World Top 10 Men's Equipment 2015 Pictures (Compared to 2005)

rxng · Jul 14, 2015

Hello!!! it's me again and this time I would like to share the pictures of ITTF World Top 10 Men's Equipment, compared to top 10 in 2005. The two most obvious changing in regulations through these ten years would be 1. Banned for organic glue 2. 40+ balls. It would be interesting to know how the world top players' equipment changed from this decade. Here you are the table I made:

From the above chart , we can clearly see that in 2005, most of the top players ( 8 out of 10 ) use all wood type blades, while two players use composite blades. Ten years later, 2015, most of the top players ( 7 out of 10 ) use composite blades, while three players use all wood blades. It shows that 5+2 Arylate Carbon (BTY & DHS) are the most common type of blades among top players nowadays.

On the other hand, Penhold styles are not common among the top players these days, only Xu Xin left in the top ten list.

Here we are some questions to discuss:

1. Among the amateur players, is "5+2 Arylate Carbon" composition is the most common to play because its characteristics suits 40+ balls the most? Or most people are still using all wood type blades? Is it the end of all wood type blades?

2. What is the future of Penhold styles players? Who would be the next that achieve the top ten?

3. Congratulations to Timo Boll and Samsonov Vladimir, they are remain in world top ten after a decade. Who will remain in the top ten after another decade? Fan Zhendong?

Please feel free to discuss, and sorry for my bad English.

And lastly, enjoy the photos that I collected from the Internet :

2015

01 Ma Long

02 Xu Xin

03 Fan Zhendong

04 Zhang Jike

05 Jun Mizutani

06 Ovtcharov Dimitrij

07 Timo Boll

08 Samsonov Vladimir

09 Fang Bo

10 Freitas Marcos

2005

01 Wang Liqin

02 Ma Lin

03 Timo Boll

04 Wang Hao

05 Samsonov Vladimir ( I cannot find his blade pictures in 2005, if anyone can find, please help, thanks !!!)

06 Chen Qi

07 Oh Sang-eun

08 Ryu Seung-min

09 Kreanga Kalinikos

10 Chuang Chih-Yuan

TareqPhoto · Jul 15, 2015

Interesting topic!

Well, technology and modern life should have effects, so with the carbon more used and those company design/produce more carbon or say composite blades more players will use that instead of all wood, in some cases it gives better performance than the all wood, forget about the feeling, not all players play just for feeling.

Also, if Timo and Samsonov retired earlier then you will never see them in the list, and not so far in time this year Timo was out of that top 10 list, but he made same efforts to be back, good for him, and Samsonov is like at the end of his career now, 1 or 2 years is the most he will play, Ma Lin was long time in top 10 list, he retired when he was in 40's maybe? so it depends on the players in top 10 if they stop earlier or not, check the list from say 2000 to 2010, or from 1995 to 2005 and see how many players are remaining in top ten for a decade, if we have long life then we have to see in 2025 who will be in top 10 from 2015.

About pen holder, well, 2 things, if those manufacturers make more pen holder style blades good enough and many as the shakehand then we will see more pen holder users, also China and some asians are the most places using pen holders, but sounds they now go to the shakehand direction more, in my club there are many Chinese playing with pen hold, and they are good enough, but sounds the rest are just prefer to go with shakehand, so go ask China team when they will introduce more players with pen hold style.

Thanks for this subject, interesting that you follow the ranking list and also players equipment, i really forgot when was the last time i watched TT in the past, and why i started to play this game late and how does it happened to me anyway, but i remember in the past that i saw European players were doing good beside Chinese, and i think maybe i was watching Waldner or Schlager or Samsonov or Timo that time but i didn't know them until this year.

Machine_Head · Jul 15, 2015

Thank you for the post rxng. Great topic to follow.

Btw, is there a special reason why some of the rubbers are cut larger than the blade?

TareqPhoto · Jul 15, 2015

Machine_Head said:
Thank you for the post rxng. Great topic to follow.

Btw, is there a special reason why some of the rubbers are cut larger than the blade?

I have few blades that my friend coach did cut the rubbers slightly larger than the blade about 0.5-1mm, i don't know why and i didn't ask him, but i really liked it this way, my reason that not sure it is correct is that if the rubber damaged by edges there will be little room for blade with rubber on edges, but if that is exactly on the edge same size of the blade then when the rubber wore out then part slight of the blade will be exposed, so it is good for me to have little extra room with the rubber on the edges.

Loopadoop · Jul 15, 2015

TareqPhoto said:
I have few blades that my friend coach did cut the rubbers slightly larger than the blade about 0.5-1mm, i don't know why and i didn't ask him, but i really liked it this way, my reason that not sure it is correct is that if the rubber damaged by edges there will be little room for blade with rubber on edges, but if that is exactly on the edge same size of the blade then when the rubber wore out then part slight of the blade will be exposed, so it is good for me to have little extra room with the rubber on the edges.

If boosting with oil .. the rubber will shrink after a period of time.
I have learned the hard way.

rxng · Jul 15, 2015

Machine_Head said:
Thank you for the post rxng. Great topic to follow.

