AndySmith's Blade Ratings/Reviews
Back to andysmith's ProfileHere are AndySmith's ratings and reviews. These ratings are useful because AndySmith has his/her own standard and will rate and review the ping pong equipment accordingly, giving you accurate and useful ratings and reviews to aid you in your next online purchase.
Adidas (1) 
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Adidas Hypertouch
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Review of Adidas HypertouchExpensive, interesting, excellent blade from adidas. Although the outer ply is koto, in reality it feels softer than that. Could be the rx carbon, could be the wood selection.The feeling is truly great. In short play, has a very natural, woody feel. The whole thing feels very stable and solid for a thin(ish) blade, and driving is robust. Looping is absolutely excellent though - medium high arc, brilliant feel, very controlled during aggressive play. It has a touch of low-speed catapult / bounciness, and a slight bit of flex. It's still quite linear overall, and the characteristics suit the latest tensors well. If you use overly bouncy rubbers, it becomes a bit of a rocketship. Calibra Sound, for example, would be a tricky setup on this. Care is needed with blocking. It handles low-speed play well, but for harder, high-spin loops the extra pace results in a more bouncy reaction. Active blocking helps to keep the ball down, but passive blocking can be difficult to judge the necessary bat angle. Not the best for a passive, pick-hit game at all. Handle is chunky, quality is high, no defects visible. A really good looping blade, with no major compromises in other areas. Sep 17, 2013 | |||||||||||||
Butterfly (8)
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Butterfly Balsa Carbo X5
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Review of Butterfly Balsa Carbo X5Interesting combination of soft, springy balsa and still carbon. Plenty of direct power available for hitting, and awesome for blocks. Agree with the mwyatt - very light so distance play needs a bit of grunt.I've seen a few of these around my club over the years, and they've all held up pretty well, but I have seen some ply separation so take care when removing rubbers! Feb 27, 2009 | |||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Timo Boll Spirit
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Review of Butterfly Timo Boll SpiritGreat blade for all your attacking needs - looping, blocking and driving are all good.The composite carbon results in a bit of a "numb" feel without much feedback, but the all-round attacking potential outweigh this. Expensive, but very well made, with a quality feel and comfortable handle. Feb 27, 2009 | |||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Michael Maze
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Review of Butterfly Michael MazeVery similar to the Timo Boll Spirit, but slightly faster and more direct. I found it slightly better for hitting, but not quite as nice for looping. But these are very slight differences.The composite carbon results in a bit of a "numb" feel without much feedback, but the all-round attacking potential outweigh this. Expensive, but very well made, with a quality feel. Feb 27, 2009 | |||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Keyshot Light
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Review of Butterfly Keyshot LightI got this blade when looking for a slightly slower and softer alternative to my Michael Maze ALC, and it definitely fits that requirement.Putting that aside, it's a good, solid OFF- blade. really well made, the handle seems slightly smaller that the usual Butterfly size but I found it really comfortable. Very slight vibrations, but nothing too bad at all. Really nice soft feel, and I found it far more controllable than the Maze, but lacking in the crisp feel when hitting. Nov 10, 2009 | |||||||||||||
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Butterfly Timo Boll ZLF
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Review of Butterfly Timo Boll ZLFThis is a really nicely balanced blade. It's not outrageously quick - more of an ALL+ or OFF- and certainly a touch slower than BTY rate it. But what I really like about it is the feel.It has a very wood-like feel, quite soft really with a lot of useful dwell for looping. But the ZLF layer gives you some of the benefit of a composite blade, with larger sweet spot and minimal vibration. It avoids the carbon "numb" feeling. Mine was slower than my old TBS and Maze, but not by much. Control was amazing though. If you're stepping up to carbon blades and find it all a bit too much, I'd give a ZLF blade a try. Very well made, looks damn fine too. Expensive. Worth the money? Not sure. Suits my game really well and I'm happy enough, but it's a lot of cash if you pay full retail price. Feb 10, 2010 | |||||||||||||
