Guide to Choosing a Table Tennis Blade
Summary
This first step is not always easy for the beginner, for that reason we provide a ratings for most of our blades. The ratings give you the speed, control and weight for every blade we sell.
If you think that you are an all-round player your best choice of course would be an all-round wood. If you are an offensive player choose a faster blade which has the speed rating over 70. Most 5 ply blades are in the all-round range (50-70). 7 and 9 ply blades are faster for offensive play and provide extra strength.
Should you require a defensive blade just pick one of the slow blades. The slower a blade the better the control factor. The fast blade is good for offensive shots but offers less control for touch returns. Carbon blades provide a larger sweet spot and more stability of the blade.
Handle shapes are strictly a players preference. The number one selling grip has always been the flared handle. Anatomic is second and the straight handle is third. From a survey it was discovered that 50% of the world class player prefer the straight handle.
Blades FAQ
Sponsored by Yinhe
by Jason R. Shaver (Megaspin.net partner)
What blade handle is good for my shakehand game? (anatomic/flared/straight)
With one exception, the answer is really simple, get whatever feels good for you. To cover the exception first, “combination bat” and defensive players who tend to ‘twiddle’ (flip their blade, switching what color is their forehand), will want a straight handle, as it makes it easier rotate the blade. Here is a guide to the most common handles types:
Flared
The most common handle shape, thinner at the top than the bottom.
Anatomic
This shape is close to flared handles but has a bump in the in the center that fits the shape of your hand.
Straight
Rounded
The ‘normal’ profile for straight handles.
Square
Newer handle profile used by blades such as Butterfly’s Timo Boll ALC
Flat
Normally used by oversized or defensive blades.
Donic Dotec
The Donic Dotec handles are very comfortable handles that are the next step beyond Anatomic handles. Some people with wrist injuries find this handle type the most comfortable.
Special
There are a few ‘special’ shapes out there. These can be fun as gimmicks, but also can be useful for disabled players.
How do blade thickness and number of plies affect blade performance?
The rule of thumb is that 5 plies are used for looping while 7 plies are used for blocking and driving. The idea behind this rule is that the fewer layers, the more the blade can flex, increasing the trampoline effect that promotes spin.
In the same thought process, thinner blades (less than 6mm) are used for looping while thicker blades (6 - 7mm) are used for driving and the thickest blades (7mm or more) are used for blocking. The reason for the thickest blades being used for blocking is that any attempt to block the hard loops found at the higher levels of play requires the face of the blade to be as ‘closed’ as possible, and any flex acts as ‘opening’ the face.
When in doubt, avoid the extremes and take comfort that the differences are hard to feel for all but the most active and experienced players.
What is the difference between an all-wood blade and a composite blade And Do I need a composite blade?
Composite blades are all about the tradeoff between speed and consistency vs. ball feel and spin. That being said, there are wood blades faster than some composites some composites that have a better ball feel than some all wood blades. It is all about finding the right blade for you and your style.
Sealing and Surface Treatments
Some blades come with blades pre-sealed with special surface treatments. Yinhe Micro-Crystalline (Yinhe M and Nano Series) blades are sealed with a special chemical layer that when baked b the manufacture, forms into small crystal structures. When looking at blades treated this way, the surface looks like it has small sparkles embedded in the sealing. This has two key advantages, 1) the surface becomes much harder and 2) the surface gets a powerful seal that protected the blade while taking off or re-gluing rubber sheets.
What blade composite materials should I know about and which are good for me?
Below is a list of some of the common composites used for making table tennis blades
Single material
Carbon
Used by Butterfly as ULC and T5000
Black in color
Yinhe T Series (T-1 through T-6, T-10, T-11)
Zylon
Used by Butterfly ZLF and Yinhe as ZL and ZLF
Yellow in color
Kevlar
Blue in color
Aralyte
Cream in color
Fiberglass
Clear in color, but commonly dyed
Mixed materials
The vertical fiber is listed first
Carbon/Aralyte
Butterfy’s Carbon Aralyte e.g.Timo Boll Spirit
Yinhe T Series (T-7, T-
Carbon/Kevlar
Butterfly’s and Yinhe’s CarboKEV
Yinhe V Series
Carbon/Zylon
Butterfly ZLC series, Yinhe’s ZLC, Xiom Zetro Quad
How does Hinoki wood affect playing style?
When considering hinoki blades versus non-hinoki, the hinoki blades will be much softer feeling and give you a much longer dwell time, give great spin. There is a speed loss from the soft feeling though and hinoki blades rely on the thick (10+mm) construction and slightly heavy feeling. See Hinoki blades.
