Trying to buy my first blade...

[RokosBasilisk]

I used to play pingpong as a kid, now I'm trying to learn table tennis. In relearning everything from the ground up, I've come to realize I feel more comfortable with a RPB grip (when I played shakehand as a kid, i still had 3 fingers wrapped on the other side, so its just a reversal of what I already did).
I didn't know this would be the case, so when I first started going to TT, I bought a palio expert 3 on amazon. Now I would like to buy my first RPB blade, but I've only been playing for a few months. I don't have an understanding of different blades or rubbers (before palio, i just used outter pips/sponge/sandpaper blades when we were kids).
A member of the TT group I go to, was trying to suggest blades, and said I should probably NOT get an offensive blade yet, until I've learned more control, so I WAS going to get a YEO, but now I'm looking at other possible blades.
For rubbers, looking at a reddit post, I was originally gonna go YEO, with a rozena red rubber, and a skyline tg 3 black, but, the store I was looking at doesn't have the skyline tg 3 in stock (or tg 2).

TLDR: Not sure if I should get a YEO, or if there's an better beginner alternative, also no clue which rubbers at all.

 

[TheProfessor]

I used to play pingpong as a kid, now I'm trying to learn table tennis. In relearning everything from the ground up, I've come to realize I feel more comfortable with a RPB grip (when I played shakehand as a kid, i still had 3 fingers wrapped on the other side, so its just a reversal of what I already did).
I didn't know this would be the case, so when I first started going to TT, I bought a palio expert 3 on amazon. Now I would like to buy my first RPB blade, but I've only been playing for a few months. I don't have an understanding of different blades or rubbers (before palio, i just used outter pips/sponge/sandpaper blades when we were kids).
A member of the TT group I go to, was trying to suggest blades, and said I should probably NOT get an offensive blade yet, until I've learned more control, so I WAS going to get a YEO, but now I'm looking at other possible blades.
For rubbers, looking at a reddit post, I was originally gonna go YEO, with a rozena red rubber, and a skyline tg 3 black, but, the store I was looking at doesn't have the skyline tg 3 in stock (or tg 2).

TLDR: Not sure if I should get a YEO, or if there's an better beginner alternative, also no clue which rubbers at all.

I'm not an RPB player but any 5ply allwood blade in the OFF- or ALL+ speed range should work.
If you were planning to use a chinese tacky rubber on the forehand you can use a hurricane 3 instead on your forehand then rozena on your backhand.

 

[Newbiee]

I used to play pingpong as a kid, now I'm trying to learn table tennis.
A member of the TT group I go to, was trying to suggest blades, and said I should probably NOT get an offensive blade yet, until I've learned more control. For rubbers, rozena red rubber, and a skyline tg 3 black, but, the store I was looking at doesn't have the skyline tg 3 in stock (or tg 2).

As the guy above said, a blade of just 5 layers of all wood will be just right for you to learn the techniques. (A very good and cheap blade that you can find on aliexpress is the Sanwei fextra 5!). But that will also depend on how you want to make your style of play.

About the rubbers, I don't agree that you should go straight to hard rubbers like the ones you mentioned because it's more difficult, especially for a beginner to learn the correct techniques for using them. I would recommend using more soft rubbers at first! do you belong to a TT club or do you have someone who has a similar bat with hard rubbers like skyline to test? if you've tried it, liked it and think you'll do well, go for it. (Chinese rubbers tend to be slower, and the ones you mentioned are hard, and if you don't use them with the right technique/strength and slow wood, they'll be even slower!)

There is a wide range of Chinese, European and Japanese rubbers/blades. Japanese and European rubbers are not sticky, not like Chinese ones (most of them, but not all). Have hybrid rubbers too!

Note: Starting from the point where you're a beginner learning, take your time, start from below and test a wider range of equipment than going instantly for an expensive piece of equipment which you think is the better! This will work very well! You'll discover the right/best type of wood, rubber, brands and playing style for you!

