Personal Equipment review

[land_killer]

Hi there, I have been reading the forums for a while and would like to make a small contribution to it. I want to brief review the blade and rubber I have used and feel free to ask questions if I didn't mention what you want to know.

I learned table tennis for about 2 or 3 years when I was a kid, and started to play again about half a year ago. I do go to coaches every weekend since then, but I am still not a excerpt yet. My USATT rating is probably around 1400 to 1500. so my review is probably from a mid to low level player.

Equipments I have been used for the last half of year (I am already a EJ):

1. Butterfly viscaria, FH D09C, BH D05 (1.9 mm) - about a month
2. Butterfly FZD SZLC, FH D09C, BH D05 (1.9 mm) - about 4 to 5 months
3. DHS W968 gold slam, FH Neo H3 prov bs 39, BH Neo H3 prov os 37- three weeks so far

Viscaria:
It is one of the most classic blade, so I chose it for the first blade for me to start. It's bh was really nice. bh feedback is fast and direct, so you basically just need to put the blade at correct position, and ball will be returned automatically. if you are not good at loop, and just want to use bh to block, then Viscaria works pretty good for you.
However, its is FH is not that good for me. At least I feel it doesn't provide enough support and ball grapping for me. It is easy for the ball go under the nets when I want to do underspin loop. But it is probably also because my skill it not good back then.

FZD SZLC:
This is the next blade I got myself, and let's be honest, who can resist being FZD's fan after Olympic this summer. Because of the szlc fiber, this blade feel harder and faster than viscaria. Tbh, it is probably too elastic, especially for the bh. It is quite easy to go out of bound when you trying to do defend with bh. But on the other hand, even a small strength tear will give you a pretty good quality and speed.
For the FH, it feels much better compared with vis. Blade provides a lot of support and feedback and make me feel more confident about my loop. FH is also pretty fast and easy to use opponent's speed to return. Even though it is fast, you can still feel the ball grabbed by the rubber when u are trying to do loop. It is a really good blade but may need some time for you to get used to its elastic feeling. My only complain is that it is kinda hard to control the short balls still because it is really elastic

W968:
Everyone is talking about 968 here or in China, so I got seduced and got one. Mine is the slam version instead of the national number visiton. I heard slam version improved its bh and sacrifes a little fh for amateur players. Not sure if that is true, because I never tried number version.
It feel much slower than fzd szlc, but it has the best support and ball grabbing feeling when pair with H3. You can feel the ball stay in your rubber for a pretty long time. It makes me feel really confident about my mid to low level strength loop. And it is really easy to do underspin loop. I know people keep saying amateur plays can't really take advantage of 968's potential, and I agree it is pretty hard for me to hit through the blade. but to me, it control and stability worth the price. its short ball control is also fantastic.
BH is similiar, it feels slower but you can really feel the friction. it is not that bad to me. and defense is much easier with this blade.


Everything shared here is my personal feeling. Because of my limited skill, it may not be the same as some high level players' review. But I want to provde some information for players may not be professional level like me. Happy to answer questions if you have any. Thanks

 

[NDH]

Hi there, I have been reading the forums for a while and would like to make a small contribution to it. I want to brief review the blade and rubber I have used and feel free to ask questions if I didn't mention what you want to know.

I learned table tennis for about 2 or 3 years when I was a kid, and started to play again about half a year ago. I do go to coaches every weekend since then, but I am still not a excerpt yet. My USATT rating is probably around 1400 to 1500. so my review is probably from a mid to low level player.

