Weekly Training Update - 25/08/2026

 I've used a variety of blades now but the first proper blade I bought, the Donic Waldner Senso Carbon, turned out to be the spinniest.  I bought this pre-made bat and it had Bluefire M2 (MAX) on both sides which turned out to be a good all round rubber with excellent levels of control, spin and speed.  What is it that makes this set up so spinny?  The Waldner Senso Carbon has the feeling of a wood with the increased sweet spot and hence speed that the carbon offers.  In my opinion, it offers a perfect balance except that it loses power away from the table so is only really effective at close quarters.  The speed of this blade is ALL+ but that doesn't matter. When the ball is spinning, the speed is more than sufficient.  Later I bought another Donic blade, the Original Senso Carbon.  It turned out to be a bit stiffer than the Waldner Carbon, classed as OFF by Donic, it has more speed and significant power but the ball spins less.  It all depends on what kind of player you happen to be, does speed or spin dominate your game?  I use Donic Bluestorm Pro AM (MAX) on the forehand and Donic Vario Bigslam (MAX) on the backhand.  The former rubber is very soft, produces a satisfying crack on impact with the ball, and lots of dwell time for consistent topspins, drives and blocks.  The latter is a medium hard rubber, fast and spinny, and better quality and more durable than Donic Bluefire.

Later on I learnt that most developing players start with a wood so I went out and bought a wood which happened to be Butterfly Petr Korbel with Tenergy 05 (MAX) both sides.  This blade is both fast and responsive, classed as OFF by Tees Sports, Butterfly's official outlet in the UK.  I really like this blade but it certainly doesn't spin as much as the Donic Waldner Senso Carbon.  It probably has sufficient speed for me.  I use it for training and in some league games.  Presently I use Tenergy 05 on my forehand and Tibhar Sinus Sound on my backhand.  The latter is a very soft rubber, engineered for the celluloid ball but still relevant for improvers and all rounders seeking more control, especially on the backhand shots which are shorter and more compact.  Even Tenergy 05 is now a bit dated and outclassed by new rubbers like Zyre 03 and Dignics 09c.  

Later I decided to purchase another 5 ply wood, Nittaku Violin, because it was affordably priced and its renowned as a classic blade.  It is classed as ALL +/OFF -.  I think this is a better blade than Petr Korbel, a blade possessing power and delicate control on touch shots.  It probably won't satisfy those desirious of top speed, but I think its a beautiful blade made with fantastic craftsmanship and a hard ash outer ply which provides a bit of oomph.  I used Nittaku Fastarc G-1 on the forehand on a MAX sponge and, formerly, Nittaku Moristo short pimples on a 1.8mm sponge.  I like this all Nittaku setup but changed the short pimples recently to another very soft rubber, Donic Desto F3 Bigslam, live rubber engineered for the celluloid ball.

To complement my offensive style blades I purchased a defense blade which is Donic Defplay Inner Carbon.  Unusually this defense blade includes two layers of carbon so it can be used for forehand drive, smash and loops.  I put Donic Bluefire M2 (MAX) on the forehand and Donic Pirjana Formula Tec (1.2) on my backhand.  I decided to try a long pimple rubber with a thick sponge, since this was the first time I'd tried long pimples.  The contrast in speed between FH and BH is astonishing and wins a lot of points.  The thick sponge also means that the long pimples can be used for drives and smashes, if need be.  This blade should be classed as ALL - rather than DEF.  Its too fast and attacking for a defender and suits the play style of the modern defender who chops on the BH and smashes on the FH.

I think its a good idea to invest some money in finding a blade that's right for you.  Chances are, as you develop your game and meet other players, it'll be possible to sell the equipment that didn't suit you but may suit someone else.