Tarsmot's Blade Ratings/Reviews
Back to tarsmot's ProfileHere are Tarsmot's ratings and reviews. These ratings are useful because Tarsmot 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.
Butterfly (6) 
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Butterfly Boll Offensive
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Review of Butterfly Boll OffensiveVery comfortable square section straight handle. I would rate it all-round plus not off. The top ply did lift at the edge when I removed the rubbers so beware. A very good fast all-round blade that would suit intermediate players, a tad too fast for beginners. Decent finish and value for money for a Chinese made bat designed by butterfly.Oct 26, 2016 | |||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Korbel Speed
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Review of Butterfly Korbel SpeedThis is a great flat hitting blade with excellent build quality. Mine is 93 grams and I appreciate the momentum that heavier blades provide. Low throw and stiff so not for loopers. Made in Japan so is expensive but at least the top ply stays put when changing rubbers unlike some other blades I own. By the way this is five ply not seven as stated in another review. It is now effectively reincarnated as the Hadraw VK so Butterfly did not think it was as bad as some of the previous reviewers stated.Nov 16, 2017 | |||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Primorac
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Review of Butterfly PrimoracFirst impressions are that butterfly have a cash cow in this blade. Quality of top ply wood is average for a Chinese blade less than half its price. Not as the earlier models in quality and finish but I guess those are more comparable to the current Hadrow range of wooden blades. After 3 month's use I have come to appreciate why it is so popular: its speed, touch and handling is just right for most situations. Most intermediate players would benefit from abandoning the super stiff and fast carbon bandwagon and try one of these classic limba limba ayous all wood combos.Oct 04, 2017 | |||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Boll Allround
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Review of Butterfly Boll AllroundButterfly has confused the identity of their allround blade by changing the colour of the handle from yellow (which is now given to the TB control) to grey (previously the TB allround+). This is a very good allround blade, slightly harder than classic allrounds because of the koto outer veneer. Marginally larger than the TB offensive so slightly more flex. It would suit any beginner/intermediate player as they hone their technique. Beware of changing rubbers too often as the top veneer will come off at the edges despite varnishing. Best straight butterfly handle for larger hands. Works well with Chinese and European rubbers. Because of its fragility I would in retrospect opt for a cheaper Chinese alternative from Yinhe or Sanwei.Oct 04, 2017 | |||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Primorac 2017
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Review of Butterfly Primorac 2017Bought this as a back up for my older version of the primorac. Same rubbers but this has a straight handle rather than flared. The blade is about 2mm longer than the older model, it is slightly thinner at 5.6 mm: this could be just variations in production. What a disappointment! Top heavy and slower, hollow feeling and masses of vibration in the handle. Bears no resemblance to the previous version. Plenty of better all wood blades at half the price elsewhere.Nov 23, 2018 | |||||||||||||||
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Butterfly Viscaria
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Review of Butterfly ViscariaFinally I bought the legendary Viscaria. My coach thinks this is THE blade that everybody can play with. I believe he has a point, I cannot fault it, it provide a stable and solid base for most rubber combinations. A great blade for £85 when bought at my partner's local Butterfly dealer in Matsuyama.Apr 22, 2026 | |||||||||||||
Eastfield (1)
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Eastfield Allwood
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Review of Eastfield AllwoodClassic allround set up. Excellent feeling and feedback from this setup: not as soft as a stiga allround not as hard as a butterfly TB allround though the rubbers on the Eastwood must play a part. You could assemble a comparable set up at a fraction of the price but this offers the enthusiastic recreational player who cannot steer through the myriad of blade and rubber combinations a very well balanced set up. The excellent customer service is also a plus (they replaced my friend's rubber damaged in transit without argument). Like Colb I restarted table tennis at the tender age of 63 and had I had this bat from the beginning it would have saved much time and money in trying various combinations.Feb 12, 2020 | |||||||||||||
