Suggestions for a 5-ply blade

I play a modern defensive game with LP on BH and with a pretty decent FH. My rating is around 1800-1850 and improving. I've only recently had the urge to try inverted both sides and would probably rate myself 1650-1750. On my FH I usually loop drive and smash with the occasional brush loop. My game revolves more around speed than spin and I would like it the other way around. My BH is usually heavy pushes, blocks, lobs and the occasional loops.

I have a Photino with Hexer and CJ8000 Biotech (36-38) in the works. A friend of mine bought me a sheet of Neo H3 after all the hype and reading a bunch of posts I realized that it paired well with 5-ply blades. The Photino set me back some, but X'mas is coming and I was thinking of buying a 5-ply blade (call it an investment) around a $50 budget. If I hadn't bought the Photino, would have surely gone for the Acoustic or HK. I would definitely prefer something in the OFF range and a weight preferably under 90 gms. I've narrowed it down to:

1. Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive
2. Stiga OC (CR/WRB)
3. Stiga Clipper (CR/WRB)
4. Xiom Fuga
5. Avalox BT 555

Don't quite know how to make this a poll to make it easier. I'm sure I've left out some good blades, so please let me know. Thanks.

I have a Yasaka Gatien Extra with 2 (commercial) H2's on it.  The soft flexible blade pairs quite well with the firm sponge rubbers.  Best of all, the blade is only about $40.

Anton Chigurh wrote: I've played with three of�the five blades you listed: The Yasaka, the Stiga OC CR (non-WRB), and the Fuga (my current blade). � I think the YEO is a nice blade, but too stiff for my taste. It's nearly as fast and as stiff as a carbon blade, but with slightly better feel than carbon. � The Stiga OC CR and the Fuga are quite similar, in my opinion. The OC might be a little stiffer than the Fuga, but not much. My setup is a Fuga with Neo H3 on the forehand--when I get ahold of a�solid loop, even higher level players have difficulty with the spin. �If you want to go with a spin-oriented setup that still has enough power for the occasional smashes then I think either the OC or the Fuga would work well. � I know nothing of the Avalox blade. The Clipper I've only heard good things about. It's stiffer, heavier, and faster than the OC and the Fuga. � So, for what you want, I would suggest the OC or Fuga with Neo H3. It may take some modifications in your technique, but I think once you adapt you'll very much enjoy it.

"I think the YEO is a nice blade, but too stiff for my taste. It's nearly as fast and as stiff as a carbon blade"
Anton,are you sure you are talking about YEO?I Have one and it actually feels very controllable,but not stiff at all.May be softer than even medium-great looping blade.
Avalox P500 is a very good blade,I liked it more than Avalox 555 and 700.Avalox P 500 is just an offensive classic blade-does everything well.Affordable,too.Clipper I had once-it was too stiff and insensitive-and sold it.Have nothing good or bad to say about that Clipper

P500 is great.P555 is a flexible blade,can make banana-shaped loops.P500 is stiffer and better,IMO.I sold my p555 because of the wild pace of ejing at the time...:)

holda wrote: Chronos has 1 blade nobody wants for no reason.Darker ,a 5 ply Speed Legato with a straight handle.I had one and it was very similar to a more expensive light weight VIolin by NIttaku.I am fine with all the gears now,but I can assure,this is one of the best 5 plies I have played with.

Here are the pics of this blade I used to have:
http://picasaweb.google.com/zhestyk/Legato2A#5205284797110429666

@ Anton Chigurh:
Thanks for the info about the Fuga. I've actually played with the OC CR before on a friends blade but with different rubbers. I really liked the feel of that blade. Does the WRB help the blade, cos I've heard a lot of people say other wise.

@tuco:
I haven't really heard much about that blade but will put it on my list. Are you talking about the Gatien Extra 3D or Gatien Extra 7?

@holda:
Is the Darker Legato a Hinoki ply of some sort? Again not heard much about it. I guess everyone has a different feel for each blade just like you like the YEO. Good that you mentioned about the P500 as a club member has that and I'm sure will let me try it.

@doraemon:
I saw a couple of other compositions when i was doing this search and spruce-ayous-spruce combination with different top plies seems to be the good and stable looping blade composition. Thanks a lot for the comparison. Which of these did you like the most from a looping/offensive style of play? I know tough question.

@ohhgourami:
I hate this. Now you're making me think about buying an HK knowing fully well it is out of my budget. How much different is the old HK from the HK 655? ttrubberman has the old ones for $120 or is the HK 655 just worth the investment. Maybe if the Photino doesn't work out I could trade it for an HK.

darker legato has no hinoki at all.some hard wood veneers make this blade pretty fast.all rubbers,tensors,srivers,mark 5 like,all are paired perfectly.

wrb handle design shift the weight of the assembled racket toward its head,not so comfortable for my wrist,but i could compensate this weight imbalance by using a soft grip tape around the midsection of my wrb blade's handle.

Looking at some of the responses I've got I think you can't go wrong with the Stiga OC CR as no one has anything bad to say about it, only good experiences and a good all wood blade to start off with. Plus at $42 @ paddlepalace that is the cheapest of the aforementioned blades. Anyone know of any other place where it would be cheaper to ship to the US?

YEO had some mixed experiences. Clipper seems to play a little to stiff with a little less feel for the ball and the non-WRB version goes into the 90+ gms ranges. The Legato seems to be a good blade, but the only place that seems to have it is iruiru and the shipping to US is very high.

Out of curiosity how does the Acoustic compare to HK 655, again to be paired with the H3 Neo?

metallikviper wrote: @doraemon: I saw a couple of other compositions when i was doing this search and spruce-ayous-spruce combination with different top plies seems to be the good and stable looping blade composition. Thanks a lot for the comparison. Which of these did you like the most from a looping/offensive style of play? I know tough question.

For looping / offensive style of play, I would rate OC-CR (non-WRB) and BT555 the better ones (from your selection, with the exception of Fuga because I have never tried it).  The difference is that , OC-CR is a bit flexible but not too springy, so it is better in the short game.  Besides my OC-CR is 89 grams so it feels steady.  My BT555 is only 81 grams (too light for me), it is a bit flexible also and more springy.  So for mid-distance looping, BT 555 has more kick compared to OC-CR, but control-wise, OC-CR is better.  I would choose OC-CR.  If you can, get the non-WRB version, otherwise don't bother.  I have WRB and non-WRB, and I don't think highly of the WRB.  Speed-wise, I would say OC-CR is slower compared to BT555.  If you want faster Stiga 5-ply, get the Offensive NCT.  It is a stiffer, harder and faster OC-CR.

Now, YEO is in different class in term of speed.  Although walnut is hard, but when attached with rubbers, YEO feels medium to medium soft.  It is stiffer compared to OC-CR / BT555 and noticeably faster.  It is good for looping as well (not as good as OC-CR and BT555 though, but only a bit less) but it is better for hitting/blocking compared to OC-CR and BT555.

Clipper is a different blade compared to others in your selection.  First, it is 7-ply and the newer version is as thick as 6.8 mm.  It is therefore much stiffer, so good for hitting / driving / blocking.  However, because of the soft surface, it is still good for looping (not as good as the other 5-ply in your selection though).  Short game is also good due to the soft outer-ply.  I found that stiff yet soft blade is easier to control in the short game, compared to the soft flexible blades (well, soft flexible blades can be good in short game also, but need adjustment in your touch).

So I would say that all blades in your selection are good for looping / offensive play.  But for me and my style of play, an OC-CR non WRB is good enough for me.

doraemon wrote: For looping / offensive style of play, I would rate OC-CR (non-WRB) and BT555 the better ones (from your selection, with the exception of Fuga because I have never tried it).� The difference is that , OC-CR is a bit flexible but not too springy, so it is better in the short game.� Besides my OC-CR is 89 grams so it feels steady.� My BT555 is only 81 grams (too light for me), it is a bit flexible also and more springy.� So for mid-distance looping, BT 555 has more kick compared to OC-CR, but control-wise, OC-CR is better.� I would choose OC-CR.� If you can, get the non-WRB version, otherwise don't bother.� I have WRB and non-WRB, and I don't think highly of the WRB.� Speed-wise, I would say OC-CR is slower compared to BT555.� If you want faster Stiga 5-ply, get the Offensive NCT.� It is a stiffer, harder and faster OC-CR.Now, YEO is in different class in term of speed.� Although walnut is hard, but when attached with rubbers, YEO feels medium to medium soft.� It is stiffer compared to OC-CR / BT555 and noticeably faster.� It is good for looping as well (not as good as OC-CR and BT555 though, but only a bit less) but it is better for hitting/blocking compared to OC-CR and BT555.Clipper is a different blade compared to others in your selection.� First, it is 7-ply and the newer version is as thick as 6.8 mm.� It is therefore much stiffer, so good for hitting / driving / blocking.� However, because of the soft surface, it is still good for looping (not as good as the other 5-ply in your selection though).� Short game is also good due to the soft outer-ply.� I found that stiff yet soft blade is easier to control in the short game, compared to the soft flexible blades (well, soft flexible blades can be good in short game also, but need adjustment in your touch).So I would say that all blades in your selection are good for looping / offensive play.� But for me and my style of play, an OC-CR non WRB is good enough for me.

Awesome comparison between the blades. After all you guys' blade experiences it makes it really easy to choose one. I just wish it plays like you described it, but then if that were true then there'll be no EJs.

Looks like the WRB is definitely off. I guess Stiga went seriously wrong with that, as no one has anything nice to say about it. I've used a friend's Offensive NCT before with BWII on it and felt very stiff w/o much feel, kinda like carbon blades and just as fast. Looks like almost everyone agrees with the OC CR.

Do the OC CRs usually come varnished from the factory? What kinda weights do they usually run into? Also, since the H3 Neo comes with a glue layer on it, is just a coat of Rubber cement/free chack on the blade good enough?

I am surprised nobody mentioned Korbel yet. Too me - much nicer feel than Stiga OC (CR), but I am not a big fan of excessive vibrations, so your feeling preference may be different.