OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I have come back to the game after about nine years and I notice that no one uses the blades or rubbers I use, for the most part anyway. Or I notice that if I want to buy something similar to what I use it is no longer available/discontinued. Most of the recommendations that people give are also different and the names I am used to rarely come up, if ever. For example back when I started out (about 15 years ago) beginners almost always were advised to use Sriver or Mark V. Now it seems those rubbers are no longer in vogue.

I know that equipment does go through cycles and companies bring out new stuff - blades or rubbers - and people also move on to better or cheaper stuff (not all move to cheaper though).

I also think that a lot of this may because of the new ball. I am still using the blade that I used when I stopped playing (I am meticulous with my things and they were kept very carefully) because it is still in pristine condition. But it makes me wonder if older equipment (and I mean older chronologically not old as in worn out) is good enough any more.

So, is it true that a lot of the blades and rubbers are no longer viable with the new ball? All of it? Most of it?

I am just curious how much has changed.

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1-ply Hinoki Club
Violin/Acoustic Clan
Recreational/Club Player
Local Press Club (Journalists) Champion

The speed of a Rhino and the power of a Gazelle!!!!
http://xtrariter.blogspot.com

me too.
I noticed that nobody seems to think that T05 is bouncy anymore.

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Chasse Patate

I still use my old blades and rubbers as before.

I started off seriously playing and learning with Mark V AD and Sriver EL back in 2004/2005 but stayed with them for only a year or so. Been using Hurricane 3 mostly ever since for the FH. BH stayed with EL for a a bit longer, then use variety of Japan & German's inverted rubbers (tried some for FH as well every now and then).

Recently played with Hurricane 3 Provincial orange sponge manufactured in 2012 (I opened, cut, and put it on my blade on end of 2016 and just retired it for being worn out, but not totally useless last month). Unboosted.
I use Yinhe Pluto on the other side for the last 2 years or so.

I use several older blades with it: Korbel, Defplay, JSH, Long 2, that I can remember right now. Some newer blades.

I don't feel any big difference with the new balls. The pips is less naughty for the opponents but not too big of a deal.

For me, bigger deal is with the many differences between ball brands. My level of play drops quite a bit using balls I don't like vs ones I like.

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instagram: rokphishtt

Yeah I am pretty happy with the blades and rubbers I have as well. I have a pattern that I follow each time I am coming back to the game. I start with my Butterfly Chinese Real blade with Butterfly Challenger SP and wait for muscle memory to start kicking in. I find this easy to use when I am easing back in because it is easier to handle incoming serves with this and also it is better for flat hitting as I slowly start to loosen up and go for my loops. I am not a natural looper with no formal training so I need to re-train myself to not flat-hit and instead to loop the ball. I need to give that time to happen each time I return to the game

Once I reach a certain level of consistency with my strokes I move on to my M6 with IQ UL. I really enjoy this blade a lot. It was a combo made for me by Cole Ely and I love it. It has a significantly higher throw than the SP and is more reactive to spin - obviously - but it also lets me loop really well. Once this becomes consistent I move to my one-ply Lutz Spruce made by Kevin at American Hinoki and then I stay with that. I find it plays very similar to my one-ply Hinoki blade so this is my daily go-to blade. The Lutz Spruce is a beauty. It is slightly thicker than the Darker blade but is amazing for the short game as well.

I am just a recreational player now - if I ever was anything more ever - so I enjoy shifting. Once I move past the M6, the one-ply is my most trusted companion. I have a 729 FX rubber on it.

Some of the "basements" I play at are frequented by a lot of old-timers. Some still play the old 25-point game, refusing to move to 11 points. Some still use the old celluloid balls. And like I said, it is purely recreational so they refuse to budge saying they want to do what is more fun.

I don't mind either, since I also play this just for fun. In fact, since my return to the game a few weeks ago, I have still not encountered the new plastic balls.

