Hinoki blades are quite different from other blades. Each blade has a particular visual, even if it is the same brand and model. I like quiet a lot to see pictures of Hinoki blades, there is something on it that is attractive to me, and I believe that are many more users here that also admires the beautness of these works of art.

I'm creating this thread so you can post pictures of your hinoki / cypress / WRC / POC / etc. single ply blade. 

There were a few threads about it on the past. Some pictures do not work anymore and also the OPs doesn't seem to access this forum anymore. So I will try to make a new (and maybe definitive) thread about this subject! I will try to make backups of pictures from time to time (maybe once a month?), so we don't loose these  already rare to see blades! The other strong reason to start a new one instead of reviving an old thread is because I believe this way people would be more willing post participate.

Suggestions for pictures (no need to follow if you don't want, it is just a suggestion!):

- overall picture

- top edge (to see the grains)

- sides (to see the "eyes")

With these 4 pictures, all grains details are covered! But if you want to just take one overall picture, no problems too!

ps: if you have multiple blades, you can pile them to make it easier to take pictures. Example here:

http://imgur.com/a/AmFAPVX" rel="nofollow - http://imgur.com/a/AmFAPVX

(I posted just the link because it is just an example, but you can post it directly on your post)

PS: these aren't my blades! But I wished I had one of them 

I will also ask for help to indicate good, free and reliable websites to host the pictures. I only know imgur.

I think it is possible to attach pictures on your post directly from your PC/smartphone using forum tools, but I don't know exactly how it works. I tried to use once but it didn't work very well, but we can try this again too.

Edited: some useful websites:

To resize your pictures 

http://picresize.com/" rel="nofollow - http://picresize.com/

Image hosters:

http://imgur.com/" rel="nofollow - http://imgur.com/

http://tinypic.com/" rel="nofollow - http://tinypic.com/

All of these blades have been sanded with 2000 grit sandpaper except the dark 9mm one.

Sure, you can post pictures of your LS too!

Good to know another person that also admires hinoki woods =D

@Chairman Meow

Wow, I didn`t know you were a blade maker!

What have you used to repair your split blades?

I used regular wood glue once and it seemed to have worked well, but I don`t know if there are other better alternatives.

I liked your anatomic-to-fingers handle, very different!

The first blade I made split right next to the handle, so it was not a clean split. However, the wood glue fixed it pretty well. The split is only really noticeable at the handle now. And I can't even find the split anymore on the dark 9.5mm one.

I'm asking this because I've read some discussions on the past here at mytt and some people said that 1 plies doesn't need sealing, others said the it was better to have, and others said that it could change the hinoki feel etc...a lot of controversial infos/experiences.

I can't say much because for my own experience, however the 1 ply blades that I had all came sealed: two Kokutakus and American Hinoki WRC, so from that I can guess that it is recommended to seal and it probably doesn't change significantly the way it plays (probably the change in feel is imperceptible for amateurs)

The 1-ply blades are not really prone to splintering on the face, but it has happened before. They do sometimes splinter at the edges, close to the 'eye' because the layers of wood there are very thin and separated by grain. However, this takes more than sealing to fix. I usually put some superglue in that spot to prevent splintering. I seal my blades mainly because I want to keep moisture out, not because of splinters. 

I have used them unsealed, and have not noticed a difference. To seal, I use shellac. It is a type of wax dissolved in ever clear. I use a lint free cloth to rub it on the blade in an even layer, and then let it dry for 20 minutes or so. Then, I sand it down on a glass plate with a very fine paper as far as I can before breaking through the layer. This makes the surface even, even if the layer of wax is not (I have not yet mastered the planer). It does add noticeable weight, but I prefer heavy blades anyway.

To test if it is sealed, I put a few drops of water on the blade and see if it slides around without getting absorbed.

Thanks very much for the infos!

Indeed, the side edges are more fragile, when I took a sidetape off it had some very small spinters.

Another solution to this is to put an epoxy layer along all the edge. I learned this from Kevin (American Hinoki), he recommends it to protect blades from splintering from hits/drops, but it can also protect from these side splintering too. 

The downside of applying epoxy layer are that it adds a little more weight and it changes a bit the color of wood, making it darker. On my blade epoxy'd edge, there are also some parts that became a bit opaque, I wonder why...when I first applied it, it was more bright. I will try to post some pics on the weekend, Kevin did a great job, the blade has the eyes on both sides 

My dream blade is very similar, the only difference is that I want one with very tight grains too. But maybe I'm dreaming too much...

What is American Hinoki? 

And are you left handed?  Your blade has an unusual cutout on the left side. 

Your Kokutaku actually has rather nice grain in that they are quite even.  The manufacture quality is not quite as high given the visual defects and filling of the pits in the cork.  Cork quality is low but the hinoki itself looks rather nice - though there seem to be 'pits' in the blade top edge. 

