Hi Carl, I am just afraid that these blades might be too slow for me. I am not a beginner, I am currently in the national u18 team for my country. However, I am confused by what you mean by a high level amateur, because aren't they wanting to develop too? I have my basic strokes down, but I feel like I need something with more control than a viscaria to tell you the truth. Perhaps my level is not high enough, but my team mates all use alc and zlc blades with hurricane, and they don't seem to have trouble getting the balls on the table. I think that I produce a reasonable amount of spin, but not enough compared to the top, top level players (international level who play table tennis professionally). I was playing against a two winged looper the other day, and he produced an enormous amount of spin, and I found it hard to block close to the table. I have noticed that I'm having trouble with consistency and control. Right now, money is not an issue because I have been saving up for ageesss. I have also considered the clipper cr or the clipper classic, but I really like the reviews of the emerald and ebenholz too... please help me, I am going to use hurricane 3 neo 40-41 degrees boosted and tenergy 80. Thank you for your help so far, and sorry for the long post.