Sorry about my english, i'm trying my best! 😅

 

[RokosBasilisk]

I'm not in a TT club, but I go a community center that has a ping pong "group" the problem is no one plays rph so I don't have a lot of opportunities to try different things. That's why I'm just looking for a safe general rph blade/rubbers

 

[RokosBasilisk]

As the guy above said, a blade of just 5 layers of all wood will be just right for you to learn the techniques. (A very good and cheap blade that you can find on aliexpress is the Sanwei fextra 5!). But that will also depend on how you want to make your style of play. if you want something fast with carbon, good options are Yinhe U2 and Sanwei fextra 7. (7 ply, 5+2). I've never tried Yinhe U2, but they say it's very good and very popular in China. Yinhe U2 is recommended and used by Chinese during the learning phase.

About the rubbers, I don't agree that you should go straight to hard rubbers like the ones you mentioned because it's more difficult, especially for a beginner to learn the correct techniques for using them. I would recommend using more soft rubbers at first! do you belong to a TT club or do you have someone who has a similar bat with hard rubbers like skyline to test? if you've tried it, liked it and think you'll do well, go for it. (Chinese rubbers tend to be slower, and the ones you mentioned are hard, and if you don't use them with the right technique/strength and slow wood, they'll be even slower!)

There is a wide range of Chinese, European and Japanese rubbers/blades. Japanese and European rubbers are not sticky, not like Chinese ones (most of them, but not all). Have hybrid rubbers too!

Note: Starting from the point where you're a beginner learning, take your time, start from below and test a wider range of equipment than going instantly for an expensive piece of equipment which you think is the better! This will work very well! You'll discover the right/best type of wood, rubber, brands and playing style for you!

Sorry about my english, i'm trying my best! 😅

can you recommend any soft rubbers that would be good for a basic all rounder rph blade?

 

[Sherpa]

Yasaka Rakza 7 soft 2mm great rubber does everything well and very easy to use

 

[turbozed]

As the guy above said, a blade of just 5 layers of all wood will be just right for you to learn the techniques. (A very good and cheap blade that you can find on aliexpress is the Sanwei fextra 5!). But that will also depend on how you want to make your style of play. if you want something fast with carbon, good options are Yinhe U2 and Sanwei fextra 7. (7 ply, 5+2). I've never tried Yinhe U2, but they say it's very good and very popular in China. Yinhe U2 is recommended and used by Chinese during the learning phase.

About the rubbers, I don't agree that you should go straight to hard rubbers like the ones you mentioned because it's more difficult, especially for a beginner to learn the correct techniques for using them. I would recommend using more soft rubbers at first! do you belong to a TT club or do you have someone who has a similar bat with hard rubbers like skyline to test? if you've tried it, liked it and think you'll do well, go for it. (Chinese rubbers tend to be slower, and the ones you mentioned are hard, and if you don't use them with the right technique/strength and slow wood, they'll be even slower!)

There is a wide range of Chinese, European and Japanese rubbers/blades. Japanese and European rubbers are not sticky, not like Chinese ones (most of them, but not all). Have hybrid rubbers too!

Note: Starting from the point where you're a beginner learning, take your time, start from below and test a wider range of equipment than going instantly for an expensive piece of equipment which you think is the better! This will work very well! You'll discover the right/best type of wood, rubber, brands and playing style for you!

Sorry about my english, i'm trying my best! 😅

Both the U2 and Fextra 7 are all wood. There is no composite material in either.

In my opinion, the best equipment for developing techniques are those that reward you with a good quality ball when you perform them correctly and punish you if you perform them incorrectly.

Hard and more linear rubber I think is good for this since arm only swings without weight transfer will result in mediocre shots without spin or speed, often going into the net.

Soft bouncy rubber will get you over the net with some quality but maybe with bad form. If you have a coach to help you out then maybe it's not a big deal. But if you don't, you might lock in some bad form.

 

[impluse101]

Both the U2 and Fextra 7 are all wood. There is no composite material in either.

In my opinion, the best equipment for developing techniques are those that reward you with a good quality ball when you perform them correctly and punish you if you perform them incorrectly.

