Choosing Blade. Marketing Issues

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   I'm looking for a blade to make my first custom paddle. I have a rubber picked out (Killerspin fortissimo as I was a fan of their nitrx 4z rubbers placed on premade paddles), but I am having trouble distinguishing the differences between blades based on marketing. They have categories such as defensive, allround, allround-offensive, offensive, and very fast. 
My style of play is typically more offensive and have a more consistent BH than FH, so I ruled out the defensive blades. I typically drive more than rely on a lot of spin for looping shots, but it also depends on how far from the table I am and where the ball is (elevation-wise) when I hit the ball. I do not typically get into rallies long enough to have me 5 steps or more back from the table where I can really use big looping shots or utilize the spin from a big back swing . My BH's don't have a big back swings, so I block or push-block to move my opponents/hit side-to-side if I'm not in control of the point. 

With this information does anyone have a blade suggestion that won't break my bank ($75 or less) and also fits into my style? Or is there a link to a post from this forum that explains the differences in the megaspin blade categories or a very useful blade purchasing guide? Thanks

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xvrickh Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Beginner Joined: 01/26/2016 Location: Illinois Status: Offline Points: 17	Post Options Post Reply Quote xvrickh Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Choosing Blade. Marketing Issues Posted: 01/12/2017 at 12:56pm
	I'm looking for a blade to make my first custom paddle. I have a rubber picked out (Killerspin fortissimo as I was a fan of their nitrx 4z rubbers placed on premade paddles), but I am having trouble distinguishing the differences between blades based on marketing. They have categories such as defensive, allround, allround-offensive, offensive, and very fast. My style of play is typically more offensive and have a more consistent BH than FH, so I ruled out the defensive blades. I typically drive more than rely on a lot of spin for looping shots, but it also depends on how far from the table I am and where the ball is (elevation-wise) when I hit the ball. I do not typically get into rallies long enough to have me 5 steps or more back from the table where I can really use big looping shots or utilize the spin from a big back swing . My BH's don't have a big back swings, so I block or push-block to move my opponents/hit side-to-side if I'm not in control of the point. With this information does anyone have a blade suggestion that won't break my bank ($75 or less) and also fits into my style? Or is there a link to a post from this forum that explains the differences in the megaspin blade categories or a very useful blade purchasing guide? Thanks

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BMonkey Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Gold Member Joined: 11/28/2008 Status: Offline Points: 1015	Post Options Post Reply Quote BMonkey Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01/12/2017 at 1:37pm
	Why not ask some people around your local table tennis establishment if you can try out their paddles? By hitting with some various paddles, you can form some filtering criteria besides offensive and under $75. Do you like a particular handle type (ST, FL, AN) do you like a particular handle shape (square, round, oval)? Do you like a particular weight? Do you like the feeling of wood blades or composite blades? Do you like the way a particular wood feels (I find hinoki and limba to be quite different in feeling). Just take note of these types of characteristics as you hit with each blade.

Fulanodetal Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Gold Member Joined: 06/28/2013 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 1226	Post Options Post Reply Quote Fulanodetal Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01/12/2017 at 1:57pm
	Asking to borrow someone else's blade to try is a good suggestion. But ultimately you want a blade that is yours. Depending on how much you are invested in the game, you will eventually end up buying a few more blades. But the first one is your starting point. I had no criteria at first on which blade I should buy the first time, and so I figured I would pick a blade that was smack in the middle. Meaning, medium speed, medium feel, medium everything. Handle is just a personal choice, but flared handle is the most popular. I picked a Butterfly Korbel because at the time it was the closest I could find that was medium speed and hardness. I played with it for as couple of years. After your first blade you have a point of reference for your next blade. So don't sweat it too much. It will give you a good idea of how much faster or slower you want your next blade to be, and also how flexible and every other aspect you want to consider. FdT

xvrickh Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Beginner Joined: 01/26/2016 Location: Illinois Status: Offline Points: 17	Post Options Post Reply Quote xvrickh Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01/12/2017 at 3:14pm
	The paddle that I have and want to improve further on is a Killerspin Jet 400. Handle was FL, but felt a little small. It's 5 ply, but can't determine what wood is used. On Cyber Monday of '16 I purchased a Stiga Pro Carbon from Amazon and hated it. If felt like the rubber/sponge absorbed my shots. I barely got any bump in power compared to the Jet 400. The Jet 400 rubber is 1.8mm while the Pro Carbon is 2 mm, so I was expecting equal power if not more from a thicker rubber and 7 ply blade that includes two thin sheets of carbon. The Pro Carbon has a balsa core. What kind of balsa? I don't know. I also don't know the other layers. I would strip the rubber from the Pro Carbon and try a different rubber to see if I like the blade, but the handle, while FL, feels too much like a wide oval. That turned into more of a topic of rubber, but I'm stuck with trying to sort through two variables: am I disliking the rubber or am I disliking the blade. I'll ask around my club tonight and hopefully find an ideal handle diameter for my hand, then work from that.

xvrickh Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Beginner Joined: 01/26/2016 Location: Illinois Status: Offline Points: 17	Post Options Post Reply Quote xvrickh Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01/12/2017 at 6:01pm
	http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=17844 This is the topic I was looking for. Thanks for the help everyone!