OOAK Table Tennis Forum


A truly International Table Tennis Community for both Defensive and Offensive styles!
OOAK Forum Links About OOAK Table Tennis Forum OOAK Forum Memory
It is currently 28 Mar 2024, 17:33


Don't want to see any advertising? Become a member and login, and you'll never see an ad again!



All times are UTC + 9:30 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 10 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: 27 Dec 2017, 22:52 
Offline
Kim Is My Shadow
Kim Is My Shadow
User avatar

Joined: 28 Jun 2008, 09:04
Posts: 2315
Has thanked: 244 times
Been thanked: 359 times
Blade: ?
FH: ?
BH: ?
Hi,

I'm looking to have a little fun and experiment with CPen. I'm looking for a good value cheap CPen blade. Sometimes I read that you should avoid standard shakehand blades with a short handle which are passed off as true CPen blades. Other times I read reviews which recommend these types of blades.

For anyone who actually plays up to the table attack with CPen, what in your experience would you recommend as a starter blade for Cpen style.

So far I've found these cheap blades on offer

Table Tennis Blade: Banda Virgo Blade Allround (penhold grip) https://thorntonstabletennis.co.uk/prod ... hold-grip/

DHS POWER.G7 PG7 PG.7 PG 7 Table Tennis blade https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DHS-POWER-G7 ... 3sW9h2CpQg

or any of these http://www.presports.com/search?search_ ... derway=asc

Or, would you recommend spending a bit more on any of these https://tabletennis-point.com/blades/, particularly the Yasaka Goiabao-5 or Ma Lin EO?

The forehand rubber will be probably either Skyline Neo 2 or 3 and a cheap light rubber on the backhand or one I already have if it fits.

As this is a fun setup, price is an issue for the rubbers, but I can go higher on the blade as they last longer and are in my experience critical equipment.

Thank you


Top
 Profile  
 

PostPosted: 28 Dec 2017, 13:34 
Offline
Super User

Joined: 22 Dec 2016, 16:35
Posts: 691
Has thanked: 101 times
Been thanked: 117 times
Blade: DHS PowerG-9 OFF++
FH: Yasaka Rakza X
BH: Palio Thor
Hi Debater !

As a beginner myself, C-pen players need a Flexi-blade, medium-throw rubbers, light-weight( 140 - 160 grams ) setup , All- or All or All+ or Off- rated setup ( both blade and rubbers together ) .

For RPB, faster BH rubbers will develop power, consistency, confidence and good strokes. Heavy rubbers will affect balance for RPB so it is better to have a light-weight BH rubber.

It is better to learn TPB first and then transition to RPB usually. But sometimes C-pen players go directly to RPB without really learning TPB.

Also Yasaka MaLin YEO is one of the most recommended blades! Similarly I think 729 C3 and W5 ?

Chinese - DHS setup
( tacky ) PowerG7 + Skyline TG2 Neo ( Off+ to Off++, flexi-blade, medium-throw arc)

Better to go with the Skyline TG2 Neo it will be pretty fast for 1 month then slowdown. Or if you like 729 SuperFX or 729 OEM rubber for something a lot slower.

But I am giving info for All-Round loop, attack, push player. If you want Pips-Out then probably you want something All- blade with less flex. Short-pips attacking is a lot of fun with C-pen ! :-) And u can put inverted or LP on the other side and twiddle :-D

Cpen will put a lot of strain on shoulder,elbow, wrist and finger joints. Sometimes the handle can abrade the webbing between thumb and forefinger so watch out for that. Initial days will develop calluses along forefinger, middle-finger and thumb.
Therefore try to figure out your Cpen grip and lightly sand the edges of the blade for the best and most comfortable fit. You can even add wood-filler mixed with silicone sealant to bulk up the neck of the blade and sand it down. Also if the blade handle feels too thin wrap badminton grip to compensate.

