Rapscallion by Ross Leidy

Perhaps aeoliah's question is this review true opening shot (or better yet, first “thrown blade,” since we are talking about a blade here).

Totally legitimate—what makes this blade the holy grail of looping blades? In short, the blade, at 85 grams, is light, but it is also noticeably flexible and (most importantly) remarkably powerful (I would not say “fast” because the response mechanism takes a few milliseconds more than, say, a stiffer blade).

As any TT blade expert would say, the flex is key for producing spin, for picking up the opponent's heavy and low underspin shots, and for carrying up the ball from below enveloped in a new spin. Its light-weight allows the player to exert the highest level of physical activity for a longer time (looping is a true tiring activity), and move the blade faster afar from the table to a flip near the net. The blade's power is responsible, then, for sending the ball back to the other side of the net even when you are far from the table: without having to spend all your energy in a single shot, a powerful blade like this one will make it seem as magic.

Powerful, flexible and light? Too contradictory to simply be for real. This seemed too much like the blurbs and write-ups of equipment companies: the misinformation that fuels much of the uneducated EJ outbreak among the upmarket. It is at this point, when I saw and felt the living contradiction in my hands, that I became convinced that this blade was exceptional.

I will attempt expanding on Ross' classic 3 property points answer to aeoliah (soft core, thickness flexibility and the masur birch), but as we continue on this discussion my main contribution will hopefully be on showing how, in fact, the Rapscallion dramatically improves every looper's shot and movement.

The blade's unique composition: masur birch - mahogany - kiri - mahogany - masur birch

The Chinese Kiri tree (Paulownia tomentosa), the core of the Rapscallion, is shrouded in beautiful myth in areas of Asia, but largely despised as an invasive species in the Americas—its seeds traveled the world with the coveted Chinese porcelain. It helped that these seeds grow into majestic trees rather quickly. And, I speculate, that its speedy growth may have something to do with its light weight-- it must be difficult to build a dense-wood tree in a hurry. The Kiri is about twice as hard as the Balsa, yet it remains among the most weightless wood-layers available for TT paddles—a sprightly, agile and graceful one. No wonder, then, that by having at its nucleus such a migratory and locomotive wood the Rapscallion can easily flex to absorbs the ball's impact. However, sucking up the ball alone will not suffice a gladiating looper. This blade should have a way to shoot back the ball with power and precision.

With less effort than it seems, the two harder veneers guarding the softer Kiri will make out of the 40 mm ball a dangerous projectile, sending it back faster and spinier than it came. Closer to the Kiri, and becoming harder only gradually, is the venerable Mahogany, native of the Caribbean and Central America—used for the last 500 years as one of the main sources of ship building and famously durable furniture. The Mahogany, true to its reputation, is a key reliable piece in this blade; it takes the ball into a deliberately harder push out.

But to make the shot as devastating as the looper hopes, the Masur Birch has to come in exactly at this time. This Birch, well-known around the world for its grains and face, which seems to exhibit bird eyes, is original from Scandinavia and Northern Russia. The strange flecked figure, its unique aspect, seems a byproduct of a defense mechanism against insect attack. This high figure and strength, which developed while healing the damage done by an invasive boring beetle, comes to good use in the Rapscallion. It is stiff, but not too much and as such it seems even soft, and yet it is remarkably strong and potent (perhaps this is why Ross used the word “resilient” in an earlier post to refer to the Masur). If compared to composite blades, the Masur does the driving effect of the carbon, but in the Rapscallion, it does it from an outside veneer—completely within the ITTF guidelines. And when polished well, the Masur not only looks gorgeous, but it makes gluing and ungluing a piece of cake.

Hopefully you have already noticed that a Rapscallion's important yet uncommon characteristic is not only the interesting combination of core and veneers, but the order in which they are placed. Moving from the center, the layers advance from soft, harder and hardest, and perhaps, this may be the reason why this blade has a totally different feel of power and dwell than any other blade I have wielded (and I have wielded a broad diversity of them for the purpose of this review). As seen through the eyes of the Janka Ratings:

Masur (1200)- Mahogany (800) – Kiri (250)- Mahogany (800) - Masur (1200)

This progressive movement of force may account for the strange lack of an obvious catapult effect on a blade that absorbs hard hits and yet spits out balls at a unbelievable speed.

I will continue writing about its sweet spot, vibrations (or lack of thereof), throw angle and other important aspects of this blades in sections like this separated by a day or three. Your questions and comments will definitively find their way in what I will say.

(In attempting to address aeoliah's concern I may have deviated a bit from the original format).  

