OOAK Table Tennis Forum

A question to Shoebox really but I was wondering the pros and cons of using Septear instead of the Cayman.

Septear's hinoki wood is similar in concept to a balsa blade for incverted rubber. It is inflexible for short strokes but flexes with strong strokes. My Septears will flex quite a lot but not on the same level as a balsa blade I have (x3 BTY).

Anyway just wondering whether I can use Septear as a reasonable substitute for the Cayman. The background is that I'm using EEII on my pip rubber and the Violin is too lively. German yellow sponge becomes lively with EEII but the blade needs a lot of control.

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The Cayman is better for pip spin reversal, but I can't comment as much for inverted because I was messing about with a couple of different rubbers during my switch, making a fair comparison here harder.

It's certainly different- you notice a big loss of touch/feeling compared to the amazing Nittaku blades. How slight flex v moderate balsa bounce effects the finer points of looping, I'm not so sure. I think the Cayman is probably a little better for blocking, but I personally thought the Septear was great at that anyway.

My two goals were: lighter weight so I could work on chopping with a much faster hand speed, and better spin reversal. The main thing I miss is the Nittaku feedback/feeling.

Sorry I can't give a comparison that's more relevant to your game style. Nice to hear you're still playing however. I presumed you'd give up playing TT as well as posting.

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Hi Mathias,

I think Firewall Plus by Dr N might be suitable for your style if Nittaku Violin is too fast. This is an allround blade which allows a player to execute passive as well as aggressive shots.

Hi GR,

Haggisv did a brief comparison between them (Cayman & Firewall +) and couldn't tell the difference. I'm sure there are differences, but the largest difference appears to be the price.

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Thanks Shoebox for the reference to the comparison between FW Plus and Cayman. I didn't like the Cayman as FW Plus (St Handle) seems to provide better feel in the hand; and its construction has special appeal which makes it more attractive to play with it. Pice difference is not very significant.

I have a feeling the FW+ price dropped in price a fair bit recently as IIRC the Doc had a special on it around the $70 mark. The Cayman I think was around the $50 mark at Dandoy. $20 is significant as its 40% more on the Cayman to the FW+. In absolute terms $20 might not be significant, depends on your $$$ available I guess.

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Thanks Shoebox, interesting.

Basically Cayman is better so if I like EEII treated pips (I dislike German dead sponge) then Septear is ok but Cayman would be an improvement.

Inverted rubber: I prefer balsa bounce to 7-ply hinoki although 1-ply hinoki might match or surpass it. Never tried 1-ply though.

Your right Septear gives great feel and control. I'll stick with it and see whether I want to shift away from the Violin as the main blade. Really BH and me are playing a different game because the difference between the Violin and Septear is massive and makes the pips behave very differently.

TT in general your right I am much more quiet. The thing I can't believe is Speedplay becoming a single-minded anti user. The ITTF has a lot to answer for!

Thanks for the comments on FW+ vs. Cayman.

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Tibhar Grass D.techs OX | Donic BigSlam 2.0mm .
Re-Impact Medusa (balsa / 1-ply cherry wood)
Frictionless strokes | Attacking pip strokes | Greggy's advice | Bollsbrother | Sebastian Sauer . . . . . .

Hi GR,

I think the price of the Firewall+ has dropped, which is good. What about the FW+ construction do you prefer? Was it the thick straight handle, or the wood construction? (For other readers, the FW+ has a thicker middle layer of balsa with 2 thin outers, while the Cayman's balsa layer is only around 6mm, followed by 2mm Ayous? and very thin outer.)

PS Mathias, I didn't say the Cayman was better, just lighter and more spin reversal due to balsa bounce.

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There seems to be quite a bit of variation in the cayman blades as well (perhaps in the others too)... Mine was a lot softer then some of the other ones I've seen... so it depends on which one you compare it to...

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Hi Shoebox,

Straight handle and wooden head construction of FW + are fairly symmetrical and it is good blade for inverse rubbers, long pips and /or short pips.

Weight and thickness of this blade are just perfect. One can play passive as well as aggressive shots. Construction of some of the blades by Dr N are too thick to play proper table tennis.

Cayman is okay if one hasn't played with FW+. I think the speed of Cayman is slower when compared with FW +. By the way, Muzanov OFF + by Butterfly is another good blade for pimples. It is made of hard wood; and its price is about $38. This blade is also good for inverse rubbers, long pips and /or short pips.

Some good thoughts there, but remember that something that is 'perfect' for you, may not be perfect for another...I think the FW+ is a real nice blade, and so is the cayman...some will like the cayman better, some the FW+...does not make one or another the 'better blade'... Choice of rubber makes huge difference too particularly for pimples... some will suit more to one blade. some to another...

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The speed's of both probably vary due to balsa density. I have a 50g High Technology + that is no doubt slower than a 75g version of the same blade.

Thanks for the tip about the Muzanov. I've become a fan of balsa blades though.

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My reading of the BTY blade is that its OFF++++++++++++ (or perhaps just OFF+)

Sure this balsa blade would give loads of reverse spin ... if you can keep the return on the table. Drop shots probably not. It sounds like the famous Joola blade that I can never remember the name of ... the thick balsa blade that is ultra fast. Having said that Greg Letts uses BTY TBS which is an OFF blade.

Thanks for the info though.

Several pip players like the Violin because somehow the bounce in it combines very well with pips. It appears to increase inverted spin - when you want to add spin whilst increasing reverse spin when you perform a reverse stroke. I guess it would be called 'elastic' in that sense (with regards to pips). This quality makes up for the increased speed in the blade (OFF-).

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Tibhar Grass D.techs OX | Donic BigSlam 2.0mm .
Re-Impact Medusa (balsa / 1-ply cherry wood)
Frictionless strokes | Attacking pip strokes | Greggy's advice | Bollsbrother | Sebastian Sauer . . . . . .

Actually, I'm fairly certain he switched to the matsushita pro special and has said he's better off for it.

I'm tempted to throw the blade I'm using now into the mix for consideration (see sig), but I'm not sure soft feel/long dwell is what you're looking for. On the other hand, if you want lots of control...

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Yep greg said that he switched to a Matsushita pro spc.

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