DHS W968 review

[Manto76]

What's the thickness, 5,8mm? Vodak Horejsi ALC is 5,8mm, same composition, cca 1290Hz. I thought the increase in stiffness is due to being thicker, so I thought W968 will be 6mm. But when I saw Wrighty67's photo in another thread (HL5, HL5x, W968) it may not be the case.

I thought the Vodak Hořejší ALC (https://vodak-dreva.cz/en/off/163-2...andle-straight/41-kind_of_wood-wood_al_carbon) was 6.1mm which is why I didn't mention it earlier. But I believe Vodak will make one at 5.8/9mm if requested.

As an aside: I had an opportunity to test a dozen or so bats together with some team mates a few weeks ago, including some of the very pricey blades of the big names, and it's still my opinion that Vodak blades are superior in quality to any mainstream manufacturer and, to me, feel the best in play. The only other blade among the lot that I tested that I would say matched my Vodak for quality of construction was an SDC blade. It had quite a different feeling, even though the two blades had the same construction (Limba - Ayous - ALC - Ayous - ALC - Ayous - Limba). The SDC blade had a notably harder feeling, whereas the Vodak has a softer feeling on impact. This is neither better nor worse one way or the other - just a difference in feeling and folks will have their own preferences. (That said, I imagine Sergio (ie. SDC) could make a blade with a softer feeling if requested).

 

[Wrighty67]

What's the thickness, 5,8mm? Vodak Horejsi ALC is 5,8mm, same composition, cca 1290Hz. I thought the increase in stiffness is due to being thicker, so I thought W968 will be 6mm. But when I saw Wrighty67's photo in another thread (HL5, HL5x, W968) it may not be the case.

Mine is 6.02mm and standard head size

 

[latej]

I thought the Vodak Hořejší ALC (https://vodak-dreva.cz/en/off/163-2...andle-straight/41-kind_of_wood-wood_al_carbon) was 6.1mm which is why I didn't mention it earlier. But I believe Vodak will make one at 5.8/9mm if requested.

Oh yes, I didn't look in there. Some time ago I measured these blades I have some rubbers on:

Vodak Horejsi ALC - 5,85mm cca 1290Hz
Viscaria - 5,6mm cca 1450Hz
XVT ZL Koto - 6mm cca 1500Hz
Yinhe V16 - 6mm cca 1550Hz (outer ALC, limba top)

I measured with rel. cheap plastic dingee, but it is supposed to give yo 0,05mm precision on that secondary scale. Although Wrighty67's nice scale with display - I need to get one Did you measure your Horejsi ALC to be 6mm? I measured at the wings now.

I still like the Viscaria, even though it feels different. Recently I put the Yinhe BD H38 on it, but only had couple of hits (I don't want to train with it now). The other 2 outer ALC/ZLC blades I don't really like, ZL Koto feels hard, and the V16 is cracking crisp and for me too fast. But the stiffness increase is somewhat in-line with the thickness increase in there, hence my question for the other composition.

As an aside: I had an opportunity to test a dozen or so bats together with some team mates a few weeks ago, including some of the very pricey blades of the big names, and it's still my opinion that Vodak blades are superior in quality to any mainstream manufacturer and, to me, feel the best in play. The only other blade among the lot that I tested that I would say matched my Vodak for quality of construction was an SDC blade. It had quite a different feeling, even though the two blades had the same construction (Limba - Ayous - ALC - Ayous - ALC - Ayous - Limba). The SDC blade had a notably harder feeling, whereas the Vodak has a softer feeling on impact. This is neither better nor worse one way or the other - just a difference in feeling and folks will have their own preferences. (That said, I imagine Sergio (ie. SDC) could make a blade with a softer feeling if requested).

I'm happy with my blade and setup too. Mr. Vodak and SDC - we are lucky to have them, and other makers of course. I read a lot of top czech players is getting his custom blade developed with Mr. Vodak, so I'm glad for him.

 

[latej]

Mine is 6.02mm and standard head size

Cool, thanks. Can you please measure the HL5, HL5x, and ehh, if you be so kind, also the FZD blade thickness please .

 

[dingyibvs]

I subscribe to the philosophy of choosing a blade that fits your play style, then find the rubbers that suit it. Based on my experience with the HL5 series this far, I'd say it suits a style that emphasizes the short game and powerloops from both wings. It's not great with the mid range power game from banana flicks up to anything less than full powered strokes. If that's your game, then the HL5 series is perfect for you. The Captain and Pocket Rocket from TTD I think should give it a try, for example. OTOH it would be a terrible fit for Tom and Dan IMO.

As for the rubbers, I think it's a consensus so far that hard rubbers fit better. Both Zwill and Thomas mentioned rubbers that they thought felt "dead" or like a "brick" on other blades played surprisingly well on their W968. On my regular HL5 I also found the same after trying out a variety of rubbers.

