OOAK Table Tennis Forum

TTGearLab has recently reviewed the new Akkad blade by Tibhar: https://ttgearlab.com/2018/11/03/tibhar ... -lab-test/
From the review, it appears that the blade has a hardwood top layer and a very linear response, i.e. no additional dwell. Based on that, it seems like a good candidate for using with SP.

Has anyone tried Akkad yet, especially with pips? Thanks!

That gear lab page went missing for ages. Its absence is the reason I chose not to buy it, instead I got my current xiom feel zx1. There was just not enough info on it, even with thread at mytt.

From what I remember reading in the thread, the surface is supposed to be similar to ash, but don't quote me on that. If so, it's not the type of hard wood that you would normally use for pips, is it? Normally I see pips players using really hard outers with low dwell to maximise spin reversal. I don't think Ash is like that. Correct me if I'm wrong. The blade doesn't seem marketed to pips players either. But in the end, I know very little (as do most people), so wait for someone else to chime in if they own one. I'm also interested (although I shouldn't be as I am happy with my current blade )

This is very intersting indeed. If I were to start over again, I would definitely pick one up. They seem to have solved some of the non-linear problems of hard surface blades. However, the effective stiffness being below traditional 7-plies is making it less attractive. If only they can manage to find the same kind of linearity at a higher overall frequency!

lasta, what blade are you using?

I've been using the Xiom Stradivarius for the better part of a year, but recently decided to switch to all woods again. Composite is definitely faster, but "dull". All woods are much crispier with 5 plies being best, but 7-plies offering a less hollow feel - decent compromise. The clipper is getting most game time nowdays.