OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Other setups:
Yinhe W-1 + T05/Aurus
Avalox BT555 + Yinhe Big Dipper
Avalox Ruiba + Yinhe Big Dipper / Aurus

This setup:
Blade: Yinhe Kiso 9 (90g)
Rubbers: TSP Regalis Blue (max)

Play style: OFF. Suits looping, blocking, countering, driving and hitting.

Feel: Medium-firm. Definitely feels like an offensive blade with 47-48 deg sponge. The topsheet isn't exactly 'soft' (not like the 3g tensors), but it has a flexible pip structure, so it feels softer than many other 47-48 deg rubber. Overall it feels softer than Aurus, because of the topsheet. Grippy and a lot of natural rubber in the topsheet, with a dense sponge. Blade is quite stiff, but soft.

Rebound: Medium / Low (for an offensive setup) This has good dwell and low rebound. Incredibly good short game with a lot of control. Opening loops have good control.

Power: High. In the same class as the W-1 setup. This feels like one of the most powerful setups I've had. I was expecting something slower, based on the Regalis reviews, but this is quite powerful. I don't know if it's the blade or the rubber, but it has a lot of power potential.

Spin: High. It won't generate it for you like T05, but you have much more control of what spin goes into your shots. Serves and pushed were ok, but you need to generate the bat speed yourself if you want high spin. You could also generate low or no-spin very easily.

Throw: Low to medium-high. Very dynamic throw. If I engage the sponge without much brushing, I get a low throw. If I brush a lot and have a thin contact, I can get quite a high throw. This takes some getting used to, as Aurus and T05 are the opposite - they have a high throw all the time. If I get lazy with my drives and don't brush enough, the ball will go into the net.

Behaviour: Short game and counters off the bounce are excellent. The dynamic throw will take some getting used to when looping. Blocking is good, especially solid contact blocks / punches. Thin contact blocks become quite spin-sensitive. It will take a bit of getting used to. Middle gears feel really controlled too. I've only played with this bat for 2 or 3 sessions, so I'm still developing the skill / muscle memory to handle the high gears, which have a lot of speed. At the moment I'm a bit inconsistent and not very accurate at high gear. It will take a while to switch from the flexible 5-ply bt555 to the 9-ply kiso 9.

This setup allows me to do any shot I want, with pretty much any speed, spin and any arc, but I need to do it myself. Fast, low, flat drives. Slow, arcing, spinny loops. And everything in between. It won't play for me like W-1 + T05 (a bit of an exaggeration ) but in return I get more (or easier) shot versatility. I need to focus on getting the right amount of topsheet / sponge in the shot, with correct grip pressure, to get the desired outcome. It has a massive amount of gears, but you need to be able to control those gears. This is not a control bat, it's a fast offensive bat with relatively good control. This rubber is not the best for a one-dimensional power spinning game, but for a combination of spinning, driving, blocking, pushing etc.

Thanks for the review WorkoutMontage That's the first review I've seen on that blade.

I would have expected those rubbers are a great match for that blade, and it sounds like it's working very well for you.

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I like it a lot, but I am still trying to adjust. I like the feel, but the speed and stiffness is a bit of a jump up from what I am used to.

Also, the blade handle is wonderfully thick.

I got a xiom hard case as well to go with it. It is functional, but the silver stripe logo part is barely glued on, and it is glued on crooked. Not a good impression of xiom products.

Problem with these blades is finding them. I have three Kiso 7s (so far only used one) and I had to go through hoops to get two of them. The first one was special ordered through the local Yinhe dealer. Supposedly made by a Taiwanese OEM (who also made them under a bunch of different brands). Not sure if they're even being made any more.

Iskandar

It's 100% kiso hinoki, made in Taiwan, for $80. This is why they're hard to get An equivalent Darker is $145.

Problem is no one actually carries them in stock, you have to special order from Yinhe through a dealer. I forget what I paid for the first one, sounds about right. Had to wait something like 2 months. The second two were significantly cheaper but involved air travel... Problem is they're about 5g more than I like in a blade, but the feel is excellent. I didn't get a 9 because of the weight. No 5s available (and they're supposedly even more heavy).

Iskandar

We are lucky to have Alex and Luna, carrying these blades in stock. I requested at least 90g and I got exactly 90g. Maybe they have lighter ones in stock?

Some of the darker blades have significantly smaller heads, which would have them feel lighter. Such as this one, 75g plus a small head:

http://tabletennisshop.com.au/index.php ... cts_id=868

Even this one is light, but with a normal head:

http://tabletennisshop.com.au/index.php ... cts_id=863

Heavier hinoki blades are supposed to play 'better', but it's all subjective.

Whoops, my mistake, that first link with the smaller head is only 3 X Kiso hinoki.

Yup, I have a Darker 7p-2a also.. And a Nittaku Septear (another 7 ply Hinoki blade). Don't remember what the Darker weighs - something like 74 or 75 grams. A fair amount slower than the Kiso 7.

Apparently some stores were stocking these some years back but now finding one in a store is rare. Whatever's left over from back then, I think.

Iskandar

Unfortunately the weight of the blade is often related to the speed potential. If you want light and fast, you will need to add carbon or go for a smaller head .

I had another session last night, the low-throw drive behaviour wasn't really there anymore. I don't know if it was my improved technique or if the rubber had broken in. I think it was technique.

Come to think of it.. the Kiso-7 played very much like what I used to use (the Yinhe N11) except it was 5g heavier and had some added (pleasant) vibrations. I've since gone even lighter and slower (Sanwei M8), and my game has improved, more control overall, more looping, less hitting. I can actually chop (N11 was a bit fast for chopping).

Iskandar