OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Hey Guys,

I need some opinions. I am basically thinking of switching from a carbon blade to balsa. The reason being I need a lighter set-up. My current set-up weighs 175 gm.

My style of play is basically flat hitting both wings with the occasional back hand loop. When I am forced back from the table I tend to chop rather than counter hit. Chinese rubbers seems to suit my style and I would prefer to keep on using Chinese rubbers.

Alex has advised me to try Balsa wood and I borrowed one from the club to give it a try. It feels VERY different from the carbon set-up.

Has anyone out there tried BOTH carbon and balsa blade? I need some feedback on the pros/cons of these blades. Thanks.

_________________
BTY Timo Boll Spirit
FH: Tibhar Aurus 1.7mm
BH: Tibhar Aurus Soft 1.7mm

Yes it would be good to have a few more opinions...

I recommended Balsa coz it's light, and great for hitting, blocking and counter hitting, and gives good touch.

Downsides is that the blade are more fragile and expensive, and not so suitable for looping (which arlene tells me she does not do that much anyway).

Good to hear you've tried one Arlene, you're right it feels quite different, and I'm sure the rubber has quite an effect too.

_________________
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

there's only a handful of carbon/balsa blades.
butterfly balsacarbo x5/x3
donic walder black devil

and a few others. I didn't like the balsacarbo x5 overly much and I haven't heard many good things about the WBD.

If you want fast balsa blades, I suggest looking at Joola's lineup. Kool, R*1, MC1. All great blades for hitting.

_________________
Chasse Patate

Hi Arlene,,,
Check out "Brickell's Table Tannis Supply"
He has been making balsa blades for 40+ years. ALL his balsa blades are $24. Twice a year, he has a sale for $19 or $20.
Blade weights start about 65gm.
Send "Bob" an E-Mail and ask him about the handles, weight, etc.
A friend of mine just got one and loves it.
Like he says, he has fast and faster.
Even with shipping, you can't beat the price.
Just plug in "Brickell's Table Tennis Supplies" It should come up. When you get the site, click the bouncing ball for the price list. About half way down are his blades. Order by E-Mail so you can discuss the blade you want.

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

The ones I was thinking of were the:

JUIC Air Large, Juic Air Texa or the TSP VERSAL.

All 3 are fast, but not uncontrallably fast.

I think Arlene is looking more for feedback on whether a balsa blade is suitable for her... picking a suitable one is the next step...

_________________
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

Your LKT Pro XT is about the lightest rubbers you can get...or that I have experienced...in cut weight it is about 20 grams lighter than the Globe999Nat that I was using...

How are you finding the LKT Pro XT Arlene...I will be using and playing with it for the first in tonight in comp.

You would find that your Globe rubber is contributing a lot to the weight, so you might be able to achieve a terrific difference in weight to your current setup by changing to perhaps double LKT Pro XT and a bulsa blade...or perhaps keep your blade and just change your Globe rubber to LKT...

or if you want to start aggravating your opponents, you could get some Neptune OX on the BH ...That would be super light...ie busa blade, LKT ProXT and Neptune OX...I can see that weighing about 140 grams...My setup, Neptune OX and LKT Pro XT and a Wavestone blade weighs 147 grams...which for me is great...I am hoping the light weight helps my TT elbow, which has been giving me curry over the past few weeks when my bat weight has ranged from 200 grams to 175 approx

fosss

Hi Fosss,

I did use the LKT Pro XT for about 2 months, the spin is alright, but the speed is not there. So I switched it to Juic 999 Elite which is a Japanese rubber. A bit expensive, but the weight is light so I tried it.

And I was very surprised as I really find it fast, therefore the Juic 999 is now the FH and the Globe 999 is now the BH.

The opinion I would like to get from forum users is if they had tried switching from a carbon blade to a balsa blade or vice versa and how the transition was?

Alex and Luna has provided above quality service and I am not looking to buy anywhere else. If I am going to switch to balsa, I would still get it from OOAK store.

Funny thing is, when the player who lent me the balsa blade to try, he recommended getting it from OOAK! So I said, yep... that's where I get my stuff too .

Like you, I also do not want to aggravate the TT elbow problem, hence I think switching to a lighter set-up will help. I have to wear a brace everytime I play.

