OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I recently purchased the defplay classic to compare to the normal defplay senso. I noticed however that the core wasn't two balsa plies, but was actually one single ply. It dented from just my fingernail so it was still pretty clearly balsa, but I was confused since the blade was supposed to be a 6 ply blade with two middle balsa plies.

I emailed tabletennis11 (where I purchased it from), and they in turn talked with their Donic distributor. Turns out the current blade is 7 ply now:
Anegre
Limba
Glass Fibre
Balsa
Glass Fibre
Limba
Anegre

I'm overall happy with the blade (was mainly looking to see how balsa plays), so it wasn't that big of an issue for me. Can't really compare it quite yet to the defplay senso because of coronavirus . I've been using it while playing with my dad, but I can't test out chopping against some really powerful loops or looping far from the table with it.

That's interesting,would I be correct in saying that the old version didn't have glass fibre?
How thick is the new version?

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Tsp Black Balsa 3.0 Tenergy 05 1.9 388d ox black

Am I wrong, in thinking that the composition of the Defplay Senson Classic was Koto-Ayous-Balsa-Balsa-Ayous-Koto .. ?

The two outer layers over the balsa and fibre cores should give a more linear less balsa behaviour compared to the TSP blades which only have one outer layer and can feel a bit hard with thin sponge/ox due to the fibre and bouncy due to the balsa.

What are the properties of Anegre? Usually Limba would be the outer ply where a soft feel is required

some older threads said that the original one was what ootbs said:
koto
ayous
balsa
balsa
ayous
koto

Thickness seems to be the same as before, 6mm. Picture for reference.



The balsa core seems to be a little less than 4mm. I can't spot the glass fibre layers, but tabletennis11 said according to their Donic distributor they're very thin & hard to spot.



Another forum stated that anegre is a hard, firm wood. Probably gives it a bit hardness/stiffness on low impact shots like service return or pushing, where the force of the ball won't engage the whole blade. It certainly feels "crisp" on those shots, even with Stiga Vertical 20's soft sponge on the backhand, but feeling is almost entirely subjective.

Senso & Classic side by side



Edit: Can't figure out how to make the images show up properly, is posting links directly to the images okay?

What weight is the blade and approx speed. Does it feel stiffer than the original which will help with the poly ball

Don't know the exact weight, but with 729FX Super Soft in 1.2mm and Stiga Vertical in 0.3-0.6mm, the whole thing only weighs 140g. I'd probably say its in line with other defensive balsa blades, around ~70g-75g. It certainly feels significantly lighter than the Defplay. I may pull off the rubbers to put something with a thicker sponge on, and if I do that I'll weigh the blade.

As for its speed, its FAST. I've really only been driving & smashing, but its much faster than the Defplay. I used a Yinhe W6 (wooden off- blade) for a bit, and its speed felt closer to that on smashes. The lighter weight meant I could really flick my wrist for some speed on twiddled backhand smashes.

I can get decent spin on slow brush loops, but haven't tried loop drives because of the sponge size. The FH rubber would definitely bottom out of I tried, plus my forehand loop technique (especially loop drives against backspin) is pretty crap... I've been trying to work on it, but its definitely a work in progress.

I may transfer the sheet of Bluefire jp01 in 1.8mm from my Defplay onto the classic to try to see how it loops, but given my technique + balsa wood (but probably mostly my technique) I don't expect it to loop all that well. I certainly don't expect it to loop better than the Defplay, and I my loops are pretty inconsistent on that to begin with!

It feels stiffer than the Defplay, but I don't have much to go on. Only thing I can really compare it to is the Defplay, which is known as a pretty flexy blade. It might be low or medium flex, I can't say for sure.

Interesting.
In Donic 2019-2020 catalogue, Donic Defplay Classic Senso was shown as 6-ply. But it is 7-ply in 2020-2021 catalogue. No difference in speed (both 4+).

not sure about the classic but i had 3 of the senso blades.i sold 2 and ive kept one that has a very thin handle(believed very old).
They are not great for looping but they are amazing for chopping on both wings.
I always cut these blades down as they are cumbersome on the f/h if u dont

Any update about this blade?
Thanks

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BTY Primorac Carbon ST / D09C / Tibhar Hybrid MK

Also: Donic Original True Carbon INNER / Tibhar MK Pro / MK

In black playing a 2100+ player: https://youtu.be/if__7emBFqA

I used it briefly again over this weekend to give myself a quick refresher on how it plays.

