Equipment Junkie CoVID Dreams - New Blade Made for Me By Nate

[UpSideDownCarl]

I am looking forward to testing this baby out and putting it through its paces.

As of now, all I can say is, IT LOOKS SEXY AF. But as I hit with it and have more and more impressions about how it feels and how it does things, I will add content.

Part of the idea is that, this blade is Limba-Limba-RedWood-Limba-Limba and has very similar specs to my OSP Virtuoso Plus. However, my V+ has an Ayous core and this blade has a RedWood Core. So I will get to test out how a blade very similar to mine with a RedWood Core plays.















I can't wait to get the handle all dirty and stained with sweat soaking into it and a few good dings on the edges. Nothing like a beautiful blade with some battle scars.

 

[IB66]

Looks swwweeeeeet!!
R48 both wings?
what’s the expected difference between the 2 core materials?

the proverbial dog with 2 d***s!!!

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Looks swwweeeeeet!!
R48 both wings?
what’s the expected difference between the 2 core materials?

the proverbial dog with 2 d***s!!!

I am going to try it with a few different rubbers. But at some point I think I may put T05/T05fx.

Not sure what the difference will be. It is also worth saying that the gluing process that OSP and Nate use may be different. The way they make the handle may also be a little different.

I am pretty sure OSP uses a small hollow space in the handle for extra feeling. It feels slightly hollow on the FH side and solid on the BH side. But I am not sure if Nate uses any hollow space in his handles. So, that would also cause a difference.

But, part of the idea will be to see how the RedWood Core feels with the Limba-Limba on top of it.

No idea how it will feel. I approach this with an open mind.

 

[Der_Echte]

I think Carl will flip the middle finger at the forum and use his 2x MX-KP rubbers from when I had a hit with his setup 5 yes ago...

I bet the forum would really hate on Carl for that and would also still be able to spin heavy and upset sum more apple carts.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

 

[yogi_bear]

Brown or colored limba??

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Built a couple new blades....

Brown or colored limba??

I think Nate would be the one to answer that so I quoted him from his thread to see if we can get him on here to explain any of the important details of how the blade was made and the kinds of wood. But the card he provided says it is Black Limba for the top and medial plies.

 

[Nate4s]

I think Nate would be the one to answer that so I quoted him from his thread to see if we can get him on here to explain any of the important details of how the blade was made and the kinds of wood. But the card he provided says it is Black Limba for the top and medial plies.

I appreciate you moving forward with an open mind - If it turns out that Redwood just doesn't produce as much power or have a pleasant feeling vibration, then it is what it is!

To answer some of the questions that have come up:

1) My handles are solid (i.e., not hollowed), though I modulated the overall weight of the handles by choosing some lighter-weight woods below the top piece of walnut (e.g., big-leaf maple and alaskan yellow cedar). I think solid walnut produces the best feel.

2) On this particular blade, I glued the layers together with Polyurethane glue. I use poly-glue because it seems to resist warping better than PVA or hide glues and the way poly glue permeates into the wood layers really enhances the durability (and I don't mind the harder feeling it produces). I imagine the OPS V+ is built using hide-glue?

3) Nearly all of the Limba I can find in the United States is labelled "Black Limba" - as far as I've read, it's the same species as white limba (different figure/pattern in some varieties?).

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I appreciate you moving forward with an open mind - If it turns out that Redwood just doesn't produce as much power or have a pleasant feeling vibration, then it is what it is!

To answer some of the questions that have come up:

1) My handles are solid (i.e., not hollowed), though I modulated the overall weight of the handles by choosing some lighter-weight woods below the top piece of walnut (e.g., big-leaf maple and alaskan yellow cedar). I think solid walnut produces the best feel.

2) On this particular blade, I glued the layers together with Polyurethane glue. I use poly-glue because it seems to resist warping better than PVA or hide glues and the way poly glue permeates into the wood layers really enhances the durability (and I don't mind the harder feeling it produces). I imagine the OPS V+ is built using hide-glue?

3) Nearly all of the Limba I can find in the United States is labelled "Black Limba" - as far as I've read, it's the same species as white limba (different figure/pattern in some varieties?).

I will be interested to test it. But I actually think the RedWood may be a little springy the way Spruce is when it is under Limba. Not sure though. I will have to try it before I can say anything that is more concrete than what I think as a result of examining the grain.

Based on what you said about Walnut in the handle--heavier and producing good feeling--it would be interesting to try a blade with an all Walnut handle. I do like the look of the different layers of wood though.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I think Carl will flip the middle finger at the forum and use his 2x MX-KP rubbers from when I had a hit with his setup 5 yes ago...

I bet the forum would really hate on Carl for that and would also still be able to spin heavy and upset sum more apple carts.

I guess, info on rubbers I will test out on the blade:

1) I will start with Nexy Karis M and see how that feels.
2) Then I will try Victas V>01 Stiff
3) Then MXP
4) Then T05 on one side and T64 on the other

By that time, I should have an acceptable idea of how the blade feels and how it works for a number of things.

I will likely put one set of rubbers on and leave it for a whole session and then switch to the next set of rubbers for the next session unless I feel I have more to test before swapping to the next set of rubbers. After the rubbers listed above, I will decide if I want to try a specific rubber I have not tried. But I like all the rubbers listed above and they should all give me different insights about how the blade performs and feels.

 

[Der_Echte]

I think these rubbers are very familiar to Carl... so I think he will, given a consistent glue job, be able to quickly discover things about the blade.

I think there is gunna be a lot to like.

Carl, you prolly already know and are prepared, but you know the Goon Squad gunna want that blade and may change tactics or ever contract out their work... so be suspicious of the flower shop girl.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

 

[Nate4s]

I think these rubbers are very familiar to Carl... so I think he will, given a consistent glue job, be able to quickly discover things about the blade.

