Sanwei Fextra 5, new blade?

[TensorBackhand]

You will not like the Fextra 5 FL handle. It is extremely skinny. The circumference of the thinnest part is only 84-85mm, which is the 2nd skinniest of the 20 blades I have measured. My measurement for Fextra 7 is 88mm.

Besides that, the Fextra 5 blade is nice. Fishscale koto at this price is insane. Mine is 84g and 1370hz. Paired with Sanwei Target 3 National, the speed is easily enough for most amateurs. Very good feeling without excessive vibration. It is a shame that after only 1 hour playing with it, I cannot continue to use it because of the skinny handle. Every Chinese reviewer on Bilibili is praising the performance and quality of the blade, but complaining about the handle, so maybe Sanwei will change it in the future. Also, just FYI, the Sanwei China catalogue shows a Fextra 5 Speed and Fextra 5 Power will be released.

How is the Sanwei Target 3 National's throw angle? I had the old Sanwei Target National and the throw angle was low.

Is Target 3 normal? or is it still low?

 

[Larshos]

You will not like the Fextra 5 FL handle. It is extremely skinny. The circumference of the thinnest part is only 84-85mm, which is the 2nd skinniest of the 20 blades I have measured. My measurement for Fextra 7 is 88mm.

Besides that, the Fextra 5 blade is nice. Fishscale koto at this price is insane. Mine is 84g and 1370hz. Paired with Sanwei Target 3 National, the speed is easily enough for most amateurs. Very good feeling without excessive vibration. It is a shame that after only 1 hour playing with it, I cannot continue to use it because of the skinny handle. Every Chinese reviewer on Bilibili is praising the performance and quality of the blade, but complaining about the handle, so maybe Sanwei will change it in the future. Also, just FYI, the Sanwei China catalogue shows a Fextra 5 Speed and Fextra 5 Power will be released.

I have two with ST handles, they measure:

22.8x29.5 and 22.6x29.1, with a pretty square profile.

So maybe try one with a ST handle?

 

[waingro]

How is the Sanwei Target 3 National's throw angle? I had the old Sanwei Target National and the throw angle was low.

Is Target 3 normal? or is it still low?

I never used the prior generations. My prior FH rubber was D05, which is high angle. I would call Target 3 National medium angle. Works well on both sides. I'm using Medium-Hard on FH and Medium-Soft on BH.

 

[TensorBackhand]

I never used the prior generations. My prior FH rubber was D05, which is high angle. I would call Target 3 National medium angle. Works well on both sides. I'm using Medium-Hard on FH and Medium-Soft on BH.

Is Target 3 National throw angle the same as H3? or lower than that?
Can you link to the specific rubber you have?

 

[h3llary]

You will not like the Fextra 5 FL handle. It is extremely skinny. The circumference of the thinnest part is only 84-85mm, which is the 2nd skinniest of the 20 blades I have measured. My measurement for Fextra 7 is 88mm.

Besides that, the Fextra 5 blade is nice. Fishscale koto at this price is insane. Mine is 84g and 1370hz. Paired with Sanwei Target 3 National on forehand, the speed is easily enough for most amateurs. Very good feeling without excessive vibration. It is a shame that after only 1 hour playing with it, I cannot continue to use it because of the skinny handle. Every Chinese reviewer on Bilibili is praising the performance and quality of the blade, but complaining about the handle, so maybe Sanwei will change it in the future. Also, just FYI, the Sanwei China catalogue shows a Fextra 5 Speed and Fextra 5 Power will be released.

I already ordered one and it's coming on the Jan 16th, I'll see for myself how thin it is. I also ordered an overegrip for it just in case

 

[banbekas]

A 5 ply blade with koto outer in the off- range should be more than fast enough for close-to-mid distance game. How do you find it slow? I have used Loki V5 which is a 5 ply allround blade with Ayous outer, which is even softer than Koto, and I still had sufficient speed from 2 meters behind.

I mean, are you guys bombing the ball from 3-5 meters away? That will explain why you find it slow.

 

[JairoAC]

I received my Fextra 5. Weight 84g. Finish is really nice. Koto top ply is perfect.

I glued some old rubbers to test the blade on my return board. This blade is very close in feeling and speed to my Petr Korbel. Handle is a little bit bigger and thicker.

I liked it so much i ordered another one, with some other stuff that i don't really need.

It's a typical 5 ply blade with some vibration and flex. If you like it you will love this blade. If not, don't buy it.

Does it need to be sealed? Could you please provide the name of the shop where you bought it from?

 

[JairoAC]

I ordered 2 from the AliExpress/BEO Store. They arrived after 10 days (to Texas). Pictures attached. I also ordered a Pro05 and the surface is clearly different, the Pro05 is Limba, so the Fextra5 Classic is Koto/Spruce.

The old Fextra 7 has been replaced by the Fextra 7 Pro with a more "3D formed" handle, but on AliExpress the old Fextra 7 is still available. The Fextra 7 with Limba/Limba and ~1400Hz is very fast and actually harder to play for me than the Yinhe Pro 05. More recent Fextra 7's are slower, similar what happened to the Yinhe 437 going to the 437S.

Fextra 5: 1291Hz, 77.0g, 5.8mm. Handle: 23.8x26.4mm (average from 2 blades)
Pro 05: 1270Hz, 92.7g, 5.9mm, handle center 24.1mm/27.5mm

Pictures: Pro05 (Limba) on the left, Fextra5 (Koto) on the right.

I assembled the blade with the DHS H3 Neo forehand and the Yinhe Moon 12 (blue) backhand rubbers. It plays as expected, the touch is a bit harder than the Limba top blades, but the control is very good. The speed is similar to the Anegre top blades like the Yasaka Sweden Extra. With the rubbers I am using the blade has good control, I can play any topspin, push, or chop techniques (against topspin). Also the blade is pretty light but not very top heavy.

In summary, this is a very nice blade and I expect it to become a classic like the Sanwei Fextra 7.

Does it need to be sealed?

 

[JairoAC]

Yesterday I received my Flextra 5 blade (81g), and I must say for a $17 blade it looks quite good.
I bought it out of curiosity to test a 5-ply blade, as it has been a long, long time since I last played with one. Next week I plan to test it with Fastarc G-1 or BD 38° on the FH and Aggressor Pro on BH.

Does it need to be sealed? Could you please provide the name of the shop where you bought it from?

 

[JairoAC]

My EJ bug bit again with AliExpress deals and just ordered this blade, hoping to gain a blade that suits playing an offensive LP BH with.

Does it need to be sealed? Could you please provide the name of the shop where you bought it from?

 

[Ultravisitor]

Does it need to be sealed? Could you please provide the name of the shop where you bought it from?

My guess is the blade is fine without sealing, but I can't promise since I seal my blades. But craftsmanship is superb for this price range.

 

[TTAntiPlayer]

Does it need to be sealed? Could you please provide the name of the shop where you bought it from?

Yes, it should be sealed. I bought it from the HWSPORT Store.

 

[impluse101]

can speed and control of fextra 5 be compared to sweden extra?
If so, can anyone provide input on it.