Equipments I have been used for the last half of year (I am already a EJ):

1. Butterfly viscaria, FH D09C, BH D05 (1.9 mm) - about a month
2. Butterfly FZD SZLC, FH D09C, BH D05 (1.9 mm) - about 4 to 5 months
3. DHS W968 gold slam, FH Neo H3 prov bs 39, BH Neo H3 prov os 37- three weeks so far

Viscaria:
It is one of the most classic blade, so I chose it for the first blade for me to start. It's bh was really nice. bh feedback is fast and direct, so you basically just need to put the blade at correct position, and ball will be returned automatically. if you are not good at loop, and just want to use bh to block, then Viscaria works pretty good for you.
However, its is FH is not that good for me. At least I feel it doesn't provide enough support and ball grapping for me. It is easy for the ball go under the nets when I want to do underspin loop. But it is probably also because my skill it not good back then.

FZD SZLC:
This is the next blade I got myself, and let's be honest, who can resist being FZD's fan after Olympic this summer. Because of the szlc fiber, this blade feel harder and faster than viscaria. Tbh, it is probably too elastic, especially for the bh. It is quite easy to go out of bound when you trying to do defend with bh. But on the other hand, even a small strength tear will give you a pretty good quality and speed.
For the FH, it feels much better compared with vis. Blade provides a lot of support and feedback and make me feel more confident about my loop. FH is also pretty fast and easy to use opponent's speed to return. Even though it is fast, you can still feel the ball grabbed by the rubber when u are trying to do loop. It is a really good blade but may need some time for you to get used to its elastic feeling. My only complain is that it is kinda hard to control the short balls still because it is really elastic

W968:
Everyone is talking about 968 here or in China, so I got seduced and got one. Mine is the slam version instead of the national number visiton. I heard slam version improved its bh and sacrifes a little fh for amateur players. Not sure if that is true, because I never tried number version.
It feel much slower than fzd szlc, but it has the best support and ball grabbing feeling when pair with H3. You can feel the ball stay in your rubber for a pretty long time. It makes me feel really confident about my mid to low level strength loop. And it is really easy to do underspin loop. I know people keep saying amateur plays can't really take advantage of 968's potential, and I agree it is pretty hard for me to hit through the blade. but to me, it control and stability worth the price. its short ball control is also fantastic.
BH is similiar, it feels slower but you can really feel the friction. it is not that bad to me. and defense is much easier with this blade.


Everything shared here is my personal feeling. Because of my limited skill, it may not be the same as some high level players' review. But I want to provde some information for players may not be professional level like me. Happy to answer questions if you have any. Thanks

Hey Land_Killer (good job I'm more of a water man....)

Great first post and review.

I think reviews from a wide range of players are important in a sport like this, BUT (and this will shock absolutely no one who has been reading this forum for a few years)...... It would be really helpful to post some short video clips of you playing, to go alongside the review.

The video clips don't need to be great quality, or make you look amazing (everyone looks worse than they think they are when they see themselves on camera), but it would really add more depth and context to your reviews.

Example....

I tell you that Dignics 09C is incredibly powerful and you can play shots miles away from the table..... But when you try it you find it's much slower than the other rubbers and isn't good for you.

If you'd seen a video of me, you'd realise I was a tall guy who weighed as much as the Chinese National Team combined.....

So, even if you have "limited skill", by your own admission, your review would be much more useful if you added some video of it as well.

I say this to everyone though..... And it's yet to catch on fully! 😂

Welcome to the forum!

 

[land_killer]

Emm I am trying to upload a 2 mins clip but it says file is too large to upload. any suggestions?

 

[SFF_lib]

Emm I am trying to upload a 2 mins clip but it says file is too large to upload. any suggestions?

Sharable link on the cloud?

 

[SFF_lib]

Hi there, I have been reading the forums for a while and would like to make a small contribution to it. I want to brief review the blade and rubber I have used and feel free to ask questions if I didn't mention what you want to know.

I learned table tennis for about 2 or 3 years when I was a kid, and started to play again about half a year ago. I do go to coaches every weekend since then, but I am still not a excerpt yet. My USATT rating is probably around 1400 to 1500. so my review is probably from a mid to low level player.

