OOAK Table Tennis Forum

"Fattchoi" My trail of blades have taken me though the Tachi, Tachi +, Barath & now the Smart... all great blades but for me all the good things I could do with these I can do with the Smart but for me the main difference is the amount of control I have is so much better. As you can see I have 2 set ups, I play at 2 clubs the Victas > 401 is marginally faster but the Victas > 402 limber is better handling more spin.

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Setup 1: Blade: TSP Trinity Carbon | Joola Golden Tango black 1.8mm FH & Tibhar Grass D.TecS acid green OX BH
Setup 2: Setup 2: Blade: TSP Trinity Carbon | Joola Golden Tango PS black 2.00mm FH & Tibhar Grass D.TecS red OX BH
Setup 3: Blade: TSP Trinity Carbon | Joola Golden Tango black 1.8mm FH & Spinlord Gigant anti-spin red BH
See the ball, be the ball...

Gollum, I see you signature indeed. It makes me wonder how anyone can be so bloody lucky!!!
By the way, is the handle of the Smart made of cork like the Tachi, or wood?

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Main Setup: There is NO such thing
Table Tennis Directory | Rubber Mass Database I | Rubber Mass Database II | Sponge Hardness Database

"Fattchoi" The Smart handle is made of the same wood as the Tachi (I thought it was Balsa) but what I did notice as soon as I picked it up was how well it felt in my hand, thinking about it I think it's the balance of the blade it's like an extension of your arm if that makes sense all this greatly helps with the balance, control & power of the Smart.

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Setup 1: Blade: TSP Trinity Carbon | Joola Golden Tango black 1.8mm FH & Tibhar Grass D.TecS acid green OX BH
Setup 2: Setup 2: Blade: TSP Trinity Carbon | Joola Golden Tango PS black 2.00mm FH & Tibhar Grass D.TecS red OX BH
Setup 3: Blade: TSP Trinity Carbon | Joola Golden Tango black 1.8mm FH & Spinlord Gigant anti-spin red BH
See the ball, be the ball...

Yes they are all made of balsa wood.

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

Thanks. It is balsa indeed.

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Main Setup: There is NO such thing
Table Tennis Directory | Rubber Mass Database I | Rubber Mass Database II | Sponge Hardness Database

Well, I finally went and bought a Rendler Smart blade. I had read the reviews by Haggis, Gollum, TraditionalTradesman, and others. Curiosity was getting the better of me, so when one company was selling Smart blades for 25% off, I got one.

All I can say is, am I ever glad I spent the money. I had often wondered, "Are these blades really worth the extra money?" Now I know. The setup with Victas 401 on the FH side (thanks, Haggis and Gollum!) works like a dream. I have original Dornenglanz OX on the BH. In my first night at the club, the other guys were shaking their heads at the balls I was able to hit, and I was quite often giggling like a kid with a new toy. The control is amazing, and this blade responds so incredibly well to changes in touch, that you have excellent control over depth and angle. The blocks, oh, the forehand BLOCKS one can do close to the table with a vertical bat!! When you put a little behind the blocks, they are linear and they are FAST (that's one of the cool things about this blade--the faster the incoming ball or the harder you hit it, the more linear the rebound is). Sidespin blocks were easy to do, even against hard-hit balls. The harder you hit the ball, the less spin it has, so smashes against any spin were going in a straight line and landing where I wanted them. With the blade and rubber's combination of relatively lower spin sensitivity, I was driving backspun balls like I have never been able to do before. The potential for this setup, for my style of play, is exciting, to say the least. If this post sounds a little giddy, its because I am. I have never before tried a blade/rubber combination that promised so much potential.

BH blocks with the Dornenglanz on this blade are very controllable, and this combination affords a wide variety of effective LP shots.

If there is a down-side, it is that serving with this setup is quite different than what I am used to. Brushing the ball for spinny serves without having too much balsa "hit" (and therefore too much speed) is initially a challenge. I have a large repertoire of serves, and relearning the touch on all of those serves, and their subtle variations, is going to take quite some time.

I just wanted to share my joy with those on this forum whom I know will understand it. At the same time, I want to send out a great big THANK YOU to Achim Rendler, for creating such a fantastic blade. I can't wait for Thursday's club play...

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USATT rating - 1999

Blade - Rendler Smart FH - Hurricane 8 hard black BH - Grass DTechs OX red
Blade - BBC 9/10/9 FH - Hurricane 8 black BH - Dragon Talon OX red
Blade - Hallmark Aurora FH - Hurricane 8 black BH - Joola Badman OX red

Thanks for the feedback JimWeiland! I can't argue with any of that, since that's my experience too.

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

Yep, it's a great blade that's a perfect marriage of control in blocking (with occasional chopping) and power in attacking. Plus, the ultra-light weight is great for my elbow, which doesn't seem to like heavy blades.

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I. Re-Impact Tachi Plus 2019; FH: Nittaku FastArc G-1 1.4mm; BH: Saviga 77 Monster OX
II. Re-Impact Turbo; FH: Spinlord Sandwind 1.5mm; BH: DMS Kamikaze OX
III. Re-Impact Smart; FH: TSP Spinpips RED 2.1mm; BH: Dr. Neubauer Gangster OX
IV. Sauer & Troger Firestarter; FH: Spinlord Waran 1.8mm; BH: Giant Dragon Snowflake OX

I believe you can now order a Smart blade in any of the 3 sizes Re-Impact offers. https://re-impact.de/smart.html

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The Dark Side: "Quicker, easier, more seductive" - Yoda