First Custom bat advice needed.

[Fa1c0n]

Hi All, I've been playing table tennis for about 18 months now, and I'm looking to get my first custom made bat, I've been thinking of getting the Hurricane King paddle, with Tin Arc 5 rubbers. my reason for choosing these rubbers is because they are designed with the new 40+ poly balls in mind. The other option is to go for the Hurricane 8 rubbers, which are said to be more tacky and aid in more spin on the ball. Will this setup be too advanced for me, or are there any other combinations anyone could recommend as I'm still developing my game?



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[Kevin Geraldy]

what's your playing style and your budget?

 

[Fa1c0n]

I'm an aggressive attacking player, and still trying to improve on my top spin loop. Budget I would say no more than £100 for the paddle, £40 each for the rubbers.


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[Paccheco]

For 100UK, check OSP Blades, they re superb.
As you say you still need to improve topspin, Avalox P700. It is cheap( ~40USD), stable on topspin, amazing feel and enough power. i think any good 7plies like Clipper, Extreme S, Ludeack, Yasaka Extra Special, P700 will do it
Do not go on a rush for the most expensive blade at first, or second, or thirtieth.

As for rubber, ive been using Yasaka Rakza X, Nittaku P-1 and Omega V. All of them do it.Being my first advice Omega V Euro. Tons of spin, not bouncy and good durability. Though rubber speed is not my main concern due i being a big guy, some might find these rubbers a bit slower than tenergies and Acuda Blue.

Feel free to ask more,
Raul pacheco.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

If it is your first prebuilt setup, there are a lot of things that could be useful. The Hurricane King blade is very good but kind of on the expensive side. You would be better off going with something like these:

Tibhar Stratus Power Wood

Yasaka Extra (or Sweden Extra)

Stiga Allround Evolution

Stiga Offensive Classic

Truthfully, all the blades that Paccheco recommended are good as well. The only downside to them is that they are all 7 ply blades and a 7 ply blade is a little stiffer than a 5 ply blade, so usually 5 ply wood blades are better for looping and getting your loop to the next level.

For rubbers you could go with Chinese rubbers like DHS like you were thinking or you could go with Euro rubbers. Something like H8 for FH and Tin Arc 5 for BH would be fine if you chose Chinese rubbers.

The rubbers Paccheco is suggesting here would also be good.

However, for a first custom racket, if you were thinking of Euro rubbers (which are much faster than Chinese rubbers) I would recommend something like Xiom Vega Pro FH and Vega Europe (or Pro) BH or Donic Baracuda (could use this for both sides). The rubbers Paccheco recommends are great but it would be worth playing with one of these before upgrading to the ones Paccheco is recommending.

If you chose Euro rubbers, after playing with the Vega or Baracuda for several months, when they are worn out, you could simply get new rubbers of whatever kind you decide and put them on the blade you have chosen. Or you could upgrade the blade and have a backup setup if that is what you want.

But a 5 ply blade would be worth it. The flex of a 5 ply blade makes them better for looping and all of the 5 plies I listed are pretty nice.


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[bolterixus]

The stratus power wood is a very good blade and it would be a good choice. Also vega europe would be a good BH rubber as it is not slow and it has a fair amount of control

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

The stratus power wood is a very good blade and it would be a good choice. Also vega europe would be a good BH rubber as it is not slow and it has a fair amount of control

Hey Bolt, how do you like the Vega Japan for FH on your setup?


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[Fa1c0n]

Hey everyone, thanks for all your advice, I'm gonna take all your suggestions and have a look at reviews etc of products recommended and go from there, I didn't realise at first how much choice there is in terms of choosing what kind of setup Ide use [emoji16]. With the
rubbers would it be better to go for the mid-hard on both sides, or a softer rubber for the b/h?


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[UpSideDownCarl]

There are always exceptions. Like, NextLevel uses the same rubber on FH and BH no matter what rubber it is. But NextLevel's BH is like a sledge hammer hitting an anvil.

For most people, a softer rubber on BH allows you to get the ball to sink into the rubber more fully. That gives you many more gears, spin and ultimately power on the BH wing.

It is a choice, but, unless your BH is about as powerful as you FH a softer rubber for BH is usually advisable.


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[bolterixus]

Hey Carl. I find the japan really good. It is different to Europe like other people said. I find it faster and a bit more bouncier. It is fast while smashing. You can create a fair amount of spin. It will vary on people and their strokes though. When I got the rubber suddenly I can flick much better which was a surprise. A good surprise. I use it in 2.0 and it is fine. You need a fair amount of expirience though with this rubber. It is a good rubber for Fh and BH but I prefer europe for BH as it is softer and a bit slower.

 

[Cornel]

Hi All, I've been playing table tennis for about 18 months now, and I'm looking to get my first custom made bat, I've been thinking of getting the Hurricane King paddle, with Tin Arc 5 rubbers. my reason for choosing these rubbers is because they are designed with the new 40+ poly balls in mind. The other option is to go for the Hurricane 8 rubbers, which are said to be more tacky and aid in more spin on the ball. Will this setup be too advanced for me, or are there any other combinations anyone could recommend as I'm still developing my game?

I think we forgot to ask what have you been using until now, and what are you expecting from your new racket?

 

[NextLevel]

There are always exceptions. Like, NextLevel uses the same rubber on FH and BH no matter what rubber it is. But NextLevel's BH is like a sledge hammer hitting an anvil.

