The construction of the blades are:

Blade 1: Black Limba top (0.3mm) - Spruce mid (1.0mm) - Ayous core (3.4mm) total thickness 6.0mm

Blade 2: Koto top (0.3mm) - Spruce mid (1.0mm) - Kiri core (3.4mm) total thickness 6.6mm

Blade 3: Spruce top (0.6mm) - Spruce mid (1.0mm) - Kiri core (3.6mm) total thickness 6.8mm

Blade nr 3 has the new era handle developed by Soulspin.

for comparative purposes I will list the construction of the two Gewo Konigsklasse blades:

Gewo Konigsklasse Karbon Sieben: Limba top (0.55mm) - Ayous mid (0.55mm) - Kevlar Carbon - Ayous core (3.0mm) total thickness 5.8mm

Gewo Konigsklasse Funf: Koto top (0.6mm) - Spruce mid (0.8mm) - Ayous core (3.1mm) total thickness 5.9mm

I know Soulspin built the Meister and the S-series for Nittaku as well but I do not own any of those blades myself.

I'm curious what are other players experience with these soulspin built blades and what is the secret of the Spruce used by this german company in their blades? 

Hi Robert,

I'm curious what your thesis is for each blade? What do you hope to achieve from the variations?

Cheers!

After all this I decided to try Kiri as a core and keep the Spruce mid veneer ordering custom blades from Soulspin.

I also experimented with harder top weneers like Walnut and Ebony but my stroke is not god enough to play a spin orriented game with those woods.

Also if you favor feel and spin over speed the 5 ply blades are better than the 7 ply ones.

However I have a negative experience with some of their blades, but I think this may not be their fault. I glue most of the rackets in my club, and some sponsored kids by Donic play with the 89 range. Well, the control quality on these ins't great and I had Waldner 89's ranging from 90g to 110g! This is because the grain pattern on some of the spruce is very dense, and of course the veneer will be heavier than the average. 

Pimple Park has a DEF rated wood as well called "Filius" what looks like a Soulspin build:

Regarding the jointed cores, I do use them on Kiri and Balsa blades, but mostly because it has been impossible for me to find boards wide enough to make blades. However, and this has been discussed in several places, jointed cores can in fact be equal, if not better, than one piece cores.

I wish jointed cores fans try to inject a little intelligence in their rationale.A blade maker will save money with a jointed core so saying that "jointed cores can in fact be equal , if not better" with no science whatsoever to back it up has no value, it is empty a statement, a marketing gimmick that takes people for fools.

I've stated some arguments, I can post them here again:

"A multi piece core (2,3 pieces) doesn't affect performance. In fact, it can be better than a 1 piece core for several reasons:

-  Glue is stronger than wood - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f90QoWOs9TE" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f90QoWOs9TE

- Wood is not homogeneous so it's easier to select similar pieces (density, grain direction)

- Paulownia (Kiri) is a relatively small tree, so bigger pieces are more likely to have more discontinuities

- Less waste"

I don't know your credentials other than being a very frustrated forum member with big brands for using multi piece cores. I haven't heard a single argument from you as to why single piece cores are so much better.

You remind me of the guitar snobs that bash on guitar makers for using multi piece bodies.  Can you also hear and feel difference between one piece and multi piece cores? Just do a blind test and you will prove your super powers.

Have you have ever even seen a kiri board? Let's put all those knots and weird grain patterns in your blade,I'm sure it will be a lot better than a perfectly jointed piece of wood with a glue that is stronger than the material itself!

Again, NO ONE is advertising one piece cores and then using multi piece cores, you can't fault anyone for something that is just your expectation. I wish I could get wider Kiri boards, even if it was just to satisfy the ego of wood snobs like you. I do use one piece Ayous, WRC and Spruce cores, Urray for me!

I can just as easily say that Xiom is making marketing gimmicks claiming they use one piece cores. This coming from a brand that also uses hyper axylium, cold press whatever, super arylate, and the world's first ever hybrid blade (except there were plenty before that). But kudos to Xiom for doing the right thing - not gimmeckly at all!

But why am I arguing with you? I'm not gonna change your mind, and I really don't care what you think. Just don't go saying that I use marketing gimmicks and take people for fools. I pride myself on my honesty, I don't charge premium prices for my blades and I never lied or hid the fact that I use multi piece Kiri cores.

