Boll Spirit Alternatives

[MV_Smoove_BHD]

Hey everyone!

Unfortunately I cracked my blade, so I want to ask if somebody knows any alternative for the Boll Spirit.

The brand of the blade isn´t really important, although it should not be a Chinese brand, but the product should not cost more than 55£.

 

[michiy]

What about Stiga Clipper Wood Classic (not WRB)?

I paid $60 in mine. The WRB version is lighter, better sweet spot and costs $130.

It's one of the best blades I've used.

There is also Donic Burn off-, Avalox P700 or P500.

 

[PalashBindal]

Donic Baum espirit
It's an copy of tbs by donic
Also tibhar marcos frietas is a bit similar

 

[MV_Smoove_BHD]

What about Stiga Clipper Wood Classic (not WRB)?

I paid $60 in mine. The WRB version is lighter, better sweet spot and costs $130.

It's one of the best blades I've used.

There is also Donic Burn off-, Avalox P700 or P500.

What kind of style are you playing?
Are you more of a player who uses counterspins and blocks near the table or are you more of a looper who is playing at half distance?

 

[gman4911]

What do you have against Chinese brands? Their blades are great values. Arylate Carbon blades similar to Timo Boll Spirit can be had for under $30US.

 

[michiy]

What kind of style are you playing?
Are you more of a player who uses counterspins and blocks near the table or are you more of a looper who is playing at half distance?

My playstyle is more a mid-distance looper as you said. I try not to block, because I simply suck at it and find counterlooping or accelerating the ball to be better options. In summary, my game is to pressure the opponent until he cannot reach or block. It's as tiring as rewarding.

 

[michiy]

What do you have against Chinese brands? Their blades are great values. Arylate Carbon blades similar to Timo Boll Spirit can be had for under $30US.

This is true indeed. Yinhe has great blades, and DHS as well. A friend of mine uses a DHS PG7, which is a 7 -ply (koto and limba if I'm no wrong) and he loves it. He states it is one of the best blades for mid-distance looping.

A note, I got a Clipper wood myself and comparing to the DHS PG7 they have almost the same structure, only difference is on the thickness of the Limba plies (which are 1mm thicker). This might give more dwell time compared to the Clipper.

 

[MV_Smoove_BHD]

This is true indeed. Yinhe has great blades, and DHS as well. A friend of mine uses a DHS PG7, which is a 7 -ply (koto and limba if I'm no wrong) and he loves it. He states it is one of the best blades for mid-distance looping.

A note, I got a Clipper wood myself and comparing to the DHS PG7 they have almost the same structure, only difference is on the thickness of the Limba plies (which are 1mm thicker). This might give more dwell time compared to the Clipper.

I tried chinese blades, especially those of Yinhe, Palio and DHS, a lot and with every blade I tested so far, e.g. Yinhe TC2, I was disappointed.

My only problem with the blades you mentioned is that they, cause they haven't got any carbon layers, have a too soft touch I think.

 

[MV_Smoove_BHD]

What do you have against Chinese brands? Their blades are great values. Arylate Carbon blades similar to Timo Boll Spirit can be had for under $30US.

So could you be so kind and name me one?

 

[MV_Smoove_BHD]

Donic Baum espirit
It's an exact replica of tbs by donic
Also tibhar marcos frietas is a bit similar

Unfortunately the Freitas blade isn't available on the austrian and german market anymore.

Do you perhaps know how big, roughly estimated, the rackethead of the Baum Spirit is, because as i know the size of Donic blades is often above average for offensive blades, because one time i played the Burn Aratox RS and its racket head is as big as the one of a Allround Blade e.g. BTY Grubba ALL+.

 

[michiy]

I tried chinese blades, especially those of Yinhe, Palio and DHS, a lot and with every blade I tested so far, e.g. Yinhe TC2, I was disappointed.

My only problem with the blades you mentioned is that they, cause they haven't got any carbon layers, have a too soft touch I think.

Cheap composite blades are hard to find, a good one at least.

If you are looking for a cheap with stiff feeling, maybe the Donic Burn OFF and Avalox P700 are viable options. From all full-wood blades these are the stiffest I've used. The Donic Burn series specifically receives a special heat treatment, which takes out all the moisture from the wood and this process hardens the feeling. I paid $55 on this one.

