Blade for double short pips

[Hassi]

Hello short pip lovers!
I'm an amateur player that is thinking about doing something crazy. I've never really been a fan of the looping playstyle and opening loops has never been my strong point. So why not go for short pips on both sides? I believe I've found the rubbers I wanna go for (der-materialspezialist: spinfire 2,1 and 1,8) but I'm unsure about a blade combination together with double pips.
I've played all different rubber and blade combinations (mostly Stiga since the club I used to play with are sponsored). Stiga Innova, Boost TX, 999T, Sanwei Gears, Short Pips, Long Pips, DHS 7, Allround Classic to name a few.
I'm looking for something fast when I want speed, when punch blocking and smashing for example, but slow and controlled when pushing and passive blocking. I've heard a lot of people talk about 7 ply, that it's the way to go for short pips but what I've read about inner carbon layers really resonates with what kind characteristics I want from a blade. I'm not sure if I'm skilled enough to notice any mayor difference, both 7 ply and inner carbon seem to be fast enough (depending on material ofc).

My budget is around 80€ and the blades I've been mostly interested in has been:

• Pimplepark Impetus
• Sanwei V5 Pro
• DHS 301
• Stiga Clipper
• Sanwei FEXTRA 7

Can you recommend any of the above blades or something else that isn't listed that has the characteristics I'm looking for? Thanks!

 

[enoxzr]

I recently started playing with short pips on the backhand and did some research in material combinations.

Balsa carbon blades are suggested a lot for being stiff and fast, which seems to pair well with short pips. My favourite blade was a Butterfly Balsa Carbo X7 22 already, so it was a match that seemed destined.

I bought another balsa carbon blade being harder, stiffer and faster in the Yinhe T11s. Haven't gotten around to testing that yet (waiting on a FH rubber to arrive for it) but first bounce test feel really nice!

The SP rubbers you looked into are considered to be really fast. While not necessarily a bad purchase, you might wanna try out short pips that are cheaper and maybe a bit more accessible.

I currently play with the Friendship 802 Legend in Medium-Soft and have a sheet of Friendship 802-40 Mystery III 38 degrees on a spare blade. The 802 Legend is more controlled, whereas the 802-40 Mystery III has more punch to it.

I think you can find both rubbers for the price of 1 Spinfire, so it could be an accessible way of entering the short pip space. Chinese brands have different good SP options (Yinhe Uranus series, several Friendhip options) that will most likely be on sale this weekend on Aliexpress for Black Friday. The Yinhe blade should be cheap and on sale as well!

Have fun trying short pips, eager to know what you end up trying out!

 

[RGo]

So, I can't speak to any of the blades you listed but in general, balsa blades were really common for that kind of playstyle back in the day because balsa blades behave very linearly, so are slow when you play passively but are quite explosive when you are playing aggressively, so maybe you can look into some balsa blades (there should be plenty options within your prize range there).

 

[Hassi]

I recently started playing with short pips on the backhand and did some research in material combinations.

Balsa carbon blades are suggested a lot for being stiff and fast, which seems to pair well with short pips. My favourite blade was a Butterfly Balsa Carbo X7 22 already, so it was a match that seemed destined.

I bought another balsa carbon blade being harder, stiffer and faster in the Yinhe T11s. Haven't gotten around to testing that yet (waiting on a FH rubber to arrive for it) but first bounce test feel really nice!

The SP rubbers you looked into are considered to be really fast. While not necessarily a bad purchase, you might wanna try out short pips that are cheaper and maybe a bit more accessible.

I currently play with the Friendship 802 Legend in Medium-Soft and have a sheet of Friendship 802-40 Mystery III 38 degrees on a spare blade. The 802 Legend is more controlled, whereas the 802-40 Mystery III has more punch to it.

I think you can find both rubbers for the price of 1 Spinfire, so it could be an accessible way of entering the short pip space. Chinese brands have different good SP options (Yinhe Uranus series, several Friendhip options) that will most likely be on sale this weekend on Aliexpress for Black Friday. The Yinhe blade should be cheap and on sale as well!

Have fun trying short pips, eager to know what you end up trying out!

No way, actually found the short pip rubber I used to play with back in the day and you won't believe it... You can just make out the sponge hardness (medium). Not sure about the thickness tho but it's niether max thickness or the thinnest since our trainer never recommended us buying either.
If you recommend them I'm definitely gonna give it a go on my DHS 7 blade before ordering either the rubber or blade. Hopefully I will have some playing time this coming weekend, will send and update for sure!