Huaruite (2)
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Huaruite Clipper
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Review of Huaruite ClipperGreat value clipper copy. The handle is the same size as Stiga, very slightly rounder with a slightly different slope at the top where I rest my thumb. After scraping off the cc layer back to the wood, the blade has excellent feeling. Softer and slower that other 7 ply clipper derivatives such as Dhs Pg 7. The limba top ply looks of good quality and compares well with that on my Stiga blades with same outer plys. Play extremely well for my intermediate level. As good as my other blades costing a multiple of this. Superb value for money. By the way the clipper wood is the same blade as the HRT 2091 for which there are no reviews under that heading.Mar 31, 2017 | |||||||||||||
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Huaruite 2091
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Review of Huaruite 2091This is the (Stiga) Clipper wood copy. See reviews under that headingMar 31, 2017 | |||||
Nittaku (2)
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Nittaku Miyabi
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Review of Nittaku MiyabiThis is my third one ply blade. Its 9mm thick and at 95 grams weighs less than the Yinhe J1 and Sanwei H10. With 729 cream transcend 1.5mm both sides the overall playing weight is 180gms which is a fairly average set up. Flared handle is good but not as comfortable for my big hands so overgrip added at the neck.The quality of the wood is open to question as the grain (spacing of the growing rings) become progressively wider across the face of the blade, so in theory the feel of the blade and vibration should differ from one end of the blade to the other. This is disappointing as Nittaku made in Japan is often seen as a sign of superior quality. The Sanwei has consistent grain across the whole blade and is half the cost. However the feeling of this blade is superb, speed is medium fast. It does not have the vibration of the Sanwei, and its weight is similar to my match playing set up and this makes the transition to this one ply much easier. Everyone who has tried it has been captivated by the feel of this blade. It puts a warm feeling and a smile on your face.. sheer pleasure! This blade can do everything except pushing at the table which is rather awkward probably because of the adjustment needed to take into account the thickness of the blade. Because of the wide spacing of the growing rings this is not top notch Kiso Hinoki as mentioned in the introduction above. This has either been grown in a warmer area than Kiso, or it is made from cheaper cuts rather than the best quarter sawn examples. It is definitely not 400 years old but I believe it is Japanese hinoki because of the size to weight ratio. The Sanwei H10 is likely to have been made from Taiwanese cypress which is heavier. Of course top quality Hinoki costs a multiple of the asking price of the Miyabi. Now if I could get one made to measure ....... Nov 28, 2017 | |||||||||||||||
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Nittaku Acoustic
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Review of Nittaku AcousticThe only blade that feels an extension of my arm. Perfect balance of speed and feeling that can be tweaked by rubber combinations. The small handle was not an issue with the flared handle but I had to add grip sleeves to beef up the straight handle.Dec 16, 2022 | |||||||||||||||
OSP (1)
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OSP Virtuoso OFF-
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Review of OSP Virtuoso OFF-Mine is 88grams with a square straight handle. Head size is m. The plys are the same as my Primorac both 5.7 the handle almost similar to Butterfly's own straight used on the Timo Boll.However the head shape differs and the head joins the handle higher up so some adjustment in grip is necessary. Compared to the Primorac the blade has a deeper tone in play more gravitas. A little slower, slightly lower throw, but more feel and control in short play and blocking. Aug 14, 2017 | |||||||||||||||
Sanwei (3)
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Sanwei H10 1 Ply Hinoki
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Review of Sanwei H10 1 Ply HinokiBought this on impulse to try out the famed hinoki one ply. Mine is 8.5 mm thick not 10 mm as the brochure states. This can be explained by my asking for the lightest blade weighing in at 103 gms. A 10mm blade would have been a hefty weapon. The head size is small, smaller than my Yinhe T11+. from this I conclude this wood is not Japanese hinoki but possibly heavier cypress from Taiwan or elsewhere. Tested with 729 cream transcend 1.8. Huge feeling in the blade with lots of vibration. Great for top spins and loops not so good for defensive pushes. This blade is alive every shot is larger than life, this is table tennis nuanced by a myriad of sensations and colours. Is this true love?Update.. . now I have the Nittaku Myiabi I am re evaluating the "scores" I note that some people hate vibrations in a blade. I welcome "good vibrations" hence my overall rating is likely to be higher for this blade than others would consider appropriate. However everyone who has tried it at the club loves it too! Apr 26, 2017 | |||||||||||||||
