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Nexy Tuvalu Review

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tommyzai View Drop Down
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    Posted: 05/11/2014 at 8:56pm

A player who will remain nameless grabbed my Nexy Tuvalu before I could try it. As payment for the loan, he agreed to do a review. Here's his review . . .

Head Size:  165 x 154mm

Thickness:  9.5mm

Plies:  5W+1C on FH (E-A-C-B=SM-B-A-WA)

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.

   FH= 32 mm rebound

   BH=33.5mm rebound*

*In play, the FH side is clearly faster, but a passive bounce was higher on the BH side.


https://www.dropbox.com/s/h6t3evy0latgsoo/Nexy%20Tuvalu.mp3


REVIEW BY UNKNOWN

Tommy Zai, renowned EJ of this forum, recently acquired a Nexy Tuvalu. But before he had a chance to play with it, I took the liberty of “borrowing” the blade from him.

INTRO

The Tuvalu is a balsa core blade. My bad experience with the Dr Neubauer’s Titan (Re-Impact Tachi) years ago almost prompted me to give this blade back immediately. It is 9.5mm thick (so is the Titan) and weighs 90 grams. The Titan I had only weighed 60 grams. Lately I have been playing with a “borrowed” Medusa, which weighs about 60 grams so the heft is VERY noticeable. It is also VERY stiff with absolutely no noticeable flex – reminds me of the Dynamix 17 that I once had.

RUBBERS

I did not have any rubbers to test with, so I ordered 2 rubbers that I never tried before: 1.8mm Air Illumina and Sanwei Code OX. So off to my friend’s garage with him hitting balls to me.

BACKHAND

SURPRISE, SURPRISE and SURPRISE. Looking at that thick balsa core I thought blocking with the Tuvalu was going to be all over the place. Well, blocking with LP on the backhand side of the Tuvalu was a dream. Blocks were low and very controlled. I was able to block almost every hits and loops back on the table. Just close the blade to the right angle and the ball would drop back on the other side. I have played with quite a few blades since I started playing LP on my backhand side: TSP Balsa 5.5, Titan, Kung Fu, Hercules, Aurora, Medusa and even a Ross custom blade. I can easily say the Tuvalu and the Medusa I am using are the best blocking blades for LP’s. The Tuvalu even has a lower trajectory than the Medusa. The feel of the Tuvalu is at the opposite end of the Medusa, however. The Tuvalu feels hard while the Medusa feels very soft. Pushes and rolls are also very controllable but with a lower trajectory than the Medusa. Yet, before I got used to it, I was pushing and rolling balls into the net.

FOREHAND

Very stiff but has a medium soft feel. Actually the feel is kind of muted probably because of the carbon layer underneath; or maybe it is the rubber I am playing with. I have been playing with all wood blades, which have a more pronounced feel of the ball, and I do not like the loss of feel here. Nevertheless, blocking is effortless; the heft of the blade really helps here. Another surprise: short pushes and plays over the table were precise and controlled. I was able to push with good underspin and serve with decent spins. The blade can also generate good speed on hitting and smashing. For a balsa blade, it behaves quite linearly. Hitting/Smashing with the Tuvalu does not produce a sharp ping sound as with other carbon blades I had played with in the past. I have only tried a few loops with the blade. The ball went where I directed; but I am not feeling the ball at all. Again, the trajectory/throw is quite low – not sure if this is the blade of the rubber.

I have not tried any off-the-table looping or chopping as my friend’s garage space limits tests to the above stated strokes. I will report back when I have a few more hits at the club.

SUMMARY

Overall, I like what the Tuvalu can do. However, with just after one brief session of testing, I do not know it will replace the Medusa I am playing with. While the Tuvalu is functionally capable, I am not used to the hard feel on the backhand side and less feel on the forehand side. The forehand side also has a lower throw than I am accustomed to. These are merely personal preferences, and I am sure someone would prefer these characteristics.

For more information:  http://nexy.com/shop/step1.php?number=1318&b_code=B20091201071556&c_code=C20091202014952 




Edited by tommyzai - 06/12/2014 at 6:50pm
For More Info, PM or Email me: [email protected]
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tommyzai View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tommyzai Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05/12/2014 at 6:31pm
Here is what the Nexy Tuvalu sounds like when a ball is dropped on it from 40mm.



Edited by tommyzai - 05/12/2014 at 6:31pm
For More Info, PM or Email me: [email protected]
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tommyzai View Drop Down
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Joined: 02/17/2007
Location: Tucson AZ USA
Status: Offline
Points: 9289
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tommyzai Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/12/2014 at 6:50pm
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h6t3evy0latgsoo/Nexy%20Tuvalu.mp3

For More Info, PM or Email me: [email protected]
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