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I use this playing large ball close to the table.
Since mid-distance play has an advantage in large ball, I switched to mid-distance.
Before this racket, I was using Butterfly's Alnate Carbon ALC.S (inner carbon), but I felt dissatisfied with the rebound and distance at mid-distance, so I switched to the Houou (Phoenix).
Before trying it out, I didn't have high expectations since it's not even a carbon blade, but the rebound was better than expected, and the distance and spin were also fairly good, letting me hit drives more easily. Thanks to that, my playing style changed a lot and I've been able to enjoy playing more.
It probably also depends on your skill level, but choosing a backhand rubber has been difficult. I'm trying different sponge thicknesses and hardness levels to get stable knuckle pushes and backhand hits against backspin on the backhand.
There's also a carbon version of the Houou, which has me curious.

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It says the blade uses super-hard "honoki" (magnolia wood), but of course it's not as hard as special materials.
I was glad to see the top ply uses what I think is hinoki (cypress). The feel is nice too because of that. (Personally I like it on the harder side)

I used to only buy high-end blades and high-performance rubbers, but I kept losing matches from mistakes, so I decided to try the Houou (Phoenix). It's cheap but the quality is good, and the Chinese-style FL grip is easy to hold and swing through.
This time I also bought the Arm Seifuku 45 max thickness rubber that I used back in high school. Whether it's been upgraded since then or not, the performance was better than I expected.
I think blade performance depends a lot on the rubber, but with that in mind I went with this combo focused on control this time.
It was a perfect match. Of course it can't compete with today's gear in speed or spin, but the control is great, so I make fewer mistakes and can swing with confidence. Plus my opponents seem to have a hard time with it too, which feels good.
Looking forward to my next match.

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I've used both the Chinese FL and Chinese-style grips, and it's small enough that I think it just comes down to personal preference. It might be a perfect fit for women or kids. With its compact blade, switching directions and quick, snappy consecutive shots are really easy to do. When I used long pips on it, it bounced too much and I had to adjust my blocking angle. The feel has no real shock to it. Even though it's from a minor manufacturer, it's not some gimmicky novelty item. A true long-seller, as expected.

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