Help with choosing custom racket (cpen or sh?)

[Wismir]

Hey guys! This is my first post so I hope to get answers from you guys. I always looked up to this forum for great answers and today I'm going to ask somehow a personal question.

I'm a righty shakehander in the Philippines and I've been playing table tennis for a year now with Tibhar Match ALL for my blade, Mark V for FH, and RITC 729 for BH. I specialize in third ball attacks, sidespin backhand flicks, and use my backhand aggresively, the same goes to my FH. I'm pretty much a close to the table attacker. I do not loop that much, but still trying to develop my stroke. Lately while training I tried cpen just for the fun of it, and it was magical. My serves are dangerous, prompting my opponent to push high. Sometimes they can't even return them! Happy with the cpen grip (with a sh handle haha), I watched videos of Ma Lin and Xu Xin. I watch their matches everyday. After that and after gathering the money and knowing my play style (I'm finding a faster equipment setup), I'm debating whether to buy a SH Rosewood NCT V, or a Ma Lin Extra Offensive cpen blade, and various rubbers.

I've heard that Rosewood is Xu Xin's blade right now. His play style is similar to that of a jpenholder's. Mid distance looper and attacks mostly at FH. Also, his RPB is quite deadly too. I also saw posts that say Rosewood is great for mid to far looping. I'm not much of a looper, so yeah hahaha.

I'm seeing Yasaka's Ma Lin Extra Offensive as a favorite among cpenholders. It suits me well as it is great for close to table attacks, and is generally great for cpen.

I saw a store here selling Rosewood NCT Vs for USD130, which is quite a deal because SRP is at $170. I don't know what rubber to put in, but my preferred rubbers are T80 FX or Andro Rasant for FH, and DHS Skyline 3 Neo for BH.

I also saw another store (where I bought my Robopong) selling a Ma Lin XO for USD75. Planning to put T80 FX or DHS Gold Arc 3 for FH, and DHS Skyline 3 Neo or Sriver for RPB.

Take note, I finding rubbers and blades that are also durable. To give you a background, I play 1-2 times a week, 2-4 hours per session. I would like rubbers that would last me a year or more.

Ask me anything if you need more info.



Thanks guys and have a great day!

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I could be wrong but I think Xu Xin used Rosewood V NCT a few years ago, tried a few other things and switched to a Stiga Intensity. I believe his personal blade actually says Xu Xin on it. I think Intensity is supposed to be slower than Rosewood. Rosewood is an excellent blade regardless of who uses it.

Not really sure, but even if it feels good to you, Skyline may not be the best rubber for RPB. Skyline and H3 are not great for BH in general and you may be better off with a softer rubber of Euro/Japanese style.

Really any blade you like should work. Rubbers you like for FH and BH should be fine. But often a softer smooth non tacky rubber is recommended for the backhand for how you get the ball to sink in for higher level technique.


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[Wismir]

Hi UpSideDownCarl! Thanks for the info. Thinking of putting Mark V on my BH for RPB and maybe Rakza 7 or T64 for FH. Still stuck choosing blades though. Rosewood is probably the best choice for me, but it is a bit pricey. YEO Ma Lin on the other hand is cheaper but it gets the job done. I mean, YEO is the blade most cpenners prefer. But the Rosewood is beau-ti-ful!!!! I don't know what to choose!

If I will get the RW5, I'll get Rakza 7 for FH and Mark V for BH. The total then would be a whopping $221! Thats expensive! XD
If I'll get the YEO, I would put T64 on my FH and Mark V again for BH, which is $186-195 total.

EDIT: By Rosewood I mean the cpen version. And the YEO the cpen version too.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Hi UpSideDownCarl! Thanks for the info. Thinking of putting Mark V on my BH for RPB and maybe Rakza 7 or T64 for FH. Still stuck choosing blades though. Rosewood is probably the best choice for me, but it is a bit pricey. YEO Ma Lin on the other hand is cheaper but it gets the job done. I mean, YEO is the blade most cpenners prefer. But the Rosewood is beau-ti-ful!!!! I don't know what to choose!

If I will get the RW5, I'll get Rakza 7 for FH and Mark V for BH. The total then would be a whopping $221! Thats expensive! XD
If I'll get the YEO, I would put T64 on my FH and Mark V again for BH, which is $186-195 total.

EDIT: By Rosewood I mean the cpen version. And the YEO the cpen version too.

When Xu Xin switched from Rosewood, for a couple of tournaments he used the Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive. I think he switched to Stiga Intensity because it is similar. I am not sure though. Rosewood is good. YEO is too. I would try Xiom Vega Pro for RPB. I would use T05 rather than 64, but the Rakza rubber may be fine. You might not need Tenergy even with the YEO. Yes Tenergy is good. So is Rakza. Choose based on which you want. Not which blade you get. But if $$ is an issue, YEO + Rakza 7 + Vega Pro would be an awesome setup. Vega Pro will just give a little more spin than Mark V and plenty of control.

