All around blade suggestion :)

[artemis]

Hi everyone,
I've been considering changing my Timo Boll Spirit after 2yrs for something more controlled.
I prefer to stay close/mid-range and open the game with a flick or a loop, but wont finish the point with a power loop, 4-5 spinny loops and win the point or after the opening shot blocking a few shots and then a counter-hit or a heavy punch.
after a day of searching my options are Butterfly Innerforce ALC & Stiga Infinity VPS
can someone please compare these two in terms of speed, control, feel, looping, blocking, etc? my biggest concern is that moving from a composite blade to an all-wood would be a big setback in terms of speed. Is the Inf. really that slower than the Innerforce?
I've already played with one of my friends Innerforce with the same rubbers that Im using and it was great. superb feeling, awesome control, opening against backspin was a piece of cake. I was going to buy it until I saw I might be getting something really close with much less paying.
Definitely I wont have a chance to try the Inf. but any review that I red about it was good and it seems like it would match my needs.
Which one do you suggest for me?? or maybe another blade??

many thanks )

 

[Shifu]

the question is: what do you want to change?

do you want less speed/bounce, if so, how much? -> just slower blade

do you want more vibration/feel? -> maybe go away from carbon or choose something like innerforce or WSC

in my opinion a blade can be more controlled even if it has the same speed if it has more feedback.

what rubbers do you use?

i'm not sure about the innerforce's speed but i felt that it has a lot more feel than a stiff blade like TBS. I also like WSC a lot because it has carbon but has a lot more feel than Viscaria/TBS (and it's a bit slower, too)

if you want it to be less bouncy you could also just move down a bit in sponge thickness

 

[artemis]

the question is: what do you want to change?

do you want less speed/bounce, if so, how much? -> just slower blade

do you want more vibration/feel? -> maybe go away from carbon or choose something like innerforce or WSC

in my opinion a blade can be more controlled even if it has the same speed if it has more feedback.

what rubbers do you use?

i'm not sure about the innerforce's speed but i felt that it has a lot more feel than a stiff blade like TBS. I also like WSC a lot because it has carbon but has a lot more feel than Viscaria/TBS (and it's a bit slower, too)

if you want it to be less bouncy you could also just move down a bit in sponge thickness

for now Im using tibhar Evolution El-p FH & donic sonex jp BH
lets say Im looking for something less bouncier and a bit lower speed than my current TBS
I love the its vibration but a little bit softer feel might be better
as i said innerforce alc was awesome. but the price makes me consider Inf. as a lower price replacement. but Im not sure if i will be as good as innerforcec or not, price is surely important but as im going to keep this blade for like 2-3 yrs I wont mind paying few more bucks.

I also tried the WSC, handle was really awkward.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

You sounded like you were on the right track saying you wanted more control and the title of the thread sounded good: "All Around Blade Suggestions." But then you went straight to two Off blades and one has Carbon.

Truthfully, both blades you are looking at would be okay. But they are not for Allround play. They are Offensive.

The Infinity is not any slower or faster than the IF ALC. They play differently. But they are pretty similar in speed. So either would work. If you compared 10 IF ALCs with 10 Infinitys you would find some IF ALCs faster and vice versa. Because there is always a range since blades are made of wood. There will also be a range of weights.

In spite of those blades being okay, I have two suggestions that would be less expensive, give you better control and more spin, and be pretty close to the same speed.

The two blades are:

1) Butterfly Petr Korbel
2) Tibhar Stratus Power Wood

They are pretty similar. Slight differences. The TSPW is less expensive but just as good. A little crisper. Not quiet as soft. But they are both EXCELLENT for what you are looking for.

These two blades have the same exact wood plies as the IF ALC without the ALC layer. How they manage to have such similar speed is that the head is slightly larger, so they get their power that way.

If you research, the Petr Korbel is one of the most popular all wood blades used by top professionals. In the most recent European Championships more players were using this blade than any other all wood blade.

It is excellent for top pros. It is definitely a good choice for many forum members.

The plies in the Korbel and the SPW are the same: Limba-Limba-Ayous-Limba-Limba. Either blade would really suit the needs you have described.


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[artemis]

You sounded like you were on the right track saying you wanted more control and the title of the thread sounded good: "All Around Blade Suggestions." But then you went straight to two Off blades and one has Carbon.

Truthfully, both blades you are looking at would be okay. But they are not for Allround play. They are Offensive.