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Butterfly Photino
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Review of Butterfly PhotinoAn amazing blade.As others have said, bit of a bipolar blade in that it seems to "flatten out" when hitting hard, but has a fair bit of spring when looping. This really suits my game when moving between slow loops and hard punches, especially on the b/hand side. This dual character also makes blocking a lot easier than most fast blades I've tried. I've had T05FX, Macro Era and Spinart on there in different combinations and it all seems to work for me. Expensive, but worth it. Jul 06, 2010 | |||||||||||||
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Butterfly Senkoh 85
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Review of Butterfly Senkoh 85I tried this out as a cheap first 1-ply hinoki experiment, and I was very surprised. It's really well-made, very easy to use, and suits all sort of different rubbers.It's not massively quick, but doesn't vibrate, and plays really well in all areas. If you like to loop over the table, and punch stuff from short range, it's a great choice. Has a great, consistent feel when hitting. Perhaps doesn't have the beans from distance, especially if you don't middle it. Oct 01, 2010 | |||||||||||||
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Butterfly Liu Shiwen
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Review of Butterfly Liu ShiwenExcellent blade. Very, very similar to the Innerforce ZLF but with a slightly larger handle (only available in FL, by the way), and some nice graphics.Like the Boll ZLF, this doesn't feel like a carbon blade, and retains a woody feel. Sweet spot seems large, and some flex is available for more distance play. The main thing is the feeling of stability and consistency. It's not mega-fast, but it's more than fast enough unless you are a bullet hitter / blocker. It never seems to do anything unpredictable. A solid, OFF- fast, looping blade with good woody feeling. Is it worth the money? Not a chance - BTY prices are crazy these days, and you might be able to get a similar all-wood blade to suit for half the price. But still very high quality, if money is no object. Jul 25, 2012 | |||||||||||||||
Donic (4)
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Donic Persson Power Carbon
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Review of Donic Persson Power CarbonThis is a quick, direct-feel blade. Carbon "ping" feel isn't as pronounced as other carbon blades I've tried, but I had freaky vibrations when blocking smashes. I had the solid-handle version if that makes any difference.Not bad, but I prefer my BTY Maze. Oct 16, 2009 | |||||||||||||
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Donic Appelgren Dotec Control
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Review of Donic Appelgren Dotec ControlNice allround+ blade. Donic market this as a "control" blade, but I still found it on the faster side of allround, especially for an all-wood.The handle is the big selling point. It feels really comfortable for me, and actually helps my forehand technique a bit with wrist position. I did find it a bit tricky on the backhand side, and had to adjust a bit because I felt a bit cramped up in some way. The Dotec blades are worth a go just to try out the feel of the handle, which is great. Probably best to try one out before you buy if you can - it's a personal thing. Jul 06, 2010 | |||||||||||||
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Donic Waldner Legend Carbon
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Review of Donic Waldner Legend CarbonReally nice blade from Donic's 2012 range. Soft core, carbon, quite thick outer plies of hinoki. Wood and build quality is incredible for the price, and easily matches Butterfly blades despite being 1/3 of the price of some of them.Not as fast as Donic advertise, IMO. A really dependable blade, very linear, but has a slight flex at the very top end to add a bit to massive swings far from the table. Short game control is excellent, looping excellent, blocking good, hitting good. No real negatives for me, so as long as you like hinoki-topped blades then you will have no complaints. Dec 14, 2012 | |||||||||||||||
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Donic Crest AR+