Hard and more linear rubber I think is good for this since arm only swings without weight transfer will result in mediocre shots without spin or speed, often going into the net.

Soft bouncy rubber will get you over the net with some quality but maybe with bad form. If you have a coach to help you out then maybe it's not a big deal. But if you don't, you might lock in some bad form.

For the OP. - Agree on the rubber option for this. Initial rubbers should hard, maybe med-hard to develop proper strokes and eliminate or lessen bad form and habit. Having a coach will be better, maybe he could recommend better as coach can actually see you play.

For blade, U2 and Fextra 7 are both allwood - as stated on post above by turbozed. For blade better go with (if 5ply) offensive S, its not that fast & control is real good or sweden extra. If 7ply, yup fextra 7 is a good choice, if you want to splurge maybe a clipper or powerplay.

 

[turbozed]

For the OP. - Agree on the rubber option for this. Initial rubbers should hard, maybe med-hard to develop proper strokes and eliminate or lessen bad form and habit. Having a coach will be better, maybe he could recommend better as coach can actually see you play.

For blade, U2 and Fextra 7 are both allwood - as stated on post above by turbozed. For blade better go with (if 5ply) offensive S, its not that fast & control is real good or sweden extra. If 7ply, yup fextra 7 is a good choice, if you want to splurge maybe a clipper or powerplay.

Another benefit from using harder Chinese rubbers is that they are cheap. To develop strokes you need hundreds of hours of table time, and it adds up savings wise when spending only $10-$15 or so on a rubber (can even go as low as $5) compared to $30-$40.

Because these harder rubbers are going to be slow with very little bounce, it's helpful to have some speed and bounce come from the blade itself. That's why a Fextra 7 with its soft limba layers is a great choice to start with. Sweden Extra is slow and harder outer works well with softer rubbers, but feels dead with Chinese rubbers from my experience.

 

[RokosBasilisk]

what do you guys think about the YEO? is it too much of a blade for starting?
Where can I get the fextra 7? alie express? I'm willing to spend (a total) of about 100-120 if increased price makes a difference over ali blades, if it's really the same I don't mind going cheaper (I just know paddle palace will put the rubbers on the blade for me, and I have no clue how to do that).

 

[pong99]

go to colestt.com, check out the pre made buster combo, if you have questions, you can email Cole and he will set you up with something that fits your needs for a reasonable price

 

[JJ Ng]

If you live in the US, don't bother with Aliexpress. Shipping takes forever. Go to tabletennis11.com and look at the weekly sales section.

Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition Ch.Pen
$39.77

Neottec Racket Cover Game 2T navy/grey
$7.88

DHS Skyline 2 Neo
2.15 black
$19.85

Xiom Vega Europe Hybrid
2.0 red
$27.82

Nittaku Premium 40+ 3*** ITTF 3pcs (seam)
$6.64
2 sets for a total of $13.28

Grand Total $108.61

You get free shipping. Plus the stuff arrive in less than 4-5 days. You can ask TT11 to assemble the blade for you. Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition is a very good, solid blade. You now can get Skyline 2 neo. To get free shipping, you just need to spend $105 or more so you can get six Nittaku balls, and you still come out at $108.61, under your budget, plus a racket case to boot.

 

[Lazer]

can you recommend any soft rubbers that would be good for a basic all rounder rph blade?

I am going to start fooling around with penhold. I will select Neottec hinomi for FH and any cheap long pips rubber with a sponge < 1mm on BH.
I normally play shakehand.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Newbiee]

For blade, U2 and Fextra 7 are both allwood - as stated on post above by turbozed.

Both the U2 and Fextra 7 are all wood. There is no composite material in either.

Sorry, I got confused! I was replying to another thread at the same time and swapped names! 😅 I'll fix it!