American Hinoki (Kevin) is an american custom blade maker. His website is offline since more than a year ago, but he is still making blades if you email him. If you want to order a blade from him, I can pass to you his email. The wood used on the blade above is Western Red Cedar, which according to some reviews, plays quite similar to some best Kiso Hinoki blades out there. JimT wrote some reviews in the past about American Hinoki WRC and BBC (Blades by Charlie) single ply WRC.

Yes I'm left handed. This blade shape was made to facilitate RPB.

The Kokutaku D50 had a very uniform and straight grains, was indeed very nice. I sold it because I had stopped playing jpen style, but now that I'm want to try jpen again, I regret for selling it =|

Interesting observation about the cork. Actually I've never paid attention to the cork quality, I will pay more attention to it from now on, thanks! The D50 is Kokutaku 2nd cheapest single ply, so that makes sense.

MTMT, your are more than welcome to post pictures of your equipment/hinoki boards here too if you want . You can also post some informations about hinoki quality and characteristics when selecting a blade, you have great knowledge about it, it would be awesome if you could share it with us. Or you can post it on your thread if you prefer, no problem too, and I can post a link to it on my second post.

I am out of edge tape right now and I am really careful with all my TT stuff. I will post pics without the edge tape too but soon as I go out and get some so I can replace it immediately. 

It is the first time I see this wood type. Is it similar to hinoki in playability?

----

Here is the last one of my hinoki blades, Kokutaku Bishu no1 Specialist:

I do have to say Kevin makes gorgeous blades. I love how his wood is perfectly quarter sawn, which not every blade maker is that vigilant about. I am actually thinking of getting another one from him. I am also thinking of buying another Speed 90 from iruiru as a backup blade.

The Lutz Spruce plays very well. It would be a great replacement for someone who wants the type of game that only a one-ply Hinoki blade can give but does not want to spend that much. I would not say exactly the same, but similar. The differences don't make it worse, just different. It loops well, has a nice soft touch and great control and power when needed. It has a lot of gears too and can keep upwith the Hinoki on the higher end of the spectrum (power) but the Hinoki beats it in the soft touch realm. It is one of my favorite blades for sure.

How does the WRC Jpen play Shinshiro. In what ways is it different from a one-ply Hinoki blade? I am very curious because I keep thinking about asking Kevin to make me one.

Chairman Meow, I am thinking about making a one-ply blade so I will definitely pester you with some questions when I get down to it. That is one monster of a blade though, the 109gm WRC. 

I also tried RPB for a short time too (my American Hinoki blade was designed for that). I could use RPB quite fine, but was having some finger/wrist pain, so I decide to stop and play shakehand again.

I want to try to play jpen again in a near future.

My WRC Jpen was a bit different than usual because I asked Kevin to make it as light as possible, and it came out having only 64g (!!!). Therefore is was not very fast like usually a 1 ply is. It was definetely slower than the kokutaku D40 (84g). I used different rubbers on each and it's been some time since I last played then, so I'm afraid I'm not able to give more in deep details (and I'm also a low level player, which doesn't help too LOL). But I've read some reviews here at mytt, and if my memory is right, JimT used to play with a WRC blade (from Kevin and Charlie also), and he said that it plays almost indistinguible from Darker Speed 90. Another guy said it was only a bit slower than Speed 90. From the reviews I read in the past, I believe WRC 1ply is the closest you can get to Kiso Hinoki in playability (but it is also true that there aren't many reviews from other woods, like Lutz Spruce, POC, etc. I would like to know how close POC is to hinoki when playing, since on theory this is the closest one). I also read from more than one source that WRC is a bit softer than Hinoki.

I know that hardness can vary even on same hinoki type. 

What are the differences in playability between a hard 1 ply hinoki and a soft 1 ply? (speed? gears? spin?)

On rubbers, it seems that generally the softer ones have more catapult (less linear) on soft touches, but don't have the top speed the hard rubbers have. This reasoning also applies to blade 1 ply blade hardness?

I may buy a blade soon, but I would like to know more about this characteristic first.

(I played with single ply jpen a considerable time ago and with different rubbers, so I won't compare with them)

The KKT Specialist is on the soft side, feels softer than my 5 ply blades in general. Feels very stable on blocking and hitting, can generate a very good speed. I had some trouble on lifting backspin balls, much more shots were going into the net than with 5 ply blade I was using before (tought I'm not 100% shure if it's due to blade or if I was just on a bad day). 

It is not much, but I hope it can help you. I'm not a very good reviewer, and I'm also a beginner so take that with a pinch of salt.

Well, my Nittaku Miyabi R has been sold to MTMT. 

