OOAK Table Tennis Forum :: Balance of a blade - is there a 'perfect balance'?

I know some manufacturers talk about their blades having a 'perfect balance', but is this anything more than just marketing to sell the blade?

The weight of rubbers, and there is a wide range of rubber weights, would surely affect the blade balance enormously, so a blade that has the centre of gravity close to the handle, might get a huge shift towards the tip of the blade with heavy rubbers, and vice versa.

The balance of a bat that people prefer is also highly subjective... some like a lot of weight near the tip, some like it mostly in the handle making the bat feel lighter.

I would accept that the balance of some blades is quite different to others, but I don't think this makes it better or worse, it will just make it better for some, worse for others.

What do you think?

Author:	haggisv [ 20 Sep 2017, 12:30 ]
Post subject:	Balance of a blade - is there a 'perfect balance'?
I know some manufacturers talk about their blades having a 'perfect balance', but is this anything more than just marketing to sell the blade? The weight of rubbers, and there is a wide range of rubber weights, would surely affect the blade balance enormously, so a blade that has the centre of gravity close to the handle, might get a huge shift towards the tip of the blade with heavy rubbers, and vice versa. The balance of a bat that people prefer is also highly subjective... some like a lot of weight near the tip, some like it mostly in the handle making the bat feel lighter. I would accept that the balance of some blades is quite different to others, but I don't think this makes it better or worse, it will just make it better for some, worse for others. What do you think?

Author:	iskandar taib [ 20 Sep 2017, 13:01 ]
Post subject:	Re: Balance of a blade - is there a 'perfect balance'?
I think it definitely affects the feel, but it matters a lot less than people make out. And yes, the weight of the rubbers has a lot to do with how the racket feels, balance-wise, though you don't really notice unless you put a very light sheet (e.g. OX long pips) on a blade, or some really, really heavy sheet (e.g. factory tuned Whale). As for the marketing part - that's part of it too. A lot of blade manufacturers hollow out handles, or fill the handles with foam, or give you a choice between hollowed handles and solid handles. And they advertise these "features" extensively, making all sorts of claims about them (aside from balance, there's also "vibrations"). Don't know if it makes that much of a difference - a couple of posters on this forum have gone in the other direction - adding heavy weights to the butts of their blades, claiming that this makes it behave like a "balanced door", which supposedly swings smoother on its hinges. (I disagree - I think adding more weight to the blade actually increases its' moment of inertia, which makes snapping the wrist harder, and also decreases the acceleration you get from the "whip" that Brett talks about.) Iskandar

Author:	WorkoutMontage [ 20 Sep 2017, 20:13 ]
Post subject:	Re: Balance of a blade - is there a 'perfect balance'?
It does make a massive difference. EG: My 82g Ovcharov blade with T05 is extremely head heavy. It takes its toll on my wrist. 97g LKT 168 with T05 feels much lighter and doesn't wreck my wrist (as much). Actually, that LKT blade felt lighter than some of my 87g blades with the same rubber. The Ovcharov blade has a hollow handle and is slightly more 'square' than my other blades. By that I mean the 'rounded corners' towards the tip of the blade stick out about 0.5mm more than others. I guess some people would say it's the opposite of 'egg shaped'. It's only slight though. I feel like the LKT may have had the opposite design, or perhaps even the 'rounded corners' towards the handle (wings?) may have been slightly larger. But I haven't measured it, so don't quote me on that. One thing that can affect perceived balance is how the handle and wings affect grip. Some designs can promote a deeper grip, some a shallower grip. The deeper grip would make the blade feel much less head heavy, But yes, it's personal preference. It's not really the weight of the blade, but the shape of the head that makes a difference. Because rubber will be covering that shape and will add weight.

