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OSP Ultimate II Test

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Topic: OSP Ultimate II Test
Posted By: Matt Pimple
Subject: OSP Ultimate II Test
Date Posted: 10/28/2018 at 6:41pm
OSP Ultimate II Review

About the reviewer:
My USATT rating is currently around 1800. My strength is my forehand with which I score the majority of my points mainly through looping; I play close to the table with blocking and looping. I play with frictionless anti on backhand, mainly for returning serve and blocking topspin loops but recently also more with attacking shots.

Setup:
I played the Ultimate II (abbreviation UII) with DHS Hurricane 3 Neo 2.15mm provincial orange sponge (39deg and black) on forehand and with Dr. Neubauer frictionless anti Tarantula (red and 1.8mm) on backhand. The handle is round-straight, and weight is 87.8 g with 6.21 mm thickness as given by OSP card included with the blade. I confirmed the weight with my own balance at home as well.
I used rubber cement (Elmer’s brand) and applied 1 layer each on the blade and on the sponge, allow each layer to completely dry, lightly press the rubber onto the blade and then let it sit for a couple of hours with 3 heavy textbooks on top.
The setup was tested with 2 different kind of balls: Nittaku premium (ABS) and Nittaku J-Top (practice balls).

Introduction:
The OSP Ultimate II is a 7-ply Off blade and is the successor to the now discontinued Ultimate blade. The UII is designed specifically for the new poly balls and has a different structure than its predecessor model. The thickness of the plies is different, but the most significant change seems to be a dark brown wood as the second layer under the top ply, which is still the same looking limba wood.

Appearance:
The Ultimate II is yet another masterpiece by OSP. Well done again Mr. Palatinus! The limba top ply looks very nice with a beautiful grain and feels very smooth so that sealing the blade is not necessary. The handle design is particularly gorgeous, and I like it even better than that of the old ultimate blade.

Weight
I specifically asked for a little lighter weight than the 93g Ultimate I was using before and I got exactly what I wanted at 86g. The Ultimate II, just like its predecessor, feels very balanced and not at all head heavy. This to me is one of the most striking OSP features, that, despite fairly heavy weights, the blades never feel “heavy” but always well balanced.

Feel/Touch
The Ultimate II feels crisper than the original Ultimate and I would describe the hardness as medium whereas I called that of the original Ultimate medium-soft in test report. I believe this feel is related to the second dark-brown layer (maybe heat-treated wood?) because on slow shots the UII still feels fairly soft but on harder shots it feels significantly crisper.
I like the UII in combination with Hurricane 3 with the orange sponge (39º) that I usually play but it didn’t test it with any other rubber though I do feel that it can also be played with a softer rubber which I would not recommend for the Ultimate. I tested the UII with Dr. Neubauer Rhino+ and Tarantula antis (both in 1.8mm) and particularly liked the Tarantula because it has a little bit softer sponge which made for a nice overall feel.

Flex
The Ultimate II is quite stiff as you would expect from a 7-ply blade similar to a newer Stiga Clipper I had tested and probably also slightly stiffer than the Dr. Neubauer Matador which was my main blade before the Ultimate and has a similar thickness. Indeed, it has a similar stiffness as some of the carbon blades I played before like Viscaria Light, Schlager Light or YinHe VIS-A Pro without the hard and dead feel of carbon. The Ultimate is not for those who like flexy 5-ply blades of the same thickness.

Speed
The Ultimate II is a pretty fast Off but probably not quite Off+ yet but with similar speed than some of the carbon blades I had played before like the Schlager Light or a YinHe replica of Viscaria. It also provides a high catapult effect making it a faster blade than the Ultimate as far as top end speed is concerned. However, UII has a fairly moderate speed on slow shots or touch play, even slightly slower than the Ultimate.
I found it a little bit difficult to control the antis I tested when blocking faster loops or drives and would generally recommend to pair the UII with slower antis than Rhino or Tarantula.

Control
I have never played or tested a blade before in the Off category with this much control as the Ultimate and I was absolutely amazed by the feel and control this blade provides. I wasn’t really sure what to expect initially and I had read quite a bit about various OSP blades, but I was absolutely blown away by how the Ultimate plays. I have never experience this with any other blade before. Absolutely amazing!

Dwell/Spin
Spin generation on the Ultimate II is very high despite the crisp feel and surprisingly it develops even more topspin on loops than the Ultimate, which my practice partner confirmed when I tested the blades side-by-side with the same rubber on forehand (Hurricane 3 Neo). The dwell doesn’t actually feel as high as on the Ultimate (as in “sticking to the blade”) but it provides a great bite on the ball which results in the high spin generation on loops described above.

