Zhuqiu Kingdom's Annual Top 10 Shakehand Blades Ranked and Reviewed
Let’s start with the shakehand section. The penhold list is less relevant here, particularly since many Japanese readers use Japanese penhold style.
Shakehand Rankings
No. 1 — Tomokazu Harimoto Super ALC
We have talked about this blade’s performance so many times that some readers could probably recite it from memory. It is partly because of this structure’s forgiving consistency and excellent continuity that we made a similarly structured blade — the “Miao” — in early last year, and reader feedback has been very positive. Very stable, indeed.
A similar blade from Donic — the Linde series — also received a lot of attention last year.
Of course, for this specific blade, the ranking combines Japanese specialty store data and reader responses. If we were running the same survey with domestic Chinese data and feedback, there is a good chance the top spot would go to a Chinese player’s blade.
No. 2 — Outerforce ALC
Honestly, I haven’t played this Outerforce series myself and don’t have much interest in it. The Zhuqiu Kingdom top-10 shakehand list is based on questionnaire data, and not every entry is a flagship model — some ranked because respondents felt the blade offered great value. The Outerforce series with its decent looks, reasonable performance, and brand backing is one of them.
This blade is approximately 6.2 mm thick but uses low-density Ayous face veneer, making its overall elasticity actually lower than that of the Fan Zhendong ALC (according to official data). Relatively speaking, it is a more controllable option.
No. 3 — Falck Carbon
I don’t have a strong impression of this one. Inner aramid carbon, but because it has a kiri (paulownia) core, I’m not particularly interested. The Chinese distributor also barely promotes it. This might be partly related to the player — Falck plays pimples-out. To be fair, though, many Japanese players use it with double inverted rubbers and say the feel is quite nice.
No. 4 — Outerforce CAF
Nothing particularly distinctive; the price point is its main appeal.
No. 5 — Zhang Jike Original Carbon (Donic Red Zhang)
When most people think it only plays well in expert hands, that might just mean it is not a great blade. Part of what made it popular was Zhang Jike’s name, but a large part of what has made it controversial is its hard-to-justify price.
No. 6 — Hina Hayata T2
This is the T2 — not the H2. This is a training blade. Don’t be fooled into buying it… any cheap Galaxy or Sanwei entry-level blade will do the job.
No. 7 — Niwa Koki ZC INNER
Great looks, solid performance, and a nice feel in hand. We reviewed it previously:
Niwa Koki ZC INNER: Relaxed Offense — Also Capable of Speed and Efficiency
No. 8 — Inspiration Carbon King
Somewhat surprising, especially given that Wang Manyu has since switched to the Fan Zhendong ALC. Still, this medium-flex outer aramid carbon from Zhongshan is genuinely decent, with good dwell time and solid backhand performance. No wonder Liu Shiwen has stuck with it for years.
No. 9 — Hurricane Wang
Wang Chuqin’s Wang.
No. 10 — Falck W7
Seven-ply all-wood. Not much to say about it. There are plenty of alternatives.
For reference, here is the top-10 penhold list from the same survey — no separate breakdown needed:
Outerforce ALC / Yasaka Maximus S (Japanese penhold) / Tomokazu Harimoto Super ALC / Swat Power / Niitaku Souten C / Niitaku Large Impact R (Japanese penhold) / Donic Kiso Hinoki all-wood (also Japanese penhold) / Niwa Koki ZC INNER / Victas Black Balsa V 7.0 (good for long pips — light and absorbs well) / Cyber Wavy