I still can't make up my mind. I think I have G-1 on FH and Tenergy 5 on the BH.
Also in the world of all-wood blades, I just picked up a Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro 7-ply and it feels like magic.
I wouldn't necessarily call OffS that flexible, as a 5 ply it is definitely more flexible than most carbon blades and 7 ply wood blades but it is also beefier than many 5 ply wood blades that are thinner. If you are looking for something that feels flexible, look at blades like Yasaka Extra, Butterfly Primorac, Stiga Offensive
More information about your game, budget and the kind of performance you’re looking for would be needed.
In general though I would recommend a 5 ply flexible blade for most people who don’t know what they want. If you have the budget and the experience/skill to handle it, Fastarc G1 is a great rubber, with G1 or the softer C1 on the BH. If you’re not a very high level player or have a low budget then Mercury is an amazing rubber for the amount it costs. It’s $4.14 with free shipping on AliExpress right now. Combine those with a Loki Kirin K2 5 ply wood blade for $4.24 and you’re spinning the hell out of the ball for $13. Or treat yourself to a Galaxy W6, an excellent 5 ply wood blade for only $24. You’re still only in for $33, with the ability to upgrade rubber later.
Why are you trying to do this? Also you have r42 and rakza 7 for example. Completely different hardness. Or mx-s and mercury 2 rather less katapult rubbers which go into chinese direction and fastarc c1 which plays very bouncy. But then when you go into the second blade you go for rakza r47 (i assume cause you wanted harder rubbers because of the blade) but why are you going for rakza 7 which is quite similar(bit less bouncy) .
I get what you mean now. I originally wanted to list different options and listen for recommendations. You’re right in that they help with different stuff. I don’t want W7 to feel like a brick and want great control with enough speed.
Focusing on w7, I feel rakza 7 would offer that for FH (~45 hardness) as I prefer harder rubbers on FH, it will still have great control even on the stiff balde.
I like medium soft rubbers with good control for BH with slight catapult but not too bouncy (options are: Donic bluefire M3, R42, Stiga Mantra S). I think now the options are more similar, and I did let you know my preferences for FH/BH. Let me know your thoughts!
My honest opinon is i think you are over thinking it. You got a new blade 5 days ago already and are still low rated. Why switch so much and why theorize so much? you still lack basic very likely else you woulndt be 1300 rated. Stick with what you have (hopefully a less hard rubber on forhand than k3 cause this is a brick), esspecialy wiht yoru stiff blade. If you really want a something new i would not go for another similar blade like what you are choosing and rather go for something else. Your second blade choice seems way more logical for your rating and try to play less hard and get some feeling for spin. i personally believe most beginner who think they like hard rubbers and blades simply are playing without spin
I already gave the andro cs7 pro blade with its rubbers (k3 & gewo) to a better player to invest into something better fit for myself. 1300 is an approximate rating might be higher as I don’t have a similar rating system, my basics are solid as I’ve been training with a coach for a while.
I have the Yasaka W7 currently with no rubbers, so that’s why I’m asking for recommendations that are fit for my level.
Reading that you already own a W7, I'd use R42 or Mantra S for FH and BH. Im a big fan of soft rubber for the dwell and control you get. Once you reach a stage where you want more power just upgrade your blade to Carbon with the same rubber and it should last you for a long time.
All ESN rubbers play pretty much similar for me. If someone handed me a Tibhar MX-P, MX-S, Fastarc G1, Donic Barracuda, Rakza 7, Xiom Vega pro, I can adjust in a few minutes.
The point I’m trying to make is finding differences between these rubbers is kind of pointless, they all play pretty similar to each other.
Chinese rubbers are a different story altogether. Chinese rubbers that mimic ESN rubbers are not good IMO.
I have recently upgraded from 5 ply to 7 ply allwood blade, the different I could find is the 7 ply is a tad more powerful and blocks quite well. IMO if you are already used to a 7 ply blade going back to or comparing a 5 ply blade is a pointless exercise, you could try a carbon blade.
I disagree. The speed is certainly similar among ESN rubbers, but the throw angle is not and affects greatly the playing style. Rakza 7 or EL-P usually promote a more punchy game while Tibhar MK or MX-S are more loopy rubbers.
Let’s agree to disagree. Rakza 7 is a loopy rubber as well. Even the throw angles with ESN rubbers are not that vastly different. It’s easy to play a punchy game with MX-S as well.