Throw Angle
The Ultimate II shows a very interesting behavior regarding the throw angle, something I have not seen like this on any other blade. On slower loops and when looping against underspin the UII show a high throw similar to the Ultimate, but on faster shots or power loops the throw flattens out and becomes lower making the ball very dangerous for the opponent.

Looping
Looping is the big strength of the Ultimate II as it provides great acceleration and spin of the ball while still pretty controllable and stable. However, due to its crisp feel and high speed on power loops it is a little bit less forgiving than the Ultimate and good technique as well as footwork is required to take complete advantage of the UII. Still for advanced players the Ultimate II is a fine looping machine.

Blocking
One of the strongest points of the Ultimate II is blocking which can be carried out with great control and precision.
Smashing work very well as well with UII and can be carried out with high precision due to the stiffness and crispness of the blade. The receives tremendous acceleration on smashes but good footwork or position to the ball is required here.

Play with anti
I tested the Ultimate II with Dr. Neubauer Rhino+ and Tarantula, both with 1.8mm sponge, and found the disruptive effect and spin reversal to be very high, on a similar level to some carbon blades I previously used, which are generally considered to be better for anti than all wood blades. However, the UII overcomes this due to its harder touch and stiffness. In particular attacking with the Tarantula was a highlight for me as it was very easy to smash underspin balls over the table for direct winners. I have not seen this before with any other blade/anti combination. Blocking of loops was generally also very controlled, however returning faster more flat hits required a more delicate technique (loose wrist) and good concentration.

Conclusions
The OSP Ultimate II is a fast offensive blade with a great crisp feel but still good control for a blade in this speed range. The design and craftsmanship of this blade is absolutely outstanding as always with an OSP blade. It is designed for the new poly balls and works very well at looping with high amounts of topspin as well as driving and blocking. Balls can be lopped off the bounce with awesome acceleration and precision. The UII provides a stronger catapult effect than traditional 7-ply blades aimed at overcoming the slower speed of the new poly balls
I would recommend the Ultimate II to any double winged looper or loop-drive player with good technique and footwork, who is looking for a fast and crisp blade in the new age of poly balls. Topspin and catapult with the UII are absolutely awesome while at the same time being controlled and slower than the Ultimate in the short. To fully take advantage of this blade I would not recommend it to beginners or players still learning proper technique but to medium or more advanced players.
The Ultimate II also works very well with frictionless anti in particular for players who prefer a more attacking style with anti. For anti players who prefer more of a passive blocking style, I would suggest to pair the blade with very slow antis.


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OSP Ultimate; Dr. Neubauer Dominance Spin Hard max, Dr. Neubauer Troublemaker 0.5

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Replies:
Posted By: kindof99
Date Posted: 10/28/2018 at 8:58pm
Hope that TT11 still sell OSP product. It is a pain to order from OSP website.

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/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=65174&title=feedback-for-kindof99" rel="nofollow - My Feedback | /forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=77924" rel="nofollow - Sale


Posted By: Matt Pimple
Date Posted: 10/28/2018 at 10:20pm
Originally posted by kindof99 kindof99 wrote:

Hope that TT11 still sell OSP product. It is a pain to order from OSP website.

I got the blade through OSP and didn't have any problems. Megaspin used to carry OSP for a while but I haven't checked on that in a while.

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OSP Ultimate; Dr. Neubauer Dominance Spin Hard max, Dr. Neubauer Troublemaker 0.5

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Posted By: David_from_Gers
Date Posted: 10/30/2018 at 10:02am
Originally posted by kindof99 kindof99 wrote:

Hope that TT11 still sell OSP product. It is a pain to order from OSP website.

what is the problem with the osp website ?


Posted By: David_from_Gers
Date Posted: 10/30/2018 at 10:10am
I confirm that this blade is fantastic and this review perfectly true. Just keep in mind that you need good active technic. The best 7 plies i played with dual speed behavior... Flexible only when you put force on your strikes.
Not similar at all with an alc or a carbon blade.
For the handle, it is a matter of taste, but you can ask exactly what you want and the weight you want, even customized ply or any graphic addition.


Posted By: Actuar90
Date Posted: 10/31/2018 at 10:44am
I'm really interested in this new OSP blade, but can anyone compare it to say Timo Boll ALC or another popular carbon blade?

