Buying a racquet

Hey guys, long post incoming. I'm buying my first real racquet and I need some advice. I have a lot of info to provide, so read on!

First things first. I've been playing table tennis casually for about a year (I'm currently a sophomore in university) but I'm going to start playing it 'full time' at the school club. I've played mostly with borrowed premades of varying characteristics, but none of them have been quite satisfactory. I'll go through my racquet history with my thoughts on them and such so that you guys can help me pick the right blade and rubbers!

I'm a two-winged looper with a high-energy, fast game. I'm young, strong, and quick (at this point in my life) and I go for every ball. I can hit hard and fast and I can move quickly. I have no formal training; I self-teach through watching videos of pro players (generally my favorite chinese players) and watching/reading tutorials. I have a good grasp of the game, I just need to bring my actual play up to what I (mentall) know how to do by training hard and doing drills.

I like to play with a more 'chinese' style, although some disagree as to whether there's actually a difference. Regardless, I forehand loop with an extended, loose, arm so I can get the most speed and spin on my shots. I also use weight transfer and rotation for the brunt of my power. I also loop on the backhand.

I want equipment that will allow me to improve, but also has potential as I get better and hit harder with more spin. In essence I want something that scales with me. The only downside is that I have a budget, or else I'd just buy a viscaria and call it a day :P

When I started I used a generic premade that had a very soft sponge. It was decent, but it had very little spin or speed. Recently I've been using another premade, the Joola Champ. It's far too light and the rubbers aren't that great however.

What I'm looking for is a blade that flexes, but rebounds with good power (doesn't lose all the power when it flexes) and rubbers that have good dwell, but again, don't lose their power in the dwell. My personal philosophy is that I want fast equipment with good flex/dwell, so that I can get good power while focusing on spin.

I got the opportunity to play with a couple racquets from club members. I asked them various equipment questions, but they didn't see to really know much about equipment, so I just had a hit with both of them. There were commons trends among both that I will henceforth elaborate.

Firstly, these being the first non-premades I've used I don't have any comparison to make between other equipment. Everything is my own personal feeling.

The first was a Joola mc-1 with Sriver and Donic Coppa Jo (pretty sure that was the name). About the blade first. The setup was fairly light in my opinion. I had a few complaints about the rubbers. Firstly, neither seemed to have very good spin. Perhaps better than premades, but I would expect more out of a rubber. Secondly, both rubbers (along with the other two rubbers I tried, thoughts later) felt very hard. The rubbers seemed relatively old, and I don't know if that affects it, but plain and simple they felt hard. I didn't feeling like I was getting much dwell at all from them, and my spin felt rather limited. Next, the blade didn't feel like it flexed very much. I'm not sure how people talk about flex in blades, because I couldn't feel any flex at all. Perhaps both flex and dwell were there, but it makes me doubt people's reviews about equipment a little bit :P . Anyway, I'd like more flex and dwell from both the blade and rubber.

The same was true for the second setup. This was a Stiga Clipper (not sure which) with Rakza 7 and Xiom Vega Pro. This setup was noticeably faster than the first. It seemed better for hitting, which is not something I do often. The rakza was the best of the 4 rubbers I played with, as it seemed to have a little bit more spin than the others. These rubbers, however, felt hard as well. Is this what rubbers are like? I feel like I'd like more dwell and rebound rather than just 'hard' rubbers with a little bit of spin. I didn't care too much for the vega for the same reasons as the others. Lastly, I found it hard to judge the blade. The setup was definitely faster, but I couldn't tell if it really flexed less.

All in all, I didn't like either setup. I want rubbers that give me good spin on both wings, perhaps with a nice bit of kick, although the spin is more important to me. As for the blade, I definitely want something that flexes decently and rebounds crisply.

Now on to some equipment I singled out over my time browsing various TT forums.

As for forehand rubber, I feel fairly set on using a boosted H3. The H3 topsheet should provide all the spin I want, and the boosted sponge should have decent dwell and springy rebound.

I have no real clue about my backhand rubber. I like to loop and flick on my backhand, so it needs to be something that I can produce good spin on. However, I love to counterloop on my backhand, so it can't be too dead. My budget for the backhand rubber is also not high, probably no more than 20-30 dollars at MOST. I could probably boost a cheap backhand rubber, but I know surprisingly little about inexpensive backhand rubbers!

As for a blade, I'm not 100% sure. I made a list of blades that I heard might be good. Having tried the clipper, I can't say it's really for me at this point. I need something better for looping. My blade budget is 60-70 dollars.

DHS PG7 - I've heard good things about this blade, however being a 7 ply like the clipper it might not flex enough.

Yasaka Extra Offensive - A classic blade. Tested again and again, I'll leave this one up to your judgement, however it's popular for a reason.

Stratus Power Wood - This blade has stood out to me recently. Nearly unanimous good reviews, it seems to have some of the characterstics I want. Does it flex well, but retain good power for strong loops, and does it go well with H3? I'm leaning towards this blade if it does these things.

All in all, that was a long post. Thanks to everyone who read through it and gave me their opinion! If you're reading this, please post your thoughts about anything I've said, although I'd like to keep the discussion focused on what equipment I should buy, as I'd like to get something new and stop playing with premades ASAP!

Thanks again.

You are going to get a lot of opinions, but here is mine - you know too little about the sport to concern yourself so much with equipment.  Just get something decent from www.colestt.com and play with it for an extended period (at least 6 mths to 1yr).  After that and trying out other people's blades on occasion while doing so, you will get a better idea as to what equipment can and cannot do for your game.

