OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I haven't really taken a good look at these blades before but this is Table Tennis porn! I'm planning to buy a custom blade since I know what I want from my blade after all this EJ'ing and Ross's blades just looks so professional and shows great skill and craftmanship. I also love the fact that he really seems to listen to his customers and that you can have a good conversation with him and really get what you want. I've already sent him an email and hope that we can exchange ideas and come up with a really good blade. Oh boy am I excited!

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Read about my adventures to perfect my style and the ever-present battle against the evil EJ virus!

Hey auzcar,
Thanks for the comments on the blades - I look forward to working with you. I just finished responding to your email a few minutes ago. Talk to you soon.

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Ross
Handcrafted Table Tennis Blades

CPen
I recently worked with a client who requested a CPen, but with it having a finger hook like a JPen. I suggested we model it after the wood/cork hybrid handle of the Rutis J, and he further refined the idea by suggesting the saddle curve on the BH for fit and comfort. I think it turned out pretty well.

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Ross
Handcrafted Table Tennis Blades

Absolutely beautiful, great job Ross. You might want to bring some samples to the teams.
tOD

Next we'll have to expect that Ross will start making clones, and God knows he'll do better than YinHe. I see you have a stock of willow. Maybe you could make a defence II clone, with the 3/5 Plies and everything...I feel a bit pushy. Sorry.

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SPW/Solo

Thanks, my friend. If I make it down to MD, I'll definitely bring along whatever samples I have on-hand.


No, you're not pushy, but making a clone is difficult. You want to duplicate the feel of a blade, but all you can control is the materials. You can get close by choosing similar materials, but in the end it can only be an approximation of the original design.

Speaking of the Defense II - that's another blade that I cannot see how it would meet the ITTF requirements. The number of plies change from 5 to 3 part way up the head of the blade. I'd say that violates the "continuous and even thickness" requirement.

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Ross
Handcrafted Table Tennis Blades

The blade in Ross's avitor is fast, oversize and heavy. I plan to take the H3 Neo off, put that on another blade and put OX pips on the big killer. That should reduce the weight alot.
Alot of people have tried it and really like the feel and power but being oversize, it carries alot of rubber making it even heavier. With OX on one side, it will work well for Seemiller grip.

I have been raising hell with the Seemiller grip here, Anti on the backside. Even at the higher level, they are not used to getting one of thier loops dropped with so much backspin. I win most pushing wars, serve them a heavy chop, they push heavy chop back, I push with anti, they get top back, try to push, pop-up, KILL!. Works again and again and again!

Red Diamond works VERY well in the high humidity here. Genius works very well. H3 Neo also. Last trip to China, a 15 year old girl won womens singles. I got to warm up with her but not play a game. She is a looping machine. about 2400 I think. This week, I got to play the girl that came in second. Beat her about 50%. She is about 2100. At the table flat hitter, C pen. Never backs off and angle blocks very well.

Depends on who I play which bat I use. Seemiller works well on some but not others. It is so hot and humid here, very hard to play for more than 3 hours. I am soaked after 30 minutes. Walking every day, doing 7 flights of stairs, good diet, getting in good shape agin.

Hey hookshot - good to hear from you. The blade you have with the pistol handle is the brutish big brother to the blade in my avatar. It's got the same shape and handle, but yours is packin' double layers of bloodwood on each face. Fast, hard, stiff, and heavy. How are you doing with the other blade? How are they both holding up to the humidity?

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Ross
Handcrafted Table Tennis Blades

Hi Ross,
So far, so good. Humidity is very high. Got water all over the handle all the time. Have to wipe the blade after every point.
The smaller blade is a power house for my shakehands game. I have a Yinhe W-1 setup for Seemiller. They can not believe the power I get with Seemiller backhand loops. The backswing is so short, it gives no indication of direction. Favorite ploy is to push one with the anti, then roll the forarm and blast a loop with the inverted. The change from anti to inverted is instantanious so they get caught close to the table. I can hit so hard with the backhand, they have NO chance if they are close to the table, even the best players are dead meat. It is so effective, most start avoiding the backhand and would rather just deal with loops from my forhand. The anti causes the best players trouble the way I use it.
Your smaller blade is setup for shake and is very powerful but I still can brush loop with it. I might get some pips or anti to put on one side just to try it Seemiller style soon. When they see me play with Seemiller grip, they line up to try me. They have never seen Seemiller grip. The way I can switch from anti to inverted instantly on the backhand really amazes them. I have seen a few trying it out later. LOL.
Played a guy using 979 pips. Very good player. He can hit, block or chop with it. Really have to think the whole game. When I use the anti it messes him up though. He is still trying to figure out what is happening to the spin in a pushing war.
The really good loopers have trouble with the anti as the backspin builds from the anti every shot. Most can not loop more than two in a row. If they brush loop, I switch and blast it with inverted.
More later,

Butterfly is probably the most popular brand, so it's got to be legal, right?

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SPW/Solo

I had some beautiful figured wood taunting me for a while, and I finally had a chance to incorporate it into a blade. This one has kiri core, pommele sapele outers, and a quilted maple handle. My secondary purpose was to try out kiri as a core material, but I think I may have trouble putting rubber on this one.

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Ross
Handcrafted Table Tennis Blades

Oh my goodness. That is so beautiful. The maple is to die for.

I'm so pleased that you're already working on Sally's Little Sister, because the list of people wanting a Ross Leidy blade is about to skyrocket.

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"So long, and thanks for all the fish
So sad that it should come to this" Sung by the dolphins in The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy

Dang it tassie!

You beat me to it!

But yeah, great looking blade Ross!

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Blade: American Hinoki 1-ply NWC 69 grams - Stiga Tube Carbo
FH: Juic 999 Turbo MAX - Andro Hexer HD 1.7
BH: Butterfly Spin Art 2.1 - Donic Acuda S1 Turbo 1.8

I just thought of this, Ross:

You have been experimenting with some core woods, like alder and kiri.

Will you ever be experimenting with ebony?

I would like to see an custom ebony blade.

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Blade: American Hinoki 1-ply NWC 69 grams - Stiga Tube Carbo
FH: Juic 999 Turbo MAX - Andro Hexer HD 1.7
BH: Butterfly Spin Art 2.1 - Donic Acuda S1 Turbo 1.8

Ross,

You ceaseless continue to amaze. Fantastic workmanship. I am truely agog.

On a semi-related note: The recent blades you made for me are drawing rave review for beauty and playability. One guy from the UK, looked at the blade and said, off-handedly "That Ross chap, right?", and the fame continues to go forth.

tOD

Thank you!!