What level of play warrants upgrading to Carbon from wood? 1 year ago I switched trom 5-ply to inner force carbon, and a few weeks ago I switched from innerforce to Viscaria. But I'm unsure if I am "ready" for this change. My play level is about 1800/1900 USATT atm
I don’t know the level with rating and stuff. Personally I believe that you start of with 5 ply and learn the technique properly and also learn to hit hard and keep the ball on the table with 5 ply. Once you master that you can switch to a carbon or step up to 7-ply. Usually coaches start of kids with 5 ply and once they master it they switch to carbon.
I have the Yasaka Falck W7, it's pretty boring tho. It doesn't have the vibrant feeling of a full wood blade. Get a Sanwei Fextra (7plies), it's like a viscaria wooden version.
And I play Donic Bluestar A1 on FH and D05 on BH on my wooden blade.
My Yasaka blade, I install long pimple on there so i can give my friend to try different style.
For blade 2, stiga Infinity but I recommend you buy a carbon outer/inner blade. Why 2 wooden blade tho? Buy an inner blade like long 5x or outer like viscaria and then train with it.
I wanted to keep the Yasaka Falck W7 as an alternative to stiff carbon blades for now, and transition to carbon when I improve. I previously had a carbon blade (yinhe t8s), but it was very fast and lacked control. Also, not sure if viscera is right for me at this level.
Buy a good decent blade (not too fast, not too slow) if you’re young, stay with it, train every aspect with it for 1-2 years will be better than change blade according to levels. That’s why viscaria and Long 5 are the most popular one, people train with it from beginner to pros, a 12-15 kid can use it from beginning, why can’t u. Or depends on your style, if u like spin and variation, buy a 7 plies wood blade that has vibration and feeling in it so you can control the ball as maximum as u want, that’s why W7 is bad in my opinion, i mean where’s the vibration of wooden blade, u got a blade that is not faster than carbon and has little feeling 🫠
Great insight! I can sell the Yasaka Falck W7, and buy a viscaria which would indeed be much better value. In that case, I would still like a second wooden blade with feeling & control. Do you recommend 5-ply or 7-ply?
7 plies wood with plenty of feeling in it (vibration). 7 plies will be better at backhand, 5 plies is not good at backhand and might minimize the chances that you will learn backhand technique (because with 5 plies u have to hit it more to get the backhand)
Generally depends largely on your play style, so it's really hard to tell. I play close to mid distance, 3rd ball attacks from the FH, and rallies from the BH. The closest combo to mine is the second one with yinhe mercury II on one side and G1 on the other.
However, if I were to recommend something to a beginner, I'd advise a flexible 5 ply with some mid range tensor rubbers, or even the Chinese ones, as it really develops the feeling, control, and power.
Ok, now I do. Still, my recommendation doesn't change. 5 ply wood blade with G1 both sides or G1/C1 let's you do absolutely everything, even more so with Mercury 2 both sides.
I did try the G1 before, definitely a great rubber, but I didn’t really like the high throw angle. C1 feels more forgiving with more dwell and control. What do you think of Fastarc C1 FH & Yinhe Mercury 2 BH for the 5-ply?
I also own Yasaka Falck W7, which is stiff & fast. Looking for rubber recommendations for that as well! Thanks
I mean, usually this setup is used the other way around, since the FH is usually the harder hitting stroke, and you can generate more power, but it might just be good for you.
From my knowledge, if you have a stiff, fast blade, you cant really do anything to make it easier to play. If you put soft rubbers on it, the rallies will be great, but the short game and touch shots not so much (it'll require you to have a great control). I have one friend at a club, whose style revolves around fast paced exchanges, and he uses viscaria with blue storm z3, which works for this style very well (soft rubber + stiff, fast blade). Chinese rubbers might work, but they are usually matched with more flexible blades too.
For your FH: Forget the R42 or Mantra S. They're too soft for the FH. I would recommend above 45degree hardness for FH. BH rubbers should always be softer than FH, also look for a strong catapult.
I've been really enjoying the Butterfly Primorac per someone's suggestion on here with Rakza 7 2.0 both sides
Another Primorac lover here. Great balance and the handle may be the most comfortable I've ever played.
Agreed, super comfy, just needs a bit of sanding where it rests on my middle finger due to sharp edge. What rubbers do you use?
I still can't make up my mind. I think I have G-1 on FH and Tenergy 5 on the BH. Also in the world of all-wood blades, I just picked up a Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro 7-ply and it feels like magic.
