OOAK Table Tennis Forum

OK, OK... so this question has been asked many times before!

I've done research and have decided to get a Butterfly Primorac
I'm UK based and will get from Teessport (unless someone can suggest somewhere better?)

Rubbers??
I'm still clueless here
I've decided to go for: yasaka mark V both sides; 2 mm FH, 1.8 mm BH
This was based on a recommendation to a reply to a previous post I made: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=19189
I've looked up reviews for the rubber and it seems to be a good choice?

EDIT: what are the differences between Mark V and Mark V XS and Mark V GPS and Mark V M2??

Any comments for the above?
Other alternatives to consider?

Before someone asks: I'm an attacking player, beginner and improving, prefer closer to the table as opposed to far away, I do like to serve and give a lot of spin

Budget is big factor for me. I don't want to spend as much I'll be spending to be honest - but, I thought I'd invest in buying good equipment

If there's any cheaper alternatives to consider, I'd be interested

ALSO:

- glue?? I asked about this before. This seems quirte expensive in the shops - should I go for the sheets if I'm not going to be gluing many times a year?

- cleaning equipment? I normally just get a special kitchen cloth to wipe with damp water - not sure what the cloth is called, but it soaks and keeps water

- plastic sheets to protect the rubber and bat? Should I buy?

EDIT: Teessport offer a varnishing service when buying a new blade. Should I get this done??

Any advice would be great!

I'm looking to place an order this week

Thanks


OM

Primorac + Mark V is a fairly classic setup, and good for a beginner. But you could make it even cheaper than that by buying a Yasaka blade (Mark V is a Yasaka rubber). The Yasaka Extra is a fantastic blade, and perfect for an attacking beginner. It has more dwell time and touch than a Primorac, and it works beautifully with Mark V. You can buy all of those from the official Yasaka distributor in the UK: Jarvis Sports - here's the link to the Extra: http://www.jarvissports.co.uk/ViewItem.php?ItemID=104. I've bought from them many times over the years, and I recommend them. They'll also make up your bat for you if you ask, and so you don't need to worry about buying glue.

Don't worry about the Mark V variants; the original is very good, will allow you to develop your game, and it's cheaper.

As to the other questions: 1) a damp cloth is fine. No need to buy anything else. 2) Yasaka rubbers come with a free protective plastic sheet in each package, so you don't need to buy any.

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Stiga Rosewood XO (FL - Legend) | FH: Calibra LT Spin Max | BH: Calibra LT Sound 2.0

thanks for the reply
i'd also been looking at jarvis as well
total price from jarvis if i went for the yasaka extra: £77.97
total price for teessport if i went for the primorac: £85.47 (£1.50 extra for making bat)

every where i see, i see primorac mentioned - so i kinda thought, i can't go wrong here?

this link: http://www.tabletennisdb.com/blade/yasa ... ecial.html
doesn't say enough for the yasaka extra
can u give links anywhere else?

definitely willing to consider yasaka extra - just need a little more reassurance!

thanks

Yasaka Extra will be fine.

Might as well get it varnished. Just keep in mind that it will make your rubbers easier to pull off, which includes if you happen to rub the bat against the table on a push. How much easier depends on how well they varnish it.

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Chasse Patate

A lot of that is marketing... Butterfly spends the most on marketing by far! It's a good blade though, but most brands have something similar that's just as good, and almost always at a significantly better price.

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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

guys: thanks for all the advice

i've ordered a yasaka extra + yasaka mark v xs 2.0 fh + yasaka mark v xs 1.8 bh

i would have gone for the primorac if i hadn't asked for advice here
i went for the xs after speaking to jarvis - it was £2 extra per rubber...i thought, if i'm going to spend, i might as well spend an extra few pounds

i'll let u know how i get on with the bat

thanks for everything

Exactly. If you actually ask players, I'd imagine more people have good things to say about the Extra than the Primorac, especially when they were starting out. The Extra was also used by Jean-Philippe Gatien (World Champion, 1993), and Ma Lin (Olympic Champion, 2008) before the glue ban. For we mere mortals, the Extra is still more than powerful enough. More importantly, it will ensure you learn the proper technique from the start.

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Stiga Rosewood XO (FL - Legend) | FH: Calibra LT Spin Max | BH: Calibra LT Sound 2.0

Good choice. The primorac plays well but I don't like the handle (too thin). I prefer the YE.

What did they tell you to convince you to go for the XS?

_________________
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

they just said it was a little more repsonsive + that the ball would dwindle a little longer
they said it was the newer model of the yasaka rubber

i specifically asked if the rubber was ok for my level and that i was concerned that i might not be able to handle, for example the rubber was too fast or something
they said, if anything, the rubber would be better suited than the older model since it gave more time to hit the ball

to be honest, it was't a really big sales push - i made the decision to buy the more expensive

good decision? bad decision?
should i have saved myself £4 and bought pint to drink??
(i don't dont, but u get what i mean!)

Just stick with the XS. It is a fine rubber. Work on technique.

I thought I'd post an update
I got my blade and rubbers 2+ weeks ago
Small problem - the place where I play has been taken for some Olympic training activity, so I just haven't been able to play!

Anyway, I've played with it a few times elsewhere now
I love it. Much better than my existing bat
I love the rubbers. I definitely feel a big difference

My previous bat was a really really light weight one
The bat and the rubbers I have now are heavier - but I think I prefer a lot more

Thanks for the advice buying