First Custom bat advice needed.

[Paccheco]

But I might try Rakza X and Rakza X soft since my new idol M Karlsson looked excellent using Rakza X.

Just do it!
If MXP has an addictive spin, so does Rakza X plus huge sound. When i first tried it on a Rosewood V, i got asked twice if i was speedgluein. I used on backhand whereas before i had Rakza 9. X's topsheet is a bit harder, way easier to generating spin. Much more control, less catapult.

I also like running same rubbers on both sides. Rakza 7, X, Fastarc G-1, Omega IV Asia.
As you said, it all comes to your swing. As a 1.85m/110kg guy, my BH swing are always clumsy hard enough, being it my best wing by far.

--
Ok, now to contribute a bit more to the post.
Yesterday i saw a rookie(~2 months of training) in my club running a Yasaka Extra Offensive with Rakza 7 FH/ Mark V BH.
I tried it for about 20min and it had astonishing control. Rakza 7 gives enough speed and superb spin. Mark V might be kinda slow but due harder outer ply of YEO when you swing it goes really fast, when not it goes super spinny.
I think it englobes the amazing advices you had here and your wishes.
-A fairly fast yet flexible and dwelly blade.
-Harder spinny rubber on FH
-Slightly softer Spinny Controled rubber on BH with capability of good amount of speed.
-It is durable and cheap.
If want to replace the YEO for a softer feel, the Allround Evolution, Allround CR, Offensive Classic will indeed do it.

I had myself almost the same combo but with Adidas P5 on FH, for 2 months. Playing 30~hours per week and i must say it was the best thing ive done so far. I think my BH is the best wing now because these months with Mark V. It was very forgiving, excelled at looping and ocasionally far left saving chops I could do everything ps: my YEO was 88gr, a 80~82 should be slower, more controllable and easier to maneuver.

Well, thats it for now

Thoughtful,
Raul Pacheco.

 

[MegaZZ]

I am very late to this thread and many people have given excellent advice already and the information is probably already overwhelming. Still I just want to throw in my two cents worth and say that your original intention Hurricane King paddle is an excellent blade and you can get it for $115 USD at http://ttnpp.com/store/dhs/218-dhs-hurricane-king-7.html plus whatever the postage cost. Not sure how this is budgetwise from your point of view, I suspect this is a fair bit more expensive than other blades recommended for you by others already.

This blade is based on Wang Liqin's game style and I had a chance to borrow one from a friend when I first started switching from penhold to shakehand and it's a good offensive yet controllable blade. It's very good for FH side and quite controllable on the BH side. It was designed more for the speed glue era and so for use with speedglue or boosted Chinese DHS Hurricane or Skyline rubbers on the FH side with a faster Jap/Euro rubber on the backhand.

I must point out though that chinese rubbers do not suit a lot of players though, this hopefully you can test by trying some other shakehander's setup who has a chinese rubber. Definitely boosting a rubber takes some time and effort and I suspect it would be too early for you to consider yet. Still I believe this is a blade you may wish to consider later should you wish to upgrade again when you believe your technical skills would benefit from it.

Hope I didn't make it more confusing, have lots of fun getting a new setup, it's nearly Christmas after all

 

[Fa1c0n]

Ok everyone, so I think I've decided to go for, YEO Ma Lin Version, Rakza 7 F/H and possibly the Vega Europe for the B/H how does this setup sound? also I wanted to know does the Europe have a really soft feel, because my palio has a soft back hand side and I didn't like it as it actually hindered my B/H I tried my friends racket which has tin arc 3 on both sides, and the harder rubber felt a lot more comfortable and I was able to hit a lot more B/H on the table rather than the ball going long or into the net. so maybe a European rubber with similar qualities or should I say hardness to the tin arc 3 that I can use on my back hand would be good for me.


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[bolterixus]

I would say that europe is a mid hardness. Not the softest but not too hard. No idea about that blade though. Rakza 7 has good reviews and quite a lot of people use it

 

[NextLevel]

I'm not a fan of hard contact woods for the outer ply of my blades but if you like walnut then go with it. Usually, my first recommendation to most people is to use something they have tried before, though they need to do it while knowing that slower is better than faster and wood is better than composite for your first blade because as much as many people like to deceive themselves when using faster blades, few have the touch and control of the pros that use them.

When you have powerful and advanced loops on both FH and BH, and your game becomes more based on looping at mid distance, then going to a composite or OFF blade makes sense because those blades help you block and rally faster and you already have a well developed spin and touch game which you can fine tune with rubbers. But in the beginning, you need to be able to play well closer to the table and slower blades make learning that easier.

