponge hardness, harder topsheet and an overall harder feeling than Vega Europe but more spin and power.
Top of the line soft rubbers are still Tibhar Evolution FX-S/FX-P and Butterfly Tenergy 05fx but might be too much of an upgrade.

jk1980 · Jul 26, 2022

I do have played with the Yasaka Sweden Extra, but not with the Vega Europe (but rather the Omega 7 Europe).
I do mirror the recommendation to probably switch rubbers first and then see if a new blade is really needed if you are in continuous competitions where you do not have the time to adjust to a new blade and new rubbers at the same time. For a more spinny rubber, i would recommend the Tibhar Evolution EL-S in 1.7-1.8mm (they always have these ranges, next step would be 1.9-2.0mm). The EL-S is definitely very good to spin with and not to uncontrollable. Another good thing is, that it is not that much harder than the Vega Europe. The Vega Europe has 42.5° hardness, while the EL-S has 45-46° hardness. That is less then the other suggestions like Vega Pro or Rakza 7 who got 47.5°.

If you want to go all out and get a completely new setup but favor control you can do as i did: i transitioned from the Yasaka Sweden Extra to the Nittaku Violin. You will definitely not miss the control there and it is a bit faster as well. You should weigh your current blade and go for a similar weight new blade, so you dont end up going from a light YSE to a heavy Violin.

One option would be to first buy one new rubber and test it on the Yasaka Sweden Extra and if you like it, you buy the same new rubber for the new blade and put your old rubber that you removed from the YSE to the new blade. So you got two comparable blades with same rubbers.

allfj · Jul 27, 2022

As other people said, don't replace your blade. Try different rubbers and see which ones you like. If you like rubbers that allow you to control and manipulate the ball as you said, try a slower rubber like DHS hurricane 3 for your fh.

ttarc · Jul 27, 2022

Oscarting said:
As other people said, don't replace your blade. Try different rubbers and see which ones you like. If you like rubbers that allow you to control and manipulate the ball as you said, try a slower rubber like DHS hurricane 3 for your fh.

If one has never played with H3 or similar rubbers I would nowadays suggest to start with an easier to use hybrid rubber like the DHS Hurricane 8-80 37°. There is even a hybrid rubber with a soft 42.5° sponge: Donic BlueGrip S2 (same sponge as the non-tacky Donic Acuda S2)

Tony's Table Tennis · Jul 27, 2022

I think it is important not to change too much.
Going H3 or Hybrid rubbers are totally different to what you have and to me, is not a wise move.

Vega Pro is indeed 1 up from Vega Euro for spin.
So that is a good recommendation there.

Vega Pro, Rakza 7 etc is the same league.

I agree you can keep your blade and just go for 1 up from Vega Euro in terms of rubbers.

also, you likely have 1.8mm and 2.2mm (or rather they call it max).
you can then go 2.0mm and Max for your next setup.

I would go for 2 x Xiom Vega Pro
or 1 x xiom vega pro for fh and vega euro for bh if you want.
You will be left with 70% of your budget. You can buy us some pizza!

PingBirdPong · Jul 27, 2022

Tony's Table Tennis said:
I think it is important not to change too much.
Going H3 or Hybrid rubbers are totally different to what you have and to me, is not a wise move.

Vega Pro is indeed 1 up from Vega Euro for spin.
So that is a good recommendation there.

Vega Pro, Rakza 7 etc is the same league.

I agree you can keep your blade and just go for 1 up from Vega Euro in terms of rubbers.

also, you likely have 1.8mm and 2.2mm (or rather they call it max).
you can then go 2.0mm and Max for your next setup.

I would go for 2 x Xiom Vega Pro
or 1 x xiom vega pro for fh and vega euro for bh if you want.
You will be left with 70% of your budget. You can buy us some pizza!

170 Euros of pizza?
Coaching must take A LOT of energy🤣

Tony's Table Tennis · Jul 27, 2022

PingBirdPong said:
170 Euros of pizza?
Coaching must take A LOT of energy🤣

PingBirdPong · Jul 27, 2022

Tony's Table Tennis said:

Ohhhh…

Der_Echte · Jul 29, 2022

Uh-Oh, Pizza & TT...

Every Friday, a number of us play at the Russian Church, there is no full time club in our metro area of 3 million... it simply costs too much to lease and operate space compared to what one would bring in.

A local business donates a couple pizzas every Friday to some hungry TTers.

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Help me chose new equipment

Ivo Georgiev

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Lazer

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ttarc

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jk1980

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