OOAK Table Tennis Forum

It's finally here! I'm actually surprised how quickly it arrived. I only placed the order with iruiru last week, and they shipped it on Thursday, and it arrived here in Melbourne this afternoon.

I'm not sure if I'm qualified to do a review yet. I haven't tried a whole lot of equipment (yet!) but I'll try to post some observations. I'll also post some pictures when I get home!

Ok, first observations:

1. Through the box, it looks gorgeous. Out of the box, it looks divine. I could hear the 'Hallelujah' chorus in my head! The grain on the hinoki is akin to the AAA spruce top on my Cole Clark guitar. Nice tight grain and satin smooth finish!

2. Picking it up, my first exclamation was "Damn! It's light!". Compared to my Stiga Optimum Sync (5-ply wood) which weighs in at a hefty 96g naked, the KLC feels like a feather! I think in another thread someone said theirs weighed 76g. I'll weigh mine later.

3. It SMELLS wonderful! I can't stop sniffing the blade! It's a nice fresh citrus, woody smell, and I'm hooked. Does a 100% hinoki 1-ply smell as good or better?

Well, I'm tempted to get it all set up to play with tonight, but I don't have much time and I don't want to do a half-assed job of it, so I'll use it next week. I've bought a 729 Transcend SP 2.0mm Black and a Juic Offense Ultima 2.0mm Red short pips to go with it (thanks haggisv & Luna!). I'll also seal the blade before I glue on the rubbers, and also lightly sand the edges where I hold it as it feels a little new and sharp for my liking.

Stay tuned for more pictures and more observations!

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Main bat:
Kokutaku Laser Carbon C-pen
729 Transcend SP 2.0mm Black
Juic Offense Ultima 2.0mm Red

Backup:
Blade: Stiga Optimum Sync C-Pen
Globe 999 National Team 2.0mm Red
729 804-40 Super Soft Pro Ver 2.0mm Black

On its way: Haifu Blue Whale II (Black Sponge) Red Label Factory Tuned

Sounds fantastic...sounds like you'll like it, whether you like it or not

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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

Yes, I'm still in the honeymoon bliss mode!

_________________
Main bat:
Kokutaku Laser Carbon C-pen
729 Transcend SP 2.0mm Black
Juic Offense Ultima 2.0mm Red

Backup:
Blade: Stiga Optimum Sync C-Pen
Globe 999 National Team 2.0mm Red
729 804-40 Super Soft Pro Ver 2.0mm Black

On its way: Haifu Blue Whale II (Black Sponge) Red Label Factory Tuned

Do seal the blade properly and give the sealant time to cure. Do not ruin it with impatience. Beer Belly's is 76g while mine is 74g. I superglued the edge after a horrific accident where I knocked the edge and that soft inner layer was deeply dented. Fortunately, I managed to nurse it back to health

Hope to hear what you have to say about the blade once you tried it. You will definitely be surprised by the amount of control and good feel you can get from a carbon blade

Cheers.

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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

Gee GP, you did such a good job of hiding your excitement about this blade arriving today when you spoke to me tonight....NOT lol.

I've got a feeling you are going to play very well with this blade, and your current one will just fade into the background. I agree with Choi though. Make sure you seal it well and do a good job of it, so take your time. I always seal my blades, but sometimes it does seem a shame to have to taint the natural beauty of it. Almost seems a shame to put rubbers on them even sometimes...

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

My latest acquisition, fresh in box!

I weighed my blade last night and it was 75g unsealed.

Thanks rokphish for your IT expertise!

_________________
Main bat:
Kokutaku Laser Carbon C-pen
729 Transcend SP 2.0mm Black
Juic Offense Ultima 2.0mm Red

Backup:
Blade: Stiga Optimum Sync C-Pen
Globe 999 National Team 2.0mm Red
729 804-40 Super Soft Pro Ver 2.0mm Black

On its way: Haifu Blue Whale II (Black Sponge) Red Label Factory Tuned

Enjoy your KLC guitarpug!

_________________
BTY Joo Se Hyuk | BTY Tenergy 64 2.1mm | TSP P1R 1mm

Chop til you drop baby!

I feel your pain brother!



What do you use to seal your blade? How many coats should I use and should I sand in between coats? Finally, how long should I allow for curing?



Ha - I was actually considering bringing the blade along to TT last night to show it off! But I figured that I should concentrate on playing TT and not making other players jealous!



I'm of the same mind - I also wonder if it will smell the same after sealing...



Thanks BeerBelly! I definitely will!