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Review of Donic Crest AR+First up, there is a lot of incorrect info around about this blade. Even Donic's own website has several things wrong.Here is the actual construction of the Crest AR+ Outer veneer Limba 0,8 mm 2+8 Limba 0,8mm 3+7 Carbon ZF 4+6 Carbon fleece Middle veneer Ayous 2,8 mm And the head size is 158x152. The quality of this blade is top-notch, as good or better than anything Butterfly makes. I suspect the Crest blades are made by SoulSpin in Germany. The wood selection looks exceptional, the wings are sanded down, and the handle is super comfortable (if a bit flatter than some of Donic's more beefy handles). The head size is a bit large, so the blade will become head heavy, especially with heavier rubbers. It's definitely not an allround blade, so don't let the AR+ in the name confuse you. I came to this blade from the Waldner Senso Carbon, and it plays one notch faster than that. It has a wonderful limba feel from the top ply, giving a sense of "grab" on the ball. It also feels very solid on contact, with none of the hollow feel you get with lighter WSC blades (for example). The sweet spot is very large, but the feel remains quite woody. It is pretty stiff though, so possibly not a good option for lovers of loopy, very flexy blades, but it can do a job from distance. Throw is medium, reliable, consistent. Pairs well with every rubber I've thrown at it. As I said before, I was using the WSC prior to this, but since the plastic ball arrived I've been looking for something with a similar feel but a touch more power and solidity. This is that blade. I've used a lot of blades over the years, but I've never found something which excels in every area for my game until the Crest AR+. It's a bit expensive (shop around though - you can get them for well under retail price), but worth every penny. I really can't imagine using anything else. Nov 10, 2015 | |||||||||||||||
JOOLA (1)
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JOOLA Rossi Emotion
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Review of JOOLA Rossi EmotionGreat blade. High quality for a low price. The thin hinoki outer plies give a soft touch on thin contact shots. This results in a great, controlled touch over the table, and a good feeling of dwell on looping.However, this blade avoids some of the pitfalls of thick hinoki blades by using harder koto as a 2nd ply. This toughens the response up on harder shots, and gives good performance for blocks/hits/drives too. A wonderful balance between looping and driving, and an excellent feeling of stability. Weight can vary a fair bit (I've seen 78g to 93g so far), so best to ask for a specific weight if possible. Jan 08, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
Nexy (1)
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Nexy Spartacus
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Review of Nexy SpartacusSoft feel, quite thin, hinoki-topped carbon blade from Nexy.Carbon is next to the inner ply, so retains some nice wood characteristics. Slightly soft feel. One notch slower than Butterfly's popular carbon range (TBS, ZLC etc). Short control excellent. Blocking is good, but lack of bounce at slow speeds means you have to actively block if you don't combine with bouncy rubbers. Being thin, you get more flex than usual with stiff carbon blades. This gives it a fast(er) upper gear when hard looping or hitting - slow when you need it to be over the table, picks up a touch of speed when playing away. So slightly non-linear, but not to the point of madness. Quite a "loud" blade, high-pitched "ping" sound. Really noisy with soft rubbers. Best control-offense carbon blade I've used. If you find ALC blades a touch too quick and unforgiving, it's well worth tracking one of these down. Craftsmanship is excellent, and it's a good looking thing too. Dec 10, 2011 | |||||||||||||||
Nittaku (2)
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Nittaku Septear
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Review of Nittaku SeptearNice 7-ply hinoki wood blade with soft feel and high dwell.If you're after an ALL+ all-wood blade, you can't go far wrong here. Pairing with very soft rubbers could result in a very mushy combination, so perhaps best to stick with medium-hard sponges. Handle is very thin when compared with most other manufacturers, but I found it very comfortable and easy to use. Feb 27, 2009 | |||||||||||||||
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Nittaku Acoustic
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Review of Nittaku AcousticFinally got hold of one of these with an L-Size handle. Considered by many to be the holy grail of all-wood blades, along with the Violin.It's a beautifully made blade, and the L-Size handle is much more suited to my big hamfists (I find regular Nittaku handles to be far too small). Feels really smooth to play with, and does everything well. It's fast for a 5-ply all-wood, but not uncontrollable. It's quite thin, and pretty light, so for real pace you'll have to put some effort in. But it's so good in every other department that I think it's a better bet than a carbon blade for the overall feel and control. Probably more suited to loopers as opposed to hitters, due to soft feel. Very expensive... Oct 01, 2010 | |||||||||||||
