Suggestion about Blade and rubber choices

[coolchap]

Hello Everyone,


I’ve been debating whether to upgrade just the rubbers on my setup (as they’re worn out) or go ahead and replace the blade as well.


I originally got my current setup back in 2018. I played regularly for about two years, then had to stop due to COVID. Now that I’m back to playing, I’ve noticed the rubbers are quite worn. While replacing them seems like the obvious choice, I’ve also been wondering if a new blade might help, especially since I often felt like I lacked speed and power—even when hitting with full effort. So I’m not sure whether the issue was with the rubbers, the blade, or both.


To explore the idea of just replacing the rubbers, I removed the old ones and noticed some chipped wood along the edges of the blade—minor on the front but a bit more on the back (Refer to the attached pics). Would that still be okay to re-glue new rubbers on, or is it better to replace the blade entirely? Should I invest in ALC/ZLC as a one time investment and just keep changing the rubbers?


I’d love to hear your thoughts or suggestions.


For context:

• I prefer to play an allround style. I’ve never had formal coaching—everything I know is self-taught from YouTube.
• My game includes a bit of everything: looping, chopping, lobbing, and blocking—basically, whatever it takes to return the ball.

Old setup:

• Blade: Yasaka Sweden Extra
• Backhand: Yasaka Mark V (1.8mm)
• Forehand: DHS Hurricane 3 Neo (2.15mm)

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[Grahf]

Yeah that blade gonna have some glueing problems with rubbers on that zone, and its a valuable one, I would recommend getting a new one

For the lack of speed, I recommend not spending all of it on an expensive blade, as you need to see if these faster ones suite your playstile, you could go for cheap ones on aliexpress, like some from Yinhe and their viscaria like blades (v14 pro or pro 01) or from Stuor (the long V and harimoto´s ALC/ZLC imitations are really good tbh)

And if the rubbers seem really good stay with them or change them as well to truly test a new blade

 

[Lazer]

That’s an easy fix on the blade. Search this site for instructions…

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Larshos]

I would say it’s worth trying to fix the blade, and then just upgrade to faster rubbers. I’m guessing you didn’t boost the H3 on the forehand?

 

[coolchap]

@Larshos , Yes you are right. I have not boosted H3.

 

[coolchap]

Thanks @Lazer , by the way which website are you referring to? are you referring to any post on Tabletennisdaily?

 

[Lazer]

Thanks @Lazer , by the way which website are you referring to? are you referring to any post on Tabletennisdaily?

Yes somewhere on this site, but maybe it’s easier to Google it…

Cheers
L-zr