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Innershield ZLF review |
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roar
Silver Member Joined: 03/30/2011 Status: Offline Points: 658 |
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Posted: 04/12/2011 at 4:08am |
There's just not enough info on this blade so here's a review on my experience with it.
Speed: For comparative purposes, I'm going to use three other blades I've used to give you an approximate gauge. These would be my ratings for these particular blades: Viscaria - 9/10 Matsush*ta Pro Special - 8/10 Matsush*ta Pro Model - 7/10 Innershield ZLF - 6/10 That's right - it's a 6/10 and maybe even slightly slower. This blade is incredulously slow. I could not believe the difference in speed between my MPS and ISZLF; but it's like light and day! I honestly can't imagine anyone complaining about not enough control using this bad boy. Chopping: I spent a great deal of time using OX long pips on my MPS and MPM in order to keep my chops on the table but now I'm being forced into using sponge as I need to swing so much harder with the Innershield. Needless to say, pushes and mid range chops are easy to keep on the table with the lackluster speed on this high priced piece. It's hard to get past how slow it is as it's just so much different from other blades I've used. Attacking: Any modern defender must be curious how a blade like this one would fair in counter-attacks. The short version: I'm not all that impressed. I've always been able to count on my MPS for that counter when I needed it - even when I was quite a ways away from the table. The innershield doesn't have quite the same punch that I expect in a modern defender's blade - it loses it's off the table counter attacking abilities in exchange for extreme control. I'm a firm believer that a solid stroke and good swing can provide even the slowest combination a stable and reliable attack but you had better be prepared to have your attacks returned if you're not looping someone's drop shot/push. I have developed what I consider to be a somewhat bad habit of half or quarter swinging back a loop to my forehand with my MPS + T05 from even a medium distance as the blade/rubber combination gave it some extra 'umph' which was usually not expected except from regular opponents. The result was rarely a winner, but the added spin/speed was enough to usually throw my opponents off to give my a weak return which I might be able to attack. This shot just does not exist with my Innershield. It's so slow that anything less than a full swing from far away from the table just doesn't have enough on it to phase a decent attacker. My topspin/sidespin loop return from the forehand has been abandoned when I use this blade in favor of a more difficult to return forehand chop. Conclusion: I do enjoy using this blade as it gives me the ability to throw a lot more spin on dead balls with a fuller stroke but the loss in attacking possibilities leaves me at an impasse. If I could have the MPS on my forehand and the Innershield on my backhand - well now - that would be a blade I'd surely pay $160 with no regrets. If you have any questions just hit me up and I'll try to answer them as best as I can. |
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roundrobin
Premier Member Joined: 10/02/2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 4708 |
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First of all let me apologize for my remarks to you in another thread. It was uncalled for.
Welcome to the forum, my friend. The ZLF follows the steps of slow but elastic defensive blades like Nittaku Tiluna and Donic Defplay Senso that have been gaining popularity of late. It's quite slower than former defensive darlings such as Mat Pro Special, Defence II and Nittaku Haneyoshi. It's designed to be able to chop not only from the traditional distance of 6-10ft away from the table, but also closer (around 4ft) when necessary. The technique to attack, counter topspin or push aggressively with this type of blade is quite different than the one used for Mat Pro Special... To use this type of blade you must proactively make the blade "bend" upon contact to achieve a "slingshot" effect for every aggressive stroke, instead of relying on the blade's built-in speed like Mat Pro Special. To do you so you have to maintain a looser wrist than usual to produce a quick back swing before contact, then aggressively accelerate forward. The slingshot effect is most evident when you open your blade to contact the ball head-on at 90 degrees. As you gradually close the blade angle or open some more (to chop), the slingshot effect diminishes almost linearly, thus allowing you to use the natural slowness of the blade to tame strong topspin. In this way you can finally have the best of both worlds: Attack with tremendous power, and control-chop strongest topspin drives with ease. It will take anyone quite a while to develop proper strokes for this type of blade, but in the end it should be very rewarding. If you have the time and patience I'd recommend that you stick with it for a few months. |
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firetack
Silver Member Joined: 10/18/2006 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 950 |
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good review,sounds a lot like defplay senso ididn`t realise it was so slow
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Black Balsa 3.0 fh/tenergy 05 1.9 388d ox
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icontek
Premier Member This is FPS Doug Joined: 10/31/2006 Location: Maine, US Status: Offline Points: 5222 |
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Robin - do you mean the blade is highly elastic like the Yaska Extra (slow on slow shots, fast enough on big drives)
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roundrobin
Premier Member Joined: 10/02/2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 4708 |
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Yes, also similar to Ebenholz NCT V. You must actively "bend" the blade for aggressive shots. |
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roar
Silver Member Joined: 03/30/2011 Status: Offline Points: 658 |
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Thanks. It really is that slow. I hesitated to give it even a 6. But, like I said in my prior post, this allows you to use long pips with sponge for a controlled heavy chop close to the table. |
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roar
Silver Member Joined: 03/30/2011 Status: Offline Points: 658 |
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By the way, Tenergy 05 and 64 both paired well with this blade, but I'm enjoying Xiom Vega Pro right now as a solid chopping and attacking rubber.
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nachalnik
Super Member Joined: 09/05/2009 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 240 |
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You might want to try Giant Dragon Kris Special. It's $37 or so, fast on the FH (probably 8/10 based on your scale), really slow BH (5/10). Tons of control. There's no need to spend the kind of $$ BTY charges.
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roar
Silver Member Joined: 03/30/2011 Status: Offline Points: 658 |
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I've seen a few combination blades. They're okay but I do enjoy the amount of control I have on the forehand for chopping as well. When I'm mid distance and I get a shot to my forehand that I couldn't hit for a winner, I'd rather give a solid chop than a light lob type shot. |
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elius
Member Joined: 05/30/2013 Location: italia Status: Offline Points: 31 |
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I full agree with what was said ruggito and roundrobin. someone has tried to reduce the plate of the innershield to increase the stiffness and the speed? I'm scared to do this given the cost of the blade, but I'm curious.
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blade:Yinhe Venus 14 Pro
fh :Gewo Proton Neo 325 1.8 bh :Donic Coppa 1.1 |
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Crowsfeather
Super Member Joined: 08/03/2013 Location: Thailand Status: Offline Points: 448 |
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Roar.
Is it a koto or limba wood on the outer ply ?
Thank you in advance. |
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I'm no longer an EJ and I'm proud .
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elius
Member Joined: 05/30/2013 Location: italia Status: Offline Points: 31 |
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composition of innershield ZLF: salice 0.8 - limba 0.49 - ZLF 0.01 - ayous 2.5
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blade:Yinhe Venus 14 Pro
fh :Gewo Proton Neo 325 1.8 bh :Donic Coppa 1.1 |
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tsanyc
Platinum Member Joined: 05/23/2006 Location: Mt. Hinoki Status: Offline Points: 2367 |
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innershield zlf didn't work for me at all!
It has a strange slow reaction upon contacting the ball, like it just stops there... ??? I am keep my JSH ST 92g, I'm lovin it!
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