I totally trust your blades btw, they are fantastic to watch that's for sure. In the end, we want the same blade from one to another within a model so if there is consistency in the way the break in the core is made then it's all good.

This is the core of one of my blades. I bet that if you played with it you wouldn't even suspect the core was like this.

Sorry OP for stealing the thread.

There is enough consistency in the spacing between holes to not feel any difference, especially with the 2 plies of wood on top on each side.

if I may ask, why not going all the way with the holes in the handle middle and bottom parts? are you looking for balance maybe? are you trying to compensate the additional weight of modern rubbers so the holes are for the playing surface only?

I am not asking the legality, we know the answer. It's a great idea. How much weight do you shave off the core that way in your typical (3mm?) kiri core?

This only translates to a ~17% weight reduction, so it's only useful for heavier woods. In a kiri core with 3mm that's only ~4g, not enough difference to make it useful.

Multiple pieces with the grain going in different directions all over the place? they don't even try to hide anymore, come on! 

I learned earlier that it does not matter since the glue is stronger so, the more core pieces, the more glue to join them and the less the wood matter anyway since the ball ends up bouncing more often from the glue, right? That's the logic that was pushed all the way to ultimately give birth to the Revoldia concept, "dust and glue". GENIUS!!! Leibniz would be proud.

the grain is not aligned, what donic model?

edit: my gosh! some of the best minds re. tt material told me the Crest AR is so fantastic, that English man comes to mind, I forget his handle atm he did not posted for a long time.

Outstanding built quality, better than Butterfly or other high price products I've seen or had before. Haven't tried the blade yet though; still waiting for my new rubbers...

Please do post the photos of your new blades. I'm quite curious..

robertantal wrote: ...Usually harder rubbers complement nicely softer woods. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION?

Well, yes, that is the word on the street, so to speak, for many years. Hard rubbers + soft blade and vice versa. There is probably some truth to that, even in the plastic-ball era where more and more players put very hard rubbers on rather hard/stiff blades. However I do not think it is necessary for mere hobby players to follow 1:1 what pros or semi-pros do (these days).

The blade that I received is a 5-ply allwood with a kiri core plus two spruce outers. It seems to be somewhat stiff, but because of the spruce outers I expect a very soft touch. I intend to put medium-hard rubbers on it. Xiom Omega V Euro (45° ESN) and Omega V Tour (47.5° ESN). That should work nicely...maybe I'll try Omega VII Asia (52.5°) as well, but I'm not sure if I'm able to fully engage a hard rubber like that in order to also make use of the spinning capabilities of the blade (which in this case should generelly be on the higher end) . We'll see.

robertantal wrote: I got the same wood so called spin offensive just with a slightly thinner core (3.6 mm) to reduce the speed and the total thickness of the blade a little...Also since you received your blade already could you share some photos please?

Well, first of all: I'm not quite sure what kind of blade I received exactly: I only know that it was produced by Soulspin. Last week I ordered a regular Nittaku S-5 from a shop; the S-5 is supposed to be made of spruce only...

But as I said the blade that I received has a kiri core insted of a spruce one. That is what I meant by saying "custom". It could very well be a "Spin Offensive" or the "PimplePark Pila", just with Nittaku print and S-5 handle caps.

Sorry, picture is upside down I believe

Yup, they confirmed it today. It is possibly the only "official" Nittaku S-5 with a kiri core. There is a good chance that I will keep the blade and order another S-5 (in the hope that the next one is "all-spruce"), because I really like the craftsmanship.

Thickness is 6.3 mm and weighs 79.5g. Yes, because of the kiri core and the leight weight overall, it will most likely be slower that the original. I originally intended to use the S-5 as a replacement for a Butterfly Kiso Hinoki V, but my version will also probably produce less spin that the other S-5s.

robertantal wrote: I would not be worried about the speed because the kiri core will offer better control in my opinion so you could compensate with faster rubbers! Thibar MX-S perhaps.

Indeed, the blade should offer plenty of control. I do not know the MX-S, only MX-P and EL-S, and I like the EL-S better, but these Evo rubbers are sooo heavy! The Omega Vs are a little lighter and fast enough for my level.

I will review them later one by one...

Total weight of the blade is 89 g, after installing the two Nittaku Fastarc G1 rubbers is 189 g. I will mention again this is a modified Spin Offensive with a 2 mm thinner core than the one on Soulspin website.

