Harimoto Innerforce Super ALC

[AutomaticBackhand]

Played with the Harimoto SALC for 1 training session:
Really good handle and feeling in the handle, probably among my top 3 favorites.
A lot of control for blocking, countering and even chopping.
Gets really fast when you hit harder and the SALC kicks in, good feedback in the hand, definitely faster than my Stuor HALC, even with less weight.
The loops weren't as dangerous as other inner fiber blades, but that is not what I'd excpect anyways.
Forehand loops/counters felt unmissable in open rallies.

A unique blade, unlike any other ones that I tested so far.

FH: Battle 3, BH: Spinpips D3
Blade weight: 88g

 

[TTLJ]

Played with the Harimoto SALC for 1 training session:
Really good handle and feeling in the handle, probably among my top 3 favorites.
A lot of control for blocking, countering and even chopping.
Gets really fast when you hit harder and the SALC kicks in, good feedback in the hand, definitely faster than my Stuor HALC, even with less weight.
The loops weren't as dangerous as other inner fiber blades, but that is not what I'd excpect anyways.
Forehand loops/counters felt unmissable in open rallies.

A unique blade, unlike any other ones that I tested so far.

FH: Battle 3, BH: Spinpips D3
Blade weight: 88g

After like 20+ hours, it felt like the salc is a bit easier to activate than in the beginning and the catapult got a little stronger. I wonder if anyone else experienced this, however this is not bad, just an observation.

 

[TampaBayTableTennis]

good to see some more feedback, feel similar to the above thoughts and that review video.

i find myself overhitting high balls with top spin when i am near the table to finish after i set it up with previous spin, seems like there is a big jump in power/speed when blade engages too much and ball shoots out kinda flat/far/fast so i need to angle down more and make sure i am still getting a degree of brush, need to not over extend my stroke forward and make sure it is being closed off properly. use more body so arm not as tense... perhaps this is also the effect of having Dignics 05 - 2.1 on FH when I was using Rakza 7/Z and H3 previously, still just need to adjust more. i am a little too close to table for the finish and standing high, can improve that with better distance control and ability to stay lower/more ready.

My confidence in playing a bit more controlled and patient is improving although I still perform better when getting initiative and applying pressure (as expected based on my level and playing style). I really like my setup for my serves and third ball forehands though, which is my main game, so things are moving along. Blocking well, quite happy with that area of things. Feeling good with some controlled/spin/lower-risk shots that help me with placement and consistency, and also give opponents problems when trying to block or counter them.

Not thinking of equipment for now. Have a backup blade with same combo for tournaments. Will wear these out and go from there.

 

[Caracas]

What means activated?

 

[Lazer]

What means activated?

The harder you hit the more the carbon layer kicks in. An outer generally kicks in earlier than an inner…

Cheers
L-zr

 

[pongguy69]

good to see some more feedback, feel similar to the above thoughts and that review video.

i find myself overhitting high balls with top spin when i am near the table to finish after i set it up with previous spin, seems like there is a big jump in power/speed when blade engages too much and ball shoots out kinda flat/far/fast so i need to angle down more and make sure i am still getting a degree of brush, need to not over extend my stroke forward and make sure it is being closed off properly. use more body so arm not as tense... perhaps this is also the effect of having Dignics 05 - 2.1 on FH when I was using Rakza 7/Z and H3 previously, still just need to adjust more. i am a little too close to table for the finish and standing high, can improve that with better distance control and ability to stay lower/more ready.

My confidence in playing a bit more controlled and patient is improving although I still perform better when getting initiative and applying pressure (as expected based on my level and playing style). I really like my setup for my serves and third ball forehands though, which is my main game, so things are moving along. Blocking well, quite happy with that area of things. Feeling good with some controlled/spin/lower-risk shots that help me with placement and consistency, and also give opponents problems when trying to block or counter them.

Not thinking of equipment for now. Have a backup blade with same combo for tournaments. Will wear these out and go from there.

thanks for the review. i actually am running a similar setup (harimoto ALC H3 + Rakza 7) and I just bought SALC (09c +05), will post my review here once i test it in a month

 

[Patzer]

Played with the Harimoto SALC for 1 training session:
Really good handle and feeling in the handle, probably among my top 3 favorites.
A lot of control for blocking, countering and even chopping.
Gets really fast when you hit harder and the SALC kicks in, good feedback in the hand, definitely faster than my Stuor HALC, even with less weight.
The loops weren't as dangerous as other inner fiber blades, but that is not what I'd excpect anyways.
Forehand loops/counters felt unmissable in open rallies.

A unique blade, unlike any other ones that I tested so far.

FH: Battle 3, BH: Spinpips D3
Blade weight: 88g

Thank you for the review. I was thinking about buying the Stuor 19 to try out an Inner ALC blade before committing to something like the Harimoto ALC or SALC. Is it pretty similar to the HALC? Would you recommend it?

