Joola Rosskopf Emotion - Review

It is really interesting what you write slevin. Currently I'm using a Virtuoso and (as I wrote in another thread) I'm looking to upgrade it to a 7-ply or composite as I find it a little slow especially mid distance.

Now the fun part: an offense centric very good player has tried my Virtuoso out recently and he was really satisfied with its control- AND speed and even offered to buy it from me. He commented that the blade has good flex and if used well it kicks out the ball with good speed. Indeed his attacks were fast enough with it. On the same day an average club level player who uses Clipper has tried it out as well and he said it feels slow and I'm right in thinking in an update.

So now I stand here scratching my head and being unsure what to do :) The old saying that skill matters in what equipment to choose seems to be true again.

Have any of you tried the Waldner 89 and could relate it to the Emotion?

I'm this close to settling on this blade after my Viscaria got stolen, but I sometimes feel it lacks stability or solidity – as if it was a bit hollow.

Second question, I currently got a Maxxx 450 on the backhand, would you have any recommendations about a backhand rubber with a bit more dwell to compensate a bit for the blade's? I used to play JP03 on the Viscaria, but I'm worried it might not be so suited.

For the short review, I find the dwell average, it vibrates more than its ALC peers and is quite carbon-pingy when hitting harder. Other than this, I love its easy on/off behaviour to put the ball away, its woodiness in the short game, its blocking quality and how easy it is to counterloop with it. I find it awesome on the forehand side, a little bit less on the backhand where a bit more dwell and flex would help – I feel I can only power loop with it (due to the on/off effect I don't fully grasp yet). I do need a tad more time with it though, only had a week.

slevin wrote: BTW: Aruna Quadri (the surprise performer in this year's WC) uses the JRE (think he's Joola sponsored).

He's going to be here for the NA Teams so we can hopefully check then.  I don't think it's that obvious since that pattern isn't unique to the Rossi Emotion.

slevin wrote: NextLevel wrote: He's going to be here for the NA Teams so we can hopefully check then.  I don't think it's that obvious since that pattern isn't unique to the Rossi Emotion. Aruna mentions it here

Thanks for the link.  Another crazy pro who by his own admission doesn't use Tenergy, uses a 42.5 degree low throw rubber with the plastic ball, and a blade which lacks power away from the table!

Edited by NextLevel - 11/04/2014 at 12:52pm

NextLevel wrote: slevin wrote: NextLevel wrote: He's going to be here for the NA Teams so we can hopefully check then.  I don't think it's that obvious since that pattern isn't unique to the Rossi Emotion. Aruna mentions it here Thanks for the link.  Another crazy pro who by his own admission doesn't use Tenergy, uses a 42.5 degree low throw rubber with the plastic ball, and a blade which lacks power away from the table!   Edit: Rhyzm-P is actually 45 degree sponge...

NextLevel wrote: That would make sense. How did you know?

Edited by slevin - 11/04/2014 at 6:03pm

His interview reply looks very much like a PR statement, specifically about the Rhyzm-P. I do think he uses the Emotion though, the pics from the bottom and top of the handle are definitely an Emotion's. Of course, it could be a handle swap, etc.

Copying my message from the Waldner Legend topic in case more people watch this one. :D

Hi guys, and AndySmith in particular, what are the Waldner Legend Carbon strengths and weaknesses relative to the Rossi Emotion?

I could infer: greater speed, stiffer, more power, but I'm not so sure about the shortcomings. How good is it in the short game, for looping, for blocking? Is it much bouncier for touch shots?

Is it very carbon-y, or relatively woody?

Does the oversize head make it very head heavy, and how is it balanced? I'm a bit worried about this.

I'm fairly happy with the Emotion, which is a wonderful do-it-all blade. Can't flaw it, yet I can't help but want to expand my blade knowledge… for example, I don't know much about hinoki, and I don't think the Emotion plays or feel like a typical hinoki blade due to the thin layer, so I'm still curious as to how hinoki feels.

If you are interested in a similar blade to Waldner Legend Carbon but smaller head size there is the Xiom Ignito or Darker Carbon Esteem. If you want more honors feel and less carbon feel you can go for the Darker 7p2a carbon.

Very interesting feedbacks, thank you all.