Some first impressions are that the speed of the setup is a solid OFF-, the spim indeed is easy to generate and vary, the handle is extremely thin to my liking so thin that I'm contemplating about adding grip tape to increase the diameter for a fuller feel.I love the idea of the ribbed handle it is great just the size is not what I expected. Regarding the control I can say is very easy to redirect shots and to change pace and spin. If you are a all arounder this is the ideal blade for you. Maybe the original blade with the ticker core is better suited for an all in attacking player. Overall I'm happy with the blade in all aspects I just wished I would ordered a larger and thicker handle. well maybe next time. This is my impression after one day of playing for about two hours so things may change in the future. 

Here is the construction of my blade reflecting the 2mm thinner core.

The total blade weight with two Nittaku Fastarc G1 is 195 grams. A bit heavy for my liking but The extra 5 to 7 grams are due to the beautiful oversize Venge wood handle what is one of the heaviest from Soulspin's options.

The first impression after a day of playing is that even with the addition of the 0.2 mm to the Kiri core the blade is a slow OFF- in my opinion. Compared side by side with the Gewo Konigsklasse Funf it is a slower blade with much less kick. Also the spin is harder to generate than with the Gewo. The Ayous core really makes the Gewo blade come alive compared with the thicker Kiri core on the Soulspin. The Soulspin blade is more like a constant speed blade with high control for defenders or all-rounders. In my opinion this blade is better suited for pip players since blocking is very easy with it. All my blocks landed on the table easily at around the same depth independently of the incoming speed. Changing pace when attacking it was a bit of challenge since this blade's kick comes in at hard hits only. I will not spend any more time with this blade since it does not suit my style and I will probably offer it for sale at the FS section at one point.

I've had a number of custom ones made by them, all exceptional quality. The best I've seen, even when compared to other custom blade makers I've used. 

As far as the .2 kiri increase... I'm not sure how much difference that would actually make. At that small increment I'd think the specific wood quality used for that particular blade matters more (wood density etc. for each specific cut). Just as you can have 2 identical blades that play differently. 

For the 80-85 range... pretty light materials are needed, especially for an all-wood with power. Maybe like a ma lin extra offensive or the older oh sang eun butterfly blade models to replicate. 

First impression is that the setup is a solid OFF and has god spin and control. I trimmed the rubbers close to the blade edge to save another 5 grams of the total weight not leaving the extra 2 mm around the edges as I usually do. total setup weight is 195 grams and is still on the heavy side just like the previous blade. I guess the beauty of the Wenge handle costed me an extra of 7 grams at the expense of the total weight. Otherwise the blade is well balanced. Playing is easy and my balls are landing mostly deep on the table but slow and spiny loops are also easy to be placed next to the net on the forehand or backhand side of the table. Passive blocking is decent but active blocks are better. Overall feel is not at the level of the Gewo Konigsklasse Funf but The speed and power are superior. This is only the firs day playing wit the blade so things may change once I get used to the extra weight compared to my main setup.

Yeah, you are not gonna get the power you want from an all wood blade at that wight range, but it's totally possible using composite fibers. I've built some pretty powerful blades at around 85g.

I think the ayous based blades are better for drive and block style overall. I have two of them from soulspin, one is meant to be a block/hit and the other is an over-sized chopping blade. Both have a duller feeling compared to the spruce or kiri based blades. Kind of a muted thunking. I don't sense any more speed from the ayous, just a more steady impact. Korbel, Oh Sang Eun, Clipper etc. Not that you can't loop with them, of course.. only people seem to prefer other compositions if spin based looping is the goal. 

Kiri still doesn't have the same feel, even at the same thickness. The spruce has more of a unique sound and vibration, with a springier rebound. One thing people always comment on is the sound. Even during warm-ups they will ask what I'm using, which nobody ever really does any other time with different blades. 

If I was going to craft a blade with speed and power, being somewhat close to your desired weight... I would probably do a spruce/ayous core with koto outer layers. Something like the timo boll w7 but a bit thinner, to bring the weight down. 

Ever used the donic waldner or persson 89 series?

I'm ordering a 7 ply Black Limba top/Spruce/Spruce/Ayous core  from Soulspin at 5.8 mm total thickness. I hope I can keep the weight under 90 grams and use their new era ribbed handle. The Black Limba with Spruce support should be spiny enough with a god kick and keeping the thickness under 6 mm should not be to stiff. 

I have a pimple park Filus. Good quality and good price. I would like to try pila as well.