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1-ply Hinoki Club
Violin/Acoustic Clan
Recreational/Club Player
Local Press Club (Journalists) Champion

The speed of a Rhino and the power of a Gazelle!!!!
http://xtrariter.blogspot.com

25??? Must've been before my time..

Iskandar

Same here! Maybe it only seemed like 25 point games.

What is the first thing to go, again? I just can't remember ...

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)
Moderator, Inverted Retriever Technique sub-forum - http://ooakforum.com/viewforum.php?f=74

Equipment is only obsolete if it is no longer approved by the ITTF or sold by the manufacturer.

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Panda Drive / 4H Xiom Sigma Pro 2 2.0 / BH Xiom Omega IV Elite Max / Play right-handed
XVT balsa carbon 10mm / 4H Xiom Sigma Pro 2 2.0 / BH Globe 979 Long Pips OX / Play Left-handed shakehand
Stiga Def Wood / 4H Xiom Sigma Pro 2 2.0 / BH GD CC LP OX .. Play Left-handed
Cpen SOS Wood / 4H 729 802-40 2.0 / BH GD Talon use righthanded shakehand grip
HARDBAT / Shakehand Hock 3 ply / Friendship Dr Evil OX .. Play Right-handed

Still quite a few old school players using sriver and mk v. In fact, I've just ordered a sheet for myself. Complete misnomer to call these beginners' rubbers.....they are top quality rubbers, simply not off+ anymore with the advent of the big ball and creation of super fast alternatives. Both are still pretty spiny and of high quality.

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

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Timo Boll ALC ST
FH Tibhar Evolution MX-P Max
BH Tibhar Evolution FX-S 1.8
185g

I’ve been designed for the new plastic ball!!

Buy me!!

I’ve fallen for it a couple of times. I’m not unhappy with the products, but it still feels like I’m playing with the new ball.

I'd still recommend Sriver or Mark V for control oriented all rounders.

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2. S&T Black & White / Armstrong SH-I 1.8 / TSP Curl P3 Alpha R OX

I agree that if the IITF stops sanctioning a certain product then that too would become obsolete, eventually. But my question was not in that context. Obsolence as I used it was more in the sense of equipment becoming ineffective or incapable of handling the new ball. The way older processors become obsolete even though they are still around, but they just cannot get the job done anymore..

I still have Sriver on one of my blades so_devo and I love it.

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1-ply Hinoki Club
Violin/Acoustic Clan
Recreational/Club Player
Local Press Club (Journalists) Champion

The speed of a Rhino and the power of a Gazelle!!!!
http://xtrariter.blogspot.com

I have also returned to play TT. I'm 50. When I was playing competitively it was around 1980 and I was using Sriver and MarkV.

I made a couple returns to the game. Last one was 10 years ago when Bryce seemed to be the cat's meow. Now it is Tenergy... And I still suck


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am sure you will do just fine Brambor. I will be 48 this year and this is my second return as well. I started playing in the 80s and quit around 1991, then returned around 2006, then quit around 2009 and have returned again. I am enjoying it as much as ever and have no intention of playing with the populkar or "in" equipment, just with what I am used to and like. I am sure you will do fine.

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1-ply Hinoki Club
Violin/Acoustic Clan
Recreational/Club Player
Local Press Club (Journalists) Champion

The speed of a Rhino and the power of a Gazelle!!!!
http://xtrariter.blogspot.com

Great to have you back Ranger-man, I've missed you!

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
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The current price of Sriver makes me sad. It's the same price as Bryce was 10 years ago.

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Chasse Patate

Me too Silver, so my new rubber of choice is IQUL in 40 degree hardness and I think 2mm or 2.2mm thickness. I really like how it plays on ALL+ or OFF- blades. I also like 729 FX on faster blades. And both are so cheap I could buy them by the ton. Ok not quite, But you get my drift.

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1-ply Hinoki Club
Violin/Acoustic Clan
Recreational/Club Player
Local Press Club (Journalists) Champion

The speed of a Rhino and the power of a Gazelle!!!!
http://xtrariter.blogspot.com