OSP (2)
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OSP Virtuoso OFF-
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Review of OSP Virtuoso OFF-Absolutely beautiful blade. Solidly built to your specifications, this is a fantastic OFF- all wood blade, with good feedback (vibrations are informative, and never distracting), would pair well with almost any rubber type, with a fantastic "smooth" feel. A great rival to an Acoustic, but costs far less, and offering more control IMO.Dec 10, 2011 | |||||||||||||
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OSP Virtuoso+
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Review of OSP Virtuoso+Compared to the original Virtuoso, this is a bit stiffer and harder. This results in a noticably faster blade, and it gets the edge in blocking and hitting.The V+ is just as well made as the V, and has a great balance unless paired with really heavy rubbers. So, if you tried the V, but wanted more power and a harder feel, the V+ is the answer. And OSP's ELCON handle is so, so comfortable... Jul 25, 2012 | |||||||||||||
Tibhar (3)
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Tibhar E. Lebesson
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Review of Tibhar E. LebessonThis feels very similar to the Samsonov Alpha. Looks to have the same construction, but slightly thinner handle (comparing both flare handles), and a slightly larger head size. That second point is nice if you switch rubbers around a lot - the Sammy Alpha has a compact head, so standard cut rubbers overhang somewhat.Fantastic quality and value for money. Plenty of speed for a stiff 5 ply, and matches well with most rubbers. Dec 20, 2010 | |||||||||||||
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Tibhar Samsonov Alpha
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Review of Tibhar Samsonov AlphaOne of the all-time classic 5-ply looper's blades. Does most things well, and pairs with most rubbers. If you want a simple, cheap 5-ply blade, then this is a great choice.It's good in most areas, with no obvious issues apart from a lack of speed away from the table. Although it doesn't excel in any particular way, not having a real weakness is something to celebrate, and makes it better than the sum of its parts. This year has seen a revised model of the Sammy Alpha, and it has a normal head size. This helps if you're changing rubbers between blades a lot. Jul 25, 2012 | |||||||||||||||
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Tibhar Samsonov Pure Wood
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Review of Tibhar Samsonov Pure WoodNice ALL+/OFF- 5-ply wood blade. Fairly stiff but with a big head size, so can feel head-heavy with heavier rubbers. FL handle is chunky and very comfortable for me.The outer ply looks to be quite thick ayous. You get a slightly soft feel on thin contacts, but anything more forceful and it feels more medium (somewhere around the limba/koto mark). For me the best part is the solid feel - this doesn't feel hollow or cheap like some 5 ply all-woods can. Although Tibhar call this an ALL+ blade, it only feels like that in the short game. When hitting harder, it has a good power reserve and becomes OFF- - easily comparible to a BTY Primorac or Samsonov Alpha, for example. It is less flexible than those two though, more linear, and the soft short game feel takes some of the bounciness away. Loses power when away from the table, so you would need a fast rubber there. The build quality is high with no imperfections anywhere. The black handle lens sticks out a bit, but I don't notice it personally. The top ply splinters a bit when you do your first rubber removal, so I'd recommend that you seal it. This blade is a bit slower than others I've used in recent years, and I feel my game has improved a lot because of it. Oct 29, 2014 | |||||||||||||||
Xiom (1)
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Xiom Hayabusa ZXi
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Review of Xiom Hayabusa ZXiThin, quite stiff, hard feel. Really quite fast, with a medium throw - nothing too unusual to adapt to.The feel is unlike other composite blades I've used. The sweet spot is huge - the whole blade seems to be incredibly uniform in response. Even though the overall feel is hard, the short game feels strangely slightly softer, like the blade is damping rebound at low speed in some way. This makes the short game surprisingly easy considering the top end speed. Very well made, bit expensive, but a serious piece of kit. Mar 20, 2013 | |||||||||||||
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