 

[Michael Zhuang]

I subscribe to the philosophy of choosing a blade that fits your play style, then find the rubbers that suit it. Based on my experience with the HL5 series this far, I'd say it suits a style that emphasizes the short game and powerloops from both wings. It's not great with the mid range power game from banana flicks up to anything less than full powered strokes. If that's your game, then the HL5 series is perfect for you. The Captain and Pocket Rocket from TTD I think should give it a try, for example. OTOH it would be a terrible fit for Tom and Dan IMO.

As for the rubbers, I think it's a consensus so far that hard rubbers fit better. Both Zwill and Thomas mentioned rubbers that they thought felt "dead" or like a "brick" on other blades played surprisingly well on their W968. On my regular HL5 I also found the same after trying out a variety of rubbers.

Why do you say that HL5 is bad for flicks and other mid-range medium power shots?

 

[dingyibvs]

Why do you say that HL5 is bad for flicks and other mid-range medium power shots?

It's a little too mushy and slow for those shots. If you want to generate pace with those types of shots then you need a blade like Viscaria. You want the ball to jump off your blade on a flick, for example, and the HL5 can't do that as well.

If you look at WCQ vs Harimoto, you can see a good example of how their blades fit their styles. WCQ returns short more than he flicks, opposite of Harimoto. His BH stroke also extends his forearm a lot more. You need to be very active with your shots with the HL5 for it to be effective.

 

[Michael Zhuang]

It's a little too mushy and slow for those shots. If you want to generate pace with those types of shots then you need a blade like Viscaria. You want the ball to jump off your blade on a flick, for example, and the HL5 can't do that as well.

If you look at WCQ vs Harimoto, you can see a good example of how their blades fit their styles. WCQ returns short more than he flicks, opposite of Harimoto. His BH stroke also extends his forearm a lot more. You need to be very active with your shots with the HL5 for it to be effective.

I get that line of thinking.

But I also think that HL5 gives you more dwell and more control on flicks. It's slightly easier to produce spin on your flicks, and gives you a better arc and safety over the net.

 

[dingyibvs]

I get that line of thinking.

But I also think that HL5 gives you more dwell and more control on flicks. It's slightly easier to produce spin on your flicks, and gives you a better arc and safety over the net.

Yes, but against good players arc and safety over the net just gets you a thunderous counter loop back.

 

[Zwill]

What's the thickness, 5,8mm? Vodak Horejsi ALC is 5,8mm, same composition, cca 1290Hz. I thought the increase in stiffness is due to being thicker, so I thought W968 will be 6mm. But when I saw Wrighty67's photo in another thread (HL5, HL5x, W968) it may not be the case.

Mine is 5.85mm, all the 4 I got is between 5.82-5.87mm if I remember well. On wechat I see many many W968 pics posted, national W968 recently is more close to 6mm, provincial is more close to 5.9mm.
Some say national W968 is less catapulty and more predictable and I would agree that for a top pro player that is a reasonable request, while provintial W968 is more catapulty. I said before that the core is probably the reason for the catapult, but I also think that the carbon weave is tensioned "perfectly".

And what's the head size?

159x150mm

 

[superbackhand]

Yes, but against good players arc and safety over the net just gets you a thunderous counter loop back.

against good players, all the great reviews about your equipment seem questionable all of the sudden 😂

 

[Zwill]

I thought the Vodak Hořejší ALC (https://vodak-dreva.cz/en/off/163-2...andle-straight/41-kind_of_wood-wood_al_carbon) was 6.1mm which is why I didn't mention it earlier. But I believe Vodak will make one at 5.8/9mm if requested.

As an aside: I had an opportunity to test a dozen or so bats together with some team mates a few weeks ago, including some of the very pricey blades of the big names, and it's still my opinion that Vodak blades are superior in quality to any mainstream manufacturer and, to me, feel the best in play. The only other blade among the lot that I tested that I would say matched my Vodak for quality of construction was an SDC blade. It had quite a different feeling, even though the two blades had the same construction (Limba - Ayous - ALC - Ayous - ALC - Ayous - Limba). The SDC blade had a notably harder feeling, whereas the Vodak has a softer feeling on impact. This is neither better nor worse one way or the other - just a difference in feeling and folks will have their own preferences. (That said, I imagine Sergio (ie. SDC) could make a blade with a softer feeling if requested).

OMG this thread is so fast I can't keep up.
I'm 100% sure Sergio could make a blade that feels softer or harder impact, and he could make it feel softer on weak impact, or any other combination. I think it's not rocket science. If your core is dense then you will have a harder blade on powerful impact, if your medial ayous ply is soft you will have a soft feel on weak impact. You can play with this thought and combine the possibilities.

 

[Michael Zhuang]

OMG this thread is so fast I can't keep up.
I'm 100% sure Sergio could make a blade that feels softer or harder impact, and he could make it feel softer on weak impact, or any other combination. I think it's not rocket science. If your core is dense then you will have a harder blade on powerful impact, if your medial ayous ply is soft you will have a soft feel on weak impact. You can play with this thought and combine the possibilities.

I'm just pondering, what did DHS do to make the 2nd gen w968 faster? a stronger alc? stiffer wood? thicker wood?

