DHS G1832 & Friendship B11N blades

[carlma]

Hello everyone,

I used to play table tennis in the '80s and got back into it somewhat regularly over the past two years. I also transitioned from Chinese penhold to shakehand. Back in the day, I played with pre-assembled DHS and Friendship rackets, so I went online and got the same models in shakehand style (they weren’t cheap.).

The rubbers don’t play well anymore, maybe due to age or the newer 40+ balls, so I stripped them down to bare blades. It wasn’t an easy process. (See attached photos.)

From what I can tell:

• DHS G1832 is a 5-ply wood blade
• Friendship B11N is a 7-ply wood blade

I’m curious if any old-timers here have more details on these blades, like the types of wood used in each layer. How would you rate them: defensive, all-around, or offensive? Also, any recommendations for rubbers? I’d like to keep it nostalgic by using DHS rubbers on the DHS blade and Friendship rubbers on the Friendship blade.

Looking forward to your insights. Thanks!