Loki W81 ADC review

[Haito]

Loki W81 ADC vs W81 Outer ALC — Comparative Review​

I've been comparing the Loki W81 ADC with the W81 Outer ALC. I own two physical samples of the ADC, and after testing them with different rubber setups, I've found myself preferring it overall.

Both blades feel reasonably linear. The main difference is that the Outer ALC has a higher power floor, while the ADC shifts the entire gearbox down. In other words, the ADC offers a similar kind of response, just across a lower power range. That difference turned out to matter quite a bit for my game.

Speed and feel​

Neither blade feels wildly explosive or unpredictable to me (example of such would be Joola ZeLeBro PBO-c). Both have a reasonably linear response, but the Outer ALC produces a faster, more powerful ball for a similar stroke.

The ADC feels like the entire gearbox has been shifted down. It's easier to play at lower power levels, especially when blocking or making controlled shots, but I need to put in more effort to generate the same penetration. This becomes particularly noticeable when attacking from further away or trying to finish a point. I cannot quite put the same pace with the ADC as with ARC... That might be limitation of my body though.

For my playing style, that lower operating range is an advantage. I prefer being able to control the ball reliably over getting more power from the same stroke.

Forehand​

The Outer ALC makes it relatively easy to produce powerful forehand attacks without excessive effort. It performs well when topspinning from a distance, and its higher power floor helps put opponents under pressure. Based on some competitive matches, I got more points with ADC though. The players I played against cope well against power, but they do not cope well with a high spin and low speed shots. Varying the ratio between speed and spin is much easier ADC. In comparison with Donic Ovtcharov No.1 Senso its also much slower in the low gears. My Vodak Horejsi Super ALC had similar low power speed but kept the high gears.

The ADC feels more manageable when opening against backspin. I can use a more natural stroke and get the ball over the net with a good arc. However, the lower power becomes apparent when trying to finish a point with a full-power forehand or attacking from further away. Those shots require more effort to produce the same penetration. Its much easier to lift the ball than with Vodak HSALC, about the same as Ovtcharov No.1 Senso.

The short game was surprisingly manageable with both blades. I didn't find the ADC offered a dramatic advantage here, since the Outer ALC was already fairly easy to control in short play. I also do not see much difference here against other blades.

Backhand — the biggest difference for me​

The biggest issue I had with the Outer ALC was opening against backspin on my backhand. I was netting a lot of balls and struggled to make the shot reliable.

With the ADC, I felt more comfortable controlling the ball and getting my openings onto the table. Its lower power range seems to suit my timing better. This was one of the most meaningful differences in actual play for me: I'd rather have a backhand opening I can trust than extra speed that I struggle to use consistently.

Backhand drives themselves didn't show a dramatic difference in my testing. Blocking was stable with both blades, although the ADC returned a slower ball. The Outer ALC produced more speed for a similar amount of effort.

Serving, receiving and the short game​

Serving and receiving felt about the same with both blades. I didn't notice a meaningful difference that would make me choose one over the other.

The short game was also broadly comparable. The Outer ALC was already easier to manage than I expected, so the ADC didn't provide a major improvement in this area.

Chopping, smashes and flat hits​

The ADC was noticeably better for chopping. I found it much easier to keep chops on the table, making defensive shots more reliable.

Smashes and flat hits had similar finishing power with both blades. Despite their difference in overall power output, I didn't find that either had a decisive advantage when simply finishing a high ball.

Rubber setups​

I tested the ADC with two setups.

First ADC: Rasanter C53 on the forehand and FX-D on the backhand

I moved these rubbers over from my Outer ALC and used this setup at the Düsseldorf meetup.

The FX-D worked very well for me, but the C53 felt too soft on the ADC. On regular loops, I occasionally felt the rubber bottoming out. High, spinny loops and smashes were still fine.

Second ADC: Rxton 39 on the forehand and Rxton 37.5 on the backhand

This setup felt surprisingly similar overall. However, the heavily boosted Rxton 39 also came close to feeling too soft.

Since I used different rubber combinations on the two ADCs, I wouldn't attribute every difference in feel to the blade itself. The rubber setups clearly influenced the sensations I experienced, particularly the softness and bottoming-out behaviour.

Build quality and consistency​

I own two physical W81 ADC blades, and they played very similarly. One initially felt a little worse than the other, but after following the Zhang Jike sanding method, it played the same as its sibling.

The process involved sanding the playing surface, raising the grain, and sanding it again, following Zhang Jike's video.

The most obvious factory finishing issue was the edges: they were sharp as fuck and appeared not to have been sanded at all. Some manual finishing was definitely needed.

Apart from that, the construction of my two ADC samples felt consistent. I didn't notice a meaningful difference in how they played once I'd prepared the surface of the initially worse-feeling blade.

What I'd like to try next​

At some point, I will probably order either the Yuan Licen ARC or the Liang Jingkun blade. I contacted Loki support, and they told me these blades should have the same handle shape as the comfortable handle on the ADC.

The handle matters more to me than I initially expected. With the Outer ALC, I kept adjusting my grip and struggled to find a comfortable position. The ADC's thinner, better-shaped handle feels much more natural.

That makes the Yuan Licen ARC and Liang Jingkun blade interesting candidates if I want to explore another blade without sacrificing the grip that works for me.

Verdict​

I prefer the Loki W81 ADC.

The Outer ALC has a higher power floor and produces a more powerful ball for a similar stroke. However, I struggled to stabilize my backhand openings with it, and that cost me points. The ADC's lower power range makes it easier for me to control the ball and play consistently, while also making chopping more reliable.

Serving, receiving, the short game, and finishing power on smashes and flat hits were broadly comparable. The ADC also has a more comfortable handle, although its sharp, unfinished edges are a clear quality-control issue. The logic would suggest that ARC would be better for smashes, but I cannot see that much of difference. Maybe my body is to tense at the moment to feel the difference. You smash it, blade screems, ball goes "suuuuup".

The ADC isn't necessarily more linear than the Outer ALC; both feel reasonably linear to me. The difference is that the ADC shifts the whole gearbox down, giving me a more manageable power range.

For my game, consistency is worth more than the extra output. I'd rather work a little harder to generate power and trust my opening shots than have a faster blade that makes my backhand less reliable.

Who is it for?​

I'd recommend the W81 ADC to pretty much anyone, especially players looking to step up from an all-wood blade. Just keep your rubber choices under control rather than pairing it with something overly fast or difficult to manage. That recommendation comes with one important caveat: you need consistent training and ideally coaching to get the most out of it. If you build your shots around proper technique and use your whole body to generate power, this blade is a great fit. If you rely primarily on raw power and speed, though, it's probably not for you. The same goes for players whose game revolves around smashing and punching through the ball — I'd look elsewhere.