I've never tried a balsa blade and they kinda scare me tbh. I'm afraid I will hate it (played table tennis for about 7 years in my youth and always used 5/7 ply without carbon). I've borrowed some carbon blades, most recently two weeks ago and it definitely felt faster, it was however a super springy and soft xiom rubber on it which didn't make it justice. I overshot the table from time to time when counter looping.

Do you have any recommendation on how to remove super old glue from the sponge? I believe this is the nowadays banned glue that is applied to the sponge. Do I need chemicals or should I just apply the new waterbased glue on top? Thanks!

 

[Hassi]

So, I can't speak to any of the blades you listed but in general, balsa blades were really common for that kind of playstyle back in the day because balsa blades behave very linearly, so are slow when you play passively but are quite explosive when you are playing aggressively, so maybe you can look into some balsa blades (there should be plenty options within your prize range there).

Alright, will look into more Balsa blades, thanks! From what I wrote to enoxzr: "I've never tried a balsa blade and they kinda scare me tbh. I'm afraid I will hate it (played table tennis for about 7 years in my youth and always used 5/7 ply without carbon)." Do balsa blades have a distinct and different feel compared to all wood? From what I've heard they have a very unique sound which scares me Also, is balsa+carbon combo something you'd recommend? Or is all balsa fast enough? The Pimplepark Impetus that I mentioned in my initial post is a balsa 5+2 with inner carbon for example.

 

[enoxzr]

No way, actually found the short pip rubber I used to play with back in the day and you won't believe it... You can just make out the sponge hardness (medium). Not sure about the thickness tho but it's niether max thickness or the thinnest since our trainer never recommended us buying either.
If you recommend them I'm definitely gonna give it a go on my DHS 7 blade before ordering either the rubber or blade. Hopefully I will have some playing time this coming weekend, will send and update for sure!

I've never tried a balsa blade and they kinda scare me tbh. I'm afraid I will hate it (played table tennis for about 7 years in my youth and always used 5/7 ply without carbon). I've borrowed some carbon blades, most recently two weeks ago and it definitely felt faster, it was however a super springy and soft xiom rubber on it which didn't make it justice. I overshot the table from time to time when counter looping.

Do you have any recommendation on how to remove super old glue from the sponge? I believe this is the nowadays banned glue that is applied to the sponge. Do I need chemicals or should I just apply the new waterbased glue on top? Thanks!

Can't help you with tips on removing the old glue, also not sure if it hurts to put a regular layer of glue on the current rubber.


Balsa carbon blades aren't that scary at all, if you like and can handle a fast blade and don't mind it being a light blade (some people want the blade to be heavy). My Butterfly Balsa Carbo X7 22 is also inner carbon and less stiff and hard as the Yinhe T11s, which is an outer carbon blade with a thicker balsa core. Both blades should fit nicely in your price range, maybe even both if you stretch it a bit 😇

 

[lodro]

Do you have any recommendation on how to remove super old glue from the sponge?

I have the odd rubber that refuses to give up the old glue. As long as the surface is quite even you should be able to use it with any kind of glue, water based or otherwise. I bought a bottle of the old style glue from Aliexpress for when I am in a hurry. I do not play ITTF sanctioned tournaments so the old glue dries in a minute and works fine.
.aliexpress.com/item/1005005724299093.html

 

[Hassi]

I have the odd rubber that refuses to give up the old glue. As long as the surface is quite even you should be able to use it with any kind of glue, water based or otherwise. I bought a bottle of the old style glue from Aliexpress for when I am in a hurry. I do not play ITTF sanctioned tournaments so the old glue dries in a minute and works fine.
.aliexpress.com/item/1005005724299093.html

Hi! Yeah the sponge has really absorbed the glue and is semi glossy, it does seem very smooth tho. Just gonna double layer glue it and see if it sticks to the blade, otherwise I might need to go for the glue you linked, thanks!

 

[RGo]

Alright, will look into more Balsa blades, thanks! From what I wrote to enoxzr: "I've never tried a balsa blade and they kinda scare me tbh. I'm afraid I will hate it (played table tennis for about 7 years in my youth and always used 5/7 ply without carbon)." Do balsa blades have a distinct and different feel compared to all wood? From what I've heard they have a very unique sound which scares me Also, is balsa+carbon combo something you'd recommend? Or is all balsa fast enough? The Pimplepark Impetus that I mentioned in my initial post is a balsa 5+2 with inner carbon for example.

