OSPblades Forum Testing

About 185 g, provided your Musko is 158x150.

Update:
7 months later - still using the Virtuoso / H3 Neo / Acuda S3. Control is still better than any blade in it's speed class. The blade performs very well out to mid-distance; it is possible to generate pressure on opponents with consistent, big topspins from that range.

The only time I feel like straying is when I play with my 15 year old Yasaka Extra (it is quite a bit slower than the Virtuoso and both max speed drives and counters have better control). Is the Expert roughly the same speed as an older YE? The EJ in me wants to buy new blades, but I have been really unhappy with my Stiga purchases in the past year or two.

...must...control...EJ...virus...
...must...not...buy...another...good...blade...

I am pretty much immune now to any temptations.  But reading Peter's comment on Expert, something was tickling inside of me.  Should I go EJing again?

Icontek

Irrespective of whether the EJ bug bites you or not in future; you've still got the pleasure of owning and playing with a quality blade, in the Virtuoso; for years to come.

This is the review of my 2 OSP blades : Virtuoso S and Expert ( 150 x 158 head size).

1. Virtuoso
I´ve been playing with this blade for first half of season. On forhand I put Acuda S1 2,0, on backhand I had andro Hexer 2,1.
Serve: With Hexer great, very good spin and placement. With Acuda its OK only, there was problem to make short serves spinny.
Receive: Very good control. I can receive short with sure and also has enought dwell for attaking opponet long serves.
Topspin: This is where Acuda  shines, very easy against underspin and enought speed off the table for topspin to topspin rallies. Very predictable behavior. When I turn Hexer on forhend, There was no enought power and too soft feeling for my taste. But I found Hexer better for backhand, because its a bit slower and give me more control.
Block: With Hexer I have to play more active. Acuda has better passive block, because of harder feeling and less dwell + more speed.
Smash, drive : Acuda feel great, very stable, not blazing fast, enought speed. Hexer less stable, OK only.
Chop, push: Suprisingly very good, can make a unpleasant undrespin from both sides.
short game: Nothing say about this, very easy, becouse this combo is not bouncy. Acuda in this department a bit better.

Summary: This blade is great for attackers playing mostly on the table, that mix active and passive game. Good balance, not head heavy. What is special is the feeling, it feel so so good when hit the ball. Most similar blade I´ve played to this is Samsonov Alpha, bu itś paper wight and has too small head.

Next time I will continue with Expert.

arggghhhh the EJ virus is eating into my soul...... must resist....

I have an Expert and I had a YE. I don't think they are similiar. 

At a Tournament yesterday I watched my friend break his Stiga Active Blade TWICE (he had 20 min epoxy and reattached blade grips to handle 1st time, then neck to blade face BETWEEN matches).

And it made me realize that even my Yasaka Extra is a less than ideal backup blade should my Virtuoso get broken in an accident.

I started the tournament with my YE, and then switched to my Virtuoso once I was warmed up. Immediately blocking/placement and service control improved and the ability to smash low underspin increased. I went 13-1 yesterday, winning both my divisions, with at least 9 of those wins coming from the Virtuoso.

Thank you again Palatinus for a superior product that allowed me to execute whatever strategy was necessary to beat each of my opponents.

I'm going to test my viruoso with Stiga Magna TC II MAX FH,BH :)

koshkin wrote: Well, after playing with Virtuoso for a bit, I went ahead and switched to Expert.  They flex differently, so I am still getting used to it, but overall I like both.  Interestingly, I keep on progressively going to slower blades as I get better.  After an initial acclimatization period, there is no less power, but I definitely like the extra control over the table. ILya

How do these blades compare to your old stiga?

I'm curious. Why do you think there is no less power? Is it because of improvements in technique/timing? Or is it simply that you can swing harder without concern that the ball will go long?

On 11.03.2011 I received Musko for testing. Even though the first test blade was lost, Laszlo was kind enough to send me another blade. The blade looks great, just like the Virtuoso I already own, the finish is very good, no rough edges.
The blade was marked at 93,2gr by Laszlo, on my kitchen scale (not very accurate) was between 94 and 95gr. It has a SQST (square straight) handle. Thickness 5,95mm.

Initially I put Thor's on FH and Blitz on the BH. It was the first time when I bottomed out Thor's, but I think it was a bad glue job and I'll give it a try again in the future. I tried Thor's on a few blades before, but it didn't bottom out. This combination was heavy and I just recovered from a shoulder pain because I used a (head) heavy setup. I switched to a pair of CJ8000 on soft sponges, the setup was lighter, but I couldn't loop because of the soft sponges. I put Blitz again on the BH and XuShaoFa on the FH. This combination weigh 195gr (extremely heavy in my opinion) and my timing is bad, but I like the feel. Somehow the blade makes the contact with the ball longer which in return helps in generating more spin. The blade feels solid, not hollow like most of the blades I've played before. I don't feel it flexy, still I can loop easy with it. Compared with YEO it feels more precise, not as hard and more balanced.

Now let's see how it plays.
Pushes - it's a breeze, for a 7 ply blade it's amazing how easy I can push. The ball doesn't pop up uncontrollable like it does from YEO for example and I can keep the ball close to the net. Again, for a fast blade it has very good control in the short game.
Chops - I usually don't chop, but surprisingly I managed to chop easy.
Blocks - Until now, the OSP blades are the best blocking blades I've played with. With Virtuoso I could drive the ball where I wanted and from a defensive stance I could switch to attacking because I could drive the ball where I wanted and put the opponents in trouble. With Musko is not as easy as with Virtuoso, but I can keep the ball on the table easily even when I'm attacked. Blocking far from the table is easier with Musko than Virtuoso because Musko is faster.
Loops - Easy money. I can loop from close and far, I just have to remember that I shouldn't force when I'm close to the table, I have to emphasize on spin rather than speed. When I loop I noticed the improved spin on the ball, my opponents don't know how the ball will bounce off the table and they mish*t the ball often.
Smash - much more precise than YEO.
Serves - fast, spinny serves are easy; slow serves are not as easy compared to a slower blade, but this is a 7 ply blade; the heavy setup needs a good wrist in order to generate spin.
The biggest con of this blade is the weight, I wish I'd find some lighter rubbers to have a total weight of 180gr max.

As a conclusion after a week of play with it I can say it's not for a begginer (this doesn't mean that I'm an advanced player). I want to see if I keep my good opinion after a couple of weeks. I gave it to a better player than me to test it and after a few balls he return it, at first I didn't understood why he didn't wanted to play with it. After we finished playing I asked him why he didn't want to play more with it and he said that he fell in love after the first two balls. He asked if the rubbers are freshly glued on the blade and I said yes, he responded that he wants to try the blade after a week or two to see if it plays the same.

For the next period I wish to have time to play with as many opponents I can find.

hello pllsystem i would be somewhere upthere on the list i think either 3rd or 4th tester on the lists

Let me know if there is ever an Expert available to test.

I would truly hate to give up my Virtuoso (the winningest blade I have ever owned :), but if I do, I want it to be for another OSP, based on the control, quality, consistency and incredible versatility of Palatinus' work!

I would also be interested in testing an Expert. I discovered that I prefer non-limba outer plies.