OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I am interested in what type of blades people are using with their LP. After many, many years of wandering the EJ road I have come to the place that I use my thin sponged LP (0.5 up to 1.2) with a OFF- seven ply wood (mainly the Yasaka Falck W7, but also works well with my AVX J-Power (7 ply wood with hinoki) or with my Coles Air koto 7 ply). I mainly play more a disruptive and set up my FH attack game and do not chop like I did in days of yore.

I am interested in who is using 5 ply wood (and if sponge or no sponge LP), who is using carbon blades etc.

Thanx.

I tried a search but was not successful if this has been discussed before.

Well first blade was an early 2000s vintage Primorac, which I guess was OFF- but sadly I lost it, and replaced it with a Tibhar Defence Plus - 5 ply, balsa core, DEF. I was told by a number of people that OX LP were most dangerous on fast blades, so I used an Andro Hiloom for a couple of years, which was a 7 ply composite blade. I then "upgraded" to a Nittaku Barwell Fleet, which was an other 7 ply composite - both very fast blades. After a couple of years I sold the NBF and for a while I experimented with an Avalox P700 - 7 ply all wood - before moving to the Donic Li Ping Kitex - another 7 ply composite, because that was what my coach used and recommended. I used that for a number of years, but then on the recommendation from a friend, I tried a much slower blade - the Donic Defplay Senso - oversized, 5 ply, wood. I liked it, but was briefly tempted away by a very very fast blade - some bonkers Joola 7 ply composite. I got rid of it because it was much too fast for me, and returned to vacillating between the Li Ping Kitex and the Defplay Senso. I eventually settled on the Defplay Senso, as I've become more and more convinced that while there is more effect and more reversal with fast 7 ply blades, my game is most consistent with a slow blade, and I am now optimising for control and placement. I can't forsee a future in which I would want to use anything faster - for me an oversize 5 ply def / def+ is perfect. I like the DDS very much and they're cheap and readily available, but I wouldn't rule out me falling in love with a more premium blade of the same sort of characteristics.

I've mostly used OX pips in the ten or so years I've been playing. I have had brief flirtations with 0.5 and 1.0mm sponge, mainly because the addition of a little sponge makes the more active aggressive shots off short balls / floats, and flicks etc a bit easier to control. However, this is at the expense of some reversal when chop blocking, and it does seem to make the setup a little less tolerant of misjudging amount of spin, so service returns needs to be a bit tighter.

I'm about to relaunch some experimenting with a bit of sponge, for the same reasons: the area where I most need to improve my game is in pressuring against floaty/low spin balls, and attacking shots with the LP, and a bit of sponge definitely helps with that.

In terms of style, I like to chop against players who spin, but I would say I more use my LP closer to the table with chop-blocks and active pushes, to set up an attack, and will chop when pushed back. The verdict is open on whether OX or thin sponge is best for this, but I am much more familiar with OX.

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Woodnut Dead Slow | DHS 651 | Spinlord Dornenglanz
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I play with S & T Unicorn blade with Hellfire X ox on the BH and Joola Golden Tango PS on the FH. It's very good for the pips play at the table and also chops well. FH might be too slow for some players.

So 5 ply wood. Thanx. I have looked at that blade online before.

I've been using the same 5 ply wood blade with my OX pips since I started using them two years ago, though because I got excited by the cyberhsape's shape I briefly tried that and was instantly captivated by how the pips felt on that fast carbon, and as a result of this I'm planning to trade a 7 ply with carbon for the remainder of my offseason to see how it feels.

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Let the board knows how it goes. I have played a fast carbon blade with my LP at times and it does give some exciting possibilities in an active game.

I just received a Stiga Cybershape Carbon a couple days before Christmas. All I had at hand to put on it was a sheet of OX black Grass D.tecS and a sheet of pink 2.0 Tibhar Quantum X Pro. I think that I got really lucky and this combination seems play really well. My training partners seem to think that it is the best combination that I've played with for a long time. It does all the things I need it to and any serious errors are because of me. I can chop from close or far, block or chop block and side swipe, even counter top spin if I work on it some more.

Tomorrow I will be playing in my first tournament since using this combination and when I get a chance will let everyone know how it went and how I feel the racket performed.

I use a Sauer and Troger Zeus blade, which is a 5 ply blade made of 3 wood plies and 2 carbon plies. The outer ply is Kiso Hinoki. It is modeled after the Nittaku Shake Defense blade but it is a little stiffer and a step up in speed. It was designed by Sebastian Sauer for all round pimple play. I would rate it a lively ALL+. I play at a 1900-2000 level and i find it lacks a bit of speed on the FH to hit through opponents. It has a good amount of flex and dwell in it for FH loops and drives. On the BH it excels at aggressive lifts and pushes, flicks and long pimple drives. I use Tenergy 05 on the FH and Spinlord Leviathan OX on the BH. Leviathan and the Zeus blade are an excellent combination for active long pimple OX play. Leviathan is very similar to Dornenglanz but is for a more active game.

If you play a disruptive game with the pimples to set up a FH attack you may find OX pimples better suited then sponged pimples. Reversal, deception, wobble and the ability to hit through backspin are all better with OX pimples. Sponged pimples are better for chopping and control.

In general, softer blades have more control, but less spin reversal. Harder blades, typically carbon and 7 ply are harder to control but have more spin reversal.

I discovered that all long pips players are technically playing very differently. Some fit equipment for their technique, some fit technique for the equipment. Some playing totally incomprehensible with mad equipment but somehow effectively. Spin reversal will not aid when you want to play more aggressively.

Many composite blades are designed for spiny looping style that I thing is ideal with long pips blocking style.
7 ply are stiffer that is better for pips in general but 7 ply not necessarily has harder feel.

I agree with you! Many times players use equipment that does not appear optimal to their game, but overcome that with training and desire to win.