Equipment doubts

I’m Fabio, an Italian TT player and historian. I’ve just published “Racchette spezzate” (Broken rackets”, the story of the greatest TT champions who died before reaching sixty years old. A “Spoon River” of table tennis!! – see attachment

I’m at present quite confused about my equipment and would like to hear your opinion.

I’m a 65 y.o. (in good form) atypical push – blocker player. I set my game on varying speed and spin with two very different rubbers, good placement and finishing the rallye with FH smash as soon as I get a chance.

I’m currently playing with Animus Victoria 2 blade 153 x 160 (hinoki – rosewood – hinoki – ayous – hinoki); my rubbers are antispin (Yasaka Anti Power) on FH (yes, forehand!) and Palio CJ 8000 biotech 42°-44° on BH.

Of course I’m working on technique focusing mostly on block, push, FH smash with both rubbers, BH topspin.

My feeling with my blade is good. Anyway, I’d like to exploit my equipment to the fullest. So I have some questions:

1.Staying on a 5-ply all wood blade, is it better to have a hard core and soft outer plies or a soft core and hard outer plies? Besides Victoria 2 I also own an Animus Diana (limba – hinoki – red cedar – hinoki – limba), an Animus Victoria 1 (rosewood – hinoki – hinoki – kiri – hinoki), a Stiga Offensive CR and a Stiga Allround CR. (I don’t like balsa blades).

2.Even if in my opinion I have to slow down the game, is it advisable to use a 7-ply all wood blade instead of a 5-ply nowadays? I own a Yinhe PD 437 (7 layers of Limba) and a Yinhe PD 537 (walnut – limba – limba – limba – limba – limba – walnut), the last being similar to Sanwei V5 Pro.

3.As regards rubbers, Antispin on FH has some advantages: opponents are not used to and sometimes the different speed between the two sides gives them some trouble. Anyway I also think that anti is too passive and maybe a medium pips could give the same advantages  but be more effective. Do you advice to keep my current setup or shift to medium pips?

4.Last question is about the normal rubber for BH. Better chinese (cheaper) or european? Better tacky or non-tacky? Better medium- soft or medium-hard? I own Joola Ryzhen Ice, Butterfly Tackiness D, Palio CJ8000 Biotech 42°-44°, Palio AK47 blue and Palio AK47 yellow.

I found one video of me playing. I am the one in light blue of the blue/blue couple (against the red/blue). With that match we won the regional championships of my category.

https://www.facebook.com/248983851778953/videos/308592913143622

I trust your advice.

Thanks a lot if you can answer my questions.

Kind regards. Your sport friends. Fabio Colombo