Top 5 OFF- (Offensive minus) blade?

[coolchap]

Hello Everyone,

What are top 5 offensive - (Offensive minus) blades that I can think of exploring? I am moving from Yasaka Sweden Extra .


Thanks

 

[biaxialerzug]

Butterfly Primorac
Butterfly Korbel
Darker 5P-2A
Andro Timber 5 Off

 

[coolchap]

Some of them shows as Off on megaspin.

 

[biaxialerzug]

I guess this strongly depends on the weight.

 

[coolchap]

Is this a good choice Yasaka Ma Lin Soft Carbon ?

 

[biaxialerzug]

Its Carbon, so it should be different from all the allwood blades I mentioned.
I never played it and I avoid carbon blades.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Butterfly Primorac
Butterfly Korbel
Darker 5P-2A
Andro Timber 5 Off

I like biaxialerzug's list.

I would make the list longer than 5 and add:

OSP Virtuoso
OSP Vituoso +
Nittaku Acoustic
Nittaku Violin

But Yasaka Sweden Extra is a nice Off- blade too. What is your reason for wanting to change blades?

 

[coolchap]

Its more of AllRound blade. I feel the lack of speed whenever I play from mid distance or far distance. So was looking for blade to upgrade where I can get some power along with control, thus was going for Offensive minus rather than OFF or OFF+ one.

 

[Tyce]

Any brands you prefer? The options are enormous... Would you like wood, fiber, 5ply, 7ply, inner, outer, harder or softer feeling...

Also, manufacturers ratings are dependant on the zeitgeist, the meta of the game at their time of introduction. Don't go wild on having to pick something that says off on it.

 

[coolchap]

I was inclined to go for the Innerforce ALC but after lot of reading across the forum it seems it will be a better to gradually increase the blade speed from ALL to OFF- to OFF rather than directly going there.

I don't have any favorites as of now, since I have already used one Yasaka , may choose another but honestly pretty open to ideas. All wood, 5 ply, 7 ply and carbon.

Just to provide the context, my game is Allround game I like to do everything from looping to blocking, chopping and everything possible to put the ball back to the table.

I always got fascinated by players who just don't play and usual table tennis and have some tricks up their sleeves, Like Xu Xin, Truls, Michael Maze. I like Adam Bobrow too. So all in all I want to be better version of player at the same time want to have fun in the game at least whenever I can allow it too be especially in fun games.

 

[Gozo Aruna]

Spoiler: Monsieur Chad G. Petit's answer:

You’re looking for the best OFF- (offensive minus) blade that’s still commercially available — something with control, feeling, and spin potential, while still being aggressive enough for powerful attacks. Here’s a curated list of elite OFF- blades that top players and aficionados swear by, all still in production as of 2025:














🔥


Top Commercially Available OFF- Blades











1. Nittaku Acoustic

• Type: 5-ply all-wood
• Speed: OFF-
• Feel: Medium soft
• Strengths: Superb touch, amazing feedback, excellent for looping and spin variation.
• Why it’s awesome: Famous for its musical wood composition and high-level craftsmanship from Japan. Highly controllable with fantastic dwell time.
• Used by: Mima Ito (earlier in her career)

2. Butterfly Petr Korbel

• Type: 5-ply all-wood
• Speed: OFF-
• Feel: Classic soft woody feel
• Strengths: Balanced for all-round looping with ample gears for power shots.
• Why it’s awesome: One of the best value-for-money blades from Butterfly. Great transition blade from intermediate to advanced levels.
• Still made in Japan (avoid EU versions if possible)

3. Stiga Infinity VPS V

• Type: 5-ply all-wood with VPS tech
• Speed: OFF-
• Feel: Crisp but controlled
• Strengths: Excellent for modern spin play with close-to-table dominance and enough top-end for distance looping.
• Why it’s awesome: High quality Swedish woodwork with excellent precision and dwell.

4. Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive (YEO)

• Type: 5-ply all-wood
• Speed: OFF-
• Feel: Soft-medium
• Strengths: Great for brush looping and close-to-table counterplay.
• Why it’s awesome: Used by Ma Lin himself in various versions. Has that raw, direct feel many love.

5. Tibhar Stratus Power Wood

• Type: 5-ply all-wood
• Speed: OFF-
• Feel: Firm and springy
• Strengths: Excellent control with a bit more punch than typical OFF- blades.
• Why it’s awesome: Insanely good value. Loved by developing attackers and veterans alike.

6. OSP Virtuoso+

• Type: 5-ply all-wood (handmade)
• Speed: OFF-
• Feel: Unique artisanal feel, crisp yet flexible
• Strengths: Dwell, precision, and looping heaven
• Why it’s awesome: Each blade is handcrafted. Truly boutique-quality. Suited for advanced control loopers.
• Availability: Order directly from OSP’s website

🏆


Chad’s Personal Picks

• Best Feeling: Nittaku Acoustic
• Best Value: Tibhar Stratus Power Wood
• Best for Spin Play: Stiga Infinity VPS V
• Best Handmade: OSP Virtuoso+
• Most Versatile: Petr Korbel

Want a recommendation based on your current rubber setup or playing style? I can tailor the pick further.