I will attempt to address a few of the issues just raised (sorry for the elongated and “nerdy” response).

I- rokphish

1- Pics

rokphish, thanks for the tip. Yes, I should have taken more care with the pics. Ross obviously took better pictures, and his shows the layers more clearly. It surprised me at first, but the fascination some members of this forum (and that of OOAK) have for beauty, craftsmanship and detail has honestly inspired me to experience this sport more fully.

II- tabten5

tabten5, you submit candid and necessary questions. In truth, Ross and I had already began answering them. I was also planning to continue addressing them in piecemeal. Fully covering them now, however, may just be the best choice (others may be thinking like you).

1- “Compensation”

Directly to the point: Ross' “compensation” is not that different from what publishing houses do when I review academic and scholarly manuscripts: http://bit.ly/RqvpsY Rarely, if ever, there is a published review in which the book is not given totally free (this is the common practice in academic and trade publications alike). This compensation, however, hardly affects the outcome of the review (there is no reason why it should since the “compensation” never compensates for the effort).

Often these books are really expensive because of their limited circulation, and yet reviewers receive them gratis simply as a small token of appreciation for their hard work. In reality, the work of writing a book-review is many times more consuming and difficult than what it seems. The same happens with blade-review, I now realize. For those who have done their share of reviews (in academia this means, pretty much, everybody), to think that “compensation” fuels or stains the review, is a joke. Moreover, short unsolicited and spontaneous reviews are hardly considered trustworthy.

The fact is that after inviting me to write a review, Ross first simply offered a modest discount for the blade, never a sufficient motivation for going through this process. But as I brought members of the (state undefeated) VT team to test and write about the blade, he expanded the offer and included the team's coach in the discount (you will be reading his review shortly, I hope).

The story began a couple of months ago when I approached Ross about trying one of his demo blades. At that time I felt stuck in my TT training (could not maintain a consistent 100 hard shots and was getting frustrated by the slow progress in mastering other techniques). I acquired some new and used equipment, and began learning to work with the rackets on my own (Ely Cole was a great help too). Paying more attention to the equipment, I thought, may also help to learn how and why practicing certain techniques was so important. I had read many threads and posts about Charlie, Kevin and Ross' blades, that I decided to contact them. Reading about these craftsmen, and then communicating with them gave me a insight on blade-making that I would not have gotten in any other way.

When Ross, in what it seemed as an authentic desire to evaluate his brainchild, offered me the opportunity to write about the blade, I saw this in the same way I see academic journal's invitation to write about a book: a chance to learn more about the subject. And since this was not a finished product (Ross was decided to create not simply a beautiful blade, but one that would fill-in the gap of looper's blade), I thought I would participate in its creation by giving it a close and critical evaluation.

Looking at how much effort and dedication Ross (as other craftsmen) put on their work, I would not even consider feasible to do less than what they do. Moreover, (and this is something I plan to expand later) Ross was persistently inquiring with doubts he had and pressing me on points that may produce negative reactions on players (i.e., how players may react to the sudden power increase the blade shows and the many gears its throw angle has). This, I thought, was an admirable display of honor and openness.

2- Playing level

From the start I made it clear to Ross that I was only reentering TT as an adult with limited experience in the game. But he insisted that other issues mattered most: the passion for the game, a critical yet balanced evaluation, and the ability to convey its meaning in a coherent manner.

As a teenager in the Dominican Republic, I had played long outside of professional clubs (what in the U.S. is called, “basement” playing), and unfortunately, had developed poor techniques. As an adult, I tried my luck at Mitchell Seidenfeld's club in Minnesota-- at which time I realized I had to work hard if I wanted to become a decent player. The academic tenure-track, unfortunately, did not afforded much time. This year, however, my kids showed a sudden and more serious interest in TT, and they, I have to confess, rule my life.

Prompted by new hopes I decided to invested myself fully into this game (by now you may have noticed that this is my modus operandi). So, I approached the VT team coach, and began playing hard with him and the team, and at the local club. 

Moreover, in the last six months we have been particularly lucky to have been training with Wu Xian Sheng - “Mr. Wu” (coached China's Liu Guoliang when Guoliang was a little kid and is 2350 USTT). 

I cannot tell you my USTT score because I have not been at a USTT tournament yet. The players with whom I daily train and play are mostly between 1600-2000. And, as I mentioned above, I have included them in this blade's evaluation (I did not feel I could present to you the most objective and informative review of this blade without their help). So, as I mentioned at the introduction, in this review you get more than one review; you get the best a diverse group of dedicated players think about this blade.

Thanks again for the chance to explain. Hope I have addressed your concerns.