Fancy blades are just not worth it

[TensorBackhand]

Today I played with a guy who let me try his Nittaku So-Ten. $150 on Paddle Palace, so should be really good blade, right?

Honestly it didn't feel very much different from my $30 Sanwei F3 Pro. Seriously they felt very similar. Both have a soft feel with flex. I honestly don't think either one is better than they other, just very similar. Maybe the high price is to guarantee the high quality soft wood or something...but yeah it ended up just feeling not so special. I think my Stuor Harimoto is much much better.

Also he let me try a blade I haven't seen before. He said Fang Bo started his own company and it was a clone of the Long 5. This blade was quite good...but I still think the DHS Fang Bo was better. Anybody know the name of this brand and blade?

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

you have people that can't feel a different and you can have those that feel a different with the exact same blades.
quality of wood is so technical, that it even goes into the grain level and rebound/vibration on the raw blade.

I'm not sure what your level is exactly, but it is very difficult to find 2 exact same blades.
I mean, even LYJ had to choose from 50 blades to just find 2 the same.

 

[Gekko]

Yep. I can attest to that, I have a very sensitive feel and although my 3 other team mates are a higher level, they don't feel the differences in vibrations like I do.

We all have different strokes and different depths of contact on various strokes so it makes sense the vibrations are more noticeable for some and not for others.

But to OP's credit. I haven't felt any blade as hollow and yet mushy than my Xiom ice cream (forgot inner or other). So quality between blades within the brand plays a huge factor.

 

[Gozo Aruna]

Yup! Fancy blade @ USD 2,280.00 is just not worth it. I totally agree.

 

[SleepyMaster]

Any blade with some kind of descent quality build is enough for playing on an amateur level. It’s just a tool not a magic stick. But does blades differ one from another? Of course yes even same models of the same brand are different in terms of feeling/speed/hardness.

 

[Der_Echte]

Wow. This is gunna be such a Debbie downer to the owners of MULTIPLE $1000 Long series baldes with triple boosted H3 Nationale...

 

[Leno]

Also he let me try a blade I haven't seen before. He said Fang Bo started his own company and it was a clone of the Long 5. This blade was quite good...but I still think the DHS Fang Bo was better. Anybody know the name of this brand and blade?

Brand name is quan shi bao. There are several blades like super xuanwu.
People say it okayish, but nothing that special. Take it with a grain of salt, since I didn't test or know anyone who has it.

Wow. This is gunna be such a Debbie downer to the owners of MULTIPLE $1000 Long series baldes with triple boosted H3 Nationale...

Oh boy, who cares about boosted H3 if you can have real leather rubbers from LV! And you can take your table tennis balls on a walk with that leash.

 

[_ak]

Nittaku Acoustic right after pre-made definitely has very little sense.

 

[S-Pin]

I have a So-Ten, it is a really good blade.
I have recently bought a Sanwei HC-1S on AliEx for £29. It is also a really good blade

 

[Doralikesmath]

Today I played with a guy who let me try his Nittaku So-Ten. $150 on Paddle Palace, so should be really good blade, right?

Honestly it didn't feel very much different from my $30 Sanwei F3 Pro. Seriously they felt very similar. Both have a soft feel with flex. I honestly don't think either one is better than they other, just very similar. Maybe the high price is to guarantee the high quality soft wood or something...but yeah it ended up just feeling not so special. I think my Stuor Harimoto is much much better.

Also he let me try a blade I haven't seen before. He said Fang Bo started his own company and it was a clone of the Long 5. This blade was quite good...but I still think the DHS Fang Bo was better. Anybody know the name of this brand and blade?

I have a Nittaku So-Ten and love it way much more than any Sanwei blade I own (75 inner, 75 inner PBO, and the new Vita ALC). The craftsmanship of Nittaku is second to none, and the So-Ten is just too beautiful to play for me, lol. That alone justifies the price difference for me.

Playing-wise, my 92g So-Ten is like a more controlled Viscaria, very balanced in both wings. The Sanwei handles are very DHS like, weirdly tiny and favor the FH strokes. For amatuer players, a $25 Sanwei blade is more than good enough. Doesn't matter which Butterfly, Nittaku, or Sanwei setup I use, the set of players I can beat and the set of people I lose to don't change at all, lol. We can hardly get the best out of our equipments tbh. Choose your blade with your taste and budget, I guess.

