andro allwood blades

[Ondřej Horák]

Andro narrowed their repertoire of blades in 2018, as we know from a video from Tabletennisdaily. At first the number fell to 22 different blades. But then the andro signed up a cooperation with a French star, Simon Gauzy, and four more Gauzy blades were added. The current number is on 26 pieces, which fall into three price lines – Basic Line, higher High Line and Supreme Line. Unfortunately, these changes have passed quite a while ago and there is not much info about andro allwood blades (all the lower series, which should be as close as possible to people). Let's change it and look at some representants of Basic Line.


Along with rebranding and narrowing of the offer, the boxes that are similar in all current series (outgoing solid part carrying the blade in the paper coat) have changed and look very nice. Timber blades have a simple, clean design and in their spectrum, every developing player should find a good choice – from DEF blade, through five-layer ALL+, 5-layer OFF to seven-layer OFF and OFF+.


Timber 5 OFF
Where to start? So let's take it from the basis. Andro Timber 5 OFF is the basic blade of the offer. This five-ply offensive blade consists of wooden plys Limba, Ayous and the center of Kiri. These types of wood are the most commonly used in the world of table tennis material, andro says so in catalog and certainly it was a safe bet. I also consider the overall thickness of this blade, which is 6.3 mm, very important. This is relatively enough for 5-ply wood (variants f. e. Samsonov Alpha 5.5 mm, Korbel 5.9 mm, Xiom Offensive S 6.1 mm). I also consider it very positive that the width does not sign on the weight of the blade. The catalog weight is about 83 grams, my piece is 81 grams.




This blade is from the lowest Basic line, so I was very surprised by the high quality of workmanship. Everything looks absolutely perfect, the head surface is beautifully smooth, the straight handle is rather rounded shape and its surface is incredibly smooth. Here depends mainly on personal preferences, but for me great job. Even a simple, clean design and a combination of light gray and blue can´t offend anyone.




I have been used to composite blade feel (Treiber FI OFF) for a long time. Honestly, I just expected Timber 5 to be a classic blade which is not standing out from a crowd. During the game I had a very pleasant surprise. The blade feeling is stiffer, absolutely vibration-free, which I probably have not noticed with any other wood blade of this type (even among 7-ply pieces) and I was really excited. The transmission of ball feeling to the playing hand is close to perfection. Vibrations always seems to me more disturbing. The blade is very sensitive, the game over the table is accurate. The topspin arch is medium to slightly higher. There is a control in the blocks and the pros typical for pure 5-ply wood appear – the blade is able to "absorb" some of the incoming energy and rotation if needed, which significantly increases the control. Of course, there is always a coin with two sides and at the same time it means that the block is not so aggressive and gives the opponent slightly more time.




Regarding speed, I consider the wood really classic OFF with good control. Playing at the table seemed precise to me. Further from the table, I did not experience the problem with the power in balls from longer distance. When you play the ball properly a with the right timing, playing 1-2 meters behind the table is not a problem. The blade is absolutely balanced for all game situations and I just enjoy playing with it.

 

[Ray]

Nice blade, thanks for the review.

Judging solely by the wood composition, andro Timber 5 Off is similar to Cornilleau Talisman All+ (ex Gauzy Quest All+): https://uk.cornilleau.com/blades/199-413-talisman-all.html

 

[trumpet_guy]

Thanks for the review and pictures.
Andro has a nice line of blades. I have been quite impressed with the TP_Ligna Off. I wouldn't mind trying the TP_Ligna CI Off as well.

 

[Kolev]

I have just bought a second Novacell Off/S Fl. I wanted to have a thin, flexible and fast 5ply all wood and this inexpensive blade is exactly what I was looking for, maybe one of the best all wood blades I have ever tried, although I am not very convinced about the hande-kind a small, but .....bearable.

 

[Ondřej Horák]

Here is a small continuation of my insight among allwood andro blades.

With the start of cooperation with Simon Gauzy, his signature series was created. It consists of 4 blades in which everyone can find something for himself. Three all-woods, one blade with composite (Kevlar carbon). Two of wooden (BL5 ALL and BL7 OFF) fall into the less expensive Basic Line, the middle class High Line is Gauzy CO OFF and in the Supreme Line we find a tool that is the choice of Simon himself, Gauzy SL7. A specific feature of this series is the origin of production in Sweden, most of the other andro blades are manufactured in Germany and some in Japan.

Gauzy's wood series is characterized by a slightly different look. Two woods are tuned to different shades of French tricolor, two higher blades retain only a different style of handle, an elongated "lens" with Gauzy's name and model. Different production is visible on some details of wood – for example, the handle is remarkably rougher and less "smoothed" on Gauzy models. I do not observe any shortcomings in the head of the blade, so it can be a production plan or standard. Someone may enjoy a rougher material because of better sweat absorbing or a sense of “non-slip”. The head is covered with paint, which can also serve as a protective layer against tearing of veneers when changing the rubbers.