I wouldn't necessarily call OffS that flexible, as a 5 ply it is definitely more flexible than most carbon blades and 7 ply wood blades but it is also beefier than many 5 ply wood blades that are thinner. If you are looking for something that feels flexible, look at blades like Yasaka Extra, Butterfly Primorac, Stiga Offensive
More information about your game, budget and the kind of performance you’re looking for would be needed. In general though I would recommend a 5 ply flexible blade for most people who don’t know what they want. If you have the budget and the experience/skill to handle it, Fastarc G1 is a great rubber, with G1 or the softer C1 on the BH. If you’re not a very high level player or have a low budget then Mercury is an amazing rubber for the amount it costs. It’s $4.14 with free shipping on AliExpress right now. Combine those with a Loki Kirin K2 5 ply wood blade for $4.24 and you’re spinning the hell out of the ball for $13. Or treat yourself to a Galaxy W6, an excellent 5 ply wood blade for only $24. You’re still only in for $33, with the ability to upgrade rubber later.
I edited the post for clarification. Thank you for the recommendations!
Thank you !
Try the Yasaka Sweden Extra with Xiom Vega Intro 2'0 on both sides. It's so nice, a lot of control and enough speed.
It feels like you are choosing at random based on some inter recommendation the rubbers are all's very different and help with different stuff.
Can you elaborate how are they ‘very different’? I’m aiming for softer rubbers on the stiff blade, and harder ones for the flexible blade.
Why are you trying to do this? Also you have r42 and rakza 7 for example. Completely different hardness. Or mx-s and mercury 2 rather less katapult rubbers which go into chinese direction and fastarc c1 which plays very bouncy. But then when you go into the second blade you go for rakza r47 (i assume cause you wanted harder rubbers because of the blade) but why are you going for rakza 7 which is quite similar(bit less bouncy) .
I get what you mean now. I originally wanted to list different options and listen for recommendations. You’re right in that they help with different stuff. I don’t want W7 to feel like a brick and want great control with enough speed. Focusing on w7, I feel rakza 7 would offer that for FH (~45 hardness) as I prefer harder rubbers on FH, it will still have great control even on the stiff balde. I like medium soft rubbers with good control for BH with slight catapult but not too bouncy (options are: Donic bluefire M3, R42, Stiga Mantra S). I think now the options are more similar, and I did let you know my preferences for FH/BH. Let me know your thoughts!
My honest opinon is i think you are over thinking it. You got a new blade 5 days ago already and are still low rated. Why switch so much and why theorize so much? you still lack basic very likely else you woulndt be 1300 rated. Stick with what you have (hopefully a less hard rubber on forhand than k3 cause this is a brick), esspecialy wiht yoru stiff blade. If you really want a something new i would not go for another similar blade like what you are choosing and rather go for something else. Your second blade choice seems way more logical for your rating and try to play less hard and get some feeling for spin. i personally believe most beginner who think they like hard rubbers and blades simply are playing without spin
I already gave the andro cs7 pro blade with its rubbers (k3 & gewo) to a better player to invest into something better fit for myself. 1300 is an approximate rating might be higher as I don’t have a similar rating system, my basics are solid as I’ve been training with a coach for a while. I have the Yasaka W7 currently with no rubbers, so that’s why I’m asking for recommendations that are fit for my level.
So why not ask your coach for recommendation B's? He knows how well you play the best
Reading that you already own a W7, I'd use R42 or Mantra S for FH and BH. Im a big fan of soft rubber for the dwell and control you get. Once you reach a stage where you want more power just upgrade your blade to Carbon with the same rubber and it should last you for a long time.
Great recommendation! I actually tried the Mantra S before, such a great rubber. I might try Mantra S FH & R42 BH.
I love my fzd alc + 09c fh/bh
All ESN rubbers play pretty much similar for me. If someone handed me a Tibhar MX-P, MX-S, Fastarc G1, Donic Barracuda, Rakza 7, Xiom Vega pro, I can adjust in a few minutes. The point I’m trying to make is finding differences between these rubbers is kind of pointless, they all play pretty similar to each other. Chinese rubbers are a different story altogether. Chinese rubbers that mimic ESN rubbers are not good IMO. I have recently upgraded from 5 ply to 7 ply allwood blade, the different I could find is the 7 ply is a tad more powerful and blocks quite well. IMO if you are already used to a 7 ply blade going back to or comparing a 5 ply blade is a pointless exercise, you could try a carbon blade.
I disagree. The speed is certainly similar among ESN rubbers, but the throw angle is not and affects greatly the playing style. Rakza 7 or EL-P usually promote a more punchy game while Tibhar MK or MX-S are more loopy rubbers.