I'm playing with Apolonia ZLC but am trying to find something slightly slower, even though the Ultimate II is an OFF blade I worried it would be too slow/unresponsive coming from a carbon blade


Posted By: Matt Pimple
Date Posted: 10/31/2018 at 11:40am
Originally posted by Actuar90 Actuar90 wrote:

I'm really interested in this new OSP blade, but can anyone compare it to say Timo Boll ALC or another popular carbon blade?

I'm playing with Apolonia ZLC but am trying to find something slightly slower, even though the Ultimate II is an OFF blade I worried it would be too slow/unresponsive coming from a carbon blade

I can't compare the Ultimate II to any of the blades you mentioned above but I can tell you that it is not or if only marginally slower than the Schlager Carbon Light, which I played with not too long ago. However the UII has more control and much better feel/feedback of the ball. I think it can be a great alternative for players with good technique who would like to move from a carbon blade to an all wood blade for better control and feedback without sacrificing speed.

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OSP Ultimate; Dr. Neubauer Dominance Spin Hard max, Dr. Neubauer Troublemaker 0.5

http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=55835&title=feed-back-for-matt-pimple" rel="nofollow - My Feedback


Posted By: Lestat
Date Posted: 10/31/2018 at 5:11pm
Originally posted by Actuar90 Actuar90 wrote:

I'm really interested in this new OSP blade, but can anyone compare it to say Timo Boll ALC or another popular carbon blade?

I'm playing with Apolonia ZLC but am trying to find something slightly slower, even though the Ultimate II is an OFF blade I worried it would be too slow/unresponsive coming from a carbon blade

On the contrary, you might in fact find the Ultimate II too springy. A touch slower than TB ALC/Viscaria, but that's largely irrelevant. I take it your problem is control around the table and net, not away from the table. When you need control in a rally or a return, and what you get is spring, the dwell and softness isn't going to help much. The ALCs are much more well behaved in that respect.

What other blades have you tried, and what's your style?


Posted By: Actuar90
Date Posted: 11/01/2018 at 8:20am
I'm a lefty, offensive on both sides. I play close to the table aiming for a big third ball loop from with BH or FH and then block / counter from close / mid distance until have an opportunity for stronger loops. I've been playing for more than 12 years anyway and from what I've seen on here my level is probably in and around 2100.

I've been playing with max MXP both sides and inner carbon blades for the last 5+ years.
I currently play with the Apolonia ZLC, which I love the feel (both hardness and amount of flex) of and the speed on attacking shots is perfect, my main issue and why I am looking at other blades is the speed / reactiveness of the carbon is marginally too much on passive / moderate blocks / counters at the table against fast balls.
Before that I used the Liu Shiwen ZLF for many years which was slower but not dissimilar.

I've tried some other blades recently none of which fit the bill:
Ovtcharov True Carbon which was too hard / reactive and too numb
Cornilleau Quest OFF which I loved the control and feel of but was ultimately too slow to maintain pressure on the opponent without using much bigger strokes
Nexy Arche which I tested through this forum, this was a bit hard and generally not as good as the Quest OFF

I'm hopeful about trying the Nittaku Acoustic or OSP blades that they might fit my requirements.


Posted By: Lestat
Date Posted: 11/01/2018 at 11:18am
Originally posted by Actuar90 Actuar90 wrote:

I'm a lefty, offensive on both sides. I play close to the table aiming for a big third ball loop from with BH or FH and then block / counter from close / mid distance until have an opportunity for stronger loops. I've been playing for more than 12 years anyway and from what I've seen on here my level is probably in and around 2100.

I've been playing with max MXP both sides and inner carbon blades for the last 5+ years.
I currently play with the Apolonia ZLC, which I love the feel (both hardness and amount of flex) of and the speed on attacking shots is perfect, my main issue and why I am looking at other blades is the speed / reactiveness of the carbon is marginally too much on passive / moderate blocks / counters at the table against fast balls.
Before that I used the Liu Shiwen ZLF for many years which was slower but not dissimilar.

I've tried some other blades recently none of which fit the bill:
Ovtcharov True Carbon which was too hard / reactive and too numb
Cornilleau Quest OFF which I loved the control and feel of but was ultimately too slow to maintain pressure on the opponent without using much bigger strokes
Nexy Arche which I tested through this forum, this was a bit hard and generally not as good as the Quest OFF

I'm hopeful about trying the Nittaku Acoustic or OSP blades that they might fit my requirements.

When you come down from composite to all-wood, there is almost always a compromise. With something like a Korbel (relatively thin and flexy) you loose the sweet spot, which can be horrible if you're not used to it. Then you have blades like Korbel SK7: thick solid blade, quite stiff, very stable, large sweet spot, greater control compared to ALC/ZLC, but it doesn't have the bite of a composite blade. SK7 is a probably my first recommendation for anybody who wants to switch over to all-wood. But then again, I see you like a bit of flex in your blades, so you may very well not like the SK7.