Gauzy BL7 OFF
For BL7, I would generally expect it to be a blade of potential interest for the widest range of players. This seven-layer offensive blade has a construction of Limba, Balance foil, Abachi, Abachi with a total thickness of 5.9 mm. For the seven-ply all-wood it is not too thick, these blades are usually over 6 mm (f. e. Clipper 6.6 mm, Korbel SK7 6.7 mm, but also Persson Powerplay with 5.2 mm). Perhaps the overall thickness is influenced by the fact that the second layer contains a “balance” foil, which is not as wide as the wood layer itself, and this reduces the overall thickness. The weight of my piece 90 g, same as catalog weight.

In gameplay Gauzy BL7 behaves like a very nice seven-layer all-wood with a decent pace. The feeling of the blade is stiffer, I would say that it is quite similar to mentioned representatives of 7plys. The blade has tiny vibrations, which are not disturbing for the overall feeling. Compared to the Timbers, I find it slightly faster, but maybe it is because this blade is little bit more straight. The absolute dominant of the blade is the block. Thanks to the lower flight curve this blade is a total blocking monster. Where the others play carefully to the incoming topspin, the Gauzy BL7 can easily play active and think about the block placement. It is also very strong in playing contraspins and contradrives. When playing the opening topspin, it is necessary to keep in mind the lower arc, but spin potential is nice too.

I consider this blade very pleasant and interesting. I find it a bit more aggressive than others from Basic Line (maybe with the exception of Timber 7 OFF/S, I have no experience with that one). I would choose the blade, as stated in the catalog, for the offensive player, for whom there is no problem to change from more passive game situations to a strong counterattack.

 

[Ondřej Horák]

There is another of my tries. Hope there will appear more experiences from you guys.

The last blade (for a while) I am going to talk about is the seven ply all-wood Timber 7 OFF. The concept of this blade is really interesting - it is 7ply blade which is catalogized among slower OFF blades in the Basic Line. There is also a faster sibling of this blade in Timber series – Timber 7 OFF/S which has higher speed ranking (OFF+).



Timber 7 OFF impresses with its beautiful appearance from the beginning. The gray-yellow handle is shining on a dark wood surface, which looks really luxurious. The craftmanship is on such a high level. From the side we can see that dark veneers in the composition alternate with lighter ones. A darker color indicates the use of tempered veneers, which were produced in the same technological way as wood for the previous Temper Tech series. Composition is Limba THERMO, Ayous THERMO, Ayous, Ayous THERMO with a total blade thickness of 6 mm. Catalog weight is about 90 grams, my piece had quite non-standard 81 g.



While gameplay it behaves quite classic for seven ply all-wood. Compared to Timber 5, it has a lower arc and is much more straight. In case of speed, it seems quite similar to me, but the role played by the geometry of flight makes a difference. The opening topspin must be played with a little more power, but its flatter arc can be troublesome for the opponents. Although the andro recommended this blade for a versatile topspin players, I felt its biggest strength especially in straight play and contra-drives. I tested the blade with the Hexer rubbers, and I thought the whole combo was less sensitive to the incoming spin. Fast and aggressive drive became almost an universal stroke (regardless incoming spin) while training and I could "punch through" more than I would expect.



I agree that the blade is more suitable for playing close to the table, which is also supported by a strong block, push and generally just a very small flexibility of the blade. Timber 7 OFF is another interesting representative of the Basic Line, which opens up a wide range of options in a low budget. I would recommend it to a player who does not want to lose good touch, but at the same time prefer stronger and more powerful style of play.

 

[lasta]

I'm a fan of Andro blades too. The Timber 7 OFF/S is miles ahead of the Clipper in terms of fit, finish and material quality yet half the price.

AFAIK, the OFF/S is a relaunch of their old CS7 Tour. Anyone know if they intend on offering a refresh of the CS7 Velocity version? I would love to find a Cpen version of that.

 

[olzetezkarzo]

I hope they bring back the
andro temper tech all+

 

[Ondřej Horák]

lasta - Absoletely agreed with you in terms of finish and whole quality.

I don´t think that any of the blades is re-issue of anything. They just wanted to cover whole spectrum of speed and players tastes. But at all - it doesn´t mean that these two blades are not quite similar.

olzetezkarzo - Maybe Timber ALL/S (what means ALL+) would fit you well. I heard some positive words from a friend about this one.

 

[KM1976]

lasta - Absoletely agreed with you in terms of finish and whole quality.

I don´t think that any of the blades is re-issue of anything. They just wanted to cover whole spectrum of speed and players tastes. But at all - it doesn´t mean that these two blades are not quite similar.

olzetezkarzo - Maybe Timber ALL/S (what means ALL+) would fit you well. I heard some positive words from a friend about this one.