So, I'm by no means an expert on this subject, even though I play with short pips, but to defend, and I have played with balsa blades (with carbon), but with an anti on it. Balsa blades have a unique feeling to them (very soft and light), so they are hard to compare to other all-wood blades, thus it might take some time to get used to, but it's nothing that you can't learn to handle.

 

[Hassi]

I recently started playing with short pips on the backhand and did some research in material combinations.

Balsa carbon blades are suggested a lot for being stiff and fast, which seems to pair well with short pips. My favourite blade was a Butterfly Balsa Carbo X7 22 already, so it was a match that seemed destined.

I bought another balsa carbon blade being harder, stiffer and faster in the Yinhe T11s. Haven't gotten around to testing that yet (waiting on a FH rubber to arrive for it) but first bounce test feel really nice!

The SP rubbers you looked into are considered to be really fast. While not necessarily a bad purchase, you might wanna try out short pips that are cheaper and maybe a bit more accessible.

I currently play with the Friendship 802 Legend in Medium-Soft and have a sheet of Friendship 802-40 Mystery III 38 degrees on a spare blade. The 802 Legend is more controlled, whereas the 802-40 Mystery III has more punch to it.

I think you can find both rubbers for the price of 1 Spinfire, so it could be an accessible way of entering the short pip space. Chinese brands have different good SP options (Yinhe Uranus series, several Friendhip options) that will most likely be on sale this weekend on Aliexpress for Black Friday. The Yinhe blade should be cheap and on sale as well!

Have fun trying short pips, eager to know what you end up trying out!

Dude... Look what I found in a plastic bag with all my other old rubbers Aren't these two rubbers the exact ones you talked about? 802 and 802-40? The 802-40 has a super soft 35 degree sponge.

 

[Rinforzando]

Hi !
I'm playing with short pips on both forehand and backhand (twiddling when playing) and from what the infos I gathered and what I tested, a stiff blade is the way to go. More stiffness = more controlled block, more controlled attacks. Downside: it's not the easiest thing to do an opening loop, but if you want to let the opponent loop and then attacks his loops like Falck or Wang Zeng Yi then it's very good.

I don't know the blades you listed above but some good blades I know for sp:

Dr. Neubauer Texa Carbon
Nittaku Miyabi (one ply Hinoki is the pinnacle for hitting and blocking, it's a common style in Korea and China with players using a one ply hinoki J-pen/C-pen blade)
OSP Martin AC

He Zhi Wen used a Stiga Clipper for a long time in his career, I don't know if he is still using it but judging it by his results it can't be a bad blade for blocking and hitting.

Also, it's good to start with a 802-40 which is a very grippy sp. You will know if you want something spinny or less spinny after trying it. Spinfire is one of the spinniest sp, not the best for hitting (it's still very good !) but the opening loops and serves are very strong with it.

 

[enoxzr]

Dude... Look what I found in a plastic bag with all my other old rubbers Aren't these two rubbers the exact ones you talked about? 802 and 802-40? The 802-40 has a super soft 35 degree sponge.

Cool!
You have the regular 802-40 there, I have the 802-40 Mystery III, a newer version, bit harder and a better SP for hitting than the regular one I believe.

 

[Hassi]

Hi !
I'm playing with short pips on both forehand and backhand (twiddling when playing) and from what the infos I gathered and what I tested, a stiff blade is the way to go. More stiffness = more controlled block, more controlled attacks. Downside: it's not the easiest thing to do an opening loop, but if you want to let the opponent loop and then attacks his loops like Falck or Wang Zeng Yi then it's very good.

I don't know the blades you listed above but some good blades I know for sp:

Dr. Neubauer Texa Carbon
Nittaku Miyabi (one ply Hinoki is the pinnacle for hitting and blocking, it's a common style in Korea and China with players using a one ply hinoki J-pen/C-pen blade)
OSP Martin AC

He Zhi Wen used a Stiga Clipper for a long time in his career, I don't know if he is still using it but judging it by his results it can't be a bad blade for blocking and hitting.

Also, it's good to start with a 802-40 which is a very grippy sp. You will know if you want something spinny or less spinny after trying it. Spinfire is one of the spinniest sp, not the best for hitting (it's still very good !) but the opening loops and serves are very strong with it.

Hello and thank you for your input!
I will definitely give my 802s a try to see which one I prefer the most and then go from there. I might stick with them, although I need to buy a red one, maybe the mystery version that enoxzr recommended!

