Which 7ply wood blade after Clipper?

[CyNyC]

Hello,
quite a tricky one here with a lot of constraints

I can't use my Clipper anymore, as it is now in my son's hands. Story here

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/best-neutral-rubbers-to-improve-offensive-technique.36516/page-2#post-531935

and I don't want to play with my 3+2 old carbon blade as I'm not "feel" the ball correctly and too many times I can't evaluate what I'm doing wrong.

So I'm looking at another blade that could fit what's below:
- budget around 50-70€
- no 5ply wood; I tried a Korbel and had awful feeling: too many vibrations, felt light and unstable during shots
- 85-90g, no problem with mid-heavy equipment
- Clipper-like FL handle (small hand)
- loop oriented, more spin than speed game
- no Samsonov Black Force Pro (don't like handle)
- not another Clipper (explanation below)
- I'd like to have a possible "evolution" for my son's equipment: he's growing well and now plays with Clipper + Glayzer09c on FH and EL-P on BH.
I think it will be a good setup for a bit of time, but in case he or his coach wants to test something "different but similar" (he likes that style of blade), I'd like to have the chance to do it "for free" (exactly what happended with Clipper).
Not a priority point, but I can sacrifice my improving path for him's

I heard about Tibhar MK, BSS1 (but maybe same Force Pro handle?), BTY SK7....any other ideas?

@Tyce: I had your same sensation/feeling on Clipper read on this forum (don't recall the thread, it was about your comparison with another blade after your training restart)

 

[Tyce]

Yasaka Falck W7, or a Falck Carbon, although the W7 doesn't have the uniform layer distribution like the Clipper does

The Samsonov Black Force Pro handle is widely criticised, you may find the Black Edition to be better.

https://www.tabletennis11.com/other_eng/tibhar-samsonov-force-pro-black-edition

BSS1 doesn't have the clunky Force Pro handle either.

Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition vs. some 7-ply wood blades [Comparison by Lab Test]

Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. Comparison by Performance Indices……. 2-1. Elasticity Indices……. 2-2. Vibration Indices3. Summary [Update on 13th October 2023] The values…

ttgearlab.com

https://blog.tabletennis11.com/review-tibhar-bernadette-szocs-signature-1

Just looking at it, the SK7 seems to be a good alternative handle wise.

 

[CyNyC]

The Samsonov Black Force Pro handle is widely criticised, you may find the Black Edition to be better.

https://www.tabletennis11.com/other_eng/tibhar-samsonov-force-pro-black-edition

do you mean the "special edition"?

https://www.tabletennis11.com/other_eng/tibhar-force-pro-special-edition

should be a Black Force Pro with thinner handle.

 

[Tyce]

I did, yeah. Mixed that up

 

[Ultravisitor]

Do you want same construction? Or do you want to try a 7ply with different toplayers?

 

[CyNyC]

Well I don't really have much experience on different blades so I'm not able to compare different type of wood.

I can say that in Clipper I liked:
- weight
- handle
- overall feeling during different shots: soft touch in short play, enough dwell time in loops, general ball feeling, good punch when hit hard.
- it often helped me to understand what was wrong in faulty shots

 

[The0rigina1]

Joola xylo 7 is amazing

 

[mocker88]

Sanwei - V5 Pro is a really nice, fast 7-ply wooden blade with a hard layer of ash on the surface.

 

[mightymouse]

If you can get the blade (it is not widely sold), I suggest Avalox P700 or Avalox BT777. It is the older Clipper replica. Thickness is around 6.2 - 6.3 mm. Older Clipper was made in that thickness (not the 7.0 mm or the current 6.6 mm).

I even say that they are the better Clipper.

 

[Scarfed Garchomp]

My favorite 7 ply wood right now is the Xiom Solo. I generally mesh better with the harder Koto outer ply blades than Limba, Solo is right up my alley. I do also like the Yasaka Extra Special but it is a bit much in terms of hardness and directness for me sometimes.

 

[CyNyC]

Based only on internet reviews/comparison and characteristics, I'm fascinating by BSS1.
Think I'll go with this one after summer holidays.

Keep you updated.
Thank you

 

[Crillo]

Based only on internet reviews/comparison and characteristics, I'm fascinating by BSS1.
Think I'll go with this one after summer holidays.

Keep you updated.
Thank you

Very good choice!

 

[CyNyC]

@Crillo : by the way, just curiosity, as I see you use a Korbel SK7, how do you rate it in term of vibration?
I had awful experience with Korbel 5ply (too much vibration ad loose feeling when hitting).
Has SK7 same "philosophy"?

edit: awful instead of terrible (as "terrible" in English could have positive value)

 

[Crillo]

@Crillo : by the way, just curiosity, as I see you use a Korbel SK7, how do you rate it in term of vibration?
I had terrible experience with Korbel 5ply (too much vibration ad loose feeling when hitting).
Has SK7 same "philosophy"?

