LF All Wood Blade like Korbel but with smaller head size

[Der_Echte]

After this weekend LAOpen is over, I might go back to Akkad or Lisson or Rubicon gear it down again to play slower, who knows.

A lot of points I won in Oakland were not from powerlooping the ball. I should develop this aspect of my game more before my next major competition.

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[Jabugo]

I got a Carbonado 145. Definitely faster than a Carbonado 45 and it tempts me to get a 245.

I also prefer all wood with limba or hinoki for feel. For a blade with carbon, I found the Carbonado 145 has very good feel. Also, it's very similar to the Viscaria but with a bit more feel. The power and arc are very close. Moving away from all wood, these are the two carbon blades that seem to have a perfect balance of touch and power. But I chose the Viscaria because the handle allows me to hold the blade securely but with a relaxed grip which is very important to my playing style.

 

[NextLevel]

I also prefer all wood with limba or hinoki for feel. For a blade with carbon, I found the Carbonado 145 has very good feel. Also, it's very similar to the Viscaria but with a bit more feel. The power and arc are very close. Moving away from all wood, these are the two carbon blades that seem to have a perfect balance of touch and power. But I chose the Viscaria because the handle allows me to hold the blade securely but with a relaxed grip which is very important to my playing style.

The Viscaria and Boll ALC both felt a bit faster. Someone say they play more like Carbonado 190 which is why I am on no rush to test a 190.

I get the grip thing and I shaved both Carbonado handles significantly to make them feel more like a Korbel.

 

[thomas.pong]

The Viscaria and Boll ALC both felt a bit faster. Someone say they play more like Carbonado 190 which is why I am on no rush to test a 190.

I get the grip thing and I shaved both Carbonado handles significantly to make them feel more like a Korbel.

Was yours the Master (FL) or Legend (Wide FL) handle?

Also, have you tried the Innerforce ALC? If so, what did you think about it, and how would you compare it to the 145?

 

[lVegita]

As DerEchte said, things are in flux. The Korbel has been retired as it has a higher throw than the Hadraw and I don't need throw right now. The 145 just enables to get power without working half as hard and I am not sure why as I don't feel this way per se with Boll ALC and wonder whether it has something to do with how I glued the rubbers. But I will likely retire the 45 as well. I think the current trend is towards fast blades and less repulsive/hard rubbers in passive game on forehand.

Yep. The "Oh no" was a joke with the similarities your flux have with some EJing around, but I know and it is clear that you know exactly what you are looking for, and it is fun to follow the thread, as I can learn something.

One thing I didn't understand: You mentioned that Hadraw had a lower arc than Korbel, and that it would not hurt your game because how spin oriented it is. Isn't arc and spin related? Like higher arc stuff more spin capable? In other words, wouldn't high arc stuff be better for spin oriented players?

 

[NextLevel]

Yep. The "Oh no" was a joke with the similarities your flux have with some EJing around, but I know and it is clear that you know exactly what you are looking for, and it is fun to follow the thread, as I can learn something.

One thing I didn't understand: You mentioned that Hadraw had a lower arc than Korbel, and that it would not hurt your game because how spin oriented it is. Isn't arc and spin related? Like higher arc stuff more spin capable? In other words, wouldn't high arc stuff be better for spin oriented players?

It's all relative but I am one of those spin players that takes the ball early and spins without big arc. It is quite possible to get decent spin without large arcs. The way spin messes up timing is not as effective at is used to be with the celluloid ball. I do get arc but I am trying to keep the ball lower and deeper.

 

[thomas.pong]

I shaved both Carbonado handles significantly to make them feel more like a Korbel.

Hi NextLevel, is the handle on your 145 the Master (FL) or Legend (Wide FL)?

 

[NextLevel]

Hi NextLevel, is the handle on your 145 the Master (FL) or Legend (Wide FL)?

The Master but I shaved it to make it more Korbel like.

 

[yogi_bear]

There is a new blade from Sanwei called Fextra All Around. It has the same construction with Korbel but is slower and has a bigger handle. This is the 5 ply version of Fextra.

 

[lVegita]

There is a new blade from Sanwei called Fextra All Around. It has the same construction with Korbel but is slower and has a bigger handle. This is the 5 ply version of Fextra.

Wow, I was looking for a Chinese limba-limba-ayous like 3 days ago. I also went to Sanwei website looking for something like that. Didn't find this new fextra. Not available on AliExpress yet also. Have you tried it already?

 

[Silver Server]

NL, any particular reason why you didn't just go for a custom OSP in what you wanted versus the Hadraw? Esp seeing as the V-/+ & VK are similar priced.

 

[NextLevel]

NL, any particular reason why you didn't just go for a custom OSP in what you wanted versus the Hadraw? Esp seeing as the V-/+ & VK are similar priced.

I had a credit at a store that I could use to buy the Hadraw. And I generally don't like custom stuff as I can't benchmark it.

 

[NextLevel]

The biggest lesson I have learned from testing all these blades is that I like flat handles. When a handle is too fat, it places too much stress on my arthritis and my fingers. In fact, everytime I have shaved a handle to make it flatter like a Korbel, or if it already has that flatness, I have liked it better. It explains why I liked the Yasaka Extra as well as many of the Nexy Blades.