In the middle, you have the medium thick all-wood blades (around 6.2mm). Half-decent sweet spot, stable enough, and still easy to loop with. I think that's where your Cornilleau is. Thickness is not everything, of course, but it's a good indicator. There are anomalies like OSP Ultimate, for instance, which is right at the 6.2mm mark but flexes more than a Korbel. Anyway, so you're nearly there with the Cornilleau, but you have to make some adjustments to your stroke. Loosen the grip (ideally you would tighten right at the moment of impact, but leave that aside for now) and always try to hit with the top half of the blade. See if you can make that work. Also, with these all-wood blades, I found that the BH is almost never a problem in terms of speed. It's always the FH, so if you topspin from the shoulder, try and engage your core. I know it's been said a thousand times, but I really don't think there is a magic bullet out there, I still haven't found this controlled all-wood OFF blade that topspins like a composite.

I think the best you can hope is to find a blade that's 90% there, and adjust to it. If you look for perfection, you will end up an EJ wreck, like many in here can testify.


Posted By: icontek
Date Posted: 11/07/2018 at 4:12pm
When Matt Pimple said this:

"Throw Angle
The Ultimate II shows a very interesting behavior regarding the throw angle, something I have not seen like this on any other blade. On slower loops and when looping against underspin the UII show a high throw similar to the Ultimate, but on faster shots or power loops the throw flattens out and becomes lower making the ball very dangerous for the opponent."

He wasn't kidding. That dual speed behavior made this a tricky blade to relearn some of my serves with. But worth it.


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http://bit.ly/vLMhuB" rel="nofollow - - RC1042 . OSP Virtuoso AC: PK50 + R42


Posted By: anubhav1984
Date Posted: 01/31/2019 at 2:41am
Originally posted by icontek icontek wrote:

When Matt Pimple said this:

"Throw Angle
The Ultimate II shows a very interesting behavior regarding the throw angle, something I have not seen like this on any other blade. On slower loops and when looping against underspin the UII show a high throw similar to the Ultimate, but on faster shots or power loops the throw flattens out and becomes lower making the ball very dangerous for the opponent."

He wasn't kidding. That dual speed behavior made this a tricky blade to relearn some of my serves with. But worth it.

So the throw becomes lower on high impact shots? That sounds a lot like what I was hitting into with using IF ZLC. Have you guys had a bit with IF ZLC to compare?


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Butterfly Viscaria FL
FH - Undecided
BH - Undecided


Posted By: slevin
Date Posted: 01/31/2019 at 10:20am
Originally posted by anubhav1984 anubhav1984 wrote:

Originally posted by icontek icontek wrote:

When Matt Pimple said this:

"Throw Angle
The Ultimate II shows a very interesting behavior regarding the throw angle, something I have not seen like this on any other blade. On slower loops and when looping against underspin the UII show a high throw similar to the Ultimate, but on faster shots or power loops the throw flattens out and becomes lower making the ball very dangerous for the opponent."

He wasn't kidding. That dual speed behavior made this a tricky blade to relearn some of my serves with. But worth it.

So the throw becomes lower on high impact shots? That sounds a lot like what I was hitting into with using IF ZLC. Have you guys had a bit with IF ZLC to compare?

IMHO, it is easier to adopt all-wood after using a inner carbon blade (like the IF-ZLC or the HL5) than using a outer carbon blade (like the Viscaria). Precisely because in the former, throw on hard strokes is lower - just like in all-wood. However, so is the spin. I tried switching to Tibhar Stratus Powerwood a few times (great blade). However, that was my biggest pet peeve - you get less spin on harder hits. With the Viscaria (and especially with the MJ-ZLC / MJ-SZLC), you get more spin on the harder hits & the throw is more stable. This also why I do not like new-gen rubbers with softer topsheets (like Rhyzer 48 or Rasanter V47) - throw reduces & spin reduces a lot when you powerloop.


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Trade feedback:
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Posted By: mog1111
Date Posted: 06/25/2020 at 9:48am
Just bought myself one of these beauties.  I have been using a Force Pro Blue for a while but see this as an upgrade and a cure for all my recent EJing!!






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Yasaka Ma Lin Carbon
FH: Tenergy 05fx
BH: Spinlord Keiler


Posted By: Ray
Date Posted: 06/25/2020 at 12:04pm
Wow, beautiful blade indeed! May it serve you well.


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Life is too short for defensive play.

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