OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I finally had a chance to play the new Dr. Neubauer Jackpot blade (ST, 82g) in one practice session last week and wanted to share my initial impressions. It was tested with Nittaku H3N and Bison 1.8mm, though that Bison was already a little worn; we did drills and played a few games. Comparison is with Dr. Neubauer Matador with the same rubber combo, though an almost new Bison. Here we go:
- the Jackpot is a 5-ply all wood with 7mm thickness; the 2 outer plies are quite thin and the core relatively thick like 5mm; the core is not balsa (can't easily indent it with the finger nail) but must be quite a light wood since the total weight is only 82g
- the hardness is medium, Matador has a harder touch; the Jackpot is stiffer than Matador; the outer plies seem to be koto and the 2nd ply spruce (that's a guess though!)
- I would call it All+; it plays like All in short game and on serve but more like Off- when you really go for it
- low bounce on blocking with anti and control in general on block was superb!
- it's difficult to judge the reversal with anti since my Bison was a little bit worn but I would say a little less than Matador but still very good
- loop with H3N had more topspin and kick according to my practice partner but was a little slower than with Matador; the control and consistency on looping was great!
- a lot of spin in short game and on serves; better than Matador
- slower in top speed than Matador; so if you rely on a very fast blade, Jackpot is not yours
- craftsmanship is very good with very smooth surfaces; the design is simple like on other Dr. N blades but I like it that way
- the blade seems to have a very mild balsa (non-linear) effect though I am not really a balsa expert as I only ever played with one balsa blade, the Dr. N Bulldog; the "balsa effect" was less than on Bulldog; it would be interesting to hear the opinion of somebody who is more familiar with balsa blades
- it was a lot of fun to play with the Jackpot and I will definitely test it more after my upcoming tournament

_________________
Equipment:
OSP Ultimate, FH: Dr. Neubauer Dominance Spin Hard 2.1, BH: Dr. Neubauer Troublemaker 0.5
YouTube channel: "AntiRules"

Thanks for the review Matt Pimple!

_________________
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

I am planning to test it more as it was fun to play with and hopefully then write a more detailed review. I thought it might still be of interest for some if I shared my initial impression.

_________________
Equipment:
OSP Ultimate, FH: Dr. Neubauer Dominance Spin Hard 2.1, BH: Dr. Neubauer Troublemaker 0.5
YouTube channel: "AntiRules"

No! No! No! I already have SEVEN blades in my possession; please don't tempt me any more. Please don't bring it to your upcoming tournament and don't show it to me.

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

Hi Matt,

Thank you for your review of our blade JACKPOT. There is not much to add except the following piece of information maybe:
We have re-worked the surface sealing of our JACKPOT blade recently (on both sides), making it a bit less soft and reducing the balsa effect which you noticed. The blade keeps a high level of control and a speed rating of ALL/ALL+.
The main difference is that spin reversal was further improved while blocking with (frictionless) Anti-Spin rubbers. The low bounce produced while blocking/counter-attacking/hitting with pimple-out rubbers remains unchanged.

In that regard it has become more similar to our blade MATADOR which is faster (OFF-).

Carsten

_________________
Dr.Neubauer Table Tennis
[email protected]
www.drneubauer.com

Thanks for your feedback Carsten! Does the Jackpot still retain its great topspin capabilities with inversed rubbers? I think I would be very interested in testing the improved version as well.

_________________
Equipment:
OSP Ultimate, FH: Dr. Neubauer Dominance Spin Hard 2.1, BH: Dr. Neubauer Troublemaker 0.5
YouTube channel: "AntiRules"

Yes it is still very good for looping/topspin and even produces more rotation however please bear in mind that it has become slightly stiffer.
This makes it a (very) good choice for most players using pimple-out and/or Anti-Spin as well as inverted rubber however it is not recommended to players who need the soft touch of balsa.
Pure balsa players should look into our blades 'Firewall Plus' or 'Bulldog' instead.

_________________
Dr.Neubauer Table Tennis
[email protected]
www.drneubauer.com

Update: I received the "new" version of the updated Jackpot with the re-worked sealing in the mail yesterday. The sealing looks somewhat similar to the Stiga NCT coating though it is thinner and you can actually still feel the wood grain when you move your finger over the surface. I am hoping to be able to test over the weekend. Will post after the test.

_________________
Equipment:
OSP Ultimate, FH: Dr. Neubauer Dominance Spin Hard 2.1, BH: Dr. Neubauer Troublemaker 0.5
YouTube channel: "AntiRules"

So this is replacing the old 'less sealed' Jackpot blade?

_________________
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

Yes

_________________
Dr.Neubauer Table Tennis
[email protected]
www.drneubauer.com

Update: I finally got around to test the updated version of the Jackpot last night with the same rubbers I use on the Matador: Nittaku H3N and Bison 1.8mm. I pretty much agree with what Carsten already pointed out. The new version plays a little crisper and more direct without losing much if any control; it might be a tad faster as well. My loops had a little lower arc but still very consistent and spinney. I actually played with it a little longer than last time because I liked it so much that I stuck with it for most of the session after initially switching back and forth with my Matador setup. The Jackpot is definitely stiff than Matador and has less flex on strong loops but its best feature is blocking on both wings, fh with inverted and bh with anti. I had a fairly new Bison on my bh this time and the reversal was almost as high or the same as Matador (if there were differences, they were minor) with a lower bounce. I had great control blocking the ball very short behind the net or blocking close to the baseline by pressing forward a little bit on ball contact; however this works quite well on Matador as well. The best feature really is blocking which is so stable and effortless on both wings. I also liked loop-drives with it a lot yesterday.
I really enjoyed playing with the Jackpot setup last night and I am planning to continue to test it in parallel with my Matador setup.

_________________
Equipment:
OSP Ultimate, FH: Dr. Neubauer Dominance Spin Hard 2.1, BH: Dr. Neubauer Troublemaker 0.5
YouTube channel: "AntiRules"