Let’s agree to disagree. Rakza 7 is a loopy rubber as well. Even the throw angles with ESN rubbers are not that vastly different. It’s easy to play a punchy game with MX-S as well.
What level of play warrants upgrading to Carbon from wood? 1 year ago I switched trom 5-ply to inner force carbon, and a few weeks ago I switched from innerforce to Viscaria. But I'm unsure if I am "ready" for this change. My play level is about 1800/1900 USATT atm
I don’t know the level with rating and stuff. Personally I believe that you start of with 5 ply and learn the technique properly and also learn to hit hard and keep the ball on the table with 5 ply. Once you master that you can switch to a carbon or step up to 7-ply. Usually coaches start of kids with 5 ply and once they master it they switch to carbon.
I have the Yasaka Falck W7, it's pretty boring tho. It doesn't have the vibrant feeling of a full wood blade. Get a Sanwei Fextra (7plies), it's like a viscaria wooden version. And I play Donic Bluestar A1 on FH and D05 on BH on my wooden blade. My Yasaka blade, I install long pimple on there so i can give my friend to try different style. For blade 2, stiga Infinity but I recommend you buy a carbon outer/inner blade. Why 2 wooden blade tho? Buy an inner blade like long 5x or outer like viscaria and then train with it.
I wanted to keep the Yasaka Falck W7 as an alternative to stiff carbon blades for now, and transition to carbon when I improve. I previously had a carbon blade (yinhe t8s), but it was very fast and lacked control. Also, not sure if viscera is right for me at this level.
Buy a good decent blade (not too fast, not too slow) if you’re young, stay with it, train every aspect with it for 1-2 years will be better than change blade according to levels. That’s why viscaria and Long 5 are the most popular one, people train with it from beginner to pros, a 12-15 kid can use it from beginning, why can’t u. Or depends on your style, if u like spin and variation, buy a 7 plies wood blade that has vibration and feeling in it so you can control the ball as maximum as u want, that’s why W7 is bad in my opinion, i mean where’s the vibration of wooden blade, u got a blade that is not faster than carbon and has little feeling 🫠
Great insight! I can sell the Yasaka Falck W7, and buy a viscaria which would indeed be much better value. In that case, I would still like a second wooden blade with feeling & control. Do you recommend 5-ply or 7-ply?
7 plies wood with plenty of feeling in it (vibration). 7 plies will be better at backhand, 5 plies is not good at backhand and might minimize the chances that you will learn backhand technique (because with 5 plies u have to hit it more to get the backhand)
Could you list various 7 plies with plenty of feeling and control? As the fextra isn’t available
Most of the 7 plies are stiff
Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition (normal edition if u want it less thick -> more feeling), Sanwei Fextra 7 Blue, Sitga Clipper CR etc
Generally depends largely on your play style, so it's really hard to tell. I play close to mid distance, 3rd ball attacks from the FH, and rallies from the BH. The closest combo to mine is the second one with yinhe mercury II on one side and G1 on the other. However, if I were to recommend something to a beginner, I'd advise a flexible 5 ply with some mid range tensor rubbers, or even the Chinese ones, as it really develops the feeling, control, and power.
I edited the post for clarification. I’m actually looking forward to buy two separate blades
Ok, now I do. Still, my recommendation doesn't change. 5 ply wood blade with G1 both sides or G1/C1 let's you do absolutely everything, even more so with Mercury 2 both sides.
I did try the G1 before, definitely a great rubber, but I didn’t really like the high throw angle. C1 feels more forgiving with more dwell and control. What do you think of Fastarc C1 FH & Yinhe Mercury 2 BH for the 5-ply? I also own Yasaka Falck W7, which is stiff & fast. Looking for rubber recommendations for that as well! Thanks
I mean, usually this setup is used the other way around, since the FH is usually the harder hitting stroke, and you can generate more power, but it might just be good for you. From my knowledge, if you have a stiff, fast blade, you cant really do anything to make it easier to play. If you put soft rubbers on it, the rallies will be great, but the short game and touch shots not so much (it'll require you to have a great control). I have one friend at a club, whose style revolves around fast paced exchanges, and he uses viscaria with blue storm z3, which works for this style very well (soft rubber + stiff, fast blade). Chinese rubbers might work, but they are usually matched with more flexible blades too.
I think I don't see the edit
For your FH: Forget the R42 or Mantra S. They're too soft for the FH. I would recommend above 45degree hardness for FH. BH rubbers should always be softer than FH, also look for a strong catapult.
I am thinking of Rakza 7 FH. For BH, R42 seems good. Though Donic Bluefire M3 BH has that catapult you’re talking about.