 

[S-Pin]

Nittaku Acoustic right after pre-made definitely has very little sense.

I disagree, especially if you select a lighter one and use slower rubbers to start with. It won't take long to adjust to and it will serve you exceptionally well for the next 10 years. Good investment into a quality blade. It only has little sense if you are starting an EJ-career on a budget.

 

[Aizen]

the Fang Bo carbon is almost better than commercial HL5 for me but handle is too small, so 100 euro for just handle upgrade may not worth for some.

 

[S-Pin]

I have a Nittaku So-Ten and love it way much more than any Sanwei blade I own (75 inner, 75 inner PBO, and the new Vita ALC). The craftsmanship of Nittaku is second to none, and the So-Ten is just too beautiful to play for me, lol. That alone justifies the price difference for me.

Playing-wise, my 92g So-Ten is like a more controlled Viscaria, very balanced in both wings. The Sanwei handles are very DHS like, weirdly tiny and favor the FH strokes. For amatuer players, a $25 Sanwei blade is more than good enough. Doesn't matter which Butterfly, Nittaku, or Sanwei setup I use, the set of players I can beat and the set of people I lose to don't change at all, lol. We can hardly get the best out of our equipments tbh. Choose your blade with your taste and budget, I guess.

I am still undecided about the So-Ten handle. It is a bit too rough to my taste and I had to brush it ever so slightly with a sandpaper. It feels a bit thin when I hold it, but I immediately forget about it when I play, so it's sort of a typical Nittaku "thin but good thin" handle to me. It reminds me of an old Nittaku Ludeack handle which was simply beautiful and a better craftsmanship imho. A Hina Hayata H2 has a very similar handle to a So-Ten, also just a bit too rough to my taste. Two minutes of careful sanding solves this problem.

 

[darkky65]

I have a So-Ten, it is a really good blade.
I have recently bought a Sanwei HC-1S on AliEx for £29. It is also a really good blade

HC-1S is such a hidden gem.

 

[_ak]

I disagree, especially if you select a lighter one and use slower rubbers to start with. It won't take long to adjust to and it will serve you exceptionally well for the next 10 years. Good investment into a quality blade. It only has little sense if you are starting an EJ-career on a budget.

Any decent 5ply would work, there are plenty of quality blades from big brands but 100 euro cheaper except BTY perhaps. Good as a fetish object though.

 

[Migzkulit]

I have a Nittaku So-Ten and love it way much more than any Sanwei blade I own (75 inner, 75 inner PBO, and the new Vita ALC). The craftsmanship of Nittaku is second to none, and the So-Ten is just too beautiful to play for me, lol. That alone justifies the price difference for me.

Playing-wise, my 92g So-Ten is like a more controlled Viscaria, very balanced in both wings. The Sanwei handles are very DHS like, weirdly tiny and favor the FH strokes. For amatuer players, a $25 Sanwei blade is more than good enough. Doesn't matter which Butterfly, Nittaku, or Sanwei setup I use, the set of players I can beat and the set of people I lose to don't change at all, lol. We can hardly get the best out of our equipments tbh. Choose your blade with your taste and budget, I guess.

I had a 89ish gram blade. So-Ten definitely benefits from being heavier, loved how the blade looked but it was too weak at 89.

 

[_ak]

The Sanwei handles are very DHS like, weirdly tiny and favor the FH strokes.

Interesting that their ST handles are the thickest I ever had.

 

[Tyce]

Interesting that their ST handles are the thickest I ever had.

Sanwei 75 Inner FL here, has a very decent, thick handle. But as I understand it, this is a big improvement over earlier models from Sanwei.

 

[S-Pin]

HC-1S is such a hidden gem.

I was really impressed by the HC-1S.
Have you tried other HC blades made for the German market, like HC-3S and HC-6S?

BTW I have a perfect low budget plan for any beginner:
Invest about £55 in two Sanwei blades: HC-5S and HC-1S.
Play for a year or two with a 5S, then switch to 1S and play with it for many years.

 

[Tyce]

My latest two blade purchases were both budget, and both very impressive.
Sanwei 75 inner -> €40
Real gentle slow touch with an explosive high gear. Honestly all I would want from an Inner fiber blade. Good fit, decent quality, hasn't splintered on me yet.

Yinhe Pro 01 -> €46
Even higher bang for buck ratio... Very well behaved outer-ALC blade.