SK7 is very different from 5-ply Korbel and its not what you are looking for. BSS1 is great! Think you will like the handle as well!

 

[vanWinkle]

Tsp Swat or now Victas Swat is a good Clipper like blade.

 

[rbtitco]

Came here to say koki niwa wood, but i guess the swat is the same blade. He said he has a small hand so he would like the handle of the victas blades better than the Tibhar Szoks

Tsp Swat or now Victas Swat is a good Clipper like blade.

 

[Scarfed Garchomp]

Came here to say koki niwa wood, but i guess the swat is the same blade. He said he has a small hand so he would like the handle of the victas blades better than the Tibhar Szoks

Koki Wood is ~6.6mm, regular Swat is ~6mm, I don't think they are very similar. Maybe you're thinking of Swat Power which is also ~6.6mm

Tsp Swat or now Victas Swat is a good Clipper like blade.

Regular Swat is much thinner than Clipper, I don't think they are very similar. IMO the regular Swat shares more similarities with Stratus Powerwood and OffensiveS than it does Clipper

 

[rbtitco]

Koki Wood is ~6.6mm, regular Swat is ~6mm, I don't think they are very similar. Maybe you're thinking of Swat Power which is also ~6.6mm


Regular Swat is much thinner than Clipper, I don't think they are very similar. IMO the regular Swat shares more similarities with Stratus Powerwood and OffensiveS than it does Clipper

Yea. Ur right. Swat power and koki niwa are allegedly the same. Those feel great, I think they're around 6.4mm thick

Victas Swat Power [Photos & Information]

‘Victas’ is a recently introduced Japanese table tennis brand. It had originally been ‘TSP’ that is the traditional Japanese brand, and one of the biggest table tennis brand…

ttgearlab.com

 

[mightymouse]

@Crillo : by the way, just curiosity, as I see you use a Korbel SK7, how do you rate it in term of vibration?
I had awful experience with Korbel 5ply (too much vibration ad loose feeling when hitting).
Has SK7 same "philosophy"?

edit: awful instead of terrible (as "terrible" in English could have positive value)

I have used BTY Korbel SK7 and Clipper Wood. For me, Clipper Wood is more alive (has more kick during hard shot, while my Korbel SK7 is more linear). My Korbel SK7 is 92-93 grams but amazingly does not feel heavy (very balanced). Although the thickness is similar to my 6.6 mm Clipper Wood, BTY Korbel SK7 is softer yet stiffer (i.e. less vibration compared to my Clipper). Probably because the head size of Korbel SK7 is standard (157 x 150 mm), while Clipper Wood is 158 x 152 mm. Speed-wise, I feel that BTY Korbel SK7 is a bit slower.

But please take into consideration that my Korbel SK7 is quite old. I haven't checked the newer one, but Butterfly SK7 Classic (not Korbel SK7) feels much stiffer and faster compared to my Clipper Wood (based on ball bounce on bare blade).

However, if you have chosen BSS1, don't worry about it. I think it is an excellent choice as well.

 

[CyNyC]

A little review/comparison after 12/15 playing hours.

Overall sensation about BSS1 (with Xiom Omega V Tour on FH + Andro Rasanter R47 on BH):
Blade is quite forgiving, feels "easy to play", good control on block.
It has 3 main "gears" in my opinion:
- slow/short play has good touch/feeling, solid but not too stiff
- medium power loops/drives are a bit strange as ball goes longer than expected; blade seems really elastic/flexible and release a lot of energy (maybe rubber's input?)
- full power loops/shots are beautiful when well executed (of course ); it has a satisfying clicking sounds that helps to realize when you properly hit the ball with right arm speed

Handle:
Clipper handle is thinner and flatter; suits better with small hands (which I have) BUT I get used and comfortable to BSS1 quickly.
You only need to be more precise in thumb placement in BH; Clipper is more forgiving in this aspect, but I think it's really a personal preference due to hand size

Balance:
more or less same weight distribution in my opinion; BSS1 feels lighter on top due to thicker handle, but while playing I didn't spot so many difference compared to Clipper

Power response:
I felt Clipper as more linear: many gears, better distributed on "applied power scale".
I found only 3 gears in BSS1 (described above): i feel a clear difference between them; in a certain way, you can mentally "choose" the type of shot you are going to play and then, looking at ball trajectory and hearing the sound, check if the shot is what you wanted.
Educational

Flexibility:
I can judge only on FH loops (my BH technique is not good enough): BSS1 feels more flexible than Clipper, with more power "stored and released", more dwell time

As already said, I'm no pro/expert.
Hope what's above could help who is interested in Clipper/BSS1 style of blade for intermediate play.