The Shortcomings of These Flagship Inner Carbon Blades
Honestly, these really are leaders among the major brands’ inner fiber blades. But they are not flawless. And precisely because of their flaws, we may not choose them. Sometimes blade choice can use elimination too.
1
Once upon a time, a W968 with a Viscaria-like handle sat before me, and I did not cherish it. Only later did I deeply regret it. If heaven gave me another chance, I would surely — after getting it, sell it at a high price! No choice, really. Though the official numbered-edition 968 handle really is punchy for looping, the problem is: you are not a young lad, and you cannot always have your footwork in place to swing it up. This thin handle pushes the balance point further toward the head — besides an insecure grip, long play is just tiring. Both wings are tiring. Not to mention the face that frays easily if you do not apply wood-protection liquid. As for the W968 handle being thickened now, it turned out to be just a dream of quality-control variation. But since the 968 sells so well, the brand has no motivation to change.
2
The Tomokazu Harimoto SUPER ALC, just about the most anticipated of the 2024 new blades. But later it turned out different from many people’s expectations. We thought it was inner Super ALC plus ayous core, with surging bottom power, deserving to be called Butterfly’s W968. Then with more stable quality control and a comfier handle, it would crush the 968. The reality is: good continuity, high error-tolerance, transparent feel, endless stable attack, and a very smooth backhand. But just when you want to settle it with strong single-ball quality, it tells you with facts: still a bit short of fire, not fierce enough. Though transparent, the forehand bottom power is bland, with somewhat insufficient support. This decides that you have no problem playing multi-ball and continuity, but if you are the type wanting to back off and fire hard to solve problems, it does not suit you.
3
The Tomokazu Harimoto SUPER ZLC. Over the past two years, more stars have played this blade. Borrowing pace to hit pace is comfortable and stable. Quick-loops and quick-drives under small power, and loop-drives under big power, all have speed and quality. Compared with the Harimoto SA, this Harimoto SZ is tougher, springier, and you worry even less about ball quality. For some shakehand players, if the stroke itself is fairly compact, you can use it well. If you are used to a soft, easy-to-drive style, this one seems not so transparent, a bit clunky.
4
The Tibhar Felix. That this blade can rise to flagship status owes most to Felix, the Olympic men’s singles bronze medalist. It is a bucket blade — balanced, with no obvious weakness. Its close-mid-table sense of speed and high-speed linking are very stable. But that is it. Compared with similar-structure inner fiber blades, this one’s bottom power really is mediocre — so mediocre you would feel: besides a clearer feel and higher error-tolerance, it is not much better than a two-hundred-yuan inner fiber blade. Its spin and bottom power are still a gap from true flagships. It likewise cannot bring out a hooligan’s strength.
5
The Shangkun AC. With its large face, it is at a quite nice level. A structure like the Hurricane Long 5, with the power ply changed to limba, ball-holding with good bottom power. The sense of speed also catches up to outer ALC level. From these angles, near perfect. But its 159-by-151mm face is tiring to swing, and the backhand is a bit weighty. Later they made a small-face version — alas, hard and dry, not as good as the original.
6
The Cybershape 6. With a transparent rubber on the forehand, especially a tensor, it really has boundless power. And its speed-up is really sudden. It needs some time to adapt to the face and balance point, but once adapted, no problem. The backhand flick feels a bit weighty in the wrist. You also need to fully adapt to the blade to grasp the contact point. If you truly play only this blade as your main blade, no complaints. But once you get a bit fickle, you find: besides wasting rubber, its striking balance and feel differ too much from other blades, badly affecting your mood and experience playing other blades.