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NEXY Hinoki Blade Review by Tommy Zai

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    Posted: 03/17/2014 at 4:03pm

Nexy Tamar V  + VII Review by Tommy Zai
EJ Madman and u1700 player (but climbing fast)

WHY HINOKI?

Hinoki is a species of cypress that is native to central Japan. It’s a slow growing, high quality timber, used as a building material for palaces, temples, noh theaters, baths and more importantly — table tennis blades. These mythical hinoki blades are best known for their springy speed and amazing feel. One plies are rockets, but are usually too ridged, easily breakable, and often uncontrollable for most players; however, five and seven ply hinoki blades usually provide lots of speed without sacrificing touch and control.

WHY TAMAR?

In my search for the ultimate pure Japanese cypress multi-ply blade I discovered Tamar. The more I researched the more I became intrigued by the blade and their company — Nexy. I wanted to place an order, but could not decide between Tamar V and VII. Well, being the Unstoppable EJ Madman, I had no choice — I ordered both! I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to do a side-by-side comparison of a five and seven ply hinoki blade. I received two straight handled blades, each weighing in at 85g.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Fast EMS delivery (5-days from Korea to USA). Boxed nicely. When I opened the packaging the first thing I noticed was the sweet scent of pure hinoki cypress. The boxes are simple and basic, nothing fancy. Yet, the blades themselves are nicely finished with engravings burned into the handle and an emblem attached to the bottom, serving as decorative end-cap. The blades feel nice in the hand. The straight handles are not round like a baseball bat, nor are they too narrow like a chopstick — they are a gently rounded rectangle, which is very comfortable for players with human-sized hands. The blade surface is smooth as a baby’s butt. One light coat of sealant is all that’s needed protect it! It’s unlikely this blade will splinter.

BOUNCE TEST

I dropped a new Premium 3-star ball from 40mm onto the center of the naked blade, which was freely lying flat (handle handing off edge) on a solid wood table.

  • Tamar V:  31mm rebound
  • Tamar VII:  34mm rebound height

GLUED UP!

The blades are well balanced with standard weight rubbers affixed to BH and FH — slightly head-heavy, which is perfect for generating extra spin on shots and serve! I tried various combinations on both blades, which included Japanese factory boosted, Chinese factory boosted, Korean and Japanese standard (old school), SPs, LPs, Antis.

PLAYING POSITIONS

I demoed both blades at three positions:  touch shots, close-to-the-table, and mid-distance. One of my practice partners demoed the blades at a forth position — long-distance/away-from-the-table. Both blades held up nicely at all four positions; however, the V performs well at every distance, while the VII performs well near and really well away from the table with two distinctive gears — touch and blast. Overall, V is less bouncy and easier to control over the table, while VII is bouncier and easier to control away from the table.

SPEED

Tamar V has just enough speed to put the ball away and Tamar VII clearly has some extra zip to help when out of position, away from the table.

SPIN

You can generate a surprising amount of spin with V and VII. Even I was able to crank up a few rotations on both strokes and serves. I did not notice much flex on either blade; however, there was plenty of feel/touch. V is more akin to spin.

FEEL

Both blade transfer ball feel into the handle well, but a little more so with the V due to a bit more vibration.

DISRUPTIVE EFFECT WHEN USING LPs and ANTI

-coming soon-

SOUND

Both blades produce a nice, crisp sound that screams, “I’m coming’ to get you!” The seven-ply had a bit deeper roar. In general, they both have a pleasing “ping.”

RUBBERS

The friction-based Japanese rubbers in factory treated and standard (Tenergy 05 and Mark V) proved to be a better match than the sticky Chinese rubbers (H3 neo and H3).

 IN ACTION CONCLUSION

  • Tamar V is better for an all-round game that includes looping — more "talk" through handle, and despite the lack of flex the ball appears to hold on the racket longer.
  • Tamar VII is a better fit for top-spin drivers, hitters, and blockers — more solid, but still has a soft feel. 
*Not surprisingly, V generated more spin while VII generated more speed.

