Should I move on from my current racket (Yinhe E3 + AK47)?

[Bach]

Hi everyone,

A few years ago I posted on this forum to ask for you guys' advice on which blade/rubbers to get (back then I was a beginner who could barely do a forehand drive).

I ordered a Yinhe E3 + Palio AK 47 red and blue combo from princett (it seems like their old website doesn't exist anymore) and my chief complaint was that the racket was too fast for my taste. (Un)fortunately because the seller did a rather poor job at assembling everything together the forehand's rubber came off after only 1 or 2 months of playing and I replaced it with a cheap Friendship 729 R.I.T.C. rubber, and having a slower forehand helped me a lot in developing my forms.

Because of the uni workload the past 2 years I haven't had a lot of chances to play, but recently I have been playing a lot of table tennis again. I can consistently hit forehand drives and smashes but I feel like my backhand form is not there yet and the rubber (ak47 blue) has been doing a lot of heavy lifting.

Now that I have regained the passion for the game I wonder if I should move on to my next racket (I was thinking about getting either the Yasaka Sweden Extra or Stiga Allround Classic and pair either of them with fast Chinese rubbers) or should I just stay with my current blade and replace the backhand with something a bit slower.

I appreciate any advice I could get

 

[TensorBackhand]

Hi everyone,

A few years ago I posted on this forum to ask for you guys' advice on which blade/rubbers to get (back then I was a beginner who could barely do a forehand drive).

I ordered a Yinhe E3 + Palio AK 47 red and blue combo from princett (it seems like their old website doesn't exist anymore) and my chief complaint was that the racket was too fast for my taste. (Un)fortunately because the seller did a rather poor job at assembling everything together the forehand's rubber came off after only 1 or 2 months of playing and I replaced it with a cheap Friendship 729 R.I.T.C. rubber, and having a slower forehand helped me a lot in developing my forms.

Because of the uni workload the past 2 years I haven't had a lot of chances to play, but recently I have been playing a lot of table tennis again. I can consistently hit forehand drives and smashes but I feel like my backhand form is not there yet and the rubber (ak47 blue) has been doing a lot of heavy lifting.

Now that I have regained the passion for the game I wonder if I should move on to my next racket (I was thinking about getting either the Yasaka Sweden Extra or Stiga Allround Classic and pair either of them with fast Chinese rubbers) or should I just stay with my current blade and replace the backhand with something a bit slower.

I appreciate any advice I could get

Your question is confusing for me. What is your goal or desire?

If you want a slower Chinese rubber for your bh, then yes I would recommend getting a slower rubber.

 

[Bach]

Your question is confusing for me. What is your goal or desire?

If you want a slower Chinese rubber for your bh, then yes I would recommend getting a slower rubber.

Hi sorry if I didn't word it clearly. My question is that now that I'm on a lower intermediate level should I move on to a new racket or stay on my old one and properly develop my backhand first

 

[TensorBackhand]

Hi sorry if I didn't word it clearly. My question is that now that I'm on a lower intermediate level should I move on to a new racket or stay on my old one and properly develop my backhand first

I would just keep your old one. I don't think AK47 blue should be too difficult to develop with.

 

[ejprinz]

I bought 4 Yinhe E3's (Christmas gifts for my sons, also from princett) and they were between 1162 and 1270 Hz, 3 of them close to 1200Hz. The E3-VB was 1205Hz. They all have Limba top (soft wood). So you can't get a much slower blade than that unless you buy a defender's blade (e.g. the very beautiful Yinhe 980-XX which is 1150Hz).
So you can stick with this blade and just change the rubbers. I found that the Yinhe Moon (max thickness, medium sponge) is much nicer to play compared to the AK47, so maybe go with that, it used to be ~$10/sheet.
If you want to buy a rubber in Germany, go with the NeoTTec Hinomi M, ~$20 at tabletennis11.com.

Or for the forehand, get a DHS Hurricane 3 Neo (and don't boost it), and for the backhand Hinomi M or Moon medium or soft sponge.

You can also go with a thinner sponge but I actually prefer max thickness. There is also a soft sponge but for control I think the medium works better for me).
I think princett sadly has gone out of business, so now I am buying at AliExpress if I need Yinhe rubbers or blades. Note that the Moon Speed is faster, so if possible get the (older) Moon. The Moon rubbers are older generation tensor rubbers but they are not nearly as jumpy as e.g. a Tenergy 05.
Also if you go with tt11, pool the order with other folks so you can get the free shipping.

I you really need maximum control on the blade, the Victas Swat does provide that, and together with the H3 Neo on the f/h I can play modern defense with f/h chopping with this setup so it does have the best control, similar to the 980XX defensive blade but with a smaller head and so less top-heavy.

 

[turbozed]

I wouldn't expect too much difference between Sweden Extra and E3. Both 5 plies around ALL+ and similar width. Maybe go with something slightly tacky on the BH if you want to develop a bigger motion. I did for a bit with Loki Rxton 1 Plus. You can try some cheap ones like Rxton I, Yinhe Mercury 2, or Reactor Tornado v5 for around $5 to see if you like more Chinese style on the BH.

 

[netdriver]

I wouldn't expect too much difference between Sweden Extra and E3. Both 5 plies around ALL+ and similar width. Maybe go with something slightly tacky on the BH if you want to develop a bigger motion. I did for a bit with Loki Rxton 1 Plus. You can try some cheap ones like Rxton I, Yinhe Mercury 2, or Reactor Tornado v5 for around $5 to see if you like more Chinese style on the BH.

reactor tornado v5 is a good rubber