carbon vs all wood

Entirely a question of taste.  Try his blade to see if you like it.

well comes down to preference. i started on Carbon then decided Wood suits me more. no need for the "extra" power that carbon provides

berkeleydoctor wrote: so i've only ever used carbon blades, but one of the top players at my club is trying to convince me that all wood is the way to go i was wondering what are peoples' reasonings on why carbon or all wood?

This is probably not the answer you are looking for, but it's a very similar thinking.  Most of my life, I have been using composite blades because they gave me the power that I needed for my smashing games.  For the last 6, 7 years, I am leaning toward all wood blades or softer composite blades with OFF- (i.e. Michael Maze).

For me, the question is not really Carbon blades vs. all wood blades.  The real question is fast blades (OFF+) or slower blades (OFF-).  For me, I am choosing slower blades to control my shots.  I rather put 1 more ball on the table than add another 10 mile to my shots.

So why?  As my game and my shots get better, I feel like I have plenty of power to put the ball away; however, I need to be able to place the ball where my opponent does not like.  In addition, I need to handle/return/block powerful shots from my opponents.

In short, it makes sense for me to go with slower blades.  Don't go with ALL- or slower, but OFF- will do the job.

Good luck,


Edited by speedy - 06/16/2015 at 9:58pm

I had given this question a thought multiple times in my life and the conclusion i came up with based on my experience is carbon blades provide the directional control and speed much better than All wood blades . So strokes like blocking , countering , hits and smashes will have much better directional stability than similar rated All wood blade . All wood blades provide better spin generation capability than the similar rated Carbon blades however at the cost of speed . Some of the modern all wood / composite are trying to bridge that gap but at the cost of lot more money  ; 

Edited by right2niru - 06/16/2015 at 11:23pm

I played an Infinity for almost a year and before that a Clipper CR. I have tried (but not owned) composites like Gergely Alpha, Mizutani (I don't know which one, it had a blue handle), and a Donic. They all felt a bit numb, like I had a layer of dead skin on my hand. I couldn't feel the ball properly. Until recently I switched to Adidas Avenger Carbon. It had the feel of an all wood blade plus it is more stable and faster. Control was better too compared to the all wood blades I own.

If this is the direction of modern composite blades, then those who prefer wood may have more options. Just my opinion.

berkeleydoctor wrote: so i agree with what everyone has said. and i guess i've always known my answer is all wood, but composite just seems "cooler" but i definitely can generate my own power, my misses are typically go long, so all wood is definitely the way to go i was searching about handles recently and i've read alot about stiga's conic (named champ) and master and legend flared handles. i have big hands and my viscaria has been giving me blisters lately because of the constant adjustment in my hands, does anyone have good recommendations for all wood blades with nice big handles?

The Tibhar Samsonov/Stratus blades tend to do well in that regard for flare handles - I especially like the original Force Pro handle in flare.  I don't know about the Powerwood handle's size first hand (I've not played with it extensively), but I have heard that the handle is pretty awesome as well.

Baal wrote: berkeleydoctor wrote: so i agree with what everyone has said. and i guess i've always known my answer is all wood, but composite just seems "cooler" but i definitely can generate my own power, my misses are typically go long, so all wood is definitely the way to go i was searching about handles recently and i've read alot about stiga's conic (named champ) and master and legend flared handles. i have big hands and my viscaria has been giving me blisters lately because of the constant adjustment in my hands, does anyone have good recommendations for all wood blades with nice big handles? Have you tried all-wood?  If not, then don't assume it is better just because of stuff you have read on the internet.  It can really only be figured out empirically*.  Try it for sure and see if it works better for you.  It may.  It also may not.  If you try one, you might as well use one of the classics used by good players, something like a Korbel, a Clipper, or as NL mentioned, the Stratus Powerwood.  Or maybe one of the really good Donic woods like an Appelgren Allplay. * In my experience it is not as simple as "slower means more control", it depends on why you miss.  If you have to swing harder to get the penetration you are used to, you may mis-time more with a slower blade, leading to a paradoxical loss of control.  The Btfly ALC you are using now is not superfast.

haha i have an innerforce alc sitting on my desk at home

Yes.  I think this is right.