Let me know if any info can help you with or if anything I share is useful to you :up: :lol:

_________________
__________________________________________________________
Backup C-pen blades:
  • TSP Black Balsa 7.0 :
    1. FH/BH-YRakza9/XOmegaVT
    2. FH/BH-TSP Spectol/Yinhe Qing OX
  • 729 Bomb C-P : FH/BH-DHS H2 Orig/DHS H3 Orig
  • TSP Versal :
    1. FH/BH-XOmegaVA/YJupiter-II
    2. FH/BH-*blank*
Fun blades:
  • Yasaka Battle Balsa(ST) : FH/BH- DHS TG2Neo/Gewo HypeXT 47
  • Dr. Neubauer
    High Technology
    Cypress-Carbon(ST)
    ***************************** : FH/BH-YRakza7/YRakza7
==========================================================


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 28 Dec 2017, 13:44 
Offline
Hurricane Lover
Hurricane Lover
User avatar

Joined: 09 Mar 2008, 19:19
Posts: 2921
Location: Indonesia
Has thanked: 145 times
Been thanked: 236 times
Blade: DHS Long 2
FH: Dianchi D
BH: Yinhe Pluto
For the price that Banda Virgo should fit the bill. Quite good and should serve the purpose.

_________________
instagram: rokphishtt


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 30 Dec 2017, 00:18 
Offline
Super User
User avatar

Joined: 13 Jun 2017, 00:31
Posts: 443
Location: Maryland, USA
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 78 times
Blade: VKMO
FH: Victas VS > 401
BH: Victas Spectol S1
Well, I would personally just go for the YEO :P

_________________
Blade: Victas Koji Matsushita Offensive FL
FH: Victas VS > 401 2.0
BH: Victas Spectol S1 1.5

Rating: Recreational Player


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 30 Dec 2017, 03:49 
Offline
Kim Is My Shadow
Kim Is My Shadow
User avatar

Joined: 28 Jun 2008, 09:04
Posts: 2315
Has thanked: 244 times
Been thanked: 359 times
Blade: ?
FH: ?
BH: ?
Thank you for your suggestions.

In the end, EJ urges were battered in to submission by financial realities. Decided to go for man_iii suggestion of RITC729 C-3 blade. man_iii's post also reminded me I like SP's so i'll recycle some SP's on one side and a used inverted - possibly Rakza 7 soft on the other. The Banda is sold by Bill Thornton and he sometimes attends cadet/junior grand prix events in the North West which I also go to, so the option is still there to get that blade. Ultimately I was really tempted by a Yazaka blade - not the Ma Lin - but it would have meant adding to my order to get free postage and benefit from a discount and even then the blade alone would have cost more than the 729-C3 and skyline neo 2 and SP combined.

The thing that really got me interested in Cpen was trying the grip on my TSP balsa 6.5 blade and being able to
-use the backhand side over the table to return backspin with fast heavy topspin - the whip/speed I could get with my wrist was far better and easier to generate than shakehand - bear in mind I broke my playing elbow badly a few years ago and
- importantly for me, when playing a forehand topspin drive I could get away with using just my arm and wrist rather than having to twist and pivot around my hips, waist and shoulders which I now have problems doing. Not text book but hey, it worked ok. As a bonus, I didn't seem to fall over off balance to the left like I do when I play and aggresive forehand shakehand style and
- spin on serve. Much heavier spin and much easier than my shakehand grip to brush the ball with top / side spin combination whilst keeping the ball relatively short.

That was with double inverted but if I'm using SP and inverted combi, I'll probably keep to inverted on FH when serving and SP on FH when returning. Should be fun to try.

Problems I had were mainly with blocking which surprised me as when I watch CPen players blocking seems to be one of the strengths of the grip. When I tried CPen grip I couldn't get over the ball to keep it down and it kept flying long. Closing that bat angle seems to twist my wrist and forearm unnaturally.

Anyway, the 729-C3 will take up to a month to arrive so until then it's onwards with shakehand grip.

Cheers folks.


Last edited by Debater on 30 Dec 2017, 03:54, edited 1 time in total.

Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 30 Dec 2017, 03:53 
Offline
OOAK Super User
OOAK Super User

Joined: 08 Apr 2015, 11:50
Posts: 1515
Has thanked: 12 times
Been thanked: 188 times
€21 from tt11.

http://www.tabletennis11.com/other_eng/yasaka-sweden-classic-ch-pen

_________________
Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you'll start to see a big difference in your life.

Yoko Ono


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 30 Dec 2017, 03:59 
Offline
Kim Is My Shadow
Kim Is My Shadow
User avatar

Joined: 28 Jun 2008, 09:04
Posts: 2315
Has thanked: 244 times
Been thanked: 359 times
Blade: ?
FH: ?
BH: ?
BRS wrote:


Yep, I get weekly emails on their "deals".

