OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Hi all,
I recently broke my Stiga Allround Classic blade while playing after playing about 60 hours. The blade had perfect feeling I needed. It was priced about 35 USD in TT11 when I bought it. I was expecting that it would about 2 years but it lasted only about about 2 months. Though it is not completely broken but it has got cracked near the handle. I tried playing with it but seems it's unplayable. So I think I should give up and keep old rubbers. Anyone experienced similar quality with Stiga or TT11?
This time I'm thinking of getting something cheaper but durable. Blades I'm thinking of
All+: Galaxy 896, Galaxy W6
Off-: DHS PG7
they are mostly in 20 dollar price range. Can you guys recommend anything cheaper or in 20 dollar price range? Also I'm new to gluing process so please recommend some cheap TT glue to glue my 2 month Mark V rubbers on the new blade? I'm planning to buy new blade from AliExpress so suggest some trustworthy sellers.
Regards,
Tejas

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Consider Yasaka Sweden Classic or Donic Appelgren Allplay. They are cheaper, good quality and perform very similar to the Stiga Allround Classic. I used a Stiga Allround Classic for many, many years until a blade change became necessary. I have played with the Yasaka Sweden Classic since. Perfect for my requirement and standard and as I said very similar to the Stiga Allround Classic. Good luck!

I'm assuming Iskandar has not yet seen this thread....

Try the Sanwei M8....

The KTL/LKT Instinct is pretty close to the Stiga Allround Classic...

I've never tried, but I read/hear that HRT makes some pretty good clones of Stiga Blades, especially the Clipper...

Another option worth checking-out would be the Friendship C series blade.. I have the C5, and I find the control to be excellent...

Does price of the blade directly affects its durability? I have seen top players in my club using Viscaria, TB Spirit using it for many years. I'm ready to invest 150USD given they last long. I don't want to crack my blade again in the middle of match again.


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Although I can try a number of blades with the same money but it's so much time consuming

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Things I figured out I would be needing to get my blade replaced later since I'm new to racquet assembly process as I got my old racquet assembled from TT11.
1)Blade which is sealed/lacquered by factory or seller
2)Table tennis glue with sponge
3)Sharp scissors/cutter
Does AliExpress sellers seal the blade for us or I have to get a factory sealed blade?
Also please recommend cheap effective TT glue

Regards,
Tejas

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If you hit the side of the table it doesn't matter how expensive the blade is...

Other than that sort of thing, what might cause a blade's demise is often the top ply peeling off when you remove a rubber sheet. This is FAR MORE COMMON these days, what with the ultra-sticky water based glues in use (I avoid it by using Elmer's Rubber Cement, and varnishing the blade before use). Blades which are prone to this are often the expensive ones, though the M8 is also prone to this, having soft obeche outer plies (it tends to lose odd fibers here and there instead of chunks of ply, though, which isn't serious). I must say, you'd feel a lot less aggravated if it happened to a M8 than if it happened with a Viscaria..

If you're worried about blades breaking at a tournament, then do what a lot of people do - buy a matched pair of blades and make up two identical rackets. You'd want two blades of the same type of the same weight. Probably not a problem with most of the European or US vendors, and Eacheng on AliExpress/ebay/Amazon does this as well. The cheap M8 blades, you might have some trouble there. Maybe just buy a dozen blades, pick 2 or 3 of the same weight, and sell the rest to your club mates. Of course, this doesn't guarantee both rackets will be identical - I can't remember if it was Ovtcharov or Boll who broke his special "chopper" racket just before playing against Filus, and almost got beat because he had to use his backup.



1. You might be able to get, say, tabletennis11 to lacquer a blade for you. I don't think any of the AliExpress merchants do. No matter, it's easy to do. Lots of info in older posts on this Forum.
2. Yup, you definitely need glue..
3. Those snap-off box cutter knives work fairly well, so do sharp scissors. There are knife people and scissors people. Xu Xin is scissors people. If you go the knife route buy the knives in bulk and throw them away (or give them away) often. Take the used ones to club or to tournaments, when people ask you to lend them a knife give them one of the used ones..

Glue would depend on where you live. If you're in the US, the best glue would be Elmer's Rubber Cement. It's a lot harder to find outside the US, but I get mine from an art supply store. You might be able to find Best Test rubber cement, it's supposedly better (and you can get Bestine thinner, which can thin it back down if it gets too thick when you get down to the bottom third of the can). DON'T use anything stronger. Stay away from shoe glue or Dunlop contact cement or even the yellow tube UHU - way too strong.

Iskandar

@Iskandar thanks for the info.
Blades which a bit heavier (90g) suit me better so M8 doesn't suit me as it is 70 +-5g. As I get old might think about them. For now I'm young and jacked.

Found following good offer for assemebled PG7 with PalioCJ800 rubbers on Aliexpress:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Pro-Tab ... 795a3ed9ee

Palio CJ8000 rubbers are great control rubbers as I tried them on my friends Palio Expert 2 racket.

One quick question will the blade be lacquered during assembly?
Or should I get the following blade only as follows and lacquer and glue myself?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Origina ... b201603_52

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/DHS-VOC ... b201603_52

Regards,
Tejas

Thanks for all for the help. Finally I placed order for PG7 and DHS VOC free glue. I will lacquer the blade myself. Can't find Donic formula lacquer on AliExpress or Amazon. Can anyone help in finding a lacquering product ?

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Any clear oil based polyurethane varnish (for wood or floors) will work fine. Apply with paper towel in all surfaces, nooks and crannies including the handle, and immediately wipe off the excess with the same paper towel. (Don't use toilet paper or you'll be sorry.. )

Iskandar

Thanks Iskandar

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