For most people, a softer rubber on BH allows you to get the ball to sink into the rubber more fully. That gives you many more gears, spin and ultimately power on the BH wing.

It is a choice, but, unless your BH is about as powerful as you FH a softer rubber for BH is usually advisable.


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To be fair, I don't always use the same rubber on both sides - the hardest rubber I have used on both sides since breaking 1500 is Big Dipper 38 degrees - I have used Tenergy 05 on both sides but that is not special or unique per se in modern TT though I know many people who go softer. I sometimes do think that MX-S is too hard for my backhand and I am going to give other rubbers a look after the year is over - MX-S has addictive spin though. But I might try Rakza X and Rakza X soft since my new idol M Karlsson looked excellent using Rakza X.

 

[Fa1c0n]

Hi Cornel, I've been using the palio expert. And I'm expecting the new racket to give me a bit more control on incoming spinny balls as well as producing more spin, and add a bit more power in my strokes, but not sacrificing control.


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[NextLevel]

In general, the harder you swing consistently, the harder the rubber you should use. Even beginners tend to swing fairly hard so it is relative. So I would say never go below medium on both sides and medium hard is preferable on the forehand. As you get better, if you improve your backhand technique, even if the BH is RELATIVELY softer than the forehand in feel, both rubbers will likely be medium hard.

And Carl, who is using MX-P on his backhand, should be the last person making it sound like I am a hard rubber lover .

 

[Cornel]

I'm expecting the new racket to give me a bit more control on incoming spinny balls as well as producing more spin, and add a bit more power in my strokes, but not sacrificing control.

This sounds kind of an paradox for me. Spinnier rubbers tend also to be more sensitive to spin. Also rubbers/blades that have more speed also tend to be more uncontrolable. So I guess you will have to adapt to your future racket and learn how to control it if you want to get more power and spin from it.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

That is some good info and will probably be helpful to Fa1c0n in his research for a new racket. Vega Japan is in the same category as Omega V Pro but is supposed to feel a tiny bit better than Omega V Pro.

Fa1c0n, you should know, bolterixus recently went through the process of choosing a new setup as well so the info he gave really may help you in figuring out what you want.


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[Fa1c0n]

Hey Cornel, I do remember reading that somewhere too.... Decisions decisions decisions. Hi Carl that is good info to know, well everyone has been very helpful I've got a better idea of what type of blade and rubber to use, like you said I suppose it's a matter of doing my research with all this new found knowledge now and trying to make a decision. Thanks for everyone's input, it has been much appreciated.


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[UpSideDownCarl]

Cornel has given some good info.

Chinese rubbers are very spinny and have very good control for the amount of spin they produce and are not so reactive to spin for how much they can generate spin. The downside there is they are slow and unforgiving if you don't have a very large powerful stroke and good footwork.

The Euro rubbers have a lot more catapult so you need less effort to make the ball have spin and speed but with the bounciness and the high grip of the topsheet, they are much more reactive to incoming spin.


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[Anders]

Stiga Allround Evo (or some other Allround blade) with Sriver G3 or some other Euro rubber from the just past SG era will do good.. Also older offensive rubbers from the SG era would be fine. If control is what you seek

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Stiga Allround Evo (or some other Allround blade) with Sriver G3 or some other Euro rubber from the just past SG era will do good.. Also older offensive rubbers from the SG era would be fine. If control is what you seek

I personally LOVE the Stiga Allround Evolution blade. And When Der_Echte tried mine, it got him to go out and get one for himself. Then he played Dr Frankenstein with it and added 35 grams of weight to the handle. But, that is Der_Echte! Anyway, the Allround Evolution is really a fantastic blade at an excellent price: it is only about $40.00 (USD). I also agree with the rubbers Anders is recommending. They would be a really good place to start.

To be fair, I don't always use the same rubber on both sides - the hardest rubber I have used on both sides since breaking 1500 is Big Dipper 38 degrees - I have used Tenergy 05 on both sides but that is not special or unique per se in modern TT though I know many people who go softer. I sometimes do think that MX-S is too hard for my backhand and I am going to give other rubbers a look after the year is over - MX-S has addictive spin though. But I might try Rakza X and Rakza X soft since my new idol M Karlsson looked excellent using Rakza X.

To be fair (I figured I might as well start with the same phrase as you), your advice is always some of the best when it comes to equipment, and it is always based on the specific person you are giving advice to. I actually wasn't saying you love hard rubbers. I was saying your backhand is a monster! Not many people have that much impact on the backhand side and that makes it so you can use a rubber that is as hard on the BH as on the FH. But, most of us would probably better with a slightly softer BH rubber.

I do have MX-P on my BH. I started getting the idea that I might be able to have a rubber that is as hard for BH as FH. Originally, my friend Edmund--who usually uses the same rubber for FH and BH and also has a really strong BH--gave me the idea. And I am pretty used to MX-P and it is working for me. But I think I would be better with FX-P or EL-P on my BH. Even though this is working for me. The MX-P may be a bit too hard for my BH. Whereas, on my FH, I can really get some extra gears with MX-P. Even though I got so used to MX-P for BH that it is working for me, I think I may get the extra gears with a slightly softer rubber on that side. But, I will change when I change my rubbers next.