It's a similar price at tabletennis-point https://tabletennis-point.com/blades/#m ... _data=true and it was the Yasaka Goiabao-5 from there that I was really tempted by especially with a 20% discount code they emailed out. Even had it in my basket and ready to buy until I realised the 20% off code only worked on orders over 70E at tabletennis-point.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 03 Jan 2018, 14:34 
Offline
Goes to 11
Goes to 11
User avatar

Joined: 13 Jan 2014, 20:27
Posts: 10671
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 1384 times
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Sanwei- ... 04398.html

Ask for the penhold version, of course...

Iskandar


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 10 Jan 2018, 01:29 
Offline
Ninja of the Holy Chtchet
Ninja of the Holy Chtchet
User avatar

Joined: 28 Feb 2014, 13:38
Posts: 2524
Location: Washington DC
Has thanked: 563 times
Been thanked: 512 times
Blade: Koji Matsushita
FH: Tibhar MX-S Max
BH: Yasaka Rising Dragon 2.0
I heard the Yinhe W-6 is a good beginner C-PEN and a supposed clone of the Yasaka Extra.

I used it in shakehand and found it very good for the price. I left it because I ultimately opted for the defplay as a chopper.

_________________
Blog: "Holy Chtchet!"

Projects: Player Equipment Grid
Comprehensive Thin Inverted Chopping Rubbers Grid ⇝ Please send me corrections or new submissions


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 10 Jan 2018, 06:10 
Offline
Kim Is My Shadow
Kim Is My Shadow
User avatar

Joined: 28 Jun 2008, 09:04
Posts: 2315
Has thanked: 244 times
Been thanked: 359 times
Blade: ?
FH: ?
BH: ?
Blade has been bought and arrived today. 729-C3. Total price including delivery from China £10.34. Came securely packaged and much sooner than expected. Bought off ebay. As the blade came with a couple of plastic "rubber" protection sheets (provided free of charge) with eacheng printed on them, I suspect it came from one of eacheng's "affiliate" sellers or pseudo's.

The blade wasn't boxed which I knew about before my order was made as it would have added to shipping costs but it did come cellophane sealed. I asked for their lightest blade they had left. It's got 86g written on it but I've not weighed it or ripped off the cellophane yet. Very quick and dirty photo's below.

Blade Face Info
Attachment:
729_C3 blade face info.jpg
729_C3 blade face info.jpg [ 358.77 KiB | Viewed 4339 times ]


End of blade - out of focus but you get an idea of the veneers in the handle and the cut thicknesses
Attachment:
729_C3 end of handle_vaneers.jpg
729_C3 end of handle_vaneers.jpg [ 285.81 KiB | Viewed 4339 times ]


C-Pen handle with lens
Attachment:
729_C3 blade handle with lens.jpg
729_C3 blade handle with lens.jpg [ 255.39 KiB | Viewed 4339 times ]


Edge of blade face - only concern is the quality of the wood but without taking the cellophane off, I won't get a good idea of what the wood quality is like
Attachment:
729_C3 blade edge.jpg
729_C3 blade edge.jpg [ 108.66 KiB | Viewed 4339 times ]


Complete image of blade
Attachment:
729_C3 full blade.jpg
729_C3 full blade.jpg [ 360.57 KiB | Viewed 4339 times ]


I have read that this range of blade was a Xiom "clone" but inferior quality (and at this price point that's to be expected) but have to admit I'm pleasantly surprised so far. I did ask the seller if they recommended sealing the blade with varnish - I use Joola varnish if I ever seal my blades - and they said no, it's not necessary if a decent brand of glue is used.

What really surprised me was how comfortable the shorter C-Pen handle felt in shakehands grip. It got me thinking - dangerous! When playing shakehand, it's usual for the blade to be held mainly with the thunb and index finger and to a degree the middle finger. The last 2 fingers simply keep the blade company. There is invariably handles to spare (with my size hands anyway), and that excess handle can get in the way, especially when serving unless I modify my grip. Why aren't more shakehand blades made with shorter handles? If balance of the blade was an issue, you wouldn't be able to buy the same type blade with multiple style handles. The only think I can think of is more of the hand comes in to contact when using shakehand grip, but would it really be an issue if the handles were shorter for shakehand? I might try this blade using shakehand too.


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 10 posts ] 


Don't want to see this advertisement? Become a member and login, and you'll never see an ad again!



All times are UTC + 9:30 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Copyright 2018 OOAK Table Tennis Forum. The information on this site cannot be reused without written permission.

Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group