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Sanwei HC. 5
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Review of Sanwei HC. 5Bought his after checking out my adversary's blade in a league match. he spoke so lovingly about this blade that I had to try one out. My HC5 blade weighs a massive 91g as I specifically asked for the biggest handle which is still smaller than most other flared handles. The finish of the blade is ok but given that it must have been old stock (now superseded by the HC 5S I may have got the best of whatever was left in stock. I used my cheap go to rubbers Sanwey T88 III in max thickness and the results were beyond expectations. Feeling was top notch, only a distant memory of my beloved Stiga from the 1970s compares, but memory is an odd yardstick to use. Switching from a one ply Nittaku Myiabi hinoki my topspins came back to life returning heavy backspin with relative ease. Pushes were easy to control only flat hits and blocks were harder to control. Sweet spot is good but not huge. However this blade cost a third of the one ply hinoki so it is a bargain if you can still buy it for under £20. So good in fact that I had to get the HC-5S (the current version with larger handle costs 50% more) even though I had promised myself to stop ej'ing.Sanwei do have a straight handle version but at a huge cost if bought on their website, if the blade were to be available at a reasonable price this would become my match blade. April 2019 Update: still available from Aliexpress! April 2016 Update (is it really 7 years later?) Aliexpress has this blade with a straight handle in stock!! My Viscaria is anxiously awaiting the arrival of my past favourite! Apr 22, 2026 | |||||||||||||||
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Sanwei HC.5S
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Review of Sanwei HC.5SBought this on the strength of its wonderful HC5 predecessor because it is available with a straight handle. At first I much preferred the old version but my view was based on blades with very different weights 94 and 80 grams respectively. The handle on the HC5S is very comfortable and the largest girth of my collection of some 20 blades barring the thick balsa core and one ply hinoki. Totally unexpected from a Chinese brand, but then these are designed for the European Market.Impressed I have bought two more blades progressively heavier by some 5 grams. I used short pimples on the fh and inverted on bh. Great blend of solidity and feeling due to the inner soft carbon topped by two layers of hinoki. My speed ratings are based on the mid weight of 85gms. You can increase or decrease speed to taste but this is the one of the few truly controllable carbon blades I have come across. Highly recommended to those with xlarge hands Feb 10, 2022 | |||||||||||||||
Stiga (1)
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Stiga Hans Asler
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Review of Stiga Hans AslerBought this to remind me if how blades from the early 1970 play and because in those days we had substantial handles. The blade is 5.5 mm thick and after stripping off the rubbers I was surprised by how dead the wood felt. It absorbs energy reminding me of a phrases oft used in finance: "dead cat bounce".This is a brilliant defensive blade that will suck the lifeblood from your opponent, otherwise just a collector's item. Nov 16, 2017 | |||||||||||||||
Stuor (1)
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Stuor 20 Gold Carbon
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Review of Stuor 20 Gold CarbonJust bought this blade to exorcise bad feelings after a drubbing in the local league. Asked for lowest weight, and received 86gms. Head dimensions are 157*150, ST handle 101mm. The pattern of the handle hints at the Butterfly Harimoto ALC but head size indicates Butterfly Inner Layer. Blade frequency is 1399Hz so this is Off territory. No idea what constitutes "gold" carbon but I guess is superior to bog standard stuff. Finishing is very good with a noticeable attempt at sanding the wings. Feels very comfortable in my XXXL hands. Will update when I decide on FH and BH rubbers as I ams transitioning back to inverted after a flirtation with short pimples for a couple of seasons.Dec 11, 2025 | |||||
Sword (1)
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Sword Day Fury
