SDC Handmade Blades

[SDC]

#1251 - Inner BS - OFF-

Based on a King AcB, although it came out a bit slower but not as head heavy as well. Contrary to the last blade I've posted, this one doesn't have such a strong kick on harder shots, so it will pair better with softer/springer rubbers.

- Koto / Ayous / B-S / Ayous core
- 88.7g
- 6.0mm
- 159x150mm
- FL (101x25.0-22.5mm)
- Balance: 3.2cm (Med)

 

[SDC]

#1263 - Outer G-C - OFF

This is a blade with a very unusual composition. On the top ply we have Makore, a hard and stiff wood, even more than Koto, and also very crisp. Then we have Glass-Carbon fiber, which is very close to ALC, but perhaps a tad crisper as well. To balance out the crispness I used a very soft wood in the medial layer. Azorean Cryptomeria is a wood that comes from the Açores island, but it actually originates from Japan (Cryptomeria japonica). It has a reddish tone and a strong scent, and for that reason it's often mistaken for a Cedar, but it's actually closer to Cypress. The reason why I don't use it often is because of the extreme softness and lightness, which makes it hard to avoid tearing while routing the shape and keep the edges pristine. It's also not usable as a top ply because it will splinter very easily, but makes a good medial in certain compositions. Despite having a slightly thinner core than usual, it's still a fairly stiff and fast blade, with a compact feeling, mostly due to the Makore outer.

Available FS.

- Makore / G-C / Azorean Cryptomeria / Kiri core
- 90.1g
- 6.0mm
- FL (101x24.8-22.8mm)
- Balance: 3.3cm (Med)

 

[SDC]

#1264 - 7 ply - DEF

A take on the Goriki, seven plies of equal thickness but using Reconstituted Oak wood instead of Walnut.

Available FS.

- 7x Reconstituted Wood
- 100.0g
- 5.2mm
- 161x155mm
- FL (102x25.0-22.7mm)
- Balance: 3.7cm (High)

 

[Tyce]

Some exceptional blades again, absolutely lovely! I have so many questions..

On #1263, how did you make the "Dotec style" handle slopes? Are they solid or hollowed? Also, the darker wood on the handle itself is absolutely gorgeous, what is it? And is that (roughly) its natural colour?

On #1264, you classify this as DEF, but what does that mean in this context? I'd think that given the weight and hardness of the material, this one packs quite the punch and has a firm passive (blocking) rebound, right?
Also, I love that you use reconstituted wood.

(Yes, I'm starting to get some ideas on what I want when it's my turn, which is why I'm doing some more research)

 

[Tinykin]

"using Reconstituted Oak wood"
What is meant by reconstituted?

 

[SDC]

Some exceptional blades again, absolutely lovely! I have so many questions..

On #1263, how did you make the "Dotec style" handle slopes? Are they solid or hollowed? Also, the darker wood on the handle itself is absolutely gorgeous, what is it? And is that (roughly) its natural colour?

On #1264, you classify this as DEF, but what does that mean in this context? I'd think that given the weight and hardness of the material, this one packs quite the punch and has a firm passive (blocking) rebound, right?
Also, I love that you use reconstituted wood.

(Yes, I'm starting to get some ideas on what I want when it's my turn, which is why I'm doing some more research)

These Dotec styele handles are inevitably heavier than the real ones because I'm not using cork, so normally I use a lighter wood on the upper part of the handle (in this case Ayous), and a heavier one on the bottom (in this case Sapele). Unless the composition is very light, they usually require hollowing, which I do on the bottom part. Yes, that's how Sapele looks like.

These classifications are a bit ambiguous, I don't agree with them much, but I still need to give customers a sense of the blade's speed. And yes, context is everything, and I make everything from very slow blades (barely any bounce), to extremely fast blades that make Primorac Carbon feel like an All+. So, in my context, this is still a slow blade and more aiming at a classic defending style. In the realm of classic defending blades, for the reasons you've stated, perhaps it sits higher in that range.

 

[SDC]

"using Reconstituted Oak wood"
What is meant by reconstituted?

"Reconstituted wood, also known as engineered or manufactured wood, is a material made by binding wood fibers, particles, or veneers together with adhesives to create a panel or sheet. This process allows for the creation of consistent, uniform materials that can be more stable and durable than solid wood." In this case it was made to mimic the appearance and characteristics of Oak. It's also known as Fineline, which is largely used for making handles.

 

[SDC]

#1266 - 7 ply - OFF-

Another unusual build, soft European Cypress outer layers with Blue Fig medial. EC, while still soft, it's not on the same level of sponginess as Hinoki, so in reality it feels closer to Limba. Blue Fig is also soft, and not much harder than Ayous. Surrounding the Ayous core we have two thin layers of Ebony, it gives the blade some extra stiffness and also controls the vibrations. Overall, the feeling is soft but quite "muffled".

Available FS.

- European Cypress / Blue Fig / Ebony / Ayous core
- 87.0g
- 6.7mm
- 157x150mm
- FL (100x24.8-22.8mm)
- Balance: 3.8cm (High)

 

[SlowPower]

Nice!

The endgrain of the blue wood next to the top layer of the handle looks like koto?

 

[SDC]

Nice!

The endgrain of the blue wood next to the top layer of the handle looks like koto?

Yes, it has a very similar grain structure, but it's not Koto.