Tommy Zai's Tamar V Rating (0 – 100)

  • ·      Speed = 87 (OFF-)
  • ·      Spin = 89
  • ·      Control = 75
  • ·      Feel = 92
  • ·      Hardness:  medium
  • ·      Flex:  stiff

Tommy Zai's Tamar VII Rating (0 – 100)

  • ·      Speed = 92 (OFF)
  • ·      Spin = 85
  • ·      Control = 72
  • ·      Feel:  88
  • ·      Hardness:  medium
  • ·      Flex: stiff+

CONCLUSION

The Tamar series by Nexy are finely crafted, nicely finished hinoki blades that look great, feel fantastic, and perform amazingly! They possess the rare combination of being hard (stiff) and soft at the same time. Whether you are a looper, blocker, hitter, all-round player, or even an insane EJ collector, I highly recommend giving one of the Tamars a try — but which model, V or VII? The choice is yours! I’m keeping both!!

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Nexy V:

http://www.nexy.com/shop/step1.php?number=1602&b_code=B20091201071556&c_code=C20091202014952

Nexy VII:

http://www.nexy.com/shop/step1.php?number=1603&b_code=B20091201071556&c_code=C20091202014952










Edited by tommyzai - 03/17/2014 at 4:35pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Matt Pimple Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03/17/2014 at 4:26pm
Very nice review, Tommy. Thumbs Up
 
Could you say something about the disruptive effect and spin reversal of long pips and anti on the Tamar blades in particular in comparison to carbon blades?
OSP Ultimate; Dr. Neubauer Dominance Spin Hard max, Dr. Neubauer Troublemaker 0.5

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tommyzai Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03/17/2014 at 4:29pm
Originally posted by Matt Pimple Matt Pimple wrote:

Very nice review, Tommy. Thumbs Up
Could you say something about the disruptive effect and spin reversal of long pips and anti on the Tamar blades in particular in comparison to carbon blades?

Ah, I do play a combination game, but I didn't think anyone would be interested . . . silly me. Matt, I demoed with LPs and Antis on the BH side. I also had another MYTT member play with it a bit. Could I ask you to try them out before I add to the review? I would appreciate it. I only have two years experience with disruptive rubbers (not counting five years with Dr. Evil).


Edited by tommyzai - 03/17/2014 at 4:37pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Matt Pimple Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03/17/2014 at 6:26pm
Originally posted by tommyzai tommyzai wrote:

Could I ask you to try them out before I add to the review? I would appreciate it.
Sure, I am always happy to test something. I have a couple different Dr. Neubauer antis and also a sheet of Dr. N Diamant (medium pip) that we could test on the Hinoki blades and compare for example to my current setup (Dr. Neubauer Hercules) which so far has been the best blade in combination with anti.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aeoliah Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03/17/2014 at 8:00pm
Nice review, thanks ! I just hope that your wife can accept it that you bought 2 blades at the same time Big smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Carryboy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03/17/2014 at 10:04pm
Nice review tommyzai, nice looking blades too.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tommyzai Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03/21/2014 at 5:50pm
Originally posted by Carryboy Carryboy wrote:

Nice review tommyzai, nice looking blades too.

Thanks!! I'll add to the review after a few more players try it out with various rubbers. Matt Pimple will demo it in a few weeks.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Matt Pimple Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03/21/2014 at 9:50pm
Originally posted by tommyzai tommyzai wrote:

[Matt Pimple will demo it in a few weeks.
Can't wait to test it! I am already boosting a couple month old T05 for it.
OSP Ultimate; Dr. Neubauer Dominance Spin Hard max, Dr. Neubauer Troublemaker 0.5

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pongcrazy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03/22/2014 at 1:00pm
Tommy, Curious how you would compare the 7 ply Tamar to a 7p2a-7t?  If I remember correctly you recently had one and its also the blade I currently know and  love! Thanks in advance for any comparison info.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tommyzai Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03/22/2014 at 1:26pm
Originally posted by pongcrazy pongcrazy wrote:

Tommy, Curious how you would compare the 7 ply Tamar to a 7p2a-7t?  If I remember correctly you recently had one and its also the blade I currently know and  love! Thanks in advance for any comparison info.

I've owned a few Darker blades over the years. They are finely crafted. In comparison, I would say the
Darker 7p-2a.7t series is faster, and the Tamar series has more control and feel — especially the "talk" through the handle.

Both fine quality hinoki blades.


Edited by tommyzai - 03/22/2014 at 1:26pm
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