I think there is gunna be a lot to like.

Carl, you prolly already know and are prepared, but you know the Goon Squad gunna want that blade and may change tactics or ever contract out their work... so be suspicious of the flower shop girl.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

I made it with a flared handle for Carl, and, to deter many of the straight-handle-using Goon Squad from lusting after it.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I made it with a flared handle for Carl, and, to deter many of the straight-handle-using Goon Squad from lusting after it.

The handle is so close to the handle of my V+ that it is uncanny. As of now, a question that I had for Nate before he sent it is at least part way answered. The handle has a very thin layer of sealant on it. Just holding the blade, that feels fine. We will see how it feels when my hand is sweaty and I am looping.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I realize, I should amend the post above. The handles look very close. Here is a photo of the two blades side by side:



Photos don't show everything. From the perspective of the photo above the handle may look slightly longer but that is because the blade Nate made is slightly closer. The handles are within 0.5mm or the same length. The handle on Nate's blade is thinner both at the center of the handle and in the width of the flare. The V+ handle also has a steeper curve in the flare towards the end of the handle. I am not sure any of that matters to me though. I have small hands and a slightly thinner handle, I am 1000% sure will be fine. I also notice that the part of the handle I rest my thumb on, the very thinnest part of it, right next to where you attach the rubbers, that is thicker than on any other handle I have seen. It is about the thickness of a max thick rubber. Most blades I have used, that part angles down to be much thinner than a max thickness rubber.

I think I will like that design but will have to see.

In the photos below, you can see the new blade with Nexy Karis M on both sides. Hopefully I will get to test out the blade soon enough.







I like the color of the sponge on Nexy Karis.

 

[Der_Echte]

Carl, I think that with YOU, and Karis on that balde, you will easily be able to counter topspin some shots like those I spin. Your technique, that blade and Karis will make that task you already do well even easier.

 

[Nate4s]

...I also notice that the part of the handle I rest my thumb on, the very thinnest part of it, right next to where you attach the rubbers, that is thicker than on any other handle I have seen. It is about the thickness of a max thick rubber. Most blades I have used, that part angles down to be much thinner than a max thickness rubber.

I think I will like that design but will have to see.

It's great you brought this up! I started cutting that "thumb-chamfer" on the handle a bit shallower because I liked it lining up flush with most 2.0mm - max rubber (I never liked bumping into the lip of the rubber when I move my thumb around for different shots), but I never gave thought to whether other people would like it. I'm excited to hear your opinion on it once you get a chance to try it out!

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

It's great you brought this up! I started cutting that "thumb-chamfer" on the handle a bit shallower because I liked it lining up flush with most 2.0mm - max rubber (I never liked bumping into the lip of the rubber when I move my thumb around for different shots), but I never gave thought to whether other people would like it. I'm excited to hear your opinion on it once you get a chance to try it out!

I was thinking that I would feel the same about it. I was not sure you did that on purpose. But I had a feeling you might have. To me, using Max rubbers, it makes perfect sense for that to line up with the thickness of the rubber. But I have to be honest and say that, until I play with the blade, I won't know if that will feel how I think it will.

But if my expectations and how it feels line up, it would make me wonder why the major blade manufacturers are not making their offensive blades like that.

 

[Nate4s]

I was thinking that I would feel the same about it. I was not sure you did that on purpose. But I had a feeling you might have. To me, using Max rubbers, it makes perfect sense for that to line up with the thickness of the rubber. But I have to be honest and say that, until I play with the blade, I won't know if that will feel how I think it will.

But if my expectations and how it feels line up, it would make me wonder why the major blade manufacturers are not making their offensive blades like that.

I imagine major blade manufacturers don't do it for one of two reasons: 1) perhaps if it's too shallow, it doesn't give enough "purchase" on the grip and doesn't perform in an ideal way, or 2) maybe it's just convention and how it's always been done and they're still using many of the same handle specifications that they just plug into their CNCs (and new brands just keep the approximate dimensions since they're copying things that are highly successful). Back a few decades ago when rubbers were a bit thinner on average, perhaps it was designed to be flush at that time and it's such an insignificant detail that the thumb-chamfer didn't keep up with the slow trends of increasing rubber thickness?

Even if it turns out that having the thumb-chamfer lining up with the thickness of the rubber is ideal, I'd imagine that's just one more unnecessary variable to try and implement in the thousands of choices already available (and thus, not profitable to add another variation) - this is especially true since not everyone is going to use the max thickness rubber.

It's terribly egocentric of me, but I went through a few iterations of my flared handle's profile/dimensions until I found what I preferred - it wasn't until this post of yours that I even gave it a second thought! Clearly egocentric since I built what I preferred and then didn't even consider how other people would feel about the design feature...so I'm thrilled you pointed it out and will be thinking about it when you finally get a chance to test it!

 

[yogi_bear]

Carl, does the unequal gap between a max rubber and the upper edge of the handle bother your thumb when playing?

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Carl, does the unequal gap between a max rubber and the upper edge of the handle bother your thumb when playing?

Nope. I have never really registered it. But, now I will be able to compare.

It is also possible that I use that difference in height in how I manipulate my grip and add pressure with my thumb on BH. But I will find out when I try it out.

And, in my head, it seems that is going to feel good.

 

[brokenball]

If nothing else it sure looks good.
I am sure it will work out fine. People are adaptable.
I appreciate clear ( no knots or defects ) veneer and how it is made.
I am assuming the thinner portions of wood for the blade are peeled on a lathe.
I use to write code for veneer scanners/optimizers. In Japan clear wood is a must.