OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Hi all, I have been reading information that is conflicting to me in terms of which type of equipment to use.

On one hand I've read that an allround middle of the road rubbers are the best for learning the proper strokes and spin mechanics. But on the other hand I've also read that a very "Chinese" style equipment (Chinese blade with tacky rubbers) are also the best for exactly the same reasons.

Does this mean that you can't go wrong with either type or anything in between or am I confused? Please enlighten me.

As a context, I now have a Chinese style equipment: Bomb blade and tacky Kokutaku 868 on both sides and always wonder and very curious if I should go back to basics to, for example, the Yasaka Sweden Classic/Extra with Mark V rubbers as touted to be the most suggested setup for beginners and reset my learning.

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Blade 729 Bomb | FH & BH Kokutaku Blutenkirsche 868

Equip sounds good. Maybe change backhand rubber to something Euro/JP (Rakza or a slower or more affordable alternative).
I found BH with classic Chinese rubbers is only good for pushing, blocking and punching and not enough to do those flicks and spins from mid-far distance. It's possible with a fast blade but for Allround blades you'll only be getting slow spinny loops

Thank you, I wasn't specifically looking for advice on what to do with my setup but I will take it into consideration!

I was more addressing/questioning the issue around people are equally recommending the two extremes of a setup for a given beginner.

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Blade 729 Bomb | FH & BH Kokutaku Blutenkirsche 868

Well there's beginners and there's beginners with more practice and perhaps some coaching/training. If you haven't learnt to how to handle spin to a degree I think you'll find it more enjoyable and more beneficial to begin with a relatively soft/medium sponged non tacky rubber. Just my opinion.

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2. S&T Black & White / Armstrong SH-I 1.8 / TSP Curl P3 Alpha R OX

Anything goes. Don't overthink it. The ones you mention are both full featured without being extreme in any way. They are different, which is why you should not change back and forth between the two types while building your technique. Once that foundation is built, you can more easily adjust to different types of equipment.

I am not familiar with that blade since it's discontinued, but many seem to like it. However it is rather niche and not one of the usually recommended blades. I have seen those "Blutenkirsche" rubbers at my club and I do not like them.

You can't go wrong with the classics such as Yasaka, Stiga OC, Butterfly Primorac... Yinhe W6 also has the same construction as the Yasaka and it's a really well made blade for a low price.

For the rubbers I would not go with Mark V because they are 40 years old and should be dirt cheap by now but they are not. There are newer and better options four the price.