2026 Xiamen Sports Expo: My Visit, Part Four
9. Sanwei
I swung by the Sanwei booth, but got so caught up chatting with old Sanwei that I forgot to take photos. We had such a good time that I only managed this one shot.
There was also the Wenqiong blade I received earlier. Both belong to the new “Boundary-Breaking” series. I won’t go into too many details because I haven’t actually played with it yet. The general market impression so far is “hard and springy.”
Now there’s also a Wenqiong-S — essentially a softer version of the original Wenqiong. More details will have to wait until I get some real table time.
Sanwei blades have always been solidly built. That includes the Ibex, which I’ve been selling for seven years (I had a long talk with old Sanwei that day about the possibility of a “Ibex 7th Anniversary” edition, especially performance-focused improvements). And the ever-popular Moyu, which still has a loyal following — I spotted several at alumni tournaments.
Gradually, I’ve been noticing a difference between the established domestic brands and the newer homegrown ones. The former are absolutely solid in product quality, but they don’t always have a great read on today’s market. The latter know how to ride influencer hype and work the marketing angle, but their products can sometimes feel a bit rushed and flashy.
10. 729
Continuing on that note, 729 is a perfect example. Their booth was one of the quietest at this expo. That said, quiet doesn’t necessarily mean poor sales. Just their well-regarded Penting series alone keeps me selling a lot of sheets all year.
The younger crowd, however, doesn’t always gravitate toward the brand — their marketing approach just isn’t hip enough for today’s trends.
That said, 729 has genuine depth in the rubber department. The Penting 3 Purple Lightning has been a hot topic this year, and the general consensus is positive. I’m embarrassed to say I still haven’t gotten around to testing it myself — I’ll follow up later.
Not much else from 729 made waves. The dual-sponge designs (Taiji, Wuji) that were hyped up two years ago have gone quiet.
Here are some photos for the rest.
11. Sanwei
Not much to say about the National Standard 3 rubber — it’s an absolute bestseller. It’s been selling like crazy for the past two or three years. Enough to keep Sanwei afloat, so to speak (half joking). When recommending a cost-effective forehand inner-energy sticky rubber, I often bring up National Standard 3 and the Hyper-Power AMG — they grip well and have solid bottom-end power.
On the blade side, three models stood out. The 75G, with inner Japanese green aramid carbon, has been getting good reviews.
The 75R uses a Vis structure with H-GLC fiber — a ultra-high-strength glass-carbon fiber made by a Taiwanese plastics manufacturer. The last glass-carbon blade I tested was an inner-carbon Crazy Hurricane 3. Glass fiber naturally excels at generating topspin, and I’m curious to see how an outer glass-carbon setup performs.
There’s also a new Jun 981. A 9-wood-8-carbon construction — just looking at the specs makes me want to take it home. The carbon felt used should be the same as the Ma Lin Soft Carbon.
Over a decade ago I played with a 10-wood-9-carbon blade that was on the stiffer, springier side — good for close-table attacking. No idea how this new one feels.
12. Loki
Zhuolong
Mizuno
