OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Are really cheap blades a waste of money. I mean, I have several really cheap blades lying around, Chinese stuff, hobby blades that were used by beginners and kids to get started. They are the kind of blades that basically cost about 10 dollars pre-made to start with, all wood, 5-ply from the look of it. I basically used them as practice for getting my skills in order. Some of them are very light, a couple fair to middling.

What skills you might be wondering. Bat making skills. I used them to pracice removing a rubber and sponge, sanding and preparing the blade. Then I used them as practice on how to seal a blade. I was a bit nervous about my serious equipment so I went this route.

Now I have five or six blades, nicely sanded, and all ready to be rubberized, if there is such a word. A lot of elbow grease went into them.

Bu the question is, would they be of any use to anyone? As I said before in one of my posts, I can get Stag rubbers fairly cheap over here, about 12 dollars a brand new rubber with 2mm sponge. These are allround rubbers with a fair bit of spin and speed, kind of like Butterfly Flextra.

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1-ply Hinoki Club
Violin/Acoustic Clan
Recreational/Club Player
Local Press Club (Journalists) Champion

The speed of a Rhino and the power of a Gazelle!!!!
http://xtrariter.blogspot.com

It's all relative. What game style do you play? If you are still working this out, and sometimes even after you have, cheap blades can be valuable.

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Custom Re-Impact OFF
Hexer HD 1.9
Hexer Pips 1.9

Member of Anastasia's Fan Club

I play a mixed game, usually about 6-7 feet from the table is the max I will go when I am attacking, but if I have to, I can and have smashed from farther away from the table as well. I am a penholder and I loop quite well from my backhand, and on the forehand I loop but I smash more often when I get the chance.

I love to chop as well, and can be a good blocker if I feel my opponent is trying to slow the game down. Then I block with him and look for an opening to smash the ball.

I would not call myself a defensive player at all, my game plan is rarely based on waiting for errors, I go for points.

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1-ply Hinoki Club
Violin/Acoustic Clan
Recreational/Club Player
Local Press Club (Journalists) Champion

The speed of a Rhino and the power of a Gazelle!!!!
http://xtrariter.blogspot.com

RM, I'd say that if the blades have been sanded and sealed well, it is likely you have improved the quality of them. If I were you I would "rubberise" one as you put it, and try it out. See how it plays. If its complete rubbish, don't worry about the rest. If its decent, then try getting some even better rubbers perhaps and see how another one plays. All depends on whether you are intending to do them up for re-sale, for your own use, or as a collection I suppose. Usually I have found the wood used in a lot of pre-mades, even the supposed "quality" ones is no-where near as good as any bare blade you would buy. So I would progress with caution one step at a time.

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

I think they are OK to much around with, but they rarely have the same control and feel of better blade. For serving and slow parts of the game, it won't make a big difference, as this is more determined by the rubbers, but when you start hitting harder, the blade comes more into it, and you'll strart to feel the difference...

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Attacking 6 feet from the table, your blade makes all the difference in the world. That's a worst case senario for a cheap peice of ply wood.

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Custom Re-Impact OFF
Hexer HD 1.9
Hexer Pips 1.9

Member of Anastasia's Fan Club

Ditto. Methinks even if the rubbers are fast...premade blades are really, really slow. Might be excellent for a defensive game?

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Viscaria. H2 Neo 2.15. Tenergy 05 1.9.

Sound advice guys. I agree with the fact that premade blades are usually very slow, especially the hobby bats. And thats what these are. I also agree that they would be defensive setups at best and thats not really what I want. I was not even thinking resale, was actually thinking if they would be worth something to youngsters who are just starting out.

I guess I will just give them away as they are to beginners here who might be able to find some use for them, and then pass them on once they develop their game further.

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1-ply Hinoki Club
Violin/Acoustic Clan
Recreational/Club Player
Local Press Club (Journalists) Champion

The speed of a Rhino and the power of a Gazelle!!!!
http://xtrariter.blogspot.com

I also find them heavy for what they are. Much better with an Instinct LKT 5ply or some such.

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LKT Instinct. FH Kokutaku Tuple 007 2.0mm black; BH Dawei 388D-1 long pips 1.0mm
a posse ad esse

Yes! For beginner they are usually perfect. This is the best idea for them.
I'm sure there are lots of youngsters out there who would idolise just having their own bat, so you create great value in a childs mind, where there was little value in your own. I think we forget sometimes that many kids who like TT are grateful just to have a bat to play with. I've seen kids who have treated a $5 Kmart bat as if it was a pro bat.

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I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

I couldn't agree more RB, thats why one bat goues out tomorrow, have rubbers to go with it, 1.5mm champion rubbers, very basic, already have a newbie who says he will take it, so its his. Will pass the word around that I have blades anyone wants, will think of this as my little bit to promote the game.

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1-ply Hinoki Club
Violin/Acoustic Clan
Recreational/Club Player
Local Press Club (Journalists) Champion

The speed of a Rhino and the power of a Gazelle!!!!
http://xtrariter.blogspot.com

I agree with the promotion bit -- feels great when you actually own a bat.

Defensive setups, I think, are fast for beginners, so it's just right speed.

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Viscaria. H2 Neo 2.15. Tenergy 05 1.9.

I gave a Romanian LT (the No 3) an ALL+ Sportcraft I had sanded all the sticky glue and sanded the anatomic to a Flared. He hits 300 percent better! Now his rubbers I gave him were my prized BTY Takifire SP Soft (20 months of service) and Venus, so that has something to do with it as well.

I say go ahead, it is a starting point and most TT players become EJs, so the TT suppliers will get theirs eventually. (Not to imply they are vultures, just illustrating that they will transact more business either way)

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Goof-off chopping bat
Gambler All Rosewood
Aurus Soft / Gambler GXL .6 sponge

Status - Out of Business Janitor/Babysitter

Thats right Der. Its a bit like the car market. If fleets didn't know there was a reasonable resale value on their cars in the used car market, they wouldn't turn their cars over so fast (like every 2 years). So the new market would be slower. No point in letting good equipment go to waste just because it doesn't suit you. Sell it, give it away, whatever way, you'll be potentially helping someone else get into the game some more.

_________________
I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.