_________________
BTY Timo Boll Spirit
FH: Tibhar Aurus 1.7mm
BH: Tibhar Aurus Soft 1.7mm

Hi Arlene...Yes I use a compression bandage that stops the muscle contracting and pulling on the aggravated tendon...it does help somewhat...but when using the heavier bat there was still a problem..
Did you find the tackiness and tacky part of the spin creation of the Juic999 as tacky as the Black LKT Pro XT or did you have a red LKT Pro XT which I don't believe are as tacky as the black version...
On second thoughts...don't tell me about the Juic999...I will be forced to buy it...and a balsa blade...help...my EJ'ing is out of control at the moment...lol..just joking...yes tell me..
What did the blade feel like compared to your carbon one...I would be reluctant to trade the Wavestone's large sweetspot and solid feel..
One thing I did notice is that when hitting the ball with the Globe rubber , it feels as if there is weight behind the shot... whether thats good or bad I am not sure.
Just changing the rubber might make 20 grams difference..you could test this by removing the Globe and test weighing it with the LKT instead.
Yes I did note that the LKT Pro XT is a bit slower than the Globe, but my rubber previous to the Globe was a black Geospin tacky and it was a bit slow but if you hit it hard enough its still unplayable for the opposition......I am hoping that with the slowness comes more control and more spin..
Yes I did note that the LKT Pro XT is a bit slower than the Globe, but my rubber previous to the Globe was a black Geospin tacky and it was a bit slow but if you hit it hard enough its still unplayable for the opposition......I am hoping that with the slowness comes more control and more spin..
I have also speed glued the LKT with Falco Tempo Unlimited which gets massive domes with either Globe999Nat and LKT Pro XT...in fact with any rubber I have tried....see some of my pictures of the massive domes..I have also had massive domes with Falco Booster.

Yes ..of course the purchase would be made at OOAKT...I use no one else because the prices or service might not be as good elsewhere ...I have made many purchases and if ever I have a time frame to meet, they make sure it gets in the express mail that night...If you click on my profile and see some of my last posts you will see where I recommend OOAKT for many reasons..(enough of the shameless plugs...lol)


fosss

From memory we're talking about 2 different Globe rubbers here. The Globe 999 National is quite heavy, but I think Arlene has the normal Globe 999 which is certainly lighter...

The tackiness on the JUIC 999 is not as high, neither is the LKT XT, but both are excellent for producing spin, via a combination of the topsheet and relatively soft sponges (LKT softer then the JUIC).

Oh, thanks for the kind words guys

_________________
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 have used many balsa blades. I used to make my own. They have a softer feel at slow speed but still have power on the top end. I played shakehands a couple years in the 60s and could never get used to the feel of a thick blade and quit using them. With the Seemiller grip, I don't think it would bother me. I always thought the blade gave me edge shots (edge of the blade) but it was probably just in my head.
One thing to be carefull about when getting a light blade, my friend had a H1-9 that he liked but it was 98gm. He asked a place to go through all the H1-9s and pick the lightest one. The original was at least Off or faster. The light one turned out to be 71gm and was All at best.
Since I started to use LP or Ox on the backside, the weight of my setup is alot lighter but the main side still plays the same as before. I haven't found a light blade (under 80g) that I like.

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

I played with a 10mm thick very hard and fast balsa blade for 3 years and now have been playing with a hard carbon blade for the last 3 years.

Balsa will play with a flatter angle than carbon, so you may need to either adjust your stroke more upward or get rubers that have a higher throw angle (or glue more heavily).

Balsa has a more linear response as well, so the touch shots will go slower and you won't have a "catapult" efect on the hard shots, so it will feel like you lack power at first, but you can adjust to it.

I found it was a little harder to generate spin with my balsa blade as there was less dwell time, but as a short pips flat hitter that wasn't very important to me so I dealt with it. Treat the edges with epoxy and put side tape on it so you don't damage it against the table.

-- Andrew

Thanks agooding2, with the way I hit and the way you described the balsa I think it would suit my game. I rely more on speed than spin.

Fosss, I use the normal Globe 999. I am really liking this rubber so I would like to keep this and just change the blade or maybe use a lighter rubber on the other side. I had the black LKT Pro XT and I do not speed glue.

I'm hopeless when it comes to reviewing. I just know when a rubber complements my game or slows it down. When it feels right or not. But I am happy with the Juic 999 and I'll keep that with the carbon set-up.

Thank you guys for the comments.

_________________
BTY Timo Boll Spirit
FH: Tibhar Aurus 1.7mm
BH: Tibhar Aurus Soft 1.7mm

Hi arlene,my blade is the butterfly balsa carbo x5 off blade,i like you do not loop that much,but i can open the point up with a topspin fh off a backspin push.Once you get into a topspin rally this blade is very fast to put the point away.blocking with this blade is a dream i win alot of points using the other players power,but the best thing about this blade is even with all this speed and power you dont lose any control or feeling my set up is fh red dawei inspirit 2.4 39 degree sponge bh black dawie inspirit 2.2 39 degree sponge.This blade is not cheap 40 pounds but i think its well worth the money good luck thanks, blocker.

I think balsa works well for that and has a little better control than many carbon blades. I only switched as I went to a different penhold grip and my balsa blade had an unfortunate collision with a table corner.

Stick with the same rubber until you see how it feels. Both Globe 999 and Juic 999 Elite are pretty high throw and reasonably light already so you may not need to change at all.

If you decide you want lighter rubbers Palio CJ8000 might work and an even higher throw rubber than 999 is Avalox Pronte.

-- Andrew

Here is my sugestion:

Andro Super Core Carbon Light Off+. They sell for £40 here in the UK. And...wait for it...weigh 70g!!! I haven't seen anything lighter. They are fast as any other blade too. I fancy them but am plumping for something cheaper

Here's the link for the series:

http://www.andro.de/en/hoelzer/super-core-cl.php

And for the OFF+ specifically:

http://www.andro.de/en/hoelzer/super-core-cl-off+.php

_________________
This week: Tibhar Chila Off. Sriver EL 2.1.