Author:	BeGo [ 21 Sep 2017, 08:07 ]
Post subject:	Re: Balance of a blade - is there a 'perfect balance'?
haggisv wrote: I know some manufacturers talk about their blades having a 'perfect balance', but is this anything more than just marketing to sell the blade? The weight of rubbers, and there is a wide range of rubber weights, would surely affect the blade balance enormously, so a blade that has the centre of gravity close to the handle, might get a huge shift towards the tip of the blade with heavy rubbers, and vice versa. The balance of a bat that people prefer is also highly subjective... some like a lot of weight near the tip, some like it mostly in the handle making the bat feel lighter. I would accept that the balance of some blades is quite different to others, but I don't think this makes it better or worse, it will just make it better for some, worse for others. What do you think? For each player, it is. For those who smash or block kill all ball, COG of blade combination should be behind the spot in blade face where the player most often hit the ball / His sweet spot. That give best feeling, and give most blade stability on blocking, but less dwell time. For looper or chopper, the other way around, the COG should be so far from impact zone, preferably near the handle, to maximise dwell time and spin potential. The blade would feel wobbly and less full though. And between those extremes, there a whole spectrum for Everyone Blade that fit all sort of balance demand? Back then there is a blade with movable screwed ballast inside the handle Sent from my i5E using Tapatalk

Author:	Baal [ 21 Sep 2017, 09:32 ]
Post subject:	Re: Balance of a blade - is there a 'perfect balance'?
Question of taste. I like heavy blades that are relatively light in the head. But I achieve a lot o that with grip tape.

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Author:	iskandar taib [ 21 Sep 2017, 12:29 ]
Post subject:	Re: Balance of a blade - is there a 'perfect balance'?
BeGo wrote: Blade that fit all sort of balance demand? Back then there is a blade with movable screwed ballast inside the handle Still available. Actually, there's a whole range of them. https://www.aliexpress.com/store/produc ... 49536.html "Lord of the Control" (I suppose if you're a Lord you'd want to be in control... ) https://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/ ... 09319.html Iskandar

Author:	BeGo [ 21 Sep 2017, 18:20 ]
Post subject:	Re: Balance of a blade - is there a 'perfect balance'?
iskandar taib wrote: BeGo wrote: Blade that fit all sort of balance demand? Back then there is a blade with movable screwed ballast inside the handle Still available. Actually, there's a whole range of them. https://www.aliexpress.com/store/produc ... 49536.html "Lord of the Control" (I suppose if you're a Lord you'd want to be in control... ) https://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/ ... 09319.html Iskandar EDIT EDIT AGAIN found it! https://m.aliexpress.com/s/item/5005386 ... siteDetail Sent from my i5E using Tapatalk

Author:	MDP [ 21 Sep 2017, 22:27 ]
Post subject:	Re: Balance of a blade - is there a 'perfect balance'?
I think the balance and the overall weight of the blade are 2 variables which result in a few different combinations. For exemple : Heavy blade - Top heavy / Heavy blade - Handle heavy / Light blade - Top heavy / ... The general weight is the sum of the blade weight + weight of rubbers + glue. The balance is affected by the same weights, but how they measure around the point of gravity. So for the same weights, there is a possible setup that is more or less topheavy than another. (heavier handle, lighter blade surface, lighter rubbers, smaller headsize,...) Some people like heavy, some people like light. Most people seem to confuse top heavy with heavy in general when holding a racket. And most people enjoy playing with a lighter blade as long as it plays as fast and controlled as their heavier one. (imho) I have tried all sorts of combinations and I have found that when trying to create a modern offensive racket, it's hard to keep the weight down and the balance towards the handle. Modern offensive rubbers (tensors/chinese) are all very heavy so the general weight goes up fast and the balance shifts towards topheavy. For me the solution was not making heavy handles or reducing head size to shift the balance, but making a lighter blade surface without losing the good playing properties. I currently play with a 68g off- blade with T80 (+-46g) and Vega Pro ( +- 48g). Together with some glue this setup weighs 165g and is handle heavy. I like it alot because of the lightness and ease to use the wrist (because of the balance and weight).

Author:	hookshot [ 22 Sep 2017, 05:56 ]
Post subject:	Re: Balance of a blade - is there a 'perfect balance'?
If you stand my blade on the end of the handle, it balances perfectly. My old Swedish blade had terrible balance. The handle was cut off at an angle. Nobody could balance that one.

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