OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Hey Bulldog, please let me know who it works for you. I still like the blade a lot though I have not played as much as I would like due to a new job and move to a different area.

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Equipment:
Alser Allround 5 ST, FH: DHS H3 Neo 2.1, BH: Dr. Neubauer ABS2 2.5
USATT 1933

Hi Matt Pimple,
Used the blade for the first time this morning. Low throw on topspin as you said but enough for me. Superb control with pips and inverted and a blocker' s dream. I don't know why it isn't more popular. A blade with many gears and very versatile.

Bulldog.

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Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox

Had a small problem this morning pushing heavy chopped services with forehand. I am using Bluefire M2. Has anybody experienced this problem with the Hercules or for that matter with the Bluefire M2?

Next time I play the guy I will topspin the serves back down the line but lost in 5 trying to use backspin with the inverted this morning.

Bulldog.

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Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox

I didn't think it was too bad with T05 and I actually prefer looping with it now because I can go forward with my body more into the ball.

I agree with you. Maybe it's the price? I am sure it would be more popular if more people would try it.

I did not have this problem with my T05 but maybe you just have to adjust the blade angle a little bit since the blade is new to you. Though I can't comment on the M2 since I never played it.

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Equipment:
Alser Allround 5 ST, FH: DHS H3 Neo 2.1, BH: Dr. Neubauer ABS2 2.5
USATT 1933

Hi Everybody,
This morning

I actually found this blade more than adequate for chopping with the Grass DTecS on the backhand and even managed

to produce an emergency forehand chop with the Bluefire M2 which had a very flat trajectory and skidded through rather than biting.

I was further back from the table than I wanted to be however and don't intend to become a modern defender!

Bulldog

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Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox

Still struggling a bit with this blade. Indeed to give it until Christmas to see how it settles. Lost a bit of control with the DTecS.

Bulldog.

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Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox

Excellent! Please post how it goes for you.

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Equipment:
Alser Allround 5 ST, FH: DHS H3 Neo 2.1, BH: Dr. Neubauer ABS2 2.5
USATT 1933

I am finding the set up difficult to handle against defenders. I seem to have lost a bit of control on loop and drive.

I am blocking really well on both wings though. Plenty of control and sink with the DTecS. The forehand block with the blade is awesome.

Some nights I curse the blade and on others I love it. I am reviewing things at about Christmas time. We have the County Closed Championship in January and hopefully I will have mastered the blade by then.

Bulldog.

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Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox

A breakthrough in the last week. Starting to "hit" more reliably with the pips as I think the DTecS sheet is settling down and forehand drive and loop like a dream. Playing local Premier Division table tennis again and beat our reigning County Vets champion in the league.

Bulldog

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Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox

Ongoing problems with DTecS on this blade. It has hinoki plies so would it be suitable for use with a medium pimple such as Friendship 563 with 1.8mm sponge?I am finding attacking shots difficult with ox long pips.

Bulldog.

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Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox

Yeah, it difficult to attack with ox. Dtecs is not easy for me to attack, because it's too spippery in feel.

With Neubauer FW+ balsa blade it was near impossible for me to rolling type of soft attacks (with any ox pips). With Defplay I can do lot more soft attacks and hard attack land lot more often than with FW+.

It seems to me that for effective ox pips attack you need slower, flexier and dwellier blade than typical balsa. For me Dtecs works best for passive blocking, not for attacking other than speedy pushing.

My Defplay/DG ox have a mile better feel for attacking than FW+/Dtecs that I played last season. DG has right kind of grippiness for attacking.

I hear often that stiff blade works for hitting, but with ox pips - at least for me - flexy blade work much better.

It is generally not easy to attack with ox long pips. You can attack underspin with an open blade face but it is very difficult to drive or counter the ball. If you like to do that a medium pip would indeed be much better. I do like the Neubauer Diamant a lot (used to play it before switching to frictionless anti) and it works well on the Hercules blade. I have also used the 563 in 1.5 (Mystery version; has a softer, like 35º, sponge) but not on Hercules. The 563 would be a good rubber to try for a test since it fairly cheap and easy to play with. I like the Diamant better though (my favorite was in 1.2mm sponge) since it is more disruptive (better sink, easier to place or block the ball short) and does not react as much to incoming spin as the 563 in particular when blocking very spinny loops.

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Equipment:
Alser Allround 5 ST, FH: DHS H3 Neo 2.1, BH: Dr. Neubauer ABS2 2.5
USATT 1933

Thanks guys. The 563 is a good rubber for me to experiment with. I can move to other ML pips if the experiment is successful.

Bulldog.

_________________
Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox

After a long break from this blade I rediscovered it with Nittaku Best Anti on the backhand and the Donic Blufire M2 on the forehand. Wow! Control and spin aplenty.
Bulldog.

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Tibhar Stratus Power Defense
Tibhar Evolution ELP
Tibhar Grass DTecS Ox