Takashi Saito's profile
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Age | U50 |
| Experience | 11〜20 years |
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Use racket, rubber
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- Racket
- The Nittaku Tenor was made according to the principles used in making string instruments. Althoug...
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- Rubber (Front)
- • Tenergy 80 is the ideal balance between spin and speed• Even faster than Tenergy 05 and offerin...
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- Rubber (Back)
- TENERGY 64 is the fastest attacking rubber of the TENERGY family; the No. 64 being the developmen...
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User review
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2018/01/04
Compared to special-material blades, it doesn't feel all that fast, but for a 5-ply blade it's on the bouncier side.
The surface uses ebony, a hard wood, and you can feel that a little in the shot, but the ebony layer is as thin as paper, so I don't think it's anything to worry about.
What's good about this blade is that, compared to special-material blades, it's very easy to use and feels like it has no real weak points.
You can drop back and trade topspin rallies, but it's also very easy to play a fast-paced game close to the table, which makes it easy to understand why Chinese players tend to favor STIGA. Difficult plays like countering close to the table are also relatively easy to pull off.
The flex is on the low side, but spin still comes through solidly, and drives, smashes, blocks, and pushes are all very easy to execute.
I've mainly used special-material blades, but this one reminded me all over again what's good about a 5-ply wooden blade.Overall Speed Spin Control Touch Hardness Little hard
Recommend rubber(Front) Fastarc C-1
Recommend rubber(Back) MANTRA S
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2018/01/04
Even though it has carbon in it, I feel quite a bit of flex when driving.
I also use the Tenor, but the thinner Acoustic Carbon feels like it has more flex.
Because of that, when you drive with a rubber that generates a decent amount of spin, the trajectory changes partway through and the ball suddenly seems to drop.
It's a strange blade - it has flex, but you can still feel that carbon character.
Personally, this is the easiest blade for me to drive with, and it's easy to lift even a sharp underspin serve.
It feels like topspin naturally gets put on the ball.
On the other hand, maybe because of the flex, smashing feels harder to do (especially against a lob).
The feel is really good - the nice "konkon" sound it makes, and the way it resonates in your hand, really does remind you of a wind instrument.
Personally, this one feels more like a wind instrument to me than the Tenor.
I use a straight grip, but it's a rounded grip, so opinions on it might be split. I personally prefer a bit flatter grip (like the Tenor's).
Maybe because the center of gravity is toward the tip, it feels heavier than its actual weight when you play with it.
For a 5.5mm blade thickness, it's a bit on the heavy side - the bare blade alone was 89g.Overall Speed Spin Control Touch Hardness Little hard
Recommend rubber(Front) TENERGY 80
Recommend rubber(Back) Tenergy 64
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2018/01/04
The feel is quite hard, and I'd say the bounce is on the good side too.
It's a lot like the Timo Boll ALC, but compared side by side, I think this one might be more of a love-it-or-hate-it racket.
The blade thickness is basically the same as the Timo Boll ALC — aside from the special material layers, the only difference is the surface wood.
I believe the Mizutani ZLC uses limba, while the Timo Boll ALC uses koto.
I think you can play more powerfully than with the Timo Boll ALC, but you might find it harder to put spin on the ball.
If that's the case, I'd recommend a softer rubber.
Strong players tend to put something like Tenergy 05 on it, but personally that feels way too stiff to me.
I think something around the 64 range suits both the forehand and backhand best.
Mine weighed 89g on its own.Overall Speed Spin Control Touch Hardness Hard
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2018/01/04
Of all the wood 5-ply blades I've tried, this one has the most speed.
The thickness is 6mm, and even though the feel isn't hard, it flies far, so it feels like the wood is thicker than it actually is.
Because of that, it doesn't flex all that much — the Acoustic Carbon feels like it flexes more.
It has the spin-friendliness and usability of a wood blade, plus speed on par with special material blades.
You can play close to the table with it, but it might suit someone who plays a bit further back even better.
The blade alone weighed 89g.Overall Speed Spin Control Touch Hardness Little hard
Recommend rubber(Front) Tenergy 64
Recommend rubber(Back) Tenergy 64
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2018/01/04
The material is supposedly the same as the Almtart, but maybe due to individual variation, the feel came across a bit softer than the Almtart.
Compared to the Mizutani ZLC, since the special material sits closer to the core, the feel is on the softer side, though it still flies far because of the blade thickness.
Compared to Butterfly's 5-ply special material blades, I feel like this one is better for players who prioritize smashing.
The speed is better than that of 5-ply special material blades.
On the flip side, it doesn't seem great for shots that don't involve a strong impact, like pushes, stops, or serve returns, though you might stop noticing it once you get used to it.
It should come in handy against a stubborn chopper.Overall Speed Spin Control Touch Hardness Hard
Recommend rubber(Front) Fastarc G-1
Recommend rubber(Back) Rakza X
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