So far the Carbonado 145 has been the best blade I have tested. The 245 is just too fast - I could play with it but I would have to hold back and that is not the point. Maybe Chinese tacky rubber? Or Joola Golden Tango?

I am going to hack a Mazunov I have had for a while. I can now see that the main reason I struggled to use it was that the fat handle stressed my fingers. I will flatten the upper half of the handle like I have for my Carbonados and use it with the Carbonado 145 for a month. The main reason that I want to use this and not the Hadraw VK is that I get the impression that the players I need to beat respect my shots more when I use the faster blades. So I need to take some risks and practice using the faster stuff.

 

[Jabugo]

The biggest lesson I have learned from testing all these blades is that I like flat handles. When a handle is too fat, it places too much stress on my arthritis and my fingers. In fact, everytime I have shaved a handle to make it flatter like a Korbel, or if it already has that flatness, I have liked it better. It explains why I liked the Yasaka Extra as well as many of the Nexy Blades.

So far the Carbonado 145 has been the best blade I have tested. The 245 is just too fast - I could play with it but I would have to hold back and that is not the point. Maybe Chinese tacky rubber? Or Joola Golden Tango?

I am going to hack a Mazunov I have had for a while. I can now see that the main reason I struggled to use it was that the fat handle stressed my fingers. I will flatten the upper half of the handle like I have for my Carbonados and use it with the Carbonado 145 for a month. The main reason that I want to use this and not the Hadraw VK is that I get the impression that the players I need to beat respect my shots more when I use the faster blades. So I need to take some risks and practice using the faster stuff.

I have similar sentiments in regards to my shift towards a faster controlled blade. I've been playing safe with a wood blade for a very long time and I just think it's time to shed the training wheels. And now, there have been a number of shots I simply could not have made had I used my all wood blade.

 

[yoass]

I don't know about others, but whenever I start thinking a faster blade would be a good idea I take a long hard look at my touch game first. Only when absolutely certain there's sufficient leeway there to sacrifice a little control I start to look at the high end, and see what could be gained speedwise when hitting all-out.

So far, I've been backing out after trying outer composite blades. I do feel absolute control with them when playing power, but have also experienced a loss in the more delicate aspects of the game. Inner composite seems fine, but whenever pressed by an opponent in the short game I renew my deeply critical reflection. It's all tradeoffs, of course, and whatever floats your boat.

 

[NextLevel]

I don't know about others, but whenever I start thinking a faster blade would be a good idea I take a long hard look at my touch game first. Only when absolutely certain there's sufficient leeway there to sacrifice a little control I start to look at the high end, and see what could be gained speedwise when hitting all-out.

So far, I've been backing out after trying outer composite blades. I do feel absolute control with them when playing power, but have also experienced a loss in the more delicate aspects of the game. Inner composite seems fine, but whenever pressed by an opponent in the short game I renew my deeply critical reflection. It's all tradeoffs, of course, and whatever floats your boat.

I 100% agree. I am looking for the right balance between risk and reward. The good thing is that the website, ttgearlab.com, does some interesting testing that I am using to think through my blade choices. I am also learning what I like in the inner plies which I never took seriously (ayous, limba) and am not as much a fan of say (kiri, hinoki).

The 145 seems to be at the upper limit of the speed I like and it feels very much like a Butterfly wood blade when I loop hard and my touch is not compromised with it, though it clearly needs some work compared to say a Korbel, but it is in the same range feeling wise. The Mazunov is just the last experiment to push the upper bounds of speed. It is a 94g Mazunov that a friend gave me as a gift, so it is much lighter than most. I just couldn't stand the handle when using it to play with rubbers as the head size usually means extra weight and the handle was just too thick for me to hold it. Given its lower weight, it probably plays slower than most Mazunov's would, and the Mazunov is not ridiculously fast for the modern age.

And if all these fail, I can always go back to the Hadraw. But with the Hadraw, I am not going to beat anyone I couldn't beat already. The Carbonado X45 series are an interesting set of blades worth trying if you want something different - I don't think they fit cleanly into the inner vs outer carbon category because of their design (they are nominally outer carbon blades) and they are all looping biased.

 

[NextLevel]

I have similar sentiments in regards to my shift towards a faster controlled blade. I've been playing safe with a wood blade for a very long time and I just think it's time to shed the training wheels. And now, there have been a number of shots I simply could not have made had I used my all wood blade.

The short game and confident blocking game is still very important and that is where I usually give up, because the faster blades make it harder to feel the ball when you are looped at under pressure. Ultimately, it comes down to your confidence in the blade and how it plays across a range of swing speeds.

 

[Jabugo]

The short game and confident blocking game is still very important and that is where I usually give up, because the faster blades make it harder to feel the ball when you are looped at under pressure. Ultimately, it comes down to your confidence in the blade and how it plays across a range of swing speeds.

No doubt about it. Feel was diminished at first, but sensitivity improves with use. My blocks, on the other hand, have become more offensive which opened up a new area of my game. I can be more aggressive just using shorter strokes with less effort.