 

[AutomaticBackhand]

Thank you for the review. I was thinking about buying the Stuor 19 to try out an Inner ALC blade before committing to something like the Harimoto ALC or SALC. Is it pretty similar to the HALC? Would you recommend it?

I can't directly compare the Stuor HALC to the original, but I can recommend it.
It is slower, more controlled and less flexible than other inner ALC blades that I tried, but it's good nonetheless.

There are plenty of options for cheap and good inner ALC blades from Yinhe, Sanwei, Stuor etc..
Since you are already playing the Yinhe Pro 01, you could try the Pro 05.
It's one of my favorites.

The expensive inner ALC blades are all a little bit different, e. G. Harimoto ALC / SALC, Ovtcharov, normal Innerforce, etc..

It's hard to tell which one you will like without actually trying them out.

 

[Patzer]

I can't directly compare the Stuor HALC to the original, but I can recommend it.
It is slower, more controlled and less flexible than other inner ALC blades that I tried, but it's good nonetheless.

There are plenty of options for cheap and good inner ALC blades from Yinhe, Sanwei, Stuor etc..
Since you are already playing the Yinhe Pro 01, you could try the Pro 05.
It's one of my favorites.

The expensive inner ALC blades are all a little bit different, e. G. Harimoto ALC / SALC, Ovtcharov, normal Innerforce, etc..

It's hard to tell which one you will like without actually trying them out.

Thank you! These recommendations are very helpful. I don't live near a club at the moment so it's difficult to try out new gear without purchasing it. I'll give the Stuor HALC or the Yinhe Pro 05 a try!

 

[po-stit]

Hello, can anyone compare the Innerforce ALC to the Harimoto Super ALC? I currently use the Innerforce ALC and love it. Love the vibration and "feeeling" of the blade overall, however i would like a blade with a little more power especially for rallies away from the table. Do you think the SALC will give me that mantaining all the good caractheristics of the Innerforce ALC/Harimoto ALC?

 

[mcfly]

Hello, can anyone compare the Innerforce ALC to the Harimoto Super ALC? I currently use the Innerforce ALC and love it. Love the vibration and "feeeling" of the blade overall, however i would like a blade with a little more power especially for rallies away from the table. Do you think the SALC will give me that mantaining all the good caractheristics of the Innerforce ALC/Harimoto ALC?

I will tell you the truth.
But if you take my word and it turns out the other way, how would you respond to that?

Then another member will tell you what he/ she thinks about those blades and the comparison based on his/ her opinion.

Then another one pitch in. Another opinion.

Wouldn’t it be a waste of your time?
Or would you rather try it for yourself with your skill and technique? Would you believe those strangers that you’ve never met and seen them play?

Your choice.

 

[po-stit]

I will tell you the truth.
But if you take my word and it turns out the other way, how would you respond to that?

Then another member will tell you what he/ she thinks about those blades and the comparison based on his/ her opinion.

Then another one pitch in. Another opinion.

Wouldn’t it be a waste of your time?
Or would you rather try it for yourself with your skill and technique? Would you believe those strangers that you’ve never met and seen them play?

Your choice.

Hey,

thank you for your reply and i understand where the answer comes from. Ultimately a forum is about this, sharing experiences and nobody can be judged to share his/her opinion.

I guess the feeling about a blade will be different for two different forum members, however there will be always a "middle" point, somewhere that is common to everyone and to be honest the vibration of a blade is a characteristic that can't be missed.

I think someone who tested both will definitely have a somewhat close to reality opinion that is common to everyone.

Also, in the end this is a expensive game we are playing. The HSALC is an expensive blade, and considering its unusual bigger head size means another investment in rubbers so asking for opinions doesnt seem all that weird for me.

 

[TTLJ]

I used the boll alc before, but tested the normal innerforce alc like a month before buying the hsalc. Considering that the halc is basically a tad larger innerforce alc, a comparison between the hsalc and the innerforce alc probably isnt that much different.

