Help choosing first non-beginner racket.

do u  chop with ur bh alot, and attack with ur fh side?

I almost always attack with my forehand. short range chops I mix between fh and bh. I use a lot of mini chops with backhand blocks to under spin short returns a lot. However, for my mid range chops 2-3 feet off the table right  now I'm only accurate enough to use my fh (i can't really keep the bh on the table at range yet, although i'm working on it and hope to be able to incorporate it soon). 

After hearing your style. I think it might be better for you to go for a more allround style racket... you sounds like you do everything a little bit. I would recommend any OFF- range blade.

If you want to buy Stiga in Canada and need some gurantee in shipping, www.ping-pong.com isn't a bad choice. They offer a good amount of racket and since the Canadian dollar raise, their price becomes pretty attractive for Canadians.

vsg4000 is pretty easy to chop with.  I was never a big fan of looping with it w/o the use of speed glue.

blocks and counterdrives like a dream.  No feeling at all though.

Honestly, for the price of it, you could get better blades (unless you specifically want the VSG system).  I would check out some of the Galaxy  carbon blades that cole has (www.colestt.com) if you want carbon.

Stiga OC would be fine for this style or a lot of medium feeling Wood Off- blades.

I would recommend Grubba Carbon with Sriver G2 and Speedy P.O Soft

are you looking for a fairly cheap affordable one, or you are really into tt and want a good one for your play?

I second energy wood, but not necessarily mendo if you want a little more speed.  From the sound of it, I am not sure if you are a true chopper.  Correct me if I am wrong, but you probably use tactical chops primarily to return downspin serves.  If someone were to smash or loop drive the ball at you, would you chop it back?

Keep in mind that some of these blades have hollow handles, making them feel a bit top heavy.  Not ideal IMO for defense or touch shots.

are you looking for a fairly cheap affordable one, or you are really into tt and want a good one for your play?

Looking for good one, something that is good enough to keep for a little while using my current style of play... yet not too expensive that I can't switch in 6-12months if my style does begin to change.

From what  you say it seems to me that your style of play may have been determined by the paddle you have been using, and it could very well change when you get a new one.

This could be true. I found it very difficult to do loops and some other offensive shots with my current paddle. The tackiness just isn't there. I'd like to add a little more offense to my game.

On that note: it seems most equipment out there especially the upper range stuff is geared towards an attack style. There are few defensive paddles and I see few players playing high defensive styles or true choppers. Is there a reason for this? Will I find more future success if I work on utilizing high speed equipment with powerful attacks?? I'd like to know more as I'm still discovery my true style and am flexible now.

I second energy wood, but not necessarily mendo if you want a little more speed.  From the sound of it, I am not sure if you are a true chopper.  Correct me if I am wrong, but you probably use tactical chops primarily to return downspin serves.  If someone were to smash or loop drive the ball at you, would you chop it back?

You're right. I use small quick - mid stroke chops to return serves or pushed returns etc. I don't/can't chop loops or smashes for two reasons. 1. My chop accuracy is not there yet so I can't always land them on the table from a distance. 2. My footwork and positioning isn't really good enough yet to get back into proper position to execute that type of defense (I tend to stay closer to the table).

Man, such expensive suggestions. Go for some Chinese equipment. Even something as simple as a Kama with 2008 XPs is great for your first decent racket.

i would suggest that you don't go for something expensive, as pretty much none of us including yourself know exactly what category of style you fit into.  a cheap, but good combo that i made for my friend who just began playing and learning table tennis might be a good starting point for you as well:  LKT Instinct with LKT Pro XT 2.2mm fh and 729 fxel 2.0 bh.  i think it's a pretty good allround setup, a bit slow on offense, but if u generate a decent amount of arm speed, then it should suffice, and i think it should still be a lot faster than the rec paddle you are using.  Both rubbers have good control, so it shouldn't be too tough on defense with this setup as well.  and unless if you absolutely sure u wanna go the chopper way, i would recommend the backhand to be inverted, or at most short pips, but definitely no long pips.

anixon wrote: I second energy wood, but not necessarily mendo if you want a little more speed.  From the sound of it, I am not sure if you are a true chopper.  Correct me if I am wrong, but you probably use tactical chops primarily to return downspin serves.  If someone were to smash or loop drive the ball at you, would you chop it back? You're right. I use small quick - mid stroke chops to return serves or pushed returns etc. I don't/can't chop loops or smashes for two reasons. 1. My chop accuracy is not there yet so I can't always land them on the table from a distance. 2. My footwork and positioning isn't really good enough yet to get back into proper position to execute that type of defense (I tend to stay closer to the table).