 

[Newbiee]

I agree with the guys, but I'm still a bit wary of hard rubber... But you can use a 7 ply all wood blade with the hard rubber you want on the FH, like the guy said! For the backhand, I'd use something softer... But, using the strategy of being punished by hard rubbers if you don't use good technique (as the guy said) I recommend that you use the 2 same hard rubbers of your choice! (FH and BH). Two identical rubbers will get you used to hitting correctly with both sides during the learning phase!

They recommended good rubbers and blades! If you want to go straight for something "professional", "hard to play" and of your choice, you can build the bat you told about! The bat you were planning to build is a very good option, nice materials... It's just a matter of getting used to it, and then you'll get great performance out of it!!!

Remember: it's all a question of testing! The same equipment that works for one may not work for another... I think you get the idea!

 

[RokosBasilisk]

If you live in the US, don't bother with Aliexpress. Shipping takes forever. Go to tabletennis11.com and look at the weekly sales section.

Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition Ch.Pen
$39.77

Neottec Racket Cover Game 2T navy/grey
$7.88

DHS Skyline 2 Neo
2.15 black
$19.85

Xiom Vega Europe Hybrid
2.0 red
$27.82

Nittaku Premium 40+ 3*** ITTF 3pcs (seam)
$6.64
2 sets for a total of $13.28

Grand Total $108.61

You get free shipping. Plus the stuff arrive in less than 4-5 days. You can ask TT11 to assemble the blade for you. Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition is a very good, solid blade. You now can get Skyline 2 neo. To get free shipping, you just need to spend $105 or more so you can get six Nittaku balls, and you still come out at $108.61, under your budget, plus a racket case to boot.

does everyone else agree with this set up? I have it in the cart, only change i made is 1 set of balls, and then a rubber protector and some cleaner

 

[Newbiee]

does everyone else agree with this set up? I have it in the cart, only change i made is 1 set of balls, and then a rubber protector and some cleaner

Nice setup!

I don't use cleaning products, but that's optional. I clean my tacky rubbers with a piece of cotton soaked in distilled water, and i dry the rubber shaking the bat! Normal water is not indicated for cleaning rubbers because in the long term it is harmful, it reduces the useful life, that's why I use distilled water!

Sticky rubbers get very dirty at the end of the game. When I've finished playing, I clean the rubbers and dry them as I said, then I put the protective plastic on the rubbers and let the bat breathe in an open place before storing it so that it doesn't get moldy or damage the wood... You can clean as you like, I've just told you how I do it (it works for me).

 

[Ultravisitor]

does everyone else agree with this set up? I have it in the cart, only change i made is 1 set of balls, and then a rubber protector and some cleaner

I think DHS skyline 2 is too dead and hard for a beginner without any coaching or guidance by better players.

Xiom vega europe is quite fast on that blade.

Before you order make sure to ask them to weigh your blade. Make sure it's not too heavy or too light. Not lighter than 80g or heavier than 90g.

I'd start with xiom vega intro or nittaku factive 2mm on both sides and move on from there if you develop a preference or tried other rubbers.
If you play regularly you'll need to change the rubbers sooner than you think.

 

[Ultravisitor]

Also I think YEO is fine too, I dont think there much difference in speed or control. The feeling gonna be different, again no way to predict if you like it or not.

The Samsonov Force Pro Black gonna feel softer but stiff.
The Yeo has a hard top ply but is a bit flexier.
I haven't played the cpen version, but I think it's manageable for a beginner if you pick slower rubbers.

 

[RokosBasilisk]

I think DHS skyline 2 is too dead and hard for a beginner without any coaching or guidance by better players.

Xiom vega europe is quite fast on that blade.

Before you order make sure to ask them to weigh your blade. Make sure it's not too heavy or too light. Not lighter than 80g or heavier than 90g.

I'd start with xiom vega intro or nittaku factive 2mm on both sides and move on from there if you develop a preference or tried other rubbers.
If you play regularly you'll need to change the rubbers sooner than you think.

What do you mean by dead? I think the reason behind the hard rubber is it will force me to learn more proper technique since it will punish bad technique, if I kept the xiom vega what would you recommend on the other side? (The setup he picked was exclusively using tabletennis11 weekly sales)