The Infinity is not any slower or faster than the IF ALC. They play differently. But they are pretty similar in speed. So either would work. If you compared 10 IF ALCs with 10 TSPWs you would find some IF ALCs faster and vice versa. Because there is always a range since blades are made of wood. There will also be a range of weights.

In spite of those blades being okay, I have two suggestions that would be less expensive, give you better control and more spin, and be pretty close to the same speed.

The two blades are:

1) Butterfly Petr Korbel
2) Tibhar Stratus Power Wood

They are pretty similar. Slight differences. The TSPW is less expensive but just as good. A little crisper. Not quiet as soft. But they are both EXCELLENT for what you are looking for.

These two blades have the same exact wood plies as the IF ALC without the ALC layer. How they manage to have such similar speed is that the head is slightly larger, so they get their power that way.

If you research, the Petr Korbel is one of the most popular all wood blades used by top professionals. In the most recent European Championships more players were using this blade than any other all wood blade.

It is excellent for top pros. It is definitely a good choice for many forum members.

The plies in the Korbel and the SPW are the same: Limba-Limba-Ayous-Limba-Limba. Either blade would really suit the needs you have described.


Sent from The Subterranean Workshop by Telepathy

Maybe I used a wrong title for my problem

Off- blade suggestion

I used to play with Korbel before moving to my current TBS. I felt like I'm needing more speed for finishing points with a higher speed loop or a punch. Most probably it was a technique problem. Despite being bouncy in short game, flicks and dropshots were a little tricky, TBS felt great for like a year but now I somehow realize maybe something more controlled with less speed would be better. After 2 weeks of training with innerforce it seemed perfect!! Great woody feel for close to table passive shots and when looping the alc layer gets to work and speed is great. Also it has a bit softer feel with I loved about it. Do you still recommend moving back to Korbel/TSPW or choosing between IF ALC and Infinity VPS??

And just one other thing, you mentioned IF ALC and Infinity play differently.... Would you mind explaining more??

 

[yuri.saldon]

I think you already know the answer, you test innerforce alc and liked it, probably nothing will feel better than that

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[artemis]

I think you already know the answer, you test innerforce alc and liked it, probably nothing will feel better than that

Sent from my 2014819 using Tapatalk

I know I'm overthinking about this and it seems unlikely to find something better than innerforce, but this guy from my club came up yesterday and said Infinity VPS will probably suit your style. So I started researching and it seemed awesome and I posted this thread to see if anyone has any experience with them just to be sure about my choice.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Infinity has a lot of feedback. It feels pretty crisp. It will feel harder than the IF ALC.

Do you still have your old Korbel? If you did, you could try it out for a session to see what it feels like now. That blade is fast enough. Korbel is still an Off blade. Not an Off- blade. And IF ALC and Infinity are Off blades. They are not really Off-. The Korbel, IF ALC and the Stiga Infinity are all in the same speed category even if the IF ALC is a hair faster than the Korbel. It is not that much.

 

[Der_Echte]

You could always operate a Der_Echte Special until you figure it out.

Galaxy 896 Blade (15 Euros in many places) All+ to OFF- 5 ply mid 80s. Usually take off handle and fill with nails to make it 110 gram blade.
FH Rubber - Recycle Ur old FH Rubber from old blade - older the better
BH Rubber New sheet of Dawei XP 2008 (7 euros new) or whatever you can obtain by hook or crook.

You play a month with that thing and your game will grow, then whatever new setup you get, you will be 2-3x more powerful.

 

[Der_Echte]

You could always operate a Der_Echte Special until you figure it out.

Galaxy 896 Blade (15 Euros in many places) All+ to OFF- 5 ply mid 80s. Usually take off handle and fill with nails to make it 110 gram blade.
FH Rubber - Recycle Ur old FH Rubber from old blade - older the better
BH Rubber New sheet of Dawei XP 2008 (7 euros new) or whatever you can obtain by hook or crook.

You play a month with that thing and your game will grow, then whatever new setup you get, you will be 2-3x more powerful.

 

[artemis]

Infinity has a lot of feedback. It feels pretty crisp. It will feel harder than the IF ALC.

Do you still have your old Korbel? If you did, you could try it out for a session to see what it feels like now. That blade is fast enough. Korbel is still an Off blade. Not an Off- blade. And IF ALC and Infinity are Off blades. They are not really Off-. The Korbel, IF ALC and the Stiga Infinity are all in the same speed category even if the IF ALC is a hair faster than the Korbel. It is not that much.

