Flared or straight?

[Murre5]

So I have been using a flared blade since I started with table tennis. I just picked up 2 blades when I started and thought the flared one felt better (not gripping it like I do now). A few weeks ago I wanted to try some new rubbers and instead of removing the rubbers from my blade I bought another one (straight) to try the new rubbers on. Wasteful maybe but I want to "learn" what the difference is between rubbers and if I switched the blade for a more offensive one or so I might not notice what the blade difference is and what the rubber difference is etc...

So to the point... I changed my grip a few months ago as well. Where I more grip it tightly with my thumb and indexfinger and the rest are quite loose around the handle. But with the straight blade it feels like it's almost "cutting" in to my resting fingers and it feels quite uncomfortable. I'm wondering if I should change the grip for my straight blade or if some people just prefer flared over straight? Anyone else feel these "major" difference between flared and straight? I didn't think I would.

 

[laistrogian]

IMO it all comes down to preference. I prefer ST over FL because i hold my paddle quiet loosely and it feels nicer for general BH movement. Then again, I'm comparing BTY's ST and FL.

 

[SilentRain]

Down to personal preference. It is *Said* that ST is better as there is a large % of pros using ST. The reasons include:
-Lighter
-Easier to twiddle
-Easier to switch grip

Honestly, I would say the last 2 are true as i sometimes lock myself into looping FH/BH with FL as i can feel the FL handle gripping my hand. ST feels strange at first but after a while it beocome natural and you can switch between FL and ST easily. But the most important factor would still be preferance

 

[NextLevel]

While it is a preference issue, there are things that factor into the preference. How deep or shallow your grip is is one of them. People with grips lower on the handle or shallow grips prefer straights usually as they like a uniform feel wherever they hold the handle. People with grips higher or deep grips prefer flares as that keeps their fingers situated closer to the neck. That said, balance plays a role as well as well as the specific blade. There are blades whose specific flares I like and whose specific flares I dislike and same for the straights. In the end, it comes down to whether you like the feel and how you play with what you are using.