OOAK Table Tennis Forum

please do !!!

ive always wanted to try

My package from Japan arrived this week. It's not an equal thickness 6 ply basswood blade, it's a 5 ply blade with a very thick core layer. It has the exact same headshape and handle as my Juic Nebula but because it's thicker it feels more chunky. It weighs 88 grams. I will test it next week with Xiom Omega IV Asia 2.0 on both sides.

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this is the arm hi level?

is it basswood?

yeah it's the arm hi level power-6 version (flare handle). I don't if it's really basswood since I don't know how basswood exactly looks and feels.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg545/scaled.php?server=545&filename=armstronghighlevel1.png&res=landing

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Xiom Sigma Pro 2.0
Xiom O4 Asia 2.0
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As I am informed correctly, the Donic Defplay also has 4mm basswood core. Two thin outer plies are Gabon (abache-like) and Anigre (rather hard & very thin). I suppose you are talking about a full basswood blade?

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yeah the arm hi level is supposed to be six ply basswood blade according to leatherback however it appears to be a 5 ply blade.

http://s1336.beta.photobucket.com/user/ ... hi%20level

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Xiom Sigma Pro 2.0
Xiom O4 Asia 2.0
Xiom win with us.

i know if you go to iruiru.com they identify the straight handle version as having 5 plys and the flared version as having 6 plys...

they identify it as "shina" which is basswood used in thin vaneers.

i have used the straight handle version and it was indeed basswood

yeah you're right but it absolutely a 5 ply blade. I do believe it's basswood.

_________________
Xiom Sigma Pro 2.0
Xiom O4 Asia 2.0
Xiom win with us.

I just tested the blade, it"s a really solid blade. The feel is very crisp and it"s very good for flat hitting and blocking, it feels almost like a carbon blade in that respect. The disadvantage is the low dwelltime which makes topspin shots a little more difficult. The feel is quite similar to my nebula but the hi level feels more solid and chunkier. The feel is between gergely carbon and my nebula.

_________________
Xiom Sigma Pro 2.0
Xiom O4 Asia 2.0
Xiom win with us.

Sunflex and Leatherback !!!
Is ST handle thick also as in flared handle ?
Can you both please post photos of thickness ?

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straight handle was rather similar to the butterfly straight handles on their blades.....largeish and squareish

the flared handle is also rather thick and squarish. I don't have a digital camera at this moment so taking picture is a little difficult. It's basically the same as the Juic Nebula handle but twice as thick and chunkier.

_________________
Xiom Sigma Pro 2.0
Xiom O4 Asia 2.0
Xiom win with us.

the flared handle is also rather thick and squarish. I don't have a digital camera at this moment so taking picture is a little difficult. It's basically the same as the Juic Nebula handle but twice as thick and chunkier.

_________________
Xiom Sigma Pro 2.0
Xiom O4 Asia 2.0
Xiom win with us.

after playing a bit more with the blade, I came to the conlusion that it's a good replacement for the Nebula. The only thing that bothers me from using it is the weight it's noticably heavier than my juic nebula. I prefer a lighter setup, so I might try some lighter rubbers on it.

_________________
Xiom Sigma Pro 2.0
Xiom O4 Asia 2.0
Xiom win with us.

About the number of plies, it's likely that the two in the middle look like one ply for the same reason that the three plies in the middle of the Stiga Hybrid Wood do: the grain of those plies are in the same direction, so you don't see the usual color change in plies whose grain orientation is alternated. If so, then it's like a 7 ply missing its middle ply. They would do this as otherwise a 6 ply would be asymmetrical.

I would guess they know from experience that a heavier 7-ply model would not sell, as otherwise they would make it too, right?

Edit: I didn't mean to question sunflex, above, who has seen one. I wrote the above because someone somewhere wrote of not noticing the three plies in the middle of a Stiga Hybrid Wood, and someone else didn't notice the two in the middle of a PF4 016.