_________________
Main bat:
Kokutaku Laser Carbon C-pen
729 Transcend SP 2.0mm Black
Juic Offense Ultima 2.0mm Red

Backup:
Blade: Stiga Optimum Sync C-Pen
Globe 999 National Team 2.0mm Red
729 804-40 Super Soft Pro Ver 2.0mm Black

On its way: Haifu Blue Whale II (Black Sponge) Red Label Factory Tuned

I use the Jo Sonja's water based polyurethane gloss varnish. Can be bought at Bunning's Warehouse.

I seal 2 layers. I apply first layer and leave to dry overnight. Then sand lightly with a very fine 800grit wet/dry sandpaper before applying second layer. I leave the second layer to cure for at least 3 days though according to the instruction, should be 2 weeks. BUT who got the patience for that Anyway, after 3 days or a week if you can wait, I would sand lightly again but this time with the finest 1200 grit wet/dry paper. When done, the faces should feel really smooth

Cheers.

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

You sound like you're some sort of wood-working pro, fattchoi!

I just read on another thread that some people use hairspray to seal their blades, but before I read that I was actually going to use Cabot's CFP, which I guess is similar to what you're using. I also get a discount because I work for the company that makes Cabots, so I guess I'll do that. I'm guessing that this way of sealing should also last longer than hairspray.

One last question please? Do you seal the edges, or is that what edge tape is for?

_________________
Main bat:
Kokutaku Laser Carbon C-pen
729 Transcend SP 2.0mm Black
Juic Offense Ultima 2.0mm Red

Backup:
Blade: Stiga Optimum Sync C-Pen
Globe 999 National Team 2.0mm Red
729 804-40 Super Soft Pro Ver 2.0mm Black

On its way: Haifu Blue Whale II (Black Sponge) Red Label Factory Tuned

GP, I sealed the edge with superglue, courtesy of instructions from Reb I sealed the edge with 3 layers of superglue. It is now very hard and won't hurt my blade anymore. More importantly, it does not add weight to my blade like what edge tape would. AND it is permanent and looks nice. Again, after 3rd layers, sand with the 1200 grit paper to give a very smooth finish

And yes, I agree best to use the Cabot instead of hairspray. Do it once and proper and you won't have to worry about it anymore.

As for me being a wood-working pro, I am afraid I can lay claim to that. I am very interested in it but no pro. And the technique I described for sealing the blades has come about after many trial and error processes

Cheers.

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

I'm almost afraid to ask what 'errors' you made! Did you ruin many blades?

Thanks for the advice everyone! I'll proceed with the sealing and keep you guys updated! I might even do a video!

_________________
Main bat:
Kokutaku Laser Carbon C-pen
729 Transcend SP 2.0mm Black
Juic Offense Ultima 2.0mm Red

Backup:
Blade: Stiga Optimum Sync C-Pen
Globe 999 National Team 2.0mm Red
729 804-40 Super Soft Pro Ver 2.0mm Black

On its way: Haifu Blue Whale II (Black Sponge) Red Label Factory Tuned

Happily, the errors I made are easily remediable. Initially, I did 3 layers so that changes the feel of the blade a bit. I still leave it as it is on that blade as it still plays very well. Other errors were over-sanding (hence my advice to use finer grit paper to prevent that happening), impatience (hence my advice to leave at least a few days before use after sealing), sanding between sealing (otherwise, second layer may not 'bite' into the first layer and can peel off over time), etc. So no great errors as such

Good luck with your sealing. Just remember that patience is the key to success here

Cheers.

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

here's one way of doing it:
1. go to the site you mentioned above: http://www.flickr.com/photos/38626349@N08/3547205042/
2. right-click on the image and choose : Copy Image URL
3. make a post here and within the post do a PASTE and it will give you this: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3602/354 ... 84.jpg?v=0
4. add [img] right before the http of the url without space.
5. add [/img] right after the last character of the url (in this case right after v=0) without space.
5. do a PREVIEW and you should be able to see the image in the post.
6. add text if you want.
7. SUBMIT.

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instagram: rokphishtt

If you want to seal with more than one coat of poly-u and most other finishes, there are two ways to do it.

One is to let the coat dry completely, sand to break the finish and add the next coat. Fatt has the reason in his post.

Other is to add the second coat before the first is completely dry.

When you sand a blade face, use a HARD sanding block to keep it flat. A soft block will sand softer parts of the grain faster.

It takes many coats to change a Fast blade. It will show up more on a defensive type.

Poly finish will bring out the beauty of many woods. It is Water "proof", not water resistant. Important with water based glues. Glue will not affect it and glue will not pull the poly finish off.

Oh yea,,,,what is the solvent for hair spray?

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Shakehand, left handed.
Blade, Yinhe, W-1
Forhand, H-3 National
Backhand, Sriver FX Max