Tooting My Own Horn: A Rundown of the Heima Series Blades and Rubber Pairings
Late last year, some players hoped I would write a summary like this, taking stock of my blades and thinking, and discussing rubber pairings. Consider it a summary, to set out better afterward.
1: Heima-tuned PLC
Whether or not you are used to it, whether or not your feel differs, Yinhe Blue-Gold Workshop’s customs maintain their consistently highest level — from material selection to fiber and bonding, shedding the retail version’s partly woody, stiff feel and adding much solidity. The Heima PLC’s initial idea was a Jun Mizutani ZLC with better bottom power. After all, the Mizutani Z’s feel and error-tolerance are quite nice, just its bottom power is mediocre. But after the Heima PLC came out, people had different views of its feel. Mr. Rao, a former Class-A champion in Shenzhen, said the feel really is like the Mizutani Z. Some friends think it is like the CNF; some say like the Fan Zhendong ZLC; some say like Stiga’s transparent ball-holding. But regardless, they almost unanimously point to high error-tolerance, high ball-holding, decent first speed, and a high win rate. Old Zhong’s evaluation: in all these years, this is the first Heima-series blade he approves of from the heart. (Of course, he had not played the Heima-tuned KLC and ALC before.) On rubber: since it is a PLC (performance like ZLC), the rubber’s hardness easily affects your feel judgment. Generally, not too hard — Tianji 2 and T05 Hard are relatively hard, and the combination may not be ideal. Otherwise, it is not picky. High-value forehand rubbers include Guobiao 3, Gaobo Power AMG (the new one), Beidou 5, or boosted regular Hurricane. Anyway, with moderate rubber hardness it is fairly harmonious, and both wings can take tacky or tensor rubber.
2: Heima-tuned ALC
The outer-blue-aramid-carbon structure is generally seen as Yinhe’s forte. When I gave Mr. Chen my requirements, I said I wanted a soft, transparent type of Liu Dingshuo-tuned. Because I felt the Liu Dingshuo-tuned, though it has ample bottom power, is still strenuous with a higher threshold. Easy to play is actually very important. On the Heima ALC, I feel the ball-gripping pause and the jet-spring after firing are both well embodied. I am not sure whether the Heima ALC or KLC has a higher rebuy rate; some players have rebought four or five Heima ALCs. Some think it is softer than the Fan A; some see it as a Pro version of the Zhang Jike ALC. Though views differ, this Heima ALC seems to draw a highly consistent praise. On rubber: tacky rubber on the forehand should be better than a tensor, though I think a tensor with good bite can match too, like T05H, Z1 Turbo, Platinum DNA. Some players think this is the peak of the Heima series; I may hold a similar view. But one reason may be that the outer ALC structure itself is the easiest to pick up.
3: Heima-tuned KLC
For the inner-KLC structure, a fairly high evaluation is that some friends think its ease of play exceeds the Q968 and S968. Actually, in the forehand spin-loop combination, it is less than the W968. But its backhand explosiveness, among inner aramid-carbon blades, really is a leader. So players balanced on both wings using inner-structure blades love it. Many rebuy for this reason. This blade needs the forehand played for a while to fully open up. Then the combination with rubber gets very good, and spin comes easily too. Forehand rubber can consider: boosted NEO blue provincial, Jinghai C55.0, or the high-value Plasma 500S.
4: Moyu Winter Edition
This one’s rebuy rate is fairly high too. The limba face ply and limba power ply, inner Japanese-imported green-aramid carbon, ensure the feel does not easily drop off, playing fairly smooth and stable. In ball-quality threat, it is less than the Heima-tuned series. But it really is high error-tolerance and not picky about rubber. I tried tensors, slightly-tacky and high-tack on it, all fine. Both wings are fairly balanced too. Many see it as an inner version of the Carbon 45 or Lin Gaoyuan ALC. The power ceiling will not be too high, but it really is steady as an old dog.
5: Miao
It sells well, partly for the price, 260 yuan. This inner super-blue-aramid carbon is very likable. The same structure as the Harimoto SALC is also a selling point. Though the feel surely differs, some friends see it as a successful work, because at this price, the Miao achieved this performance. Balanced and stable are its main traits. It is not very brutal. It seems not picky about rubber, and its match with Hurricane is actually better than the Harimoto SALC’s.
6: Yanyang
The reason I discontinued the green-aramid-carbon Yanyang last year but kept the yellow-aramid-carbon Yanyang is its distinct character. Close-table push-attack is sharp, feedback is very clear, and after firing it is very brutal. Those who like it really like it — some bought seven or eight. Those who dislike it find it hard to drive through. Mainly a few retired provincial players and amateur experts still use it. Discontinuing it would be unjustified. Though no longer a market hotspot, slow sales are okay. For pips play, including short pips and long pips, it has some stunning aspects. With inverted rubber on the backhand, do not go too hard. Generally, tacky rubber is still best on the forehand.
7: Yaonie PLUS
A heterogeneous outer structure with green-aramid carbon on one side and blue-aramid carbon on the other. After actually making it, the green-aramid carbon leans tough-springy, and the blue-aramid carbon grips the ball more. It suits some long-pips players, or friends whose two wings’ technical traits differ a lot. It is also easy to land and not picky about rubber.
Some friends may dislike me discussing my own blades in my articles — that is human nature. Besides, one’s own children easily invite a bit more pride. Anyway, you can automatically filter out those few lines and just read my evaluations of other brands — those are naturally more objective.