Btw, is there a special reason why some of the rubbers are cut larger than the blade?

Hi Machine_Head,

Thanks for your support!

IMHO, some players leave the rubber a little bit ( about 2-5mm) larger than the blade for "protection" of the blade,
but I think the top players have this phenomenon only because of the rubbers are boosted.

JO Waldner is well know with his "special cutting" of rubbers, which he cuts the rubbers by scissors casually.

rxng · Jul 15, 2015

Loopadoop said:
If boosting with oil .. the rubber will shrink after a period of time.
I have learned the hard way.

That's true.
And I always suggest people do not apply too much pressure when sticking the rubbers to the blade.
It will shrink as well, especially Germany-type tensor rubbers.

TareqPhoto · Jul 15, 2015

Loopadoop said:
If boosting with oil .. the rubber will shrink after a period of time.
I have learned the hard way.

I have non boosted rubbers so far, all done glued normal without boost, and i know about that shrinking after boosting, maybe it is why he didn't cut to the exact edge so in future i may boost any rubber or use the rubber on another blade that has a bit larger head size few mm.

mikechow · Jul 16, 2015

FanZhengDong not using STIGA blade?

UpSideDownCarl · Jul 16, 2015

There may be another reason for the extra rubber. Especially if the rubber is like Waldner's where there is more overlap near the wings of the blade. They call that fins. It served two main functions. The first: if you are regluing a lot like in the speed glue days, it gives you something to grab to pull the rubber off more easily.

The second reason is more useful. The extra overlap of the rubber, because it gives the rubber more surface and it vibrates when you hit it, gives you noticeably more of that corking sound you get on good contact for a loop and the added bonus that that good contact which creates that big pop sound, gets you more spin.

So I know some people today who cut their rubbers that way.

BTW: @Tareq: Ma Lin is not yet 40. I believe he is 35. But he was dropping in level when he retired from International play.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

UpSideDownCarl · Jul 16, 2015

mikechow said:
FanZhengDong not using STIGA blade?

It pretty much looks like FZD is using a Viscaria with a Stiga Infinity handle.

TareqPhoto · Jul 16, 2015

UpSideDownCarl said:
There may be another reason for the extra rubber. Especially if the rubber is like Waldner's where there is more overlap near the wings of the blade. They call that fins. It served two main functions. The first: if you are regluing a lot like in the speed glue days, it gives you something to grab to pull the rubber off more easily.

The second reason is more useful. The extra overlap of the rubber, because it gives the rubber more surface and it vibrates when you hit it, gives you noticeably more of that corking sound you get on good contact for a loop and the added bonus that that good contact which creates that big pop sound, gets you more spin.

So I know some people today who cut their rubbers that way.

BTW: @Tareq: Ma Lin is not yet 40. I believe he is 35. But he was dropping in level when he retired from International play.

Ok, thanks, i just put question mark as i am not sure if he retired in 30's or he reached 40's then retired.

myke · Feb 14, 2016

Does anyone have a recent picture of Samsonov's paddle? Does he really use the MX-P rubbers as they say on the official Tibhar website?

Thanks!

Giangt · Feb 14, 2016

myke said:
Does anyone have a recent picture of Samsonov's paddle? Does he really use the MX-P rubbers as they say on the official Tibhar website?

Thanks!

Yes he does together with the Tibhar CCA Unlimited FL blade.
pictures are from the recent Germany Open 2016

Ilia Minkin · Feb 14, 2016

Wow, what a massive overgrip.

Reaper · Feb 14, 2016

myke said:
Does anyone have a recent picture of Samsonov's paddle? Does he really use the MX-P rubbers as they say on the official Tibhar website?

Thanks!

Yes he uses MX-P

Also, according to the website http://www.mytischtennis.de/ Samsonov is now using TIBHAR CCA unlimited (5w+2c), which is weird because in some interviews he says he prefers all wood.

http://www.mytischtennis.de/public/fotos/1437/profis---die-schlaeger-der-german-open-stars/14

http://www.mytischtennis.de/public/fotos/1437/profis---die-schlaeger-der-german-open-stars/15

edit:

Giangt yo beat me up by minutes LOL

Der_Echte · Feb 14, 2016

I like Samsonov even moar now. I use a lot of grip tape. Blade handle feels too narrow without it.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

raazzz · Feb 15, 2016

Good list except that Ovtcharov does not use a Donic all wood blade.

Kevin Geraldy · May 27, 2016

right now Xu xin is the only one penhold in the top 10 and the only one who still use an allwood blade, tough life for him

UpSideDownCarl · May 27, 2016

raazzz said:
Good list except that Ovtcharov does not use a Donic all wood blade.

I know this is an old post, but at the time that the Original Post was made Ovtcharov was using a Clipper with a Donic handle. And in the photo, from the OP, you can see the plies of the Clipper. Not any more though. Now he is using a carbon blade.

World Top 10 Men's Equipment 2015 Pictures (Compared to 2005)

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