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W968 vs Ovtcharov Innerforce ALC vs Viscaria
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I can review the W968 as I played with that for about 2 months and recently sold it and currently using a Viscaria. Never tried Ovtcharov
W968 is fantastic for forehand and short touch, but you need some physical strength and technique to activate its backhand, even forehand tbh. if you don't fully activate the blade it might feel empty and dead by my feeling.But the feeling you get when you play forehand with W968 is unbelievable, especially when you pair it with a blue sponge H3. I really loved it in practice but my matchplay technique lacks and therefore it was hard to consistently get that potential power on the forehand and near impossible to get the backhand to work in my experience.
Viscaria is far easier to use on both sides, and is probably the best blade for backhand. Its decent enough for forehand but it might feel too fast depending on rubbers. I use H3 so i can control it. The touch game is a bit bouncy but its controllable with practice. The blade is crisp which makes it so easy to activate its power. I play both practice and matches very well with my Vis
In my opinion, if your technique is solid, you are strong and your footwork is sound, you like forehand more, and you want a slow blade for touch play and fast blade for full power, the W968 is the best blade in the world. However, if you want a consistent ish speed and easier to use blade with a balance in both FH and BH then get Viscaria.
P.S. Im going to buy a DHS Hurricane acB with Star Xiang Peng rubbers to copy his exact setup for AliExpress singles day, so I will update this thread or create a new one with my review on the blade if anyone is interested.
W968 is fantastic for forehand and short touch, but you need some physical strength and technique to activate its backhand, even forehand tbh. if you don't fully activate the blade it might feel empty and dead by my feeling.But the feeling you get when you play forehand with W968 is unbelievable, especially when you pair it with a blue sponge H3. I really loved it in practice but my matchplay technique lacks and therefore it was hard to consistently get that potential power on the forehand and near impossible to get the backhand to work in my experience.
Viscaria is far easier to use on both sides, and is probably the best blade for backhand. Its decent enough for forehand but it might feel too fast depending on rubbers. I use H3 so i can control it. The touch game is a bit bouncy but its controllable with practice. The blade is crisp which makes it so easy to activate its power. I play both practice and matches very well with my Vis
In my opinion, if your technique is solid, you are strong and your footwork is sound, you like forehand more, and you want a slow blade for touch play and fast blade for full power, the W968 is the best blade in the world. However, if you want a consistent ish speed and easier to use blade with a balance in both FH and BH then get Viscaria.
P.S. Im going to buy a DHS Hurricane acB with Star Xiang Peng rubbers to copy his exact setup for AliExpress singles day, so I will update this thread or create a new one with my review on the blade if anyone is interested.
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Thank you so much!!
I have tried viscaria before, I don't know why I feel it's fast for me. and I have tried the W968, one of my problem is the small handle and you are right that needs real effort. And because of the price, I want to sell it cause I feel that I dont deserve it. Haha. So, I am thinking about the OVT Innerforce ALC, cause what I like about the w968 is the control of short game.
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I totally get it. The Viscaria needs time to adapt to its speed but once you do it’s fantastic and easy to have strong topspin. And yes I agree the handle of my W968 was a bit small but not too bad imo.
I think Ovtcharov would be good for you if you feel Viscaria is too fast. If you want you could even get maybe the Harimoto Inner Alc or even inner super alc, but I leave that up to you. But since you feel Vis is too fast maybe ovtcharov or harimoto blade will be gold for you
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I currently play with Viscaria but also have a Q968 and an Ovt. I have also owned a provincial W968.
As has been said, they are all pretty different. The 968 I felt was controllable and powerful on FH but BH was not as easy to access for me. It was also slightly more head heavy and the handle a little smaller than I would like.
Ovt was also slower than Viscaria but very stiff (due to thickness) and was a little dead feeling to me. Handle was nice and it felt fairly well balanced.
Viscaria is a classic and a blade I just always seem to return to - extremely well balanced, great handle, not too fast but plenty of power when needed. Very good on both wings and certainly a nice BH blade.
I have had a few and some are better than others - I prefer 90-92g.
I've played with both the W968 and the Viscaria, and I often also play against them. All with various rubbers though for the FH side it's primarily H3 BS.
My conclusion on the FH side is pretty similar to others. When fully unleashed, the W968 is a beast with the H3BS, but it does take pretty good technique including great footwork. With the Viscaria you need to brush more, but the blade will still give you plenty of speed so it's still a pretty deadly shot.
On the BH side it's a bit interesting. Viscaria + D09c is certainly much easier to use than W968 + H3OS, it also feels a lot better, but when you're on the receiving end the Vis/D09c combo feels a lot easier to receive. W968 + H3 is a spin monster, the balls it generates is very uncomfortable for the opponent. The power becomes easier to access when you start playing at higher levels because the incoming ball also becomes faster. Conversely however, being a spin monster also makes it very sensitive to spin, so defense is a lot trickier with the W968/H3 combo. You basically need to brush forward a bit on defense to maintain control.
In the end, it's all about trade offs. No setup is necessarily better, each requires different techniques and play style to maximize. If you stick with one you'll probably develop your game to suit one, so you'll have to decide which style do you prefer. With the Viscaria you'll be looking to playing it relatively safe on the FH side and relying on spin, which relying on speed on the BH side. With the W968 you'll be using spin on the BH side to make it difficult for your opponent to strongly counterattack or block, and seek opportunity to put it away with a massive FH attack.
My conclusion on the FH side is pretty similar to others. When fully unleashed, the W968 is a beast with the H3BS, but it does take pretty good technique including great footwork. With the Viscaria you need to brush more, but the blade will still give you plenty of speed so it's still a pretty deadly shot.
On the BH side it's a bit interesting. Viscaria + D09c is certainly much easier to use than W968 + H3OS, it also feels a lot better, but when you're on the receiving end the Vis/D09c combo feels a lot easier to receive. W968 + H3 is a spin monster, the balls it generates is very uncomfortable for the opponent. The power becomes easier to access when you start playing at higher levels because the incoming ball also becomes faster. Conversely however, being a spin monster also makes it very sensitive to spin, so defense is a lot trickier with the W968/H3 combo. You basically need to brush forward a bit on defense to maintain control.
In the end, it's all about trade offs. No setup is necessarily better, each requires different techniques and play style to maximize. If you stick with one you'll probably develop your game to suit one, so you'll have to decide which style do you prefer. With the Viscaria you'll be looking to playing it relatively safe on the FH side and relying on spin, which relying on speed on the BH side. With the W968 you'll be using spin on the BH side to make it difficult for your opponent to strongly counterattack or block, and seek opportunity to put it away with a massive FH attack.
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