OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I posted this on a German site, but figured I will post it here too, and will add some photos.

I bought a Le Géant, found it to be quite good, but wanted a few changes to suit my game better, and Achim was nice enough to make me a special version which I am loving!

The special version has both sides Rosewood as surface veneer instead, and some other changes needed to be made in order to make it work.

But a bit of background on myself first. Sorry, I don't speak or write German, so if you can't read English, you may need to use a translator.

Many years ago, when frictionless long pimples was still allowed, I had used Bamboo Curl P1 and eventually Dr N.'s Super Block OX, on mostly normal hard blades, like BTY Schlager Carbon. On the forehand side, I was using Andro COR max and eventually Hurricane 3 max 39 or 40 degrees with a lot of VOC glue. My level back then was around USATT 2000. Came second once in a U2000 tournament, so I guess I am around there.

So, backhand mostly blocking, and placement, I would say I don't chop away from the table at all, so don't bother to ask me if it chops well, I don't chop well enough to comment. Forehand, loopdrive.

After Super Block was banned, I couldn't adjust to any other rubber, couldn't block consistently with anything that was legal, and I have no wish to use non-ITTF equipment. That and an arm injury, so I can't really attack hard with my backhand ( I injured myself because I practiced too much, trying to hit hard with Super Block). Finally I took a long break from the sport I loved, playing only occasionally. During this break, I was using BTY Tenergy 05 2.1 and various long pimples in OX. The blades were customized Sword and Yinhe, which were OK, but still couldn't block safely. I wasn't expecting extreme spin reversal as Super Block, but at least to block a strong/fast loopdrive safely in a match. But honestly, I couldn't adjust. Lost my way.

Couple of years ago, started to read about Re-Impact again. I had a Taichi before, it was stable, forehand had "no kick" and blocks were better but still not that safe. But I had a few chats with Achim, and he was nice enough to suggest I try the Le Géant. I ordered it, tried it. Forehand was a bit funny, it felt too springy with T05 2.1, Achim suggested I used 1.5mm I did, hated it, bottoms out too fast. Eventually I try Tenergy 19 2.1. And that turns out to be a good match for my style of play.

But then the backhand, I was trying Troublemaker, Stranger, UpUpUpUp, for sure the blocks were safer than with other blades, but I find the trajectory on the blocks to be high for my stroke. Achim suggested I change my stroke. I told him I have this stroke since 40 years, can't change. Please change the blade structure for me. After some long discussion, he made me a version with Rosewood top veneer instead. And the trajectory was low. Excellent. So with this setup, Rosewood Le Géant, T19 2.1, UPUPUPUP OX. I entered a small small tournament and came third. Quite surprised and a bit lucky, had an easy draw. Finally losing to a 12 year old girl... But I'm happy.


Then I tried to use Grass Dtecs OX and Hellfire X OX. Wow. I can block as consistently and safely as with Super Block! Something I haven't been able to do for well over 10 years, there were almost tears in my eyes after practicing with Grass Dtecs! Sure, the ball is not nearly as spin reversed as Super Block but at least they were landing on the other side! With Grass Dtecs the trajectory was slightly lower and a little more spin reversal, but all I can do is passively block, trying to counter hit a loopdrive was very difficult (it was much much easy with UPUPUPUP and Troublemaker), and even more aggressive chop blocking was not so easy, maybe the rubber was too new. With Hellfire X it was easier to chopblock and counterhit but not as easy as UPUPUPUP and Troublemaker. The other aspects of my backhand, were normal enough and can adapt.

Forehand side. Needed to experiment with glue layers. Finally I've settled with use 2+1 layers of medium viscosity Revolution No 3 glue with T19 2.1mm. At that worked really really well too. Loopdrives have a good kick. By a good kick, I mean the speed of the ball after it bounces on opponent side. Not as good as thinner blades but much more kick than other thick balsa blades I have used. And flat hits were just awesome, the sound was almost like in the speed glue days. Pushing and touch shots were good to control too.

So far, I am really happy, and can't blame my equipment for playing lousily.

And I just ordered another 2 as spare. In case it becomes more and more difficult to find rosewood. I need enough supply until the day I stop playing

This is me mostly practicing a backhand counterhit, of course heavily edited, actual success rate is less than 30% in practive, in a match will be less than 10% I doubt I will really use it in a close match, but it does look good



I'm using the modified Le Geant and Hellfire X OX. Forehand is Tenergy 19 2.1

DEAR SIR,

Please take it from a national umpire over 20 years for Umpiring activities..
-- IT is not unusual for the casual lp-users to overpass the rubber limits just from being unaware of the 2.0 mm allowance. Are you sure to be a really honest player??? GO AND CHECK yourself in two steps.
1 Just get an instrument with 0,01 mm accuracy to make an instant measurement on your present lp sheet right now.
2. Most likely you've got a rubber sheet to come out too thick over 2.0 mm.
BE ALERT OF THE SUBSTANDARD LONG PIPS. IGNORANCE OF THE LAWS MAKES NO EXCUSE. You know.

