When to know to upgrade to composite

All the different types of carbon play completely different so it's impossible to say. Some Hinoki carbons.. ok maybe all Hinoki carbon's are super faster with lots of rebound. Balsa cored carbons are also often silly fast but don't feel the same (you can also get some very slow balsa carbons). Limba carbons are different again (more normal feeling but still stiffer and faster). If you get a thick enough top ply on them or a soft carbon, then they can be pretty much like an all wood blade, just more expensive :)

Edited by nicefrog - 01/04/2011 at 12:23am

mm apart from the balsa's I don't think the control or sweet spot is especially better on carbon blades. I like the non hinoki carbons with big fat outer plys the most but they (and the hinoki's) are very heavy blades. The ones with the very thin outer plys make obscene sounds and really feel like like a very stiff fast block of well... carbon lol. I know I've just bought one like I describe as being obscene blocks of carbon and an extreme version of it :P but that's something I want to try especially because of the hardness and the sounds/vibrations etc with an esn rubber.  

Edited by nicefrog - 01/04/2011 at 7:42pm

YOU STOP, STOP IT NOW

I switched at about 8 years, realised about 4 years later that I had made a mistake :) then used a soft composite (glass rather than carbon). Carbon blades are fine so long as they aren't too fast

DeIgado wrote: YOU STOP, STOP IT NOW

+1

when you can put 50 counters, pushes in a row from both FH and backhand sides?

...all kidding aside, it sounds like you want glass fibre or kevlar (increases sweet spot, does some vibration dampening)... but depending on where you are at developing touch, this sort of vibration dampening can actually impede your feel for incoming spin.

hey icontek and robjkc

Sometimes I kind of wonder what's the difference actually. If you keep practicing often with an all-wood blade and a composite blade you can progress either way. There's no moment in knowing that you should just upgrade now and everything will be ok. If you switch from a slow all-wood blade to a fast all-wood blade it's still an adjustment. Same thing with composite. It's still just an adjustment. I can't say I play better with a 5-ply wood, a 7-ply wood, or a composite blade, I can say that if I switch between each in a short period of time, I'll play differently with each, which of course is because each blade itself is different. Just pick and stick with something you're comfortable with and practice more, it'll pay more dividends than changing equipment.

Get a Nittaku Violin instead! Or a Timo Boll ZLF, plays a lot like 5-ply wood but with a larger sweet spot.

cotdt wrote: Get a Nittaku Violin instead! Or a Timo Boll ZLF, plays a lot like 5-ply wood but with a larger sweet spot.

try the 7 ply wood! no matter how fast the ball you can still feel it and with lots of control which is the most important factor. though carbon blades may increase your speed, your strokes are the one that really matters most.. for 7 ply blades try the following:

Btw, back to the original question.
It will be hard to know when you can switch to Composite blades. Some players even started out using composite blades and a few of them can turn out to be very good players.. I think even Fred started out using composite blade
IMO, whatever equipment you use, if you have the ability, you can get use to it given you use it for a good period of time. I mean if your basic are good (strokes, short game,etc.), I don't think it will be a problem. The problem is when you switch your game will probably drop first. And if you are not patient enough you might be tempted to go back to your original setup immediately.
Also it's important that when you switch, you choose a composite blade that suitable to your style. For example if you loop a lot, you probably won't like Schlager Carbon, but if you like to mix with some flat hit/smash then it is an ideal blade.

just my 2 cents..

such  a silly question!!!

hey debraj,

mon22 wrote: hey debraj, chill out man. you mad?

I played wood blades for years, most recently the Tibhar Samsonov Alpha (a very good soft blade), but have always liked the solid feel of carbon blades.  I did not use carbon blades because they were just too fast (I have a Butterfly Sardius in the closet--loved the feel but not the speed).  But recently I found a slow enough carbon blade for me: the JUIC Stellan Bentgsson Alpha (ALL+ rating).  I love it, especially for the huge sweet spot, but I recently cracked it hitting the table's edge.  So now I'm using my backup blade (JUIC Hybrid--a little softer, but also very good) while waiting for my replacement Stellan Bengtsson.