Actually I sold my Korbel but I'll borrow my friend's and test it again. thanks for the suggestion

You could always operate a Der_Echte Special until you figure it out.

Galaxy 896 Blade (15 Euros in many places) All+ to OFF- 5 ply mid 80s. Usually take off handle and fill with nails to make it 110 gram blade.
FH Rubber - Recycle Ur old FH Rubber from old blade - older the better
BH Rubber New sheet of Dawei XP 2008 (7 euros new) or whatever you can obtain by hook or crook.

You play a month with that thing and your game will grow, then whatever new setup you get, you will be 2-3x more powerful.

As I've already sold my TBS Im ready to give it a shot and hopefully with a bit of luck I'm gonna beat Ma Long in a month

 

[yogi_bear]

i suggest you choose among the ff:
1. yinhe w-6
2. xiom solo
3. stiga infinity vps
4. yinhe earth -4 (a clone of nittaku violin)

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Actually I sold my Korbel but I'll borrow my friend's and test it again. thanks for the suggestion

As I've already sold my TBS Im ready to give it a shot and hopefully with a bit of luck I'm gonna beat Ma Long in a month

The truth is, if you really like the IF ALC it is an excellent blade and it should be fine for you. But the Korbel is actually very similar and it would save you a decent amount of money. So it is worth trying your friends. To me it actually sounds like your technique has improved a decent amount since you used the Korbel and you would feel the speed it has differently now than you did back then. Good luck.

 

[Shifu]

Did you like the feel of the WSC? I guess you played with the normal one which indeed has a weird handle/shape. ST JO Shape is the way to go with that one

 

[artemis]

The truth is, if you really like the IF ALC it is an excellent blade and it should be fine for you. But the Korbel is actually very similar and it would save you a decent amount of money. So it is worth trying your friends. To me it actually sounds like your technique has improved a decent amount since you used the Korbel and you would feel the speed it has differently now than you did back then. Good luck.

I asked my friend to bring his korbel to today's training session and I tried it. It really seemed better than couple years ago. way better. but somehow I liked IF ALC a bit more for looping. probably because im more used to composite blade than all-wood which can be solved over time.

But there's a problem, onlineshops don't have shipping to Iran and my local provider only has Korbel with ST handle (which feels pretty awkward for me) and there wont be FL for at least 3-4 weeks. TSPW that you mentioned wont be available until then.
Would you recommend Infinity VPS with almost same price tag as the Korbel, or just going for lets say overpriced IF ALC?? or maybe suggesting some other blade hopefully I can find here?

Did you like the feel of the WSC? I guess you played with the normal one which indeed has a weird handle/shape. ST JO Shape is the way to go with that one

Actually I have nearly the same problem with WSC that I have with Korbel. Its almost impossible to find the other handle type here

 

[yuri.saldon]

Table tennis 11 or dandoy doesn't ship to Iran?

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[Ilia Minkin]

Sorry about talking on technique in a equipment thread, but if you ever feel that you lack power on finishing shots you need THIS

 

[Zaid323918]

Infinity is a lot cheaper than Innerforce. It's also harder and has a more woody feeling. If you buy the Infinity make sure you lacquer it or it's top ply will get messed up when you remove the rubber. The Infinity's FL handle is very good too and they even have a wide FL for dudes with big hands. (I'm not one of them) TableTennis11 ships to Iran but they don't have Innerforce. They do have the Infinity though for around 60 USD.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

When you guys are talking about the WSC blade, all I can think of is Werner Schlager Carbon. What blade are you talking about?


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[artemis]

Table tennis 11 or dandoy doesn't ship to Iran?

Sent from my 2014819 using Tapatalk

Dandoy doesn't and not sure about TT11
As Korbel was out of stock I didn't really checked if the do

Infinity is a lot cheaper than Innerforce. It's also harder and has a more woody feeling. If you buy the Infinity make sure you lacquer it or it's top ply will get messed up when you remove the rubber. The Infinity's FL handle is very good too and they even have a wide FL for dudes with big hands. (I'm not one of them) TableTennis11 ships to Iran but they don't have Innerforce. They do have the Infinity though for around 60 USD.

My biggest concern about Infinity is that if im gonna lacquer it, it may end up something stiff and bouncy nearly my current TBS. paying Innerforce price isn't much problem if im sure it would be a better choice. but im not

Sorry about talking on technique in a equipment thread, but if you ever feel that you lack power on finishing shots you need THIS

Actually problem is vice versa. I feel too much power for some of my shots with my current setup.
Thanks for the video by the way