Fancy blades are just not worth it

[d3nium]

My £30 YSE plays better than any expensive blade that I've ever purchased.

 

[Sims]

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?

If you try enough blades you're gonna find cheap ones and expensive ones that you like.
And if you're happy with your blade why not stop there? Because you an equipment junkie is why 😁
Fancy (as you put it) are absolutely worth it if it's the blade you play best with and conversely, if your inexpensive blade is what you play best with then yes, 'fancy' or expensive ain't worth it.
Its a trait of EJing that makes it harder to be never be happy with your setup because you keep thinking there's a magical unicorn rainbow setup that's gonna be better. It's a mindset though, not a definitive reality

 

[NextLevel]

My £30 YSE plays better than any expensive blade that I've ever purchased.

Plays better for you... I used to be into slower blades but quick blocking and rallying became more critical and spin was just not as effective in getting errors with the newer balls. So I looked for a balance more towards speed instead of pure spin. And I played with the YSE for a while, the block would allow your opponent to eat breakfast and dinner before they have to play their return.

 

[d3nium]

Plays better for you... I used to be into slower blades but quick blocking and rallying became more critical and spin was just not as effective in getting errors with the newer balls. So I looked for a balance more towards speed instead of pure spin. And I played with the YSE for a while, the block would allow your opponent to eat breakfast and dinner before they have to play their return.

Well yeah it's all subjective, but at my level it's quick enough with a pair of fast tensors on it.

Tbh I only ever started using it as a stop-gap to get my control & technique back after a bad injury, and then i was planning to upgrade to a Nittaku Acoustic, but my results have been so good with it, I'm reluctant to change now. 😂

 

[Doralikesmath]

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.

Yeah, this is why all my blades are 92g+. My So-ten set up is rather heavy, but thanks to its balance, it doesn't feel really bad during training and matches.

 

[NextLevel]

Well yeah it's all subjective, but at my level it's quick enough with a pair of fast tensors on it.

Tbh I only ever started using it as a stop-gap to get my control & technique back after a bad injury, and then i was planning to upgrade to a Nittaku Acoustic, but my results have been so good with it, I'm reluctant to change now. 😂

I struggle to control the ball with fast tensors on serve return especially, I prefer sticky rubbers/hybrids so a YSE is way too slow to combat the rebound. But if you feel you can play all your strokes that is fine. In fact, the blade I use right now is outer ALC hinoki and I would have thought it was way too fast and stiff for me a few years back. Now I just find it extremely linear, which is fundamentally what I need.

 

[TensorBackhand]

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

Sounds promising...but why is Hinoki wood not commonly used? I only hear people talk about limba and koto and ayous.

 

[S-Pin]

Sounds promising...but why is Hinoki wood not commonly used? I only hear people talk about limba and koto and ayous.

Because hinoki blades have their own unique qualities that not everyone may find appealing.
Hinoki gives you an easy spin and speed due to its dwell and bounciness, but koto or limba are better suited for a higher level fast modern game, I guess, due to its relative linearity.
But an amateur who has mastered hinoki is not an easy opponent. HC-1S has a hinoki-koto-ALC-ayous structure and it works surprisingly well there.

 

[Cadoia]

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.

after trying several cheap chinese ones I agree with you. those 2 are amazing.

 

[Der_Echte]

Plays better for you... I used to be into slower blades but quick blocking and rallying became more critical and spin was just not as effective in getting errors with the newer balls. So I looked for a balance more towards speed instead of pure spin. And I played with the YSE for a while, the block would allow your opponent to eat breakfast and dinner before they have to play their return.

NL, you need to see firsthand how a slow blade like V2 Persson Power Play and a slow rubber like Aurus Soft can block Blitzkrieg schnell...

 

[_ak]

Sounds promising...but why is Hinoki wood not commonly used? I only hear people talk about limba and koto and ayous.

It's scarse, expensive and comes from protected wood species. And yes, it demands a certain style.

 

[darkky65]

Sounds promising...but why is Hinoki wood not commonly used? I only hear people talk about limba and koto and ayous.

Donic uses it quite a bit, Xiom has had quite a few, DHS has the Dippers, Sanwei and Yinhe has blade lines with Hinoki tops, Butterfly has the Gregely.

it's quite common,but some manufacturers will use other cypress wood instead.

 

[turbozed]

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.

Be careful removing the rubbers because one of my 75 inners splintered on one side. It's mostly due to how the grains were aligned and me pulling along with it (they were horizontal and I pulled the rubber horizontally). Luckily the splinters were small.

I ended up sanding it a bit and sealing it with polyurethane.

 

[Gozo Aruna]

I struggle to control the ball with fast tensors on serve return especially, I prefer sticky rubbers/hybrids so a YSE is way too slow to combat the rebound. But if you feel you can play all your strokes that is fine. In fact, the blade I use right now is outer ALC hinoki and I would have thought it was way too fast and stiff for me a few years back. Now I just find it extremely linear, which is fundamentally what I need.

but but but NL...

Fast Tensor lets you break things into halves. Super satisfying!!!

 

[nablaz]

but but but NL...

Fast Tensor lets you break things into halves. Super satisfying!!!

View attachment 31107

That's because of "big PP" Gozo, not because of tensors!

 

[Lazer]

Donic uses it quite a bit, Xiom has had quite a few, DHS has the Dippers, Sanwei and Yinhe has blade lines with Hinoki tops, Butterfly has the Gregely.

it's quite common,but some manufacturers will use other cypress wood instead.

What Donic blades have Hinoki as a topsheet?

Cheers
L-zr

 

[NextLevel]

What Donic blades have Hinoki as a topsheet?

Cheers
L-zr

Carbospeed.

 

[Snakefish]

. And Sounds promising...but why is Hinoki wood not commonly used? I only hear people talk about limba and koto and ayous.

Hinoki wood doesn't resonate with current generation of players. And world class players arent using hinoki wood in their blades. Many tournament and club players - especially younger - like to use blades the top players use - copy a pro - such as limba or koto outer plies, alc ,etc. Until a successful high world ranked player uses a hinoki blade then you'll see the marketing machines of the top manufacturers in action. I believe ex-World Champion Schlager used hinoki but very rare among top world ranked players even back then

 

[lodro]

but but but NL...

Fast Tensor lets you break things into halves. Super satisfying!!!

View attachment 31107

I can see the fun in that but I won't change my choice of rubbers to tensors just because of that , especially not when I really enjoy to accidentally stamp on the balls. 😁

 

[darkky65]

What Donic blades have Hinoki as a topsheet?

Cheers
L-zr

Ovtcharov Carbospeed, Waldner Hinoki Dotec, Persson Dotec OFF and Walnder Legend Carbon.

I thought the World Champion 89 series also used Hinoki but they use spruce instead.