If the CNT players wanted a faster blade, why don't they just use the same basic 968 structure and replace the alc with zlc? (I guess something along the lines of Harimoto zlc)

 

[Zwill]

I'm just pondering, what did DHS do to make the 2nd gen w968 faster? a stronger alc? stiffer wood? thicker wood?

If the CNT players wanted a faster blade, why don't they just use the same basic 968 structure and replace the alc with zlc? (I guess something along the lines of Harimoto zlc)

Good question actually. I can only speak for myself but if I am playing against weaker players I play better with certain equipment than with other equipment.
Against a weaker opponent a Tenergy like rubber both sides on an ALC blade feels right.
I hear you all, why would I need a faster setup against weaker opponents?! Well guess what guys, against a weaker opponent I don't need to do open up loops, since I can just play passively and eat a sandwich with my other hand while playing since the weaker opponent cannot make a spin or speed that would worry me. And if I get a high ball, which I will get for sure I can smash it easily with this setup. If I push something a bit high? I don't care I can block it passively.

Against a similar level or higher level opponent where the speed and spin is more challenging I need gear that I can open up with ASAP, I need safety since that ~0.5 degrees of racket angle I cannot predict or, that 0.5ms time I am late or too soon maybe a more forgiving racket can still put on the table.

I have noticed it many times now that Chinese rubbers like H3 only make sens agains strong opponents. If I play against weak opponents I am kickink myself in the ass playing with H3.

So why CNT player don't want a faster blade? They need the extra safety on the grand stage - at least I think. And it is working very well for them too.

 

[Zwill]

So I have been playing with MX-S more since my Vega Asia will take a couple of days to arrive. MX-S is probably pretty darn good for someone that has a perfect BH style. If you have the wrist to stretch the MX-S topsheet and at the same time the forearm to move it foreward I think it would be suitable.
On some occasions when I am in relaxed state I can do that and it feels good. It feel right!
But like 95% of the time it feels like I need to do extra effort with it. I realize that this migh be cause of my wrist anatomy, buit still it just doesn't suit me that well. I really freaking hope Vega Asia will be a better fit. Or H3 on backhand too in worst case scanario lol.

 

[thomas.pong]

The D05 felt like a brick to me on just about all other blades, but it felt great on the HL5. Which rubbers did you try the HL5 on? I think I bought the HL5 you didn't like lol. I'm using a different HL5 right now, the one you sold me looked too pristine for me to sand it down to the head size I like 😄

Hi!

I could see D05 working well on a regular HL5 or Innerforce ALC.

If I remember correctly, I had tried H8-80 and C-1 on the HL5, maybe a few more rubbers, likely not the right types! lol

It was really the handle size I couldn't get around, I could see the blade fitting a lot of players though. I certainly didn't test it much as it reminded me too much of some IF ALC's I've had and moved past after a few years.

 

[thomas.pong]

Make sure you get the 2nd generation version and not the 1st gen.

When you buy, how do you know if its 1st gen or 2nd gen?

Well, just swallowed the pill and ordered a W968 National from 2022.

If I'm not mistaken, the ones made from 2019 on are the 2nd gen with the smaller head size.

I'll review once I've tried it extensively after finding rubbers that work for me on it,

 

[Michael Zhuang]

Well, just swallowed the pill and ordered a W968 National from 2022.

If I'm not mistaken, the ones made from 2019 on are the 2nd gen with the smaller head size.

I'll review once I've tried it extensively after finding rubbers that work for me on it,

Cool! look forward to your review. Where did you order from?

 

[thomas.pong]

What's the thickness, 5,8mm? Vodak Horejsi ALC is 5,8mm, same composition, cca 1290Hz. I thought the increase in stiffness is due to being thicker, so I thought W968 will be 6mm. But when I saw Wrighty67's photo in another thread (HL5, HL5x, W968) it may not be the case.

W968 are commonly 5.9mm but can vary from 5.7 to 6ish mm.

 

[thomas.pong]

Good question actually. I can only speak for myself but if I am playing against weaker players I play better with certain equipment than with other equipment.
Against a weaker opponent a Tenergy like rubber both sides on an ALC blade feels right.
I hear you all, why would I need a faster setup against weaker opponents?! Well guess what guys, against a weaker opponent I don't need to do open up loops, since I can just play passively and eat a sandwich with my other hand while playing since the weaker opponent cannot make a spin or speed that would worry me. And if I get a high ball, which I will get for sure I can smash it easily with this setup. If I push something a bit high? I don't care I can block it passively.

Against a similar level or higher level opponent where the speed and spin is more challenging I need gear that I can open up with ASAP, I need safety since that ~0.5 degrees of racket angle I cannot predict or, that 0.5ms time I am late or too soon maybe a more forgiving racket can still put on the table.

I have noticed it many times now that Chinese rubbers like H3 only make sens agains strong opponents. If I play against weak opponents I am kickink myself in the ass playing with H3.

So why CNT player don't want a faster blade? They need the extra safety on the grand stage - at least I think. And it is working very well for them too.

Yea, I agree, I definitely do better with my IF ZLC (more safety, predictable) against strong players than I do with a Viscaria (more jumpy, less predictable).