Equipments I have been used for the last half of year (I am already a EJ):

1. Butterfly viscaria, FH D09C, BH D05 (1.9 mm) - about a month
2. Butterfly FZD SZLC, FH D09C, BH D05 (1.9 mm) - about 4 to 5 months
3. DHS W968 gold slam, FH Neo H3 prov bs 39, BH Neo H3 prov os 37- three weeks so far

Viscaria:
It is one of the most classic blade, so I chose it for the first blade for me to start. It's bh was really nice. bh feedback is fast and direct, so you basically just need to put the blade at correct position, and ball will be returned automatically. if you are not good at loop, and just want to use bh to block, then Viscaria works pretty good for you.
However, its is FH is not that good for me. At least I feel it doesn't provide enough support and ball grapping for me. It is easy for the ball go under the nets when I want to do underspin loop. But it is probably also because my skill it not good back then.

FZD SZLC:
This is the next blade I got myself, and let's be honest, who can resist being FZD's fan after Olympic this summer. Because of the szlc fiber, this blade feel harder and faster than viscaria. Tbh, it is probably too elastic, especially for the bh. It is quite easy to go out of bound when you trying to do defend with bh. But on the other hand, even a small strength tear will give you a pretty good quality and speed.
For the FH, it feels much better compared with vis. Blade provides a lot of support and feedback and make me feel more confident about my loop. FH is also pretty fast and easy to use opponent's speed to return. Even though it is fast, you can still feel the ball grabbed by the rubber when u are trying to do loop. It is a really good blade but may need some time for you to get used to its elastic feeling. My only complain is that it is kinda hard to control the short balls still because it is really elastic

W968:
Everyone is talking about 968 here or in China, so I got seduced and got one. Mine is the slam version instead of the national number visiton. I heard slam version improved its bh and sacrifes a little fh for amateur players. Not sure if that is true, because I never tried number version.
It feel much slower than fzd szlc, but it has the best support and ball grabbing feeling when pair with H3. You can feel the ball stay in your rubber for a pretty long time. It makes me feel really confident about my mid to low level strength loop. And it is really easy to do underspin loop. I know people keep saying amateur plays can't really take advantage of 968's potential, and I agree it is pretty hard for me to hit through the blade. but to me, it control and stability worth the price. its short ball control is also fantastic.
BH is similiar, it feels slower but you can really feel the friction. it is not that bad to me. and defense is much easier with this blade.


Everything shared here is my personal feeling. Because of my limited skill, it may not be the same as some high level players' review. But I want to provde some information for players may not be professional level like me. Happy to answer questions if you have any. Thanks

Welcome to the EJ journey. I know equipment doesn't always help but the curiosity is there 😂😂😂

I just burned a FZD ZLC after trying FZD ALC. I can't wait to try it.

 

[Gozo Aruna]

FZD & Vis are same-same... clone of each other no? Best crisp feelin'.

W968 for the ultimate looping feelin'.

Now, what you are missing is One Ply Kiso Hinoki for the ultimate woody feelin'.

And your collection shall be complete.

End of EJ journey.

 

[SFF_lib]

FZD & Vis are same-same... clone of each other no? Best crisp feelin'.

W968 for the ultimate looping feelin'.

Now, what you are missing is One Ply Kiso Hinoki for the ultimate woody feelin'.

And your collection shall be complete.

End of EJ journey.

I've played both Vis and FZD ALC, huge difference. I don't know how Butterfly made FZD ALC feels so soft with the same composition to Vis.

But agree the 1-ply hinoki is a MUST TRY!! It was my first love which I can never forget

 

[Gozo Aruna]

My point being Vis, W968 & One ply Kiso-Hinoki are the ultimate Holy Trinity of TT equipment. All other blades are just a variant of these three. You own these three you majorly have completely cover all your EJ needs.

 

[olive-nguyen]

I've played both Vis and FZD ALC, huge difference. I don't know how Butterfly made FZD ALC feels so soft with the same composition to Vis.

