A Rundown of the Top All-Wood Seven-Ply Blades
The world of all-wood seven-ply has held more than one godly blade. The cheapest is Yinhe’s U2 and U2s — unmatched at this price, especially once you factor in build quality, which really beats the Jinji 7. As a budget marvel, the U2 once topped the domestic-blade sales chart. Balanced for both loop and drive, with decent throw and a magnifying feel. Truly a top pick for beginners and students.
But when it comes to the top seven-woods, there is plenty to chew on. Today we run them down.
1
Stiga CL. Its last great moment was probably Hirano Miu winning the 2016 World Cup women’s singles. The setup then: CL, T05, T64. That was a Japan-version CL. Although I find the Japan version has a warmer, more rounded throw — and the face feels smooth at first, you later notice it still grips and fuzzes. As for which version is better, no need to chase it too hard, because back then Ishikawa Kasumi used a domestic-market CL CR. Real recognition for us — and here I cue Ma Long.
The CL produced countless world champions. Liu Guoliang, Zhang Chao, Mu Zi, Hao Shuai, Guo Yan and other stars all used it. Played today, it is more faithful and linear under small-to-medium power, but with a killer punch under big power. More often it is one steady stroke at a time.
2
DHS custom 506. Besides the CL series, the other blade once hailed as godly is the 506 Ma Long used for his 56-match win streak in 2011. Unlike the CL, whose three inner plies are almost equal thickness, the 506’s innermost big core is on the thick side — at a glance a bit like a five-ply. It plays with an obvious ball-eating feel, which is also like a five-ply.
But its overall stiffness and elasticity exceed an all-wood five-ply, because its big core runs crosswise, while a five-ply’s big core usually runs lengthwise. Both firm and supple, weighty and powerful, the 506 created a legend. Past representatives include many national players, including Ma Long, Hao Shuai, and Singapore’s Feng Tianwei.
3
Butterfly Chen Chien-An Limited. Japan’s distinctive adhesive and Butterfly’s special wood treatment really stand out, creating a springy, lively, clear seven-wood style. On power you clearly feel the spring, with destructive force stronger than many of today’s ALC blades — like a bow. Compared to the W506, which better earns the “looping blade” label, the Chen Chien-An Limited has a slightly higher power threshold. Its speed is more excellent, suiting fast-loop. But the “heft” of a full power loop closes in on the custom blades.
A slight shortfall: at around 6.7mm thickness, it is a touch fuzzy on small balls. Players used to thin fiber blades also need time to adapt. Strokes are best kept clean and crisp. The backhand sharpness is distinctive — beyond the “ferocity” of outer ALC like the Viscaria, it carries a pleasant ball-wrap. You could say it is both spinny and fierce. The forehand, though, needs a bit of a power threshold.
By the way, this brings up the Korbel SK7. The market version is unhurried, but Karlsson surely uses a custom, which adds clarity and elasticity.
4
Swat. Now we start on the blades current stars use. Ni Xialian used the Persson Power Speed during her Donic days. At Victas, she took up the Swat. Most Stiga CLs are above 6.6mm, the 506 is around 6.4mm, and the Swat is about 6.0mm.
This one feels like a soft seven-ply — not sharp, but with the face, power-ply and big core all carbon-roasted, the support is basically enough. Victas later built a Ni Xialian signature with basically the same structure, differing in where the carbon-roast sits.
5
Niwa Koki Wood. I have to praise Nakayama’s craft — from the Swat to the Niwa Koki Wood, from the Hei Sa to the Banda Offensive, the elasticity is all quite good. The Niwa-wood face is carbon-roasted, giving better acceleration, with light quick-block and counter-loop. Overall fault tolerance is fairly high too.
6
Szocs Wood. This is much like the Hei Sa, a touch crisper — possibly a quality-control difference. But the Hei Sa is not very solid near the handle.
7
Stiga Ebenholz 7. The blade of Sun Mingyang and He Zhuojia. As the saying goes, “ebony five is not soft, ebony seven is not hard” — though the face is ebony, the design plays down that hardness, which actually makes it a looping blade with quite good bottom power. Arc ability, consecutive play and ball quality are all very good.