Thank you for the kind reminder. But I am very aware of 2.0mm for OX, as umpires in Hong Kong had been very strict for years. So I use a thickness gauge to measure the rubber before gluing, and also after gluing (means peeling off with all the glue stuck on the rubber and none left on the blade), and I got these readings

Black hellfire X ox by itself is 1.93mm, with glue is 1.97mm yes, borderline, I know
Black Grass Dtecs ox by itself is 1.85mm with glue is 1.89mm, should be fine
Black Tactics LP ox by itself is 1.95mm with glue is 1.99mm! this is really pushing it

And I am using Revolution No. 3 medium viscosity. One layer on blade, one layer on rubber.

I would imagine if I go back to proper competition, I most likely will use Grass Dtecs, it is anyway funnier, but harder to control, and the thickness is much easier to keep below 2.0mm

If I do keep using Hellfire X. I will have to switch to a lower viscosity glue, then I should be safe.

Tactics LP is pushing it, and I find it to be not funnier than Hellfire X and control is not better than Hellfire X, so although it is not a bad LP at all, I just have better options, and 1.95mm by itself, is too easily illegal.

Thank you

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I think I need to change the subject back to just Le Geant. After years of switching learning, or more accurately completely relearning my forehand and backhand.

I have switched back to the regular Le Geant and stepping away from the modified rosewood versions.

For one, I bought 3 rosewood mod Le Geant, broke 2 of them after years of hitting, now that I think about it, I must be smashing too hard. And the third one is starting to peel off.

So, I better stick with regular Le Geant, it is easier to buy from Re Impact.

But let me get to my "final" setup, hopefully "final" so I can just focus on practicing and playing.

I flipped the setup, so I use the fast side, the side with the lens with Grass Dtecs GS. Since I don't want to use too many layers of glue and break the 2.0 rule, I will stick with just glue sheet and no extra glue. hopefully it stays on the blade well. So far seems ok. If I put only one layer of revolution No. 3 normal viscosity on blade and OX rubber, the rubber comes off too easily. And if I put more layers, could get too thick.

The slow side, the non-lens side, I am using D09C 2.1 with 5 layers of rev 3 normal viscosity, trust me, the rubber plays better with more layers.

For starters, why did I use the slow side with D09C 2.1mm? I will admit, most of it, was from my Shenzhen coach who tried two blades, one on fast side, one on slow side, and he said, without a doubt, the slow side, the fast side is too fast, there is way too little dwell time to make a decent drive, but the slow side is awesome, he wonders what kind of blade this is, as not many people are using Re Impact in China, he hasn't seen it anywhere else.

Next question, if there are people reading. Is why on earth am I putting OX LP on a such a fast blade? well well well. This will go to my own preference of liking harder blades for LP to begin with, it's a personal preference, others I know don't agree. But I also went to a lady coach in Beijing who is an attacking LP player and she also feels LP blades cannot be too slow, or the ball has no sting when you want to attack or fast swipe etc. And the reason, I finally came back to Grass Dtecs, is because it is one of the fastest LP that has good disturbing effects.

But what about the chop block? Is it not too fast? NO. not at all, good chop blocking needs the proper technique and lots of practice. A slower blade doesn't help you that much anyway, if Fan Zhendong is driving at me, it doesn't matter how slow is the blade, I can't touch the ball anyway. If you can reach it and perform the right technique, it will be a successful block. And a harder blade, blocks lower and with more reversal, so the payoff is higher.

Finally, why not rosewood? Finally, I find the rosewood with Grass Dtecs blocks a bit too low. Yes, when I get it over, it dives a bit more, but with the normal wood on Le Geant it clears the net with a bit more tolerance. There's some give and take. And it is different for everyone.

At this moment, I'd rather sacrifice a bit less disturbance to gain a bit more consistency. Same with the FH but less obvious. The normal Le Geant has a very slightly higher arc than the rosewood mod during topspin drives.

I will now focus more on playing than switching and testing equipment, if I have time and feel like it, I may write about my journey from frictionless super block to now, but that shouldn't be in this thread.

I just felt like I should update on my "final" setup