But agree the 1-ply hinoki is a MUST TRY!! It was my first love which I can never forget

Good mention about 1 ply hinoki. I have a fellow mate i made friends with playing in the local sports hall, and he let me use his Darker speed 70 jpen 9mm, with Black Tenergy 05 hard. It dwarfs my own bat (and so does the price), and you can really feel the shots, especially on fh loops about 1m from the table, and playing with all fingers spread out on the back, you can really feel the vibration and the touch. That being said, it doesn't isn't the fastest at I tried, even with T05 which I learnt is quite fast.

 

[Novarac23]

I am thinking about writing something up about Ovtcharov ALC that I got a few weeks ago. Honestly it’s the best blade I ever used but it does require good technique, footwork and weight transfer to take full advantage off. That’s a good thing because it’s making me better by having me do those things in order to play! I might try and do a compilation of some good points of me playing different shots in different games and a write up.

 

[Tyce]

Good mention about 1 ply hinoki. I have a fellow mate i made friends with playing in the local sports hall, and he let me use his Darker speed 70 jpen 9mm, with Black Tenergy 05 hard. It dwarfs my own bat (and so does the price), and you can really feel the shots, especially on fh loops about 1m from the table, and playing with all fingers spread out on the back, you can really feel the vibration and the touch. That being said, it doesn't isn't the fastest at I tried, even with T05 which I learnt is quite fast.

9mm is about bare minimum for 1ply hinoki

 

[SFF_lib]

Good mention about 1 ply hinoki. I have a fellow mate i made friends with playing in the local sports hall, and he let me use his Darker speed 70 jpen 9mm, with Black Tenergy 05 hard. It dwarfs my own bat (and so does the price), and you can really feel the shots, especially on fh loops about 1m from the table, and playing with all fingers spread out on the back, you can really feel the vibration and the touch. That being said, it doesn't isn't the fastest at I tried, even with T05 which I learnt is quite fast.

I played Darker speed 90 (i still have it) but also 1-ply shakehand as well. I agree with you, with 3 fingers spread out on the backside you feel each shot much better. You can’t feel the same with a shakehand version of hinoki.

 

[Gozo Aruna]

9mm is about bare minimum for 1ply hinoki

U'll never play one ply unless you tried 10.5mm 😎

 

[codebop]

So you are 1400 rating and have spent over $1000 on equipment that is far too advanced for you? Sell your blades and spend the money on coaching.

 

[olive-nguyen]

U'll never play one ply unless you tried 10.5mm 😎

Just wondering do you play 10.5mm 1-ply on one sided jpen or are you shakehand? Just wondering would two inverted rubbers on such thick wood be heavy?

 

[Gozo Aruna]

Just wondering do you play 10.5mm 1-ply on one sided jpen or are you shakehand? Just wondering would two inverted rubbers on such thick wood be heavy?

My friend across the causeway, say hello to my little monster. Is it heavy?

 

[land_killer]

Here is a clip of my practice. Was still trying to get used to the new w968. Please give some suggestions of my move too

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

 

[land_killer]

So you are 1400 rating and have spent over $1000 on equipment that is far too advanced for you? Sell your blades and spend the money on coaching.

I know, but I can't stop myself from getting something nice lol. And I also have been going to coach every week. but you need to admit equipment also makes a difference, for example, I do more fh loop now with 968.

 

[olive-nguyen]

View attachment 34285View attachment 34284
My friend across the causeway, say hello to my little monster. Is it heavy?
View attachment 34286

Wow that is thicc.
And the weight too. My bat is 178g.

 

[olive-nguyen]

I know, but I can't stop myself from getting something nice lol. And I also have been going to coach every week. but you need to admit equipment also makes a difference, for example, I do more fh loop now with 968.

Lucky to even get training and all these equipment. I train with the local elderly at the Community Club and the first true bat i got was last year for Christmas my current yinhe.