For the past few weeks I've been lucky enough to be able to use one of Kokutaku's new blade range - Alnon.  KKT are of course probably best known for their 1-ply hinoki blades, but have also got quite an extensive range of all sorts of other constructions -  3-ply, 5-ply, carbon, etc - most of which aren't so well-known outside of Japan.

Well, now they have 4 new blades, all Made in Japan:

Alnon - Koto/AramidCarbon/Limba/Kiri

Zenon - Limba/ZylonCarbon/Limba/Kiri

CanonZYC - Hinoki/ZylonCarbon/Kiri

CanonTRC - Hinoki/Carbon/Kiri

I think it's pretty obvious what kind of market KKT are aiming for here, and which blade archetypes they've decided to produce.  Here are some pictures!

The finish is absolutely impeccable - this is a very well-made blade.  No blemishes anywhere, with a super-smooth koto top ply.  The wings were razor-sharp and needed a light sanding to avoid the need for bloodshed.  The aramid/carbon weave is very well fitted with basically nothing poking out (you can see a little bit of fibre extrusion where I've sanded the wings, but that's it).  This is essentially as well-made as any other Japanese-made blade you care to put it up against.  The cut on the weave layer is much nicer than, say, Xiom's Vega blades, Donic's Baum Spirit, or a DHS cheapo special like the Fang Bo 2.  This might not be a problem in practical terms for these blades, but there is a difference in terms of quality of finish.

This one is 86g, FL handle, 157x150, 5.8mm thick.

I think it's important not to beat around the bush with this one.  This is the most Viscaria-like of any blade I've ever used.  I directly compared Alnon to a Viscaria (silver tag, pre-hologram) of the same weight with the same rubbers (Hybrid K1 Plus, Rasanter V42), and I found it incredibly hard to pick the bones out of the comparison.  The handle on the Alnon seemed a bit wider and flatter.  The basic speed and sweet spot were near-identical.  The initial sharp koto feel was present on both.  If I had to pull something out of the air, I'd say that the Alnon was ever so slightly softer and stiffer when looping harder - there seemed to be a slightly different feel on harder hits, and a touch lower arc on the Alnon.  Alnon perhaps felt a touch more stable/predictable through those middle gears at the expense of some top-end speed.  But in all honesty I've had plenty of Viscarias over the years and they've varied to a larger degree than this.  In a blind test I doubt I'd be able to tell the difference between the two.

As you would then expect, Alnon did a superb job with the tacky K1 Plus - adding a little bit of additional initial speed in comparison with my usual 5-ply all-wood, and removing the need for so much effort with the arm swinging when slightly away from the table.  Rasanter V42 was good, but when I switched it out for Rozena I was super-happy with both BH penetration and spin.  Rozena shines in this kind of setup IMO.

How well KKT does with these blades is probably going to come down to price vs the obvious competition, perhaps helped by having a handle choice and being able to order internationally.  But as a Viscaria alternative I can't think of a closer match than this.

Many thanks for Chewy over at http://www.rocket-tt.com" rel="nofollow - http://www.rocket-tt.com  for offering up the Alnon for early purchase.  There is more information over at KKT's website too -  http://www.kokukdaku.com/" rel="nofollow - http://www.kokukdaku.com/

Zenon - Limba/ZylonCarbon/Limba/Kiri MJ

CanonZYC - Hinoki/ZylonCarbon/Kiri Amultart

CanonTRC - Hinoki/Carbon/Kiri Gergeley carbon

The one you review is an original composition; I could not find another blade made out of these plies. The koto outer, limba inner and kri core are the common ones with the Viscaria; I guess aramid carbon and arylate carbon are very close in terms of performance.

The Zenon is very tempting but is priced the same than the MJ... 

There is another blade with a very similar construction and is also made in Japan:

The Yasaka Alnade.   Even the name is close!   Could they be coming from the same factory?