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Review of Sword Day FurySuperbly finished 7 ply clipper style blade. The overrated DHS PG7 feels hollow by comparison. Response is powerful smooth and linear . In car terms this is a V8 engine, purring at every touch stroke but feeling that you have tremendous power at you command. The only negative is that the handle has been coated in varnish and needs to be sanded to ensure the blade does not slip through your sweaty palm ( mine is a ST handle). A veritable steal at the price!Feb 12, 2020 | |||||||||||||||
Tibhar (1)
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Tibhar Defense Plus
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Review of Tibhar Defense PlusThis is an excellent defensive blade. Very light and hence highly manoeuvrable. It absorbs power so would suit a classic defender that relies on slowing down the opponent. Unlikely to win points through power shots or loop kills.Highly recommended for those who use placement and deception to win a point. Very nice confortable straight handle and excellent value. Mar 16, 2017 | |||||||||||||
TSP (1)
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TSP Standard
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Review of TSP StandardCheap slow blade from TSP that would suit someone looking for a first custom blade.Does most things well but not suitable for speed freaks. Add something like 729 super FX and it will be a cheaper and superior set up to ready-mades from Butterfly, Stiga etc etc. Oct 25, 2016 | |||||||||||||||
Victas (1)
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Victas Koji Matsushita
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Review of Victas Koji MatsushitaSuperb finish. Surprisingly fast for a defensive blade when used with allround rubbers.Handle too small and short for large hands. Unless you use thin sponges or ox the set up is head heavy because of the larger head size. Love the craftsmanship but would only bring it back to use if I decide to persevere with pips out Mar 16, 2017 | |||||||||||||||
Xi Enting (1)
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Xi Enting Triceratops X460
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Review of Xi Enting Triceratops X460A pleasant surprise. Fast solid performance, great for power hitters but not for beginners or lower intermediate unless guided by a coach.Flared handle surprisingly confortable for my large hands. A steal at the price. Mar 16, 2017 | |||||||||||
Yasaka (2)
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Yasaka Extra
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Review of Yasaka ExtraWhat a disappointment! Bought it on the strength of reviews hoping to have a slower more controlled set up than my YEO.The fabled anigre top ply is no magic solution to increased control. This is a blade without any stand out qualities, just dull! The finish is not as good as my older YEO so may be quality suffered over time. The YEO is JTTA approved so may be this explains the difference in quality between the two blades Oct 25, 2016 | |||||||||||||||
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Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive
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Review of Yasaka Ma Lin Extra OffensiveMy blade of choice at the moment. I have a JTTA approved version. The straight handle is just perfect for my large hands. The blade feels solid without unwanted vibrations. Stroke feedback is very good, speed and control are well balanced and can be tuned by choice of rubber. Highly recommended for intermediate level.Sep 20, 2018 | |||||||||||||||
Yinhe (Galaxy/Milkyway) (3)
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Yinhe 980
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Review of Yinhe 980Excellent defensive blade for lp and hitters. Hard and stiff helps consistency and precision placement. A steal at the price.Nov 16, 2016 | |||||||||||||||
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Yinhe J-1
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Review of Yinhe J-1Wonderful feeling blade. Mine has a long flared large sized flared handle with fits beautifully in my extra large hands. Heavy weapon that will need you to adjust your strokes if you are used to thin 5ply blades. Unless you have wrists of steel forget wristy flicks. If you are a die hard looper you would find this unwieldy and your triceps will scream in pain. Great feeling blade with soft touch and great dwell time. Very different feel to hinoki so this is not a cheap alternative but a blade with its own distinctive character. It is lighter in comparison with non Japanese hinoki variants.Apr 01, 2017 | |||||||||||||
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Yinhe Earth E-3
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Review of Yinhe Earth E-3Classic limba spruce ayous core composition. Great control attack blade. A steal at around £14. As good as stiga offensive classic but marginally faster.Apr 27, 2019 | |||||||||||||
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