 

[Wismir]

When Xu Xin switched from Rosewood, for a couple of tournaments he used the Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive. I think he switched to Stiga Intensity because it is similar. I am not sure though. Rosewood is good. YEO is too. I would try Xiom Vega Pro for RPB. I would use T05 rather than 64, but the Rakza rubber may be fine. You might not need Tenergy even with the YEO. Yes Tenergy is good. So is Rakza. Choose based on which you want. Not which blade you get. But if $$ is an issue, YEO + Rakza 7 + Vega Pro would be an awesome setup. Vega Pro will just give a little more spin than Mark V and plenty of control.

YEO + Rakza + Vega Pro sounds like an awesome setup! But if you would choose Rosewood, what rubbers would you prefer?

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

YEO + Rakza + Vega Pro sounds like an awesome setup! But if you would choose Rosewood, what rubbers would you prefer?

The same rubbers would still be good.

For real, what I would use, Victas V>01 for FH and Victas V>01 Limber for BH on either blade.

The advantage of the Victas rubber is that it has a topsheet that is designed to grab the new Plastic ball better than other rubbers.

But, with the rubbers you were looking at, Rakza is great and not as expensive as Tenergy. And Vega Pro would be a step up for the backhand over Mark V without costing too much.

Rosewood does look beautiful. But in terms of play, the YEO is pretty solid too. Don't be fooled. Either blade will be awesome.

 

[Wismir]

The same rubbers would still be good.

For real, what I would use, Victas V>01 for FH and Victas V>01 Limber for BH on either blade.

The advantage of the Victas rubber is that it has a topsheet that is designed to grab the new Plastic ball better than other rubbers.

But, with the rubbers you were looking at, Rakza is great and not as expensive as Tenergy. And Vega Pro would be a step up for the backhand over Mark V without costing too much.

Rosewood does look beautiful. But in terms of play, the YEO is pretty solid too. Don't be fooled. Either blade will be awesome.

Yeah, Rosewood's a bit too much for me already. I'm just learning CPen and I don't want to overdo my setup. Your recommendation, YEO + Rakza 7 + Vega Pro, is probably the best setup for me. YEO has a comfortable grip for RPB and is best for close-table play, Rakza 7 is great for serving, receiving serves and has good control, and Vega Pro is great for RPB, looping, and counterlooping. A great setup without being too expensive! Victas would be wonderful, but I can't see anyone selling Victas here in the Philippines.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Yeah, Rosewood's a bit too much for me already. I'm just learning CPen and I don't want to overdo my setup. Your recommendation, YEO + Rakza 7 + Vega Pro, is probably the best setup for me. YEO has a comfortable grip for RPB and is best for close-table play, Rakza 7 is great for serving, receiving serves and has good control, and Vega Pro is great for RPB, looping, and counterlooping. A great setup without being too expensive! Victas would be wonderful, but I can't see anyone selling Victas here in the Philippines.

Yep. I think that that setup up will be great. You don't need the newest fanciest which is what Victas is. And YEO is an awesome blade and should really match well with those rubbers. Have fun with it. Write a review when your new weapon arrives. Maybe you can even take a photo or two.

 

[Wismir]

Yep. I think that that setup up will be great. You don't need the newest fanciest which is what Victas is. And YEO is an awesome blade and should really match well with those rubbers. Have fun with it. Write a review when your new weapon arrives. Maybe you can even take a photo or two.

Ok man will do! Thanks for the help!

 

[Wismir]

I'm planning to buy my new setup next week. I'm totally sure on my blade (YEO cpen) and FH rubber (Rakza 7) but I'm not sure on my BH rubber (Vega Pro). I've seen reviews stating that it is an unforgiving rubber. Also, it's not that soft for me. I need a rubber that can flick nicely, as I am used to sidespin flick on shakehand. I thinking about Sriver or Mark V. Any suggestions?

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

If you do feel like Vega Pro will be too much rubber for you then Sriver or Mark V would be fine. I suggested Vega Pro because it is pretty easy to control but still plays almost like the top of the line rubbers.


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[Wismir]

If you do feel like Vega Pro will be too much rubber for you then Sriver or Mark V would be fine. I suggested Vega Pro because it is pretty easy to control but still plays almost like the top of the line rubbers.

Just found out that the harder the sponge, the easier it is to do flicks and loops haha. I'll stick with Vega Pro then. I'll buy the blades and rubbers next week, and I'll keep you updated bro. Thanks!

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Just found out that the harder the sponge, the easier it is to do flicks and loops haha. I'll stick with Vega Pro then. I'll buy the blades and rubbers next week, and I'll keep you updated bro. Thanks!

I just know that, Vega Pro is a really good backhand rubber. I am not always sure how to interpret user reviews of different products because I am never sure of the standard of play of the person making the review. But, I have used Vega Pro for BH and from my experience it is very easy to use because it has a lot of control and generates high end spin. Not many rubbers can do both. My BH is one of the strong parts of my game so I am usually using something very comparable to what I use on FH. But when I used Vega Pro, it had great control and great spin and the speed was not too slow or too fast. At least that was the case for me. And I was more concerned with it being too slow rather than it being too fast. But it was a solid backhand rubber.

 

[PingThePanda]

I actually use Sriver for BH and H3 Neo for FH. This BH rubber works really well since it is very forgiving and well rounded in terms of power and spin. Btw, I am a cpen user.