So I guess the sort of chopping that you do is not so much a true chopper as just tactical chopping that any styled player must know how to do.  Thus, I think an All+ or Off- blade would work best for you, especially to help with the looping.  Maybe Stiga Offensive Classic or Butterfly Petr Korbel?  I realize a lot of people emphasize slower blades for better control to help you develop, but I recall when I was at your level, I benefited more from trying a blade that was slightly beyond my level, and then I would grow into it as opposed to using a blade that was too slow and wanting to get a new one within a year.  Plus, these two blades definitely have good speed to control ratios and are also within your price range.  I also hear that LKT Instinct would be good (but go for the 5 ply ... it is slower than the 7 ply but noticeably lighter as well).

anixon wrote: Thanks for the replies up to this point guys. It's a lot to take in. Does anyone have any comments on the LKT Instinct vs Daiwai Kama setup? From what I gather the Kama is faster, yet I'm somewhat intrigued by the weight of the Instinct, it's so light! Has anyone tried both of these? ... ppgear? Also, since I've also had a couple votes for Stiga OC, I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the Galaxy U-4 blade? Brainstorm tried to do a spec collection of the Galaxy blades in his thread http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=14855&KW=timo&PID=152811#152811 and he mentions the U-4 to be quite similar to Stiga Offensive Classic CR WRB. Is this a relatively valid statement? Anyone tried this or the Stiga version?

The Instinct is definitely light (which isn't really a good thing). It's lighter than average, at about 77g (light), whereas Kama is around 85-89g (average weight).

The Instinct has a very hollow feel; the vibrations are excessive, and the flat hitting power is very weak.

The Kama feels a lot more substantial; it has medium speed and feels more solid all around. I really think you'd like the Kama better.

I used to recommend Instincts to new players, but that was before I discovered Kamas. Now it's Kamas all the way!

Don't go for particularly offensive rackets yet. Though I've never tried the Stiga Offensive Classic, the name seems to imply that it's at least an OFF-, which isn't what relatively untrained players need.

When you have a medium racket or slower, you have a lot of control and are able to focus more on improving your strokes. You'll be able to use your own power in your stroke, whereas with offensive rackets you may feel the power is sufficient already therefore you won't develop your stroke to generate the power as much.

At least for this stage, don't go for an OFF- blade, stick to medium-ish.
Once you can confidently loop using all your strength, and expect your loop to land on the table at least 90% of the time, then you might consider a faster racket. Until then, stick to medium and keep training. It's better for you in the short and long run.

Sorry, I am guilty of being an equipment junky like many...but here is my novice  suggestion for saving hundreds of dollars and to become a better player faster:

find a coach if possible and get lessons before you commit to a certain style--> find your style with your coach's help--> find a blade/setup suitable for your style-->stick with it for a while--> change only when absolutely needed.

If you just can't wait, get an ALL+ or OFF-  medium feel blade with very all- around rubbers like sriver type or EL for medium or FX for softer--- not too tacky/ not too grippy ... no speed glue or fancy stuff -- unless your coach says to do it. korbel sounds like a nice choice to me, galaxy blades are nice too, never played a stiga blade--wow! i play an ALL+ Xiom blade and love it.

anyway, to me the thing is you don't want to limit your game with the way you are playing now, you want to keep your options open because you may develop into an aggressive player who does not rely on chops as much because you will learn to attack balls you thought you could not...or you may decide to become a long pips legend. staying neutral helps hone your skills to see what you can do first.

every time you want to spend more money on equipment, spend it on a lesson instead...then if you still want to buy equipment, you will at least have a better idea of what you are doing.

also, i just read recently -- and it sounded like really good advice -- that if you can't control the ball on (near or close to) the table, then your blade/setup is too fast for you. the Chinese dominate the sport because the understand very well to control the table aggressively. defensive play is the inverse of this, but i think the attacker has an edge ultimately...it may be fun to hit/chop/defend from way back behind the table, but if you can't control the ball on the table with the blade you are currently using, I would say maybe just change the rubbers on it and keep the slower setup.

just my humble opinion for someone who is starting out...not meant to be advice.
I think these are great suggestion too:

ppgear wrote: ... Don't go for particularly offensive rackets yet. Though I've never tried the Stiga Offensive Classic, the name seems to imply that it's at least an OFF-, which isn't what relatively untrained players need. When you have a medium racket or slower, you have a lot of control and are able to focus more on improving your strokes. You'll be able to use your own power in your stroke, whereas with offensive rackets you may feel the power is sufficient already therefore you won't develop your stroke to generate the power as much. At least for this stage, don't go for an OFF- blade, stick to medium-ish. Once you can confidently loop using all your strength, and expect your loop to land on the table at least 90% of the time, then you might consider a faster racket. Until then, stick to medium and keep training. It's better for you in the short and long run.

ppgear and dauntless gave very good advice.  I have been playing for over 30 years, and have gone through countless rackets.  I believe the worst thing a new player can do is getting too fast a racket.  Control is what you want while you improve your game.   I don't know what your rating is, but if it's under 1100, you would be better off with an ALL or ALL+ paddle, not more.