Hard contact woods might also do better with the plastic ball. But I am still an unapologetic soft wood guy.

 

[Suga D]

Totally agree with NL. Shortplay is easier to learn with a softer wood. Hard woods are not that easy to control and recquire a very fine touch. Must beginners do not have that yet and it takes some time for the feeling to grow. So i guess you'd be doing yourself a big favour chosing a rather softer wood.

 

[bolterixus]

I would recommend a blade which is in the middle. I quite like using mid hardness blades.

 

[Fa1c0n]

Maybe I am jumping ahead of myself a bit, how about the Tibhar stratus power wood with Rakza 7 F/H and Vega Europe B/H, would you say this was a decent set up?


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[bolterixus]

I think that would be fine. Fa1c0n

 

[Fa1c0n]

I think that would be fine. Fa1c0n

Thank you. 1 more thing 1 review I read on the blade said they added a coat of polyurethane, what does this do for the blade and is it actually necessary?


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[bolterixus]

I never heard about that. I know you can ask them to lacquer the blade which protects it more and is what I have done as well.

 

[Fa1c0n]

Ahh I see, so it is worth doing then? Either way I'm looking forward to trying out this new setup, once I have I'll probably do another post and let everyone know how I'm getting on with it. Once again thank you all for the advice.


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[UpSideDownCarl]

Sorry to do this to you Bolt, but, the two blades you own, the Primorac Off- and the Stratus Power Wood both qualify for what NextLevel is referring to as soft.

The blades Paccheco has mentioned are excellent blades but they wouldn't be good for someone who is buying their first ever Non-Pre-Assembled racket. They would be good for someone who is playing for a long time with a racket that has been built.

The best info here so far is from NextLevel and Anders gave the simpler information of a setup that is exactly what NextLevel is explaining.

The thing is, Anders is a coach, NextLevel is a coach too. They both have tried more blades than you can shake a stick at. They know the strengths and weaknesses of many rackets and many setups. They are in fact equipment experts. They know this stuff, not because they read a review or because they have 3 or 4 really nice blades that they like; but because they have tried dozens of rackets.

Fa1c0n, if you get a Yasaka blade it should be the Yasaka Extra or the Yasaka Sweden Extra. Not one of the Extra Offensive blades.

If you listen to the basic advice of Anders on rubbers--an older version of a pretensioned rubber--with a racket like one of these:

Yasaka Extra
Tibhar Stratus Power Wood
Stiga Allround Evolution

And rubbers like the ones Anders recommended or rubbers like

Xiom Vega Pro or Europe
Donic Baracuda

You will likely be better off.

But, here is are some questions; you said this is your first racket you are having assembled piece by piece:

What racket were you using before?

How long have you been playing?

What is your own assessment of your level?


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[bolterixus]

I'm sad now

 

[Fa1c0n]

I'm currently using, palio expert which I believe is a 2 ply blade, which has cj8000 rubbers. Been playing for 18 months, and would say I'm beginner to intermediate, and I've just started playing in a division 4 local league.


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[UpSideDownCarl]

I'm currently using, palio expert which I believe is a 2 ply blade, which has cj8000 rubbers. Been playing for 18 months, and would say I'm beginner to intermediate, and I've just started playing in a division 4 local league.

Then the info NextLevel and Anders have given is undoubtedly the most useful for your development as a player.


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[UpSideDownCarl]

I'm sad now

Nothing to be sad about. You have two excellent blades that are both good for you. Even if you are joking around and having fun by saying that, you did something most beginners would not have by getting yourself rackets that are good to help you get better.

And you did just get that Power Wood setup pretty recently.

When you have tried as many rackets as someone like NextLevel you will know the difference in feel between Limba, Hinoki, Walnut, Koto and other woods used in the top plies of different blades. You may even understand how the inner plies work in different blade constructions.

For now, you are getting ready to learn how to glue and cut your own rubbers.

Overall, I'd say, not a bad start on the road to understanding how different equipment works.


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[Fa1c0n]

I'm currently using, palio expert which I believe is a 2 ply blade, which has cj8000 rubbers. Been playing for 18 months, and would say I'm beginner to intermediate, and I've just started playing in a division 4 local league.


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[bolterixus]

Ty Carl

 

[Fa1c0n]

So went back to the drawing board, and decided on the yasaka Sweden extra, due to the very good reviews aswell as the recommendations from you all, also I'm gonna give xiom vega pro for my F/H and toying between yasaka Mark V or xiom Vega Europe for my B/H.


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