|
Me: 1800 USTTA LP combo attacking player.
Blade: Giant Dragon Kris 2. BH, Giant Dragon Giant Long 2 OX, FH TSP Real 2.0.
From ztabletennis.com
RETAIL: $35 Type: OFF/DEF
Blade: 5-Wood, 8.4mm
Weight: ~75g
Speed: 88/64
Control: 90/95
"A good 5-ply blade for an active defense style (with forehand attack), or a combination player with backhand blocking and forehand attack. It is a balsa blade, so it has a very light weight."
WHO IS IT FOR? 1. LP combo players who want control on the BH. 2. People who like balsa and/or very light blades. 3. People who like stiff blades. 4. People who want a slower BH. 5. Flat-hitters
WHO IS NOT FOR? Two winged loopers.
Overall construction looks good. Front ply is limba. Core is balsa. back ply is some softish wood, not sure. Also, under the softish wood there's a thickish blue-colored layer.
The speed of the the blade is similar to that of the Donic Cayman. It's ALL + to OFF, depending on how you hit it, which is the nature of balsa. The BH is Defensive. Excellent for blocking with LPs.
If you're familiar with balsa blades, this one plays like a standard balsa. I found it very stiff, so it took a couple of hours to land my loops on the table. A softer sponged rubber would help; the Real is relatively hard. Before I had been playing with an off 5-ply wooden blade. It hits awesome. Blocks very well too. You can certainly loop with this blade, however if you're a looper this wouldn't be a good fit for you.
The backhand ply is a little soft, which slightly dampened the spin reversal effect of the LPs. While control with blocking was excellent, hitting was surprisingly fast! That's because of the balsa core.
Overall, I like this blade. IT does exactly what it's intended to do. Retails for $35. Quality is as good as Donic's Cayman but for much less money ($50).
Currently I playing with the Giant Dragon balsa defense. It's more flexible and slower.
|