 

[SDC]

#1268 - Asymmetric Inner - OFF-

The plies for this blade were glued a while ago, somehow the blade blank ended up in the back of a closet when I moved my workshop, and I only found it recently 😅. Roughly two years later, the blade was finished. It's basically a fiber reinforced Violin, but with a slightly softer Fh side and a crisper Bh.

Available FS.

- Ash / Spruce / Spectra / Kiri / Carbon / Ash / Ash
- 86.2g
- 5.4mm
- 156x149mm
- FL (100x25-22.8mm)
- Balance: 2.0cm (Very Low)

 

[\_Kairos_/]

#1268 - Asymmetric Inner - OFF-

The plies for this blade were glued a while ago, somehow the blade blank ended up in the back of a closet when I moved my workshop, and I only found it recently 😅. Roughly two years later, the blade was finished. It's basically a fiber reinforced Violin, but with a slightly softer Fh side and a crisper Bh.

Available FS.

- Ash / Spruce / Spectra / Kiri / Carbon / Ash / Ash
- 86.2g
- 5.4mm
- 156x149mm
- FL (100x25-22.8mm)
- Balance: 2.0cm (Very Low)

This one already sold? The shop on your website seems to be "empty"...

 

[SDC]

This one already sold? The shop on your website seems to be "empty"...

Yes, everything was sold 😅.

 

[\_Kairos_/]

Yes, everything was sold 😅.

Dang, I would have (also) bought that "reinforced Violin".
On a side note: I inquired about a blade some time ago and you gave me an order number, so I'm already on your list. What if I'd like to have not just one but two or three blades made by you? Is it possible or do I need another order number?

 

[SDC]

Dang, I would have (also) bought that "reinforced Violin".
On a side note: I inquired about a blade some time ago and you gave me an order number, so I'm already on your list. What if I'd like to have not just one but two or three blades made by you? Is it possible or do I need another order number?

Yes, of course. When your turn arrives you can ask for what you want (within reason 😅).

 

[SDC]

#1160 - Outer BS - OFF-

These seem to be quite popular, so here's another softy Vis.

Available FS.

- Koto / BS / Ayous / Kiri core
- 92.3g
- 5.85mm
- 157x150mm
- ST (101x28.8x23.0mm)
- Balance: 2.5cm (Low)

 

[SDC]

#1193 - Inner BS - ALL+/OFF-

Inner structure with Hinoki outer layer. Too light to have significant power, but it's super soft and spin oriented. The handle is just Walnut, but the grain is oriented horizontally, instead of vertically as usual. It's much harder to work with this way, but it provides a much better grip and it looks awesome.

Available FS.

- Hinoki / Ayous / BS / Ayous core
- 84.4g
- 6.15mm
- 160x150mm
- Cpen (81x23.8-20.6mm)
- Balance: 3.8cm

 

[SDC]

#1248 - Fake 5+2 - OFF-/OFF

This is a unique blade, in the sense that, at least to my knowledge, there isn't any other like it (yet). I tried to design this blade like a tennis racket, the concept was to create a rigid frame supporting a more elastic center. So, we can see two fairly thick black lines corresponding to the carbon layers on this blade, but they don't cover the whole playing surface, they are just about 1.5cm wide. In reality, the center of the blade has a Hinoki medial layer, for the "fake" outer edge I used Cypress, just because I didn't want to waste this precious Hinoki 😅. It's a much harder process than just gluing a regular blade, it involves more steps and requires great precision to make the Hinoki and Carbon+Cypress combination fit perfectly together. But what does all this translate into? What I was trying to achieve was the stiffness of a outer fiber blade, with the softness and hold of a 5 ply. It's not the perfect marriage between the two, there is still room for improvement, but the goal was somewhat accomplished. The carbon is doing its thing, it provides some stiffness and stability, but the blade doesn't feel nearly as hard as it would, if the carbon was covering the entire surface. The touch is soft and very wood, but with less vibrations than if it would have been a pure 5 ply. Also, because the blade doesn't flex as much on higher impact, there is less energy dissipation and a greater speed potential. Just for the sake of transparency, it is an illegal blade going by the ITTF rules.

Available FS.

- Limba / Hinoki / Ayous core
- 89.4g
- 6.3mm
- 156x150mm
- ST (100x23.4x28.8mm)
- Balance: 3.4cm (Med)

 

[SDC]

#1265 - Outer S-AC - OFF

Looking for maximum sweetspot and crispness with one. European Walnut is denser than the Black (American) Walnut I normally use, and also denser than Koto. The Framiré on the medial layer is also denser than the Ayous that normally goes in there. Between them we have a high density Aramid-Carbon fabric. Big sweetspot and stability with little vibration, speed on the upper OFF range, maybe bottom OFF+. For the handle we have the faded look, which I haven't done in a while. Normally I don't paint handle handles, and this one is not painted either but it's dyed. To protect the colors, the handle needs to be sealed, otherwise they will come out with sweat. Sealing the handle means it won't provide any sweat absorption, so I absolutely don't recommend this type of handle to someone who sweats a lot. I do have many customers who have used them for a while without any problems, so it's really a personal choice. But that remains me, I should really make a post about the different types of handle material...

Available FS.

- European Walnut / S-AC / Framiré / Kiri core
- 91.0g
- 5.7mm
- 157x150mm
- FL (101x24.6-23.4mm)
- Balance: 2.6cm (Low)

 

[Julzig]

Stunning as always! Man I really have to get in contact with you in the future for some custom blades. Too bad I am impatient and couldn't wait until they finish. And it would probably lead to too many orders with all the ideas I have rn