Uite si link-ul
http://www.megaspin.net/store/extra/blade-guide.asp
Summary
This first step is not always easy for the beginner, for that reason we provide a ratings for most of our blades. The ratings give you the speed, control and weight for every blade we sell.
If you think that you are an all-round player your best choice of course would be an all-round wood. If you are an offensive player choose a faster blade which has the speed rating over 70. Most 5 ply blades are in the all-round range (50-70). 7 and 9 ply blades are faster for offensive play and provide extra strength.
Should you require a defensive blade just pick one of the slow blades. The slower a blade the better the control factor. The fast blade is good for offensive shots but offers less control for touch returns. Carbon blades provide a larger sweet spot and more stability of the blade.
Handle shapes are strictly a players preference. The number one selling grip has always been the flared handle. Anatomic is second and the straight handle is third. From a survey it was discovered that 50% of the world class player prefer the straight handle.
Blades FAQ
Sponsored by Yinhe
by Jason R. Shaver (Megaspin.net partner)
What blade handle is good for my shakehand game? (anatomic/flared/straight)
With one exception, the answer is really simple, get whatever feels good for you. To cover the exception first, “combination bat” and defensive players who tend to ‘twiddle’ (flip their blade, switching what color is their forehand), will want a straight handle, as it makes it easier rotate the blade. Here is a guide to the most common handles types:
Flared
The most common handle shape, thinner at the top than the bottom.
Anatomic
This shape is close to flared handles but has a bump in the in the center that fits the shape of your hand.
Straight
Rounded
The ‘normal’ profile for straight handles.
Square
Newer handle profile used by blades such as Butterfly’s Timo Boll ALC
Flat
Normally used by oversized or defensive blades.
Donic Dotec
The Donic Dotec handles are very comfortable handles that are the next step beyond Anatomic handles. Some people with wrist injuries find this handle type the most comfortable.
Special
There are a few ‘special’ shapes out there. These can be fun as gimmicks, but also can be useful for disabled players.
How do blade thickness and number of plies affect blade performance?
The rule of thumb is that 5 plies are used for looping while 7 plies are used for blocking and driving. The idea behind this rule is that the fewer layers, the more the blade can flex, increasing the trampoline effect that promotes spin.
In the same thought process, thinner blades (less than 6mm) are used for looping while thicker blades (6 - 7mm) are used for driving and the thickest blades (7mm or more) are used for blocking. The reason for the thickest blades being used for blocking is that any attempt to block the hard loops found at the higher levels of play requires the face of the blade to be as ‘closed’ as possible, and any flex acts as ‘opening’ the face.
When in doubt, avoid the extremes and take comfort that the differences are hard to feel for all but the most active and experienced players.
What is the difference between an all-wood blade and a composite blade And Do I need a composite blade?
Composite blades are all about the tradeoff between speed and consistency vs. ball feel and spin. That being said, there are wood blades faster than some composites some composites that have a better ball feel than some all wood blades. It is all about finding the right blade for you and your style.
Sealing and Surface Treatments
Some blades come with blades pre-sealed with special surface treatments. Yinhe Micro-Crystalline (Yinhe M and Nano Series) blades are sealed with a special chemical layer that when baked b the manufacture, forms into small crystal structures. When looking at blades treated this way, the surface looks like it has small sparkles embedded in the sealing. This has two key advantages, 1) the surface becomes much harder and 2) the surface gets a powerful seal that protected the blade while taking off or re-gluing rubber sheets.
What blade composite materials should I know about and which are good for me?
Below is a list of some of the common composites used for making table tennis blades
Single material
Carbon
Used by Butterfly as ULC and T5000
Black in color
Yinhe T Series (T-1 through T-6, T-10, T-11)
Zylon
Used by Butterfly ZLF and Yinhe as ZL and ZLF
Yellow in color
Kevlar
Blue in color
Aralyte
Cream in color
Fiberglass
Clear in color, but commonly dyed
Mixed materials
The vertical fiber is listed first
Carbon/Aralyte
Butterfy’s Carbon Aralyte e.g.Timo Boll Spirit
Yinhe T Series (T-7, T-
Carbon/Kevlar
Butterfly’s and Yinhe’s CarboKEV
Yinhe V Series
Carbon/Zylon
Butterfly ZLC series, Yinhe’s ZLC, Xiom Zetro Quad
How does Hinoki wood affect playing style?
When considering hinoki blades versus non-hinoki, the hinoki blades will be much softer feeling and give you a much longer dwell time, give great spin. There is a speed loss from the soft feeling though and hinoki blades rely on the thick (10+mm) construction and slightly heavy feeling. See Hinoki blades.
Uite si link-ul
http://www.megaspin.net/store/extra/blade-guide.asp