The spinfire does sound like what I'm looking for, doesn't seem too different from inverted pips but way less spin sensitive and spin generating so smashing is more of an option in more scenarios.

The Texa carbon does seem interesting with carbon only on the forehand side, I do like attacking with my backhand as well but maybe the blade will be fast enough anyway?
With the one ply hinoki we enter the scary territory again 😅 Maybe I would LOVE it, maybe not. Always played with 5/7 ply wood and kinda scared but intrigued to try something different.
Stiga clipper does seem like a safe but boring bet. I kinda know what to expect, used a lot of Stiga products in the past and this just seem a bit faster and stiffer than my other Stiga blades.

 

[Hassi]

I recently started playing with short pips on the backhand and did some research in material combinations.

Balsa carbon blades are suggested a lot for being stiff and fast, which seems to pair well with short pips. My favourite blade was a Butterfly Balsa Carbo X7 22 already, so it was a match that seemed destined.

I bought another balsa carbon blade being harder, stiffer and faster in the Yinhe T11s. Haven't gotten around to testing that yet (waiting on a FH rubber to arrive for it) but first bounce test feel really nice!

The SP rubbers you looked into are considered to be really fast. While not necessarily a bad purchase, you might wanna try out short pips that are cheaper and maybe a bit more accessible.

I currently play with the Friendship 802 Legend in Medium-Soft and have a sheet of Friendship 802-40 Mystery III 38 degrees on a spare blade. The 802 Legend is more controlled, whereas the 802-40 Mystery III has more punch to it.

I think you can find both rubbers for the price of 1 Spinfire, so it could be an accessible way of entering the short pip space. Chinese brands have different good SP options (Yinhe Uranus series, several Friendhip options) that will most likely be on sale this weekend on Aliexpress for Black Friday. The Yinhe blade should be cheap and on sale as well!

Have fun trying short pips, eager to know what you end up trying out!

Hello again, just wanted to tell you that I went with the Stiga Clipper CR. It has a great black friday discount on dandoy-sports and lacquering is even free! (This is not an ad)
It seems like a great blade for short pips, stiff, hard, fast. Can't wait to try it out!

 

[Hassi]

I recently started playing with short pips on the backhand and did some research in material combinations.

Balsa carbon blades are suggested a lot for being stiff and fast, which seems to pair well with short pips. My favourite blade was a Butterfly Balsa Carbo X7 22 already, so it was a match that seemed destined.

I bought another balsa carbon blade being harder, stiffer and faster in the Yinhe T11s. Haven't gotten around to testing that yet (waiting on a FH rubber to arrive for it) but first bounce test feel really nice!

The SP rubbers you looked into are considered to be really fast. While not necessarily a bad purchase, you might wanna try out short pips that are cheaper and maybe a bit more accessible.

I currently play with the Friendship 802 Legend in Medium-Soft and have a sheet of Friendship 802-40 Mystery III 38 degrees on a spare blade. The 802 Legend is more controlled, whereas the 802-40 Mystery III has more punch to it.

I think you can find both rubbers for the price of 1 Spinfire, so it could be an accessible way of entering the short pip space. Chinese brands have different good SP options (Yinhe Uranus series, several Friendhip options) that will most likely be on sale this weekend on Aliexpress for Black Friday. The Yinhe blade should be cheap and on sale as well!

Have fun trying short pips, eager to know what you end up trying out!

Hey, I played for about and hour with my 802 and 802-40 with the Stiga allround CR blade and I found it incredibly slow, the ball often went into the net even tho I played with a very open bat. I found it very hard to find the right speed and angle to get the balls over the net and land on the table. I initially felt like I would have much more control with a spinnier and faster rubber + blade combo, something similar to a "normal" rubber.

 

[pong99]

I have tried 802, 802-40, 755, Superspinpips, and now have Spinfire max on a fast, stiff, carbon blade. Spinfire is the best SP I have tried.

As you noticed, any 802 on an ALL+ blade is very slow. Spinfire is way faster and spinnier than 802-40. Spinfire works best on a fast, stiff blade. Spinfire on an ALC blade works very well. If you are on a budget, there are many chinese ALC viscaria like clones like yinhe v14 that I would look at. Clipper would be ok.

Go to youtube and search for the WRM TV channel, they have several videos of high level players showing how to use Spinfire for FH and BH. They are Japanese, but have english subtitles.