DHS W968 National vs W968 Gold / W968S / Q968 for intermediate player

[struke]

Hi everyone,


I would like to get honest advice before buying a premium DHS blade.


I am considering these 4 DHS blades:

1. DHS W968 Hurricane Long 5 National
2. DHS W968 Gold Grand Slam
3. DHS Golden 6 W968 / W968S Ma Long
4. DHS Q968 Hurricane King National

My planned setup is:


FH: DHS Hurricane 3 Neo National 40 Blue Sponge 2.1
BH: Butterfly Dignics 05 2.1


About me:
I am a 32-year-old intermediate-level player. I train 4 hours per week in group sessions, plus one private 1-hour coaching session every week. My FH, BH, topspin, push and chop are quite stable for my level.


My current setup is Butterfly Harimoto Innerforce ALC with Dignics 05 2.1 on both sides. I really like Dignics 05 on backhand, especially on inner carbon blades. I tried it on Viscaria before and it felt too fast/hard for me.


I also tried a DHS Hurricane Long 5 commercial with H3 Neo National Blue Sponge on forehand for one training session. The FH topspin felt much more “real”, heavy and dangerous compared to Dignics 05 on FH, and I really enjoyed it. However, I struggled more in the short game.


My goal is to move to a high-quality DHS blade for long-term use. I am not looking only for prestige or speed. I want the most suitable and forgiving option for my level with this setup, while still giving me high performance and long-term development potential.


Which of these 4 DHS blades would you recommend for me?


Main questions:

• Is W968 National the safest and best choice for my level and setup?
• Is W968S / Golden 6 more or less forgiving than W968 National?
• Is W968 Gold Grand Slam mainly a collector blade, or also a better playing blade?
• Is Q968 too fast/direct for my level?
• Which one would be closest in feeling to Harimoto Innerforce ALC, but with a premium DHS feeling?
• Which blade would be best for FH topspin with H3 National and still reliable on BH with Dignics 05?
• Which one is better for short game, pushes and serve receive?
• What blade weight would you recommend with this setup? I was thinking around 88–90g.

Important note: I do not want to use booster or re-boost the rubber. I prefer to use the Hurricane 3 Neo National 40 Blue Sponge 2.1 as it comes from the factory. Please take this into account when recommending the best blade for me.


I would really appreciate opinions from players who have tried these blades, especially W968 National, W968S, or Q968.


Thank you.

 

[loki-sport-uk]

More expensive blade won’t make you better. Best probably to check the blade composition and find something similar based on that.

 

[Archosaurus]

I'd give the B2 a try if you can find one for a decent price to see if you like the ergonomics and overall philosophy. It'll be pretty similar to those anyway, except 1/10 of the cost. Trying a blade once is alright and you can find out if you absolutely hate it, but there's definitely a honeymoon period especially if you don't EJ a lot. You might end up not liking it in the end.

Would generally advise against unboosted 40A Hurricane but that's your choice. It's playable but the needed power range is relatively high to get a quality contact out of it. If you're not absolutely sure what you're doing you can build some bad habits like flat hitting. It'll also generally be insufficient for intermediate play, even in weak countries. People will have an easy time counterlooping your loops in the midgame.

I'd only not boost it if you're a control player and want it to be slow on purpose, or are very budget-conscious although in that case buy a 729 Battle 3 or Loki Arthur China from Aliexpress and enjoy similar performance and feel for a fraction of the price. Of course even if you boost it you're out of luck if your contact is too flat or too soft.

At 5 hours a week, I wouldn't be thinking about 600-800 USD blades, especially when you're already using a very good one. If the goal is to improve cost-effectively, that is. If you just want to, then go ahead and try them all from cheapest to most expensive.

 

[Grahf]

just go for the nittaku hina hayata h2 or a xiom tmxi pro

 

[Coolsta Connor]

Hi everyone,


I would like to get honest advice before buying a premium DHS blade.


I am considering these 4 DHS blades:

1. DHS W968 Hurricane Long 5 National
2. DHS W968 Gold Grand Slam
3. DHS Golden 6 W968 / W968S Ma Long
4. DHS Q968 Hurricane King National

My planned setup is:


FH: DHS Hurricane 3 Neo National 40 Blue Sponge 2.1
BH: Butterfly Dignics 05 2.1


About me:
I am a 32-year-old intermediate-level player. I train 4 hours per week in group sessions, plus one private 1-hour coaching session every week. My FH, BH, topspin, push and chop are quite stable for my level.