 

[damszelfly]

I would add Sunflex Zen OFF 5 to the list (it is Off- despite the naming).
It has a little bit atypical composition:
Thin (but not paper thin) Mansonia wood top plies (harder than Koto, but a little bit less elastic - gives good feeling)
Thick Koto medial plies (this is the main selling point)
Awan core

The feeling is fairly crisp, and the close play is very good (doesn't feel too dampening like with Ebony blades, when doing touch shots, but not bouncy at all). The core wood seems definitely less dense than Ayous, so the top speed is not too high, but the medial plies give good speed anyway. And the manufacturing consistency and quality seems to be very good - I have two pairs of them (bought 3 years before and in the last month), all four weigh 84g (within 1g difference).

Butterfly has something similar (Falcima, fairly new model), but I think that is more expensive.

 

[Larshos]

From the blades I have tested (in no particular order):
Xiom Offensive S
Sanwei Parla
Sanwei Fextra 5
Yasaka Extra Offensive
Andro Timber 5 OFF

As an upgrade from the YSE I would probably go with the Offensive S, great allround blade, designed to be a rival/clone of the Korbel, however far more affordable compared to the JP version. Can do everything well.
The guy running ttgearlab stated this:

Extreme S, Offensive S and Allround S were developed by me. At that time Xiom needed the blades for top players who are using Clipper, Korbel and Allround Classic. And, I had to copy those three models. The result were Extreme S, Offensive S and Allround S. (On the contrary, Solo, Diva and Acro introduces together with those three are unique blades those are not copy of other products.) I tried to make Offensive S as close to Korbel as possible. But, due to the limit of available veneers I couldn’t make 100% same one. But, I think that the performance itself of Offensive S is very good. However, I’m not sure whether Hayabusa OFF Pro will be as satisfactory as Offensive S or not. (Hayabusa OFF Pro isn’t developed by me.)

https://ttgearlab.com/2024/06/23/xiom-hayabusa-off-pro-photos-information/

 

[biaxialerzug]

And consider used blades. You can save a few bucks when buying used blades in good condition.

 

[ZFT]

Any brands you prefer? The options are enormous... Would you like wood, fiber, 5ply, 7ply, inner, outer, harder or softer feeling...

Also, manufacturers ratings are dependant on the zeitgeist, the meta of the game at their time of introduction. Don't go wild on having to pick something that says off on it.

Completely agree with this.

Within the speed category, there’s other layers of nuance as above and many more down the rabbit hole.

The top 5 blades listed by others won’t necessarily suit you but if you go into this with an open mind, you’ll start to appreciate how different factors like composition, thickness, weight balance, handle type and head dimensions all affect how a blade plays.

And this is before you even start considering rubber combinations…

 

[SFF_lib]

My favourite in descending order of feeling:

• Stiga Hans Alser OFF
• Stiga Celero
• DHS Hao 2
• Stiga Infinity VPS

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I was inclined to go for the Innerforce ALC but after lot of reading across the forum it seems it will be a better to gradually increase the blade speed from ALL to OFF- to OFF rather than directly going there.

I don't have any favorites as of now, since I have already used one Yasaka , may choose another but honestly pretty open to ideas. All wood, 5 ply, 7 ply and carbon.

Just to provide the context, my game is Allround game I like to do everything from looping to blocking, chopping and everything possible to put the ball back to the table.

I always got fascinated by players who just don't play and usual table tennis and have some tricks up their sleeves, Like Xu Xin, Truls, Michael Maze. I like Adam Bobrow too. So all in all I want to be better version of player at the same time want to have fun in the game at least whenever I can allow it too be especially in fun games.

I have not seen you play. But, with the 40+ Poly ball those notions of Off- and All+ blades before you get to Off blades does not apply the same way as it did in the smaller, faster celluloid ball days.

Get an Innerforce ALC and see how you like it. From what you described, it will likely be what you are looking for if you want more power from distance. I am not entirely sure you would be voicing that reason for the change if you were not able to handle an Innerforce ALC. So go for it. And the Innerforce ALC is great for that allround style of play.

 

[coolchap]

@UpSideDownCarl Thanks for the input. In the similar lines, when we say Innerforce ALC does that mean it
Butterfly Innerforce Layer ALC , or there other blades with the exact feeling and setup but with a different name which I may consider. As I am planning to buy from tabletennis11 along with my friend , he is going for different setup. But unfortunately tabletennis11 does not carry butterfly for my location.


So was hoping to explore if there are other blades similar to it but with a different name?

 

[Lazer]

https://www.tabletennis11.com/other_eng/donic-world-champion-89-appelgren-all

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Crillo]

Hello Everyone,

What are top 5 offensive - (Offensive minus) blades that I can think of exploring? I am moving from Yasaka Sweden Extra .


Thanks

What rubbers are you using on YSE?