I initially thought it was a crazy intentional easter-egg shout-out to the misspelling on the original Viscaria, but it turns out it was just a run-of-the-mill misspelling on the first run.  I'm going to be very generous and call mine a collector's item. 

fatt wrote: Alnon - Koto/AramidCarbon/Limba/Kiri  ??? Zenon - Limba/ZylonCarbon/Limba/Kiri MJ CanonZYC - Hinoki/ZylonCarbon/Kiri Amultart CanonTRC - Hinoki/Carbon/Kiri Gergeley carbon The one you review is an original composition; I could not find another blade made out of these plies. The koto outer, limba inner and kri core are the common ones with the Viscaria; I guess aramid carbon and arylate carbon are very close in terms of performance. The Zenon is very tempting but is priced the same than the MJ...

I think aramid and arylate are going to be pretty close in most of the ways that matter, but this could be what results in the slight difference in feel between the two.  If I'm not imagining that difference.  Or it could be the glue used, or the thickness/density of the weave, etc.

The price is crucial with these blades if they're going to get a foothold.  I'm hoping that we're looking at KKT's retail prices and stores will be "allowed" to discount, if you know what I mean.  

onehander wrote: There is another blade with a very similar construction and is also made in Japan: The Yasaka Alnade.   Even the name is close!   Could they be coming from the same factory?

I don't know.  I was hoping to see some reviews of Alnade myself at some point, or add it to an order or something.

Edit: You got a lot of money to EJ my man 

These few months are probably my last hurrah.  Moving house soon so spare cash will be rare.  Will have to review different socks or edge tape from now on.

With the high quality of your reviews, people will send you blades just to get your take!  

Would that it were so simple.  Yogi is the master of that - his networking skills are second to none.

I bought my Alnon at a slightly discounted price.  It isn't often that I get stuff for free, and I always feel lucky when I do.

I find that it's hard to beat this kind of blade in combination with K1 Plus on my FH side though.  It has just the right combination of real-world performance for my level without going overboard, or without falling into the trap of using a traditional chinese tacky rubber and then wishing you could boost.

Andy, have you played with Ovtcharov True Carbon? OTC is also said to play very similar to Viscaria (I think Baal said this). Can you notice any difference between OTC and Alnon? Wich feels more similar to Viscaria?

Andy, if you were forced to choose only one blade between the Alnon and the Adidas Hypertouch, which would you choose, and why would it be your preference?  

I haven't used the OTC.  I wonder if Baal would want to try my Alnon out?  No one knows Viscaria like Baal.

onehander wrote: Nice follow up, and thanks! Andy, if you were forced to choose only one blade between the Alnon and the Adidas Hypertouch, which would you choose, and why would it be your preference?

That's a tricky one.  The Hypertouch is a great blade - one of my favorites.  The HT isn't as linear as the Alnon (gets bouncy when under stress - probably the spruce at work), but has an amazing ability to sling the ball out with good arc when looping from distance.  I'd probably go with the Alnon for ease-of-use and because I spend a lot less time looping from distance these days.

Look at these bad boys at Bribar!  It's like they know what I want.

https://bribartt.co.uk/product/mizuno-drylite-training-mid-socks/" rel="nofollow - https://bribartt.co.uk/product/mizuno-drylite-training-mid-socks/

https://www.rocket-tt.com/single-post/2017/01/08/Kokutaku-Special-Material-Blades-Blade-Specifications-Introduction" rel="nofollow - https://www.rocket-tt.com/single-post/2017/01/08/Kokutaku-Special-Material-Blades-Blade-Specifications-Introduction

Hi Chewy, 

May i know who you are and what is your relation to KKT. 

Which country are you from and who is 'we'. From which country?

AntSj00 wrote: @Chewy, Now I wonder why products like Butterfly, Nittaku, Victas, Darker have J.T.T.A.A. stamps  as you say they are only marketed in S.E.A and not used for tournaments in Japan?  What if there are players from Indonesia who use this blade and then he followed the tournament in Japan?  Surely he will be rejected. Because I am disappointed, I have returned this blade to the seller and asked for refund.

I'm not sure what your problem is here.  Are you going to return a blade because you might want to play an officially sanctioned JTTAA tournament in Japan at some point?  Is this something you're likely to do?