I glued the Donic Bluefire 1.8mm to it a while back, around the time I got a TT robot. With the med/hard rubber on the stiff blade, it was REALLY good at flat hitting. I didn't really have to think about the incoming spin nearly as much as I did when I flat hit with the normal defplay. At that time I didn't think it looped all that well, so I dropped it in favor of the normal defplay. I was also starting to record myself around this time, and definitely wanted to focus on fixing technique over worrying about equipment. I'd been playing with the normal defplay longer, so thats what I stuck with.

Trying it again this weekend, at first it felt mostly as I remembered. Fast, good on flat hits, & vibrates a lot. Though the "feel" is different from the normal defplay; if the classic vibrates like a jab, then the defplay is like a push (same amount of energy, but it vibrates for a longer period of time/at a lower frequency... or at least thats how it feels). What was different is when I tried looping.

I've been working on properly using my legs & body for power during a loop, instead of looping with just the arm & shoulder (I never learned properly, and so coronavirus was a good time to try to fix technical stuff). When I'm in position, in a proper stance, and properly use my legs & core with good weight transfer, the Defplay Classic loops really well! For both looping underspin close to the table & counterlooping topspin at mid-range, so long as I properly brushed the ball I got good spin and good speed. I've still got a LOT of work to do fixing my loop (and my chop, and my smash, and footwork...), but at the least its better than it was a couple months ago.

Chopping on the forehand also was very consistent, despite the faster blade. Granted, neither the robot I use nor my dad who I play with can generate a TON of power on their loops, so perhaps it'll be less controllable as I eventually play against people with strong forehands.

Chopping on the backhand was... not terrible, but I don't like the rubber I have on the backhand. Right now it's TSP Curl P1r in 0.5mm, and I didn't really like it for chopping on this blade. It felt like the ball pinged off the racket too quickly, and the backspin I was getting was lower than normal. I liked P1R on the normal defplay, but I dont think its a good fit for this blade. I've heard that for faster blades you want thicker sponges to add dwell time, and that might be something to consider in the future... but not right now. It's not terrible, and it's good enough to practice technique. I'll worry about getting the equipment "just right" later.

Overall, it's quite nice. Good for chopping, fast when you need it, and despite it being balsa it still loops nicely. Perhaps a little hard to control on pushes, but I can't tell if thats because it's not good for pushing, or because I'm coming from a couple of Gambler rubbers on a normal defplay senso. I don't think I'll switch to it right now for the same reason I dropped it in the first place (focusing on technique & I've been using the normal defplay for longer), but once I feel comfortable returning to the local TT club I'll think about it then. I'll probably be able to make a better comparison then anyways, when I can try it out against stronger players.

Awesome. Thanks!
Now I wonder how it compares to the TSP Balsa/Fiberglass 3.5

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BTY Primorac Carbon ST / D09C / Tibhar Hybrid MK

Also: Donic Original True Carbon INNER / Tibhar MK Pro / MK

In black playing a 2100+ player: https://youtu.be/if__7emBFqA

Probably similar in how they play, but I'd imagine the Defplay Classic is faster than the TSP Balsa 3.5.

The Classic is 5+2 plies instead of 3+2 plies, 6mm thick instead of 5mm, and the balsa ply is ~3.9mm thick versus 3.5mm. All of these factors should make the blade stiffer and faster, at least in theory.

That would be perfect then!

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BTY Primorac Carbon ST / D09C / Tibhar Hybrid MK

Also: Donic Original True Carbon INNER / Tibhar MK Pro / MK

In black playing a 2100+ player: https://youtu.be/if__7emBFqA

Donic would have been wise to distinguish the old and new blades better (lens color maybe).
Since it's hard to see the fiberglass layers and the handle is similar, how would one know if one receives the old or new blade?!
The new one seems very promising with the fiberglass layers.
I tested the old and looping with it felt like swinging with a wet noodle

_________________
BTY Primorac Carbon ST / D09C / Tibhar Hybrid MK

Also: Donic Original True Carbon INNER / Tibhar MK Pro / MK

In black playing a 2100+ player: https://youtu.be/if__7emBFqA