 

[gman4911]

So could you be so kind and name me one?

If you are a close to mid distance player, I would recommend the Yinhe T-7. If you are a mid to long distance player, try the T-8. The T-7 is about $25US and the T-8 is about $29US on ebay. I play with the T-7 and DHS H3 unboosted. My playing style is close to the table looper/hitter/blocker.

Zeropong recently introduced the Gambler Mega Weave Arylate Carbon blade for $40 that looks interesting. http://www.zeropong.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=46_94&products_id=287

 

[PalashBindal]

Unfortunately the Freitas blade isn't available on the austrian and german market anymore.

Do you perhaps know how big, roughly estimated, the rackethead of the Baum Spirit is, because as i know the size of Donic blades is often above average for offensive blades, because one time i played the Burn Aratox RS and its racket head is as big as the one of a Allround Blade e.g. BTY Grubba ALL+.

I dont know about the size but someone at the ttdb page of the blade said it's 160mm x 152mm
You can contact your retailer about it

 

[PalashBindal]

Or you can try joola rossi emotion
Not the same as tbs but a very good blade for a very low price

 

[laurenthb]

the donic baum esprit is supposed to play quite similar to the boll spirit. Slightly larger headsize though if I remember correctly.

 

[MV_Smoove_BHD]

Or you can try joola rossi emotion
Not the same as tbs but a very good blade for a very low price

Ok Palash you were able to persuade me to buy the Baum Esprit.
Let's see if it's largely similar to the Boll Spirit. Hope it will be.

 

[PalashBindal]

Ok Palash you were able to persuade me to buy the Baum Esprit.
Let's see if it's largely similar to the Boll Spirit. Hope it will be.

Hahahaha
Good luck mate[emoji106]

 

[Baal]

Ok Palash you were able to persuade me to buy the Baum Esprit.
Let's see if it's largely similar to the Boll Spirit. Hope it will be.

It's not an exact replica but it has a lot of the same playing characteristics and you should be able to adjust pretty easily. Also not too expensive.

 

[TurboZ]

The Baum Esprit has a much thicker core than TBS. Also the composite layer is Aramid Carbon instead of ALC. I have both but Baum in Cpen and TBS in ST and also different rubbers so it is hard to compare.

 

[Der_Echte]

There is no replacement for TBS, it is eternal. ( I used it for a few years as main blade and ALWAYS went back to it after testing other blades. ) There are a few Nexy blades that play close enough and do the same things (control, feel and power when you need it) even the Tibhar Inca (designed by Nexy President as he has close ties with Tibhar) is a good one, but they are all over your price range. Nexy Calix and Arirang are two great new composite blades that come to mind, but they are not cheap blades.

I would say suck it up and get another TBS, heavy as you can find.

As an experiment, try to get the famous Galaxy 896 or a KTL Instinct or Instinkt + and modify it. How? Scrape off both of the handles and fill in the empty carved out hollow space with something heavier than air ! You can cut off some nails the right length and glue them in. (That is what I did my last time) You can simply just fill in the space with wood glue or hide glue. I did that with a Calix and it was greatness before I broke it in a match. I am hell on blades when I was in Korea.

These blades are ALL+ to OFF- in speed class with great control and ability to spin up the ball, but are not very fast blades. You have better control than the TBS with them stock, but you will be forced to make a lot more connecting shots in a match. That is not a bad thing to grow your game, but maybe you do not want to do that. So this mod will add both weight LOW in the blade, will IMPROVE the balance and also the feel. The best thing is it bumps up the speed one class to make it a LOT closer to TBS speed. You will not have the exact feel, but you can have a blade that does a lot of what TBS does well really cheaply.

Nexy will prolly want to disown me for what I just said, but I mean it. You can play great with very inexpensive setups. I do it every time I am in between tests or when main blade is wounded. I play great with their blades and do not stretch anything when I say they are great stuff. They are not the only great stuff out there, but they are indeed great and different for the rest by a country mile.

Do what is right for you with what you know and want. Remember, business is the art of making people want stuff they do not need or just to simply want them to get something more than they need. Every business on this planet excels at this. It is not necessarily a bad thing. Being satisfied can have its worth. Just do not become an E.J.