My current setup is Butterfly Harimoto Innerforce ALC with Dignics 05 2.1 on both sides. I really like Dignics 05 on backhand, especially on inner carbon blades. I tried it on Viscaria before and it felt too fast/hard for me.


I also tried a DHS Hurricane Long 5 commercial with H3 Neo National Blue Sponge on forehand for one training session. The FH topspin felt much more “real”, heavy and dangerous compared to Dignics 05 on FH, and I really enjoyed it. However, I struggled more in the short game.


My goal is to move to a high-quality DHS blade for long-term use. I am not looking only for prestige or speed. I want the most suitable and forgiving option for my level with this setup, while still giving me high performance and long-term development potential.


Which of these 4 DHS blades would you recommend for me?


Main questions:

• Is W968 National the safest and best choice for my level and setup?
• Is W968S / Golden 6 more or less forgiving than W968 National?
• Is W968 Gold Grand Slam mainly a collector blade, or also a better playing blade?
• Is Q968 too fast/direct for my level?
• Which one would be closest in feeling to Harimoto Innerforce ALC, but with a premium DHS feeling?
• Which blade would be best for FH topspin with H3 National and still reliable on BH with Dignics 05?
• Which one is better for short game, pushes and serve receive?
• What blade weight would you recommend with this setup? I was thinking around 88–90g.

Important note: I do not want to use booster or re-boost the rubber. I prefer to use the Hurricane 3 Neo National 40 Blue Sponge 2.1 as it comes from the factory. Please take this into account when recommending the best blade for me.


I would really appreciate opinions from players who have tried these blades, especially W968 National, W968S, or Q968.


Thank you.

Hi OP. I haven’t personally used all 4, but have researched a lot about them all. Disclaimer, I’ll answer questions based on what you said about not boosting, butttttt unboosted H3 Neo National 40° blue sponge on a W968 will feel much harder and less forgiving than D05 on FH you are used to. Many players boost it, but if you won’t, I’d consider 39° or accept a more demanding setup, which is already hard for W968. Speaking of blade, please use lacquer. DHS blades peel easy.

Next, none of these are truly forgiving and idk it what you're really asking for. Your Harimoto Innerforce ALC is already a better fit for your level to be honest, and I don't see why you need to upgrade especially as an intermediate player who needs to work on improving your shots. If you have to choose one, W968S/Golden 6 is the best compromise for BH D05 and short game, but also work on your short game rather than getting a blade to solve the issue. W968 National is the pure FH choice, but more demanding. Gold Grand Slam is a selected W968, mostly collector value. Q968 is too fast/direct for you.

Questions

• Safest? W968S/Golden 6, but still not a blade that's easy to control. W968 National is not the safest for intermediate.
• W968S vs W968 National? W968S has a thicker core meaning more crisper/direct BH and aid in better short game. However, this comes at slightly less FH dwell/power, but that's only marginal and its better for transitions between the 2 being less head heavy. More forgiving overall.
• Gold Grand Slam? Collector/selected W968. Plays like W968, not an easier blade, better QC wood and carbon that's it.
• Q968? I will not recommend it, it's too fast/direct, and the least forgiveness of the following, not recommended for your level.
• Closest to Harimoto ALC? None really. Q968 is faster/direct; W968S is closer in BH but more demanding. Harimoto is more controlled.
• Best for FH H3 + BH D05? W968 National for max FH; W968S for balance, there is no true one solution. I need to know more about your playstyle to give you an accurate answer.
• Short game? W968S/Golden 6 likely better than W968/Q968, but technique matters most, as an intermediate player I'd hold off before jumping the gun to W968 because it demands a lot in just every aspect from you.
• Weight? 88–89g max. DHS blades are way more head-heavy than anything you'll be used to; 90g+ with H3 and D05 may feel heavy.

If you will buy get W968S/Golden 6. But think to yourself, what does my Harimoto actually lack? A premium DHS blade just for the sake of being premium won’t fix short game, any other issues, or to be honest make your development better. It's great as a teacher because you'll know easily if you're doing wrong you'll be punished, but that's not always best in the extreme case.

 

[kindof99]

Q968 or S968 is easier to play. Commercial WCQ and SYS are not bad either. Hurricane WCQ and SYS are more balanced and have better backhand than Hurricane long 5.