Can you also share your experiences with FI OFF blade which you have used in the past?
Also, since the blades from Andro (especially the composite blades) are more on 90 gms weight or heavier, how does the overall setup feels with rubbers, is it balanced or is it too head heavy?

 

[Airoc]

Also, since the blades from Andro (especially the composite blades) are more on 90 gms weight or heavier, how does the overall setup feels with rubbers, is it balanced or is it too head heavy?

There is enough variation in blade production for you to find them below 90 grams.

That said, none of the ones I have tried (Treiber FI and FO, Treiber CO) were really head heavy with 2 Rasanter rubbers (around 50 grams each with glue), no matter if they were above 90 grams or below.

 

[KM1976]

There is enough variation in blade production for you to find them below 90 grams.

That said, none of the ones I have tried (Treiber FI and FO, Treiber CO) were really head heavy with 2 Rasanter rubbers (around 50 grams each with glue), no matter if they were above 90 grams or below.

Thanks man, that really helps. Thanks for a quick input. I read that Andro quality is quite good, so I was willing to try an Andro setup. I am currently using ZJK ALC/Timo Boll ALC with Tenergy 05 and 05FX. Mostly, I will try the Rasanter R47 (FH) and R42(BH) on the same blade. As I am not very good or quick in adopting my game to a new setup. I hope that it would not be too much of a bother in the transition phase.

 

[Ondřej Horák]

Can you also share your experiences with FI OFF blade which you have used in the past?
Also, since the blades from Andro (especially the composite blades) are more on 90 gms weight or heavier, how does the overall setup feels with rubbers, is it balanced or is it too head heavy?

Yep, I have used Treiber FI quite a long time. I have two pieces - 89 and 87 grams.
In my eyes that blade is quite unique. It is really stiff but has such a soft feeling in a touch. If I have to describe it in one word it would be the word "feeling". The speed is not the right reason why to choose this one. FO is a bit faster with quite similar playing feeling but I lost more control with it. I am a fan of lighter blades but the weight distribution was really fine with both of my pieces
.
I really feel that this blade support potential of all sorts of material. I have played it with hard rubbers on FH and that would be great choice for a player who prefer to play with more power than technicaly. But after all, I have to admit that this blade perform the best with ESN rubbers in my hands. Using medium to medium hard ESN rubbers feels the most natural with this blade and at least for me it fullfills its potential.

You can use any kind of 47° rubber on your stronger side to have enough speed and power. And if one of your sides is weaker you get amazing control with 42-45° rubber. You can play all sort of strokes with ease and also when you are under pressure of the opponent there is still enought power to get the ball on the other side of the table. I really love this blade feeling but after all I decided to give a chance to allwood for some time.

 

[MOG]

Would you guys say the Timber 7 is a bit tamer and more controllable than the Fextra, Force Pro Black etc.
Perhaps a bit more flex for looping.
But still some stiffness for bh pips?

 

[Kolev]

I would appreciate any input on the OFF/S offerings e.g. Ligna, Timber...

 

[lasta]

I would appreciate any input on the OFF/S offerings e.g. Ligna, Timber...

The Timber OFF/S is in the same family as Stiga Clipper, Tibhar Samsonov Force Black, Butterfly SK7 etc.

Mine is exactly 7mm thick, so above average and thus a bit faster than the other brands' equivalents. Build quality is above average, neck is a bit wider (which I like). Handle is hollow, and handle material is very soft/light, so a bit head heavy.

For the price, probably the best Clipperoid there is.

 

[Carl05]

Would you guys say the Timber 7 is a bit tamer and more controllable than the Fextra, Force Pro Black etc.
Perhaps a bit more flex for looping.
But still some stiffness for bh pips?

Victas SWAT/TSP SWAT is what you are asking for.

 

[Manto76]

Would you guys say the Timber 7 is a bit tamer and more controllable than the Fextra, Force Pro Black etc.
Perhaps a bit more flex for looping.
But still some stiffness for bh pips?

What about the Gauzy SL - have you tried that?

 

[MOG]

SWAT is awful IMO, might as well get a 5 ply.

Gauzy SL, is that the ebony one, that will be fierce.

I think I would be better off trying to get SDC to make me one!!

 

[Manto76]

Gauzy SL, is that the ebony one, that will be fierce.

Yip, that's the ebony one.
It's gentler than you might think. It's relatively thin for a 7-ply (about 6.2mm I think) and still has some flex even with it's 'sharp' contact. By way of comparison I found the Gauzy SL gave me a better feel for the ball than the Stiga Rosewood VII. Probably more top-end power with the Rosewood VII, but definitely better allround 'touch' with the Gauzy SL. Of course I know that's subjective and another player might experience them the other way round!