T = 9.2~9.3 mm

W = 147 mm

L = 156 mm

iruoru post it as t=8.5, but you measured it as 9.2. I wonder...

Since mine is over 9mm, maybe the 8.5mm means that the blade is equal or thicker than that? I don't know too...

As with single ply hinoki blades, the control is immense but when you put power in there is a catapult effect that adds tons of speed.  Its a very strange feeling for me though because it is so soft yet can be so fast and controlled at the same time.  This is why so many people say there is nothing like a single ply hinoki blade.

I, and everyone at the club who tried my Miyabi FL, called it The Cloud because it felt like playing with a cloud in your hand.  Magnificent.

It is a fine blade for $90 and I think the one you have looks fine, though yours might be a bit faster due to weight.

=================

Miyabi FL, the $90 blade, was sold out at "Paddle Palace".

They wouldn't let me to pre-order and pay in advance, then wait.

This is the wording of Paddle Palace's reply of my email:

=================

I have never ordered anything from that outfit (unsure if it is safe to order from them):

http://www.tabletennisstore.us/p-1195-nittaku-miyabi.aspx" rel="nofollow - http://www.tabletennisstore.us/p-1195-nittaku-miyabi.aspx

Has anyone ordered TT stuff from that outfit?

======================

Order placed.

Thank you very much.

I bought with a discount because it had some minor imperfections on backside (just small scratches). The handle is also different than regular Ariex blades, similar to some butterfly jpens. It is also a bit shorter than normal. 

I have no idea when I will be able to play with this blade, but here are the pics:

Blade was 60 usd + 27 usd shipping if my memory is right. Shipping price was very high. 

Normal blade price is 120 usd + shipping.

Special DX is the second best hinoki blade from Ariex, with Excellent GT being on top (if we exclude custom order and 11mm blade). From the blades with imperfections that were being sold, this was the best looking one (they had pictures of all of them).

Bishu no.1 has tighter grains, but Special DX is a bit more uniform.

Since Bishu head shape and "edge shape" are rounded, the grains look more beautiful on side view and more circular. I also asked the seller to pick the best looking Bishu that was below 95g.

and the best: the first playing-impressions were also really good. 

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Magic_M wrote: No Kiso hinoki, but a very nice WRC 1-ply from Charlie.  and the best: the first playing-impressions were also really good.

I've been eyeing this blade myself - could you share your thoughts on it?

Also, what thickness did you get?

Besides this BBC 1-ply I also ordered a WRC 1-ply from Kevin (American Hinoki)

This blade is thinner (9 mm) and has a better control (for me).

But it seems as if Hinoki or WRC 1-ply blades are not the right blades for me.

I love the natural design of these blades, but the difference to my "usual" blades is too big.

It was a nice "project" between two seasons, but I will not switch to 1-ply blades.

I am planning to test the AH 1-ply once more, but I am sure that this will not change my mind.

I will re-sell this blade also, because the feeling is too soft, not crispy enough for me.  

What rubbers did you used? 

skip3119, How is your Miyabi?

I bought a Miyabi and love it.  It is effortlessly fast for top spin drives.  Loops will require a little better form and more refinement on my part but I believe it is within reach for me to get back to looping as well as I do with slower blades.  The first night I played with it at the club, I was told by a player who normally beats me easily that everything was popping off my blade giving him no time to react.  I hit drills with my coach who is a good 700 points stronger than I am and I was hitting some top spin drives right by him - even when he would drop back and lob back to the table I could hit them with enough varied angles and still fast enough to not be gotten to.

I play Rakza x and Rakza Xsoft on this blade and I really think this may replace my Ma Lin Carbon I currently play most of the time.

Sorry I don't have picts but it arrived with the rubber already on it per my order - so not much to see.

hleett wrote: Surprise to hear the Miyabi played well with Rakza Xsoft. I tried my Miyabi with T05 FX and this combo is too soft. I found that a slightly harder rubber like the T64 1.7mm is a great combo.

I was a little surprised I liked it as well as I did.  But I typically play a softer rubber on the backhand and knew I would need the extra dwell time if I could get it to spin the ball.  So it worked out nice.  With as quick as the bat responds I did not notice a huge difference between the X and Xsoft.

Here is my new Darker Speed 90 I received last month - 77g

I have two more that I'll post - a heavier Darker Speed 90 that is 92g with flared handle and another Darker Speed 90 with ST handle that I believe is 90g.  I have a few other Hinoki one ply Shakehands blades that I'll post up as well.  

This blade gives one of the most pleasure touches: very fast, soft, solid and without vibrations. 

I found its headsize a bit small so I cut 2mm in the handle turning it into a 157x150 headsize.

FH view.

Thanks for posting hleet!

Fantastic blades..thanks for sharing

regards!!