Just recieved the blade and have tested it about 3 times.
Statistics:
Whitecard stats
Batch: 25 04
Weight 85,5g
Thickness 5,84mm
Balancepoint 123mm
Bounce height 294mm
Rebound speed decay rate 68%
159mm x 150mm
Rubbers:
I've put Hurricane 3 Neo 39 degrees on forehand boosted.
Tenergy 80 on backhand.
Both rubbers cut a bit larger to make it easier to switch on blades if needed.
Feel:
Handle is incredibly thin, more than i thought. I have very small hands, so its fine. It's just a lot more than i expected. I haven't measured it. Total racket weight is 202g, its pretty head heavy. Not that i mind. Balance feels pretty good.
Forehand:
At first when i started playing the blades felt a lot "slower" than my normal racket Harimito ALC. After hitting a bit and using more power, then the blade felt faster. I suspect its due to a much higher flex. At low power the energy from normal force going into the blade when hitting the ball doesn't fully flex the blade which makes it absorb a lot of energy but not making it catapult outwards. This charcteristic is not a bad thing just much different.
When i exerted power i could feel the vibration in the hand much differently. Its more clear and the ball is catapulted forward. The effect from the flex is not something i've seen before even in pure wooden blades like korbel.
Correct technique and high acceleration is mandatory to fully utilize the blade. I now understand why so many people don't recommend this to beginners.
Backhand:
Other reviews stated the backhand as "unstable" or atleast not as stable as the forehand. I dind't understand how that could be possible since its just a blade
. Makes more sense now, the power you have to exert to fully flex the blade. That means the technique i was used to with the Harimito couldn't get the right amount of power into the ball. I found out stabbing really hard forward into the ball helped with the and produced the same quality of balls as i usually can. Reflecting on players using this blade the also stab into the ball on topspin balls, especially Ma Long and it makes sense.
Service and receive:
Service is good, not much to talk about. Felt like any other blade.
Recives like flicks and opening long serves were a bit more difficult. When using little power the blade has very low feedback. Though pushes both long and short felt fine.
Other notes
I figured having a more tight grip in the hand (not like death grip, but just not super loose) helped give stiffness to the blade and it became easier to hit through the board with less power.
In addition to this when i think about how penholders hold the racket. Their fingers are behind the forehand providing stiffness and preventing the blade to flex as much. Hence why forehand feels a lot better than backhand with penhold. With shakehand you can lift the thumb onto the rubber and press it to give stiffness.
Just my personal observations.