Andy, I'm not bothered at all by the on-off effect of the RE, it plays very naturally to me. I'm not sure if I want more or less of the effect, since I'm not feeling it. From your description, there's no obvious counter-indication for me with the WLC, apart from the soft hinoki feel (which I don't know yet) and the higher non-linearity. As for rubber selections, I don't mind changing BH (I've tried quite a few ranging from 40 to 45 degress) but I'm firmly attached to my T05 in the FH, but I'm pretty sure it will fit fine.

ttping85, I couldn't read a lot on the 2-3 alternatives you offered, and the Darker's are a bit beyond my budget for scratching an EJ itch. It's a bit silly since if I really turn out to enjoy hinoki, I might eventually get a Darker, since they're so famous for it. I've seen the Xiom Ignito had some bottoming-out issue a high power, this puts me off a bit. But I'll flag it, I may come back to it.

Patrick, you're probably the worst out of them all since your feedback is so positive! Loop-driving is my key shot (agressive looper at the table) so it's definitely a big plus. I also find the RE a little pingy, and I remember struggling to impart the same amount of spin, initially.

I did consider what you suggest for keeping the weight down, but I'm a little worried it will shift the balance further to the head. I like countering off the bounce and head-heaviness makes it much harder to get the timing right. So above all, this is my main concern.

Anyway, I'm really close to getting that blade. At £40+, it's a pretty good deal given all the praise it got, and it's also not too dear if it turns out I don't like it.

I've posted my review in the WLC topic.

Bran wrote: I tested the WLC for 30 min. I think it's pretty much in line with what was described. The blade quality was OK, handle was a bit rough, which I don't mind, but the hinoki plies on FH and BH looked like they split vertically prior to gluing and still were glued side-by-side. Compared to the Joola Rossi Emotion (RE), its bigger head size means it's not as easy to move around. It's probably a matter of habit. I put on new sheets of T05 and JP02. The carbon layer and the hinoki are thicker than the RE's, and so the blade feels number, softer, and the hinoki effect is more pronounced. I generally like a touch more hardness and more vibes, because I mostly loop-drive on my FH (normal loop on the BH) and like hitting as well. For this, the RE is better, though at full power the WLC actually manages pretty well in flat hitting, thanks to the thick carbon layer. It is faster, bouncier and more powerful. It's also stiffer, but it's hidden by the softness until you start hitting really hard, and this is where you can feel the blade's power. At medium gear, the speed doesn't feel that much more than the RE's. It feels fuller and more stable in the high gear. The throw is a tad higher than the RE, so medium-high. Makes it great for looping mid-distance. Flicking I found good as well. The short game was good but I haven't grasped yet at what input strength the blade starts becoming bouncy. Dwell is good but I could feel my loops weren't as spinny – this doesn't say anything about the blade's abilities, just that I'm not yet used to it. I think the main grips I have with it are the head size and the numbness. My loops weren't as spinny and it was hard knowing what to adjust given the lack of feedback. It's quite usual to have to adjust a bit your timing and stroke with a new blade, but numbness makes it harder. I'll need to play more with it to make up my mind about this blade. It has undeniable qualities, but I'm worried it will just magnify my game, with its strengths and weaknesses. I may choose to revert to a slower blade to improve my consistency, at the cost of some power and direct kills, before going back to a more powerful blade once I've developed a "feel" for that consistency.

jonyer1980 wrote: Dont you think this JRE might be a little bit "outdated" with this shitty PB? I mean, lack of power of not suitable for my gamestyle?

What's PB? If it's penhold backhand, then I'm not sure what I'll say is relevant, I know nothing and penholder needs as far as blades go.

The JRE is definitely great for short game, it's very controlled and isn't overly soft-feeling.

I'm also a power looper and I like the JRE a lot for this. I'm able to generate enough power with it while keeping good control over the rest of the game.

I can't say about BD vs Traction, I know neither.

Plastic ball I meant

Mine was 86 gr, I traded to a friend a couple years ago... I guess that's the average weight. I was trying last summer and I did like it but lacked a bit power at mid distance shots. I'm also discarding the idea of trying it with BD, more lively ESN sponges will fit better

Edited by jonyer1980 - 04/18/2015 at 8:56am

Ive been trying muy old M1&traction2 but didnt like it. I felt quite stiff but slow and turned TR2 into a quite mushy low-throw rubber...