Edited by NextLevel - 08/30/2014 at 10:47pm

NextLevel wrote: You are going to get a lot of opinions, but here is mine - you know too little about the sport to concern yourself so much with equipment.  Just get something decent from www.colestt.com and play with it for an extended period (at least 6 mths to 1yr).  After that and trying out other people's blades on occasion while doing so, you will get a better idea as to what equipment can and cannot do for your game. I started out using something that is nothing like what I used today (all wood, chinese or traditional rubber on both sides).  Today, I am using a 5W+2C blade with Tenergy 05 on both sides.  I wasted a lot of money on equipment before realizing that all that money should have gone to my coach if I really wanted to improve.  I played with Mark V rubber for a brief period last year and still played at a level fairly close to my current rating. For a direct answer to your question: Stratus PowerWood is good.  Stay away from the YEO (too little feedback and dwell for a learning player).  Don't waste too much time on rubbers - anything is fine.  You will learn the value of high performance rubbers later and make that decision then.  If you want to start with a tensor now, that is fine too - just buy something from the first generation like Desto or Baracuda from Donic at a decent price.  But you would do just as well with something from 729/Friendship on both sides. Have fun!

Argothman wrote: Thanks for the answers guys! My main question at this point is regarding the backhand rubber: are there any good inexpensive rubbers out there? Most rubbers I see recommended for the backhand are relatively expensive.

Adidad Challenge force, Tibhar Stratus Powerwood, Stiga offensive classic, Next Peter Pan

Donic vario is a good backhand rubber for developing your game.

Argothman wrote: EDIT2: Leaning towards Korbel.

You cannot go wrong with BTY Korbel, Primorac, or Stratus Power Wood. These blades offer excellent feedback and would fit your game/level well. :)

Korbel with Focus 3 snipe for at least the backhand is a good idea. Focus 3 snipe might be too soft for your forehand but then again maybe it's not.

Bojan Tokic uses a Stratus Powerwood. Just saying...

bns7117 wrote: for the rubbers, go to Jolly's sale's thread, and choose any used rubbers below 20 dollars with your eyes closed. You can count on his descriptions. most of those rubbers are much better than focus 3 snipe. just make sure the rubber fits your blade size as most of his used rubbers were cut to compact head-size blade i think. http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=67988&title=fsupdated-new-tested-like-new-used-rubbers with the blades, probably Tibhar Startus Powerwood is the best option, but Yasaka Extra is fairly decent blade with good flex as I heard. A used one in really good condition is prolly 25-30 bucks. I bought a YE cpen, if i was able to test it today, I would have been able to tell you if it got good flex...

Hmm, he has rubbers like Rasant, Hexer, Acuda, Rhyzm for less than $20. Perhaps I should buy one of those, that's a pretty good deal. I just don't want something too hard, I played with someone's Rakza 7 and it was a little hard for my tastes. I like a decent amount of dwell, without being too slow.

EDIT: As it turns out, only 1 rubber (tackiness D) is large enough for the Korbel. I guess that isn't really an option any more :P


Edited by Argothman - 08/31/2014 at 11:01pm

I would suggest stay away from LKT, Gamblers, or 729... you know there is a reason why they only charge 14 or 15 bucks instead of 50-60 dollars. I tried most of them, and none could outperform a 35-40 dollar rubber.

BUT if you are really skilled and just play for fun, it doesn't matter then, just get a 10-15 dollar rubber. one of my clubmate has regular 729 training rubbers(5-7 bucks?) and still beat the hell out of me(with a setup that's at least 50 dollars more than his). :-)

yeah, i think harder sponge is for more skilled players. but i maybe wrong.

20 dollars can prolly get you a used Xiom Sigma II Euro at around 60-70% usage left. It is a great all-round backhand rubber, I think it's not hard(medium soft), and produces very decent spin. The sigma line is very good for allaround style play in my opionion, and they all fit BH rather good i think.

and i am pretty sure IT WONT HOLD YOU BACK IN YOUR DEVELOPMENT. :)

With FH, Vega series is good enough for attacking. again, you can find some used in good condition for around 15-20 bucks too.

Don't recommend Max for Xiom rubbers since they are a bit heavy in general, 2.0 works great for me. Also, the XIOM rubbers don't play well in humid conditions as they lose their grips or something like that.

Edited by bns7117 - 09/01/2014 at 12:17am

btw, i had yeo cpen, agree with next level that it has too little feedback and dwell, not recommended for loopers.

Take note that the FL handle of korbel looks a lil thin in the middle, you may need to ask how ppl like the FL handle...

Argothman wrote: *_strataras_* wrote: Argothman wrote: So I think I've decided to go with either the Stratus Power Wood or the Korbel, as that seems to be a general consensus on this forum and among many coaches. I'm reconsidering the hurricane on the forehand, because although I like the idea, it seems that there's a consensus against it. :P As for the backhand, I might just get a cheap rubber like 2008 xp or something and call it a day. EDIT: someone in pm suggested that I get 729 focus snipe for the backhand, which I've heard recommended before. What do you guys think? This seems like it could be pretty good for my backhand. EDIT2: Leaning towards Korbel. You shouldn't start with chinese rubber to build up your moves and generally improve your skills!First start with european/japanese rubbers and when your skills have got really improved you can try the chinese rubbers! focus 3 snipe is not a tacky rubber at all, it's a japanese style rubber. It's also light and soft, often recommended to beginners.