First of all, I decided not to continue using the boll alc cause of the lack of feedback and high catapult. It felt like balls are going over the table super easy and passive game was hard.
That's why I tried the innerforce alc. First thing I noticed was the vibration, which I really liked. Secondly, the passive game and serve/receive was a lot easier. Especially short game and blocking were noticeably better. What I didn't like was the looping, especially forehand and when being away from the table. Maybe it's cause of my bad forehand technique and not shifting my body weight enough, but it felt like it was lacking so much power compared to the boll alc. I'm backhand dominant but still, it just felt a lot worse than the boll alc.
That's why I ultimately decided to buy the hsalc as something in between those 2 blades. I must say my hsalc is light, around 85g. First impression: great feedback, not as much vibration as the halc, but still enough and a waaaay crisper feel. It has a tad more catapult, but not a lot. I use Fastarc G1 2.0 fh and t19 1.7 bh btw. In passive game it's not that much different to the innerforce alc, blocking for me is even better cause of the higher speed I can return, even when blocking passively to put my opponent under pressure. However, I feel like it's noticeably more sensitive to incoming spin. Especially when my opponent opens the rally with a slow, spinny ball I felt that it was way harder to return than with innerforce alc or boll alc.
When looping it is not quite as good as a boll alc shot quality wise, but easier to not miss and a lot better overall than the innerforce alc. I feel like I need to hit the ball correctly to get a high quality shot, but the ball is way faster and more spinny compared to the innerforce alc, and even when I don't hit the ball perfectly, it has still some power.
So all in all, for me it was the right choice, I gained around +60 TTR since I switched 6 weeks ago and feel a lot more comfortable in rallies and when playing passively. But that's just me, I can't say if it will suit your game or will play the same. I've heard one guy has one that weights 93g and he says it has more catapult than the boll alc and almost no vibration.

 

[pongguy69]

okay, i finally got a chance to try my H SALC d09c + d05. for reference, i was using H ALC h3 + R7.

i noticed this new setup was quite a bit faster, although noticeably not as fast as when i borrowed a FZD ALC d09c d05. the arc is higher than the FZD ALC, so i didn't bury as many balls into the net. the balls are coming off much faster (specifically counters and smashes / slaps / punches), and my topspins are regularly hitting the table (dignics aimbot). blocking is not as free as the old set up, but i think that's a fine trade off for how i play. i'm still able to play short game if i'm careful, otherwise my chops go long.

It feels just like H ALC in terms of vibration / feedback

 

[po-stit]

okay, i finally got a chance to try my H SALC d09c + d05. for reference, i was using H ALC h3 + R7.

i noticed this new setup was quite a bit faster, although noticeably not as fast as when i borrowed a FZD ALC d09c d05. the arc is higher than the FZD ALC, so i didn't bury as many balls into the net. the balls are coming off much faster (specifically counters and smashes / slaps / punches), and my topspins are regularly hitting the table (dignics aimbot). blocking is not as free as the old set up, but i think that's a fine trade off for how i play. i'm still able to play short game if i'm careful, otherwise my chops go long.

It feels just like H ALC in terms of vibration / feedback

I’m glad that the vibration is similar to the normal harimoto. I’m waiting for mine to arrive and will give feedback too.

One last question. What do you mean by dignics aimbot?

 

[pongguy69]

I’m glad that the vibration is similar to the normal harimoto. I’m waiting for mine to arrive and will give feedback too.

One last question. What do you mean by dignics aimbot?

haha it's mostly a joke, where dignics rubbers automatically hit the table, like a robot aiming on the table

 

[po-stit]

haha it's mostly a joke, where dignics rubbers automatically hit the table, like a robot aiming on the table

Thants funny but I’ve got that experience from a bat from a club mate fzd super alc + dignics 09c. It’s scary and I might try one on the harimoto.

 

[TampaBayTableTennis]

loving these reviews! im definitely intrigued by 09c on this blade and i feel 05 both sides will be something i try later in the year too. looking forward to hearing more feedback

 

[TampaBayTableTennis]

I have been experimenting with flipping my racket around (Dignics 80 - 1.9 on FH, Dignics 05 - 2.1 on BH). I think it's way better for me this way now. I'm trying to play more attacking backhands now and after focusing on this area for quite some time now, I find myself blocking slightly less and going for the attacks and counters more. I can more easily clear the net with backhand opens without going long now too. More spin and consistency with 05 on backhand. With 05 can put racket there/on top and get the grab and spin back better, 80 - 1.9 made me feel like I had to pick up a lot of in-between balls, ended up shooting long often even when I felt like I had the ball lined up.

80 on forehand feels nice because 1.9 is more similar in speed to other rubbers I've used in past and it works well with slightly more open angle than 05 - 2.1 I can hit harder without shooting long and the angle seems to work well for my forehand open ups where I often need to pick up, and with 05 - 2.1 I felt like I had to either full-on attack or baby the ball. The more open angle helps me feel more comfortable with over the table play too with flicks and flatter kills.

Playing the racket this way feels more natural. I'm sure a lot is 1.9 vs 2.1 sponge also. I have mainly been a forehand player and like to hit hard there. Will try an H3 and 09c for forehand side on second blade, but 05-2.1 feels perfect for backhand (hopefully that feeling lasts). Think D80 is solid FH, would consider 1.9-05 too but honestly 80 feels great. Just wanted to share, we'll see how it goes.

 

[pongguy69]

i forgot to update here, but i got frustrated with the setup because it felt pretty fast. i had been reading threads on here about how carbon can stifle a player's growth, and so i switched back to all wood for now. been really enjoying that (Loki V5 with G1 FH and DNA Pro M on BH).