Darker Alba & Serio - SAKURA blades

In the latest Darker catalogue there is a new series of blades called Sakura. The wto blades in the series are the Alba and Serio. In the catalogue there is a description and graphs, and I'd love to know what it says, but unfortunately it's in Japanese. :(
Can anyone translate?

Here is the page:

Here you go!

------------
The Birth of the Plywood Sakura

The feeling of one-ply hinoki achieved with plywood.

This has been a big dream Darker has longed for.

For the material and construction, we have decided to choose the 7-ply hinoki which has a proven track record.

Next, the development team tackled the gluing method of plywood, which influences the feeling of impact.

The gluing method is the product injected with years of dedication and effort.

And finally, by using the unique gluing method,

The sensation of dwell, the sharpness of bounce, and the stretch,

The feeling that hinoki possesses is accomplished.

Yes, it's the birth of the plywood that reproduces the exact feeling of one-ply hinoki.

*The name Sakura comes from the color of the glue(cherry blossom pink) developed by Darker.

***********Pink text***********
Characteristics of Sakura

Soft shock-absorbance and strong flex to coexist with a slight time-lag is the biggest feature of the Sakura. Weak flex at the low end of impact, strong flex at the high end of impact.(red line on the graph)

That is one characteristic that, surprisingly, few blades possess. Too much bounce on drop shots or blocks, and conversely, when hitting hard away from table, the power of a plywood blade often does not come out as one might expect.(blue line on the graph)

***********Graph***********
(Graph A) Graph of Shot Response
Y-axis says Shot Rebound
X-axis says Impact Strength

[Short red line] The red line represents that weak rebound occurs upon low impact and strong rebound occurs upon high impact(symmetric performance).

[Short blue line] The blue line represents that strong rebound occurs upon low impact and rebound not strong enough occurs upon high impact(non-symmetric performance).

Edited by zeio - 06/05/2014 at 12:13am

You're welcome. That blade sounds intriguing if it lives up to the description. Anyone interested in getting one?

I've had a close look at the plies, and it looks like they're 7 ply kiso hinoki blades. the Serio just a little thicker than the Alba.

Per the request of another member, I've translated the second page of the Darker Sakura series in the Darker Catalog 2014.



[White text over pink background]Feel the Evolution of Plywood - Two Types of Strong Lineup

[Between the two pink ribbons]The incessant search for the possibility of "Sakura" sees the completion of two types made of different material and construction. The expression of personality is the passion of this lineup.

[Big white text]Aruba

Just like the killer shot of top player!
Feel the "catapult" after the "bite"!!

Making the best use of the characteristics of Sakura, the racket suppresses the bounce of close-to-the-table drive, block and so on, but increases the bounce for driving rally. The combination of hinoki and other wood has created an ideal sensation at impact. Power hitter will feel satisfied as well.

* For offensive play
* 7-ply of hinoki plus other wood
* Grip/ FL, ST

[Side of blade]* Cross-section of Alba
The cherry blossom pink is the proof of Sakura

[Big white text]Serio

As a result of "Sakura", the hinoki-only plywood blade comes with good "catapult" and at the same time the experience of "sharp stretch"!!

A unique characteristic realized by Sakura is the flexible feel at impact that allows for ease of driving. This blade is especially suitable for players who favor soft feel at impact. You should be able to feel the catapult, and at the same time the good stretch of hinoki. Recommended for players with no confidence in power.

* For offensive play
* All-hinoki 7-ply plywood
* Grip/ FL, ST

[Side of blade]* Cross-section of Serio
The cherry blossom pink is the proof of Sakura

Edited by zeio - 05/23/2018 at 5:11am

But the price of these blades is still much cheaper than Darker speed 90 and Tanban......

I did own a Serio. I tested with it and gave it a good review. However, It is not a blade for me, as I prefer playing with 5 plies.

Enter_Thrice wrote: hithithit wrote: I did own a Serio. I tested with it and gave it a good review. However, It is not a blade for me, as I prefer playing with 5 plies. Do you know the difference between Alba and Serio? I would like to buy one of them, but I´m not sure which would suit my game more. Currently I play with a Nittaku Acoustic, but I´m looking for something a little faster. I really like Hinoki of course.

As far as I know:
1) Serio is softer and is a bit more thicker than Alba. I found serio to have good dwell time, so I was able to produce good spin. The blade with rubbers (Donic Bluefire JP01 2mm and Nittaku FastArc S1 2mm) mixed well and were quite balanced.
2) I have been told Alba has a harder feeling as only some plies are hinoki. Specs wise, it is thinner by a small fraction (~3mm, please confirm this yourself).

Look, I am not sure if a 7 ply blade is the way to go if you are used to the Acoustic. But then again, to each their own (e.g. playing style and rubbers).

For your information, have you thought about Victas Dynawood Power? Or its less powerful sibling Dynawood?

I don't know if it is hinoki, but it's something you could think about. Quite a recent release.

http://victas-jp.com/home/blade/DynawoodPower.html
http://victas-jp.com/home/blade/Dynawood.html

haggisv wrote: hithithit wrote: 2) I have been told Alba has a harder feeling as only some plies are hinoki. Specs wise, it is thinner by a small fraction (~3mm, please confirm this yourself). I think you meant 0.3mm, right?

Yes! And thank you! :)

Dynawood and Dynawood Power are around 90g. This is what the Specs say, and it's also quite accurate from the ones I've seen. They are all wood, but use 'wood fibre' as a substitute for other composite materials, which is their new technology. You're right though, no sign of any hinoki.

Has anyone tried Serio?

Alba’s construction looks pretty close to Nittaku Septear, but Septear is marked as 6.7mm thick vs 6.2 for Alba. Maybe Septear reviews could give an estimation to Alba’s performance.

Matt Pimple wrote: DLC1325 wrote: Alba’s construction looks pretty close to Nittaku Septear, but Septear is marked as 6.7mm thick vs 6.2 for Alba. Maybe Septear reviews could give an estimation to Alba’s performance. Based on the above info. I would conclude that the Serio is closer to Septear because of the thickness (6.5 vs. 6.7 mm) and also the fact that Serio uses 7 plies of hinoki whereas the Alba is a 7-ply blade but also uses some other wood.

Ahh yes. I missed that part.