OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Hi all,

I want to purchase my own bat, I know how to play on the amateur level but still think I need to learn more of the basics.
Im 33 years old if that matter.
After reading here some posts I thought that the Yasaka Sweden Classic will be a good idea.

Just have a couple of questions, when I order the bat from tabletennis 11 should I pick ST (straight)? This is the first time I'm aware of this.

Also, should I mark pick Blade Lacquering? I assume yes, just want to make sure.

Last one thing, I need rubbers for the bat, which ones are recommended for this bat and for my demands?

This is how my cart looks now, please feel free to advise if that's the correct direction for me as a beginner who knows how to play on the amateur level.

I'm open to any other suggestions if my picks are not correct.
I also found this prepared bat option from yasaka: https://www.tabletennis11.com/other_eng/yasaka-racket-mark-v-carbon - let me know what your thoughts on it.

Hi,

Bat is a good one as a first one. It will be slow and controlled enough to learn all the basics.

As for rubbers. What did you play before? Chinese style or ESN tensor?

If you want to stay with Yasaka, Rakza 7 (or 7 soft) is a very good starting rubber.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-A405FN met Tapatalk

I used to play with sweden classic. It's a very good quality five-ply wood. One thing about it is the handle is what they call square straight, meaning kind of a rectangle shape. I like that a lot, but some people prefer more of a rounded handle. You can buy flare or straight handle. It doesn't really affect the play at all, only some people like the way one shape feels in their hand better than the other. If you don't know it doesn't matter.

Always say yes to the blade lacquering, or some places call it sealing. It's free, and protects the surface of your blade against splintering when you take the rubber off.

And speaking of rubbers, you want something decently spinny but still easy to play with. Tabletennis11 has Donic Acuda Blue P3 on sale this week. That would be a reasonable choice. There are hundreds of different rubbers, many of which play almost the same. That acuda p3 should be fine to start with.

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Thanks!
what would be better the rakza 7 soft or the regular?
and in which size? does 2 mm is ok?

What did you play before?

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Hi, I played just with generic cheap bats.
I guess the rakza 7 2.0 mm with the Yasaka Sweden Extra will be ideal? I saw that this blade is more popular.

That blade does not really need lacquering, as it's already sealed from the factory (won't do any harm either though). The Rakza 7 soft will give you more control compared to the regular Rakza 7. It's still quite a fast and lively rubber if you're used to basic bats from sport stores.

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I agree the blade is a good choice. There are a number of blades that are similar (e.g. Stiga Allround Classic, Sanwei M8, etc.) that is, 5 ply all wood, ALL+ to OFF-, they all will work even if they aren't all the same. Handle? Lots of opinions here - most of the top Chinese players seem to use flared handles (in the case of Chinese blades, that seems to be all you can get, unless you look at slow defense blades), European top players like Boll sometimes use straight handles. Maybe their hands are bigger.. but there are, as I said, lots of opinions, some of them quite vociferous. Bernard Hock, for instance, insisted that only straight handles gave enough control. And all the big, oversized defensive blades (which people tend to twiddle) have straight handles.

Rubber matters a lot less. If you have EUR65-70 to burn on rubbers, yes, Rakza 7 will work, but I'd argue that you'd be better off getting something cheap and Chinese to begin with, especially if you are the equivalent of an under-1400 rated US player (which would be in the lower tier of club players, of which there are many). Rakza 7 may be softer and slower than most European rubbers, but something like 729 or Yinhe 9000 will be even slower and more controllable. But given the right blade, I am of the opinion that almost anything (other than Ckylin, or Hurricane 2 or 3, which are too slow) will work. The Chinese rubbers are a lot cheaper, too - you'd spend less than EUR15 for two sheets.

Another thing I'll add - ask the vendor to apply the rubbers for you. It's not difficult to do but it's something that can be messed up, especially if you insist on using the current water-based glues (which really aren't necessary, Elmer's Rubber Cement is a better choice).

Iskandar

I agree with Iskandar - there are many great value very good Chinese rubbers that will be a step up from what you're used to, and may be all you ever need.

Rakza 7 and Accuda 3 and others are excellent rubbers, but even on sale they're usually about £30 each. Something like Friendship LKT Pro XP will be less than £25-30 for the pair.

As for handle, as others have said, it depends on what feels most comfortable to you. I used to always favour straight blades, but I particuarly like like the Donic anatomic handles, which is what I use now. It's hard to offer advice other than generalites. TT11 did write a blog about it though, in the summer: https://blog.tabletennis11.com/which-blade-handle

On lacquer, I never bother, and I've never had any issues changing rubbers. I did once lacquer a pair of blades some years ago... it was probably my imagination (almost certainly) but I felt like they were a bit harder afterwards, which sort of put me off. I suspect there's no harm in doing it, but as Haggis says, they come treated from the factory, so probably not needed.

Good luck - the YSC is a lovely blade.

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Yasaka Sweden Classic is one of the best ''do it all'' blades. 2.0 mm. Rakza 7'd be OK .
You can taste/feel the delicioux, flexible and stabile mixture of the wood layers of this marvellous blade even more if you select 1.7 mm.Rakza 7. Still fast and spinny enough with the best control.
Handle form is completely up to you. With heavier rubbers on, concave feels safer.

The post before this last one is a year old, I hope the original poster has already gotten his bat and been playing with it for a year..

I'd argue against getting sponge thinner than Max. Thinner sponge (2.0mm etc.) made sense when the ball was 38mm. It doesn't any more - the ball has since gotten bigger. Twice. Thin sponge is specialist equipment. For blockers, choppers, users of balsa blades, for pips out rubbers. You get less spin (and therefore, actually, less control over topspin drives), and with the 40+ balls we use these days, control over the table with a reasonable blade is plenty adequate.

Iskandar

It's always a shame that people don't come back to give some feedback on their choices, to let us know how the bat played for them.

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide