The pro's equipment -discussion and questions!

Any idea what Xu Xin was using at WTTTC 2018? The handle doesn't look like the Stiga Xu Xin "Coming Soon" blade does it

*_strataras_* wrote: DreiZ wrote: Baal wrote: liXiao wrote: Ishikawa switched to Viscaria (still mind-blowing to me that this blade came out over 20 years ago and is now probably the most popular blade amongst touring pros, which in turn has made it extremely popular amongst amateurs. I honestly don't think it's possible to improve on it. make the handle wider/thicker/squarer!!  By making new ST handles on viscaria. But as I can see from the butterfly's policy...they will keep the "legend" (viscaria) as it is.

bbkon wrote: *_strataras_* wrote: DreiZ wrote: Baal wrote: liXiao wrote: Ishikawa switched to Viscaria (still mind-blowing to me that this blade came out over 20 years ago and is now probably the most popular blade amongst touring pros, which in turn has made it extremely popular amongst amateurs. I honestly don't think it's possible to improve on it. <font style=": rgb255, 255, 255;"> <font style=": rgb255, 255, 255;">make the handle wider/thicker/squarer!!  By making new ST handles on viscaria. But as I can see from the butterfly's policy...they will keep the "legend" (viscaria) as it is. why there s no viscaria penhold?

there is. it called Taksim

passifid wrote: The Taksim is a viscaria penhold how the boll ALC is a viscaria st

wanchope wrote: Unfortunately, there's no cpen viscaria.

That's right - there's a common misconception that the Taksim is a cpen Viscaria, but that's only because the handles are similar looking and they came out around the same time.

If you want a cpen Viscaria, you should instead buy a Timo Boll ALC or a ZJK ALC.

The former has a shorter head size (157 mm IIRC) and the latter a longer head size (161 mm), but both have the same composition as the Viscaria.

passifid wrote: You mean how the boll ALC is not the same as the viscaria also as it is substantially harder outer layer

No, I meant what I wrote.  There's an endless debate on whether the Viscaria is different from the Boll ALC (and Boll Spirit, Kenta ALC, ZJK ALC and other variations), which I don't mean to get into :)

Folks far more knowledgeable than me (who have purchased many of these blades) can speak to the difference or lack thereof between all of these Koto-ALC-Limba-Kiri blades, which have the same plies and the same thicknesses and the same ratings from Butterfly.

Suffice to say, you'll likely find bigger differences between two Viscarias from two different years than between a Viscaria and a Timo Boll ALC made in the same year.  More to the point, when Butterfly was producing custom blades for public purchase, you could choose any handle (even a nice all brown wooden version) to go on this blade composition :D

passifid wrote: opinari wrote: passifid wrote: You mean how the boll ALC is not the same as the viscaria also as it is substantially harder outer layer No, I meant what I wrote.  There's an endless debate on whether the Viscaria is different from the Boll ALC (and Boll Spirit, Kenta ALC, ZJK ALC and other variations), which I don't mean to get into :) Folks far more knowledgeable than me (who have purchased many of these blades) can speak to the difference or lack thereof between all of these Koto-ALC-Limba-Kiri blades, which have the same plies and the same thicknesses and the same ratings from Butterfly. Suffice to say, you'll likely find bigger differences between two Viscarias from two different years than between a Viscaria and a Timo Boll ALC made in the same year.  More to the point, when Butterfly was producing custom blades for public purchase, you could choose any handle (even a nice all brown wooden version) to go on this blade composition :D yes and I say my point is that the viscaria is not a taksim and is also not a boll alc (in the same way a clipper wood and clipper cr are different) I was agreeing you both times

Apologies for the confusion - I'm trying to say that a Viscaria is pretty much a Timo Boll ALC.  In other words, it's as if they relabeled the Clipper Wood as a Clipper 20th Anniversary Edition :)

Happy to disagree on this point though - many players with much better hand feel than me will swear to differences between the blades (even though I can't feel any difference in the ones that I've tried).

DreiZ wrote: As opinari and strataras said taksim is NOT viscaria cpen. Having tried one that blade was a classic, I don't know why they discontinued it (I guess cause not many pros used it?) but kept the viscaria. It was very popular among the cpen users back in the day. Closest to viscaria cpen would probably be zjk alc or tb alc cpen given they are the same construction (koto + alc). Not the same but similar in playing characteristics.

Does Mathias Karlsson plays with some ALC blade? 

I think only the handle is yasaka ma lin soft carbon

Hi, couple of years ago Bojan Tokic came to my club and I saw and he told me that he is using Boll Spirit with tibhar handle and Evolution MXP on both sides.

assam wrote: bbkon wrote: assam wrote: I think only the handle is yasaka ma lin soft carbon how you can know that? and what blade do you thinks its? why it cant be ma lin carbon as advertised? are you a scientist to know that its ALC just looking at camera footage? why not ZLC ,carbon,adamantium? Have you seen the match???

many matches

No it's intact squids he is thinking of
Close though

Look at minute 27:51. Do you think it's only carbon?