Donic Cayman

All-wood

19 Reviews

#1March 2019

Review text:

Very similar to Dr. N Firewall Plus, with a slightly smaller head and not quite as thick. It is slightly faster with the same rubbers.

Rather light thick balsa blade. It makes sense mostly with pips. With very slow long pips in OX, the blocks go fast, low, and the spin is well reversed. It’s likely hard to loop from the FH side — counters and blocks are fine, but if you are late to the ball and it starts descending and you want to topspin it over the net, you’ll likely have a hard time due to low dwell time and bouncy balsa.

Tried only classical (non-tensioned) Short Pips on the FH; with it control on pushes and serve return is OK, and smashes are good.

#2March 2014

I’ve been using this blade for years with 1.5 Donic Akkadi Taichi on the forehand and 1.2 Piranjatec on the backhand. It’s an excellent combination on this very light blade.

Flat hitting and blocking are excellent on this blade, but I can’t comment on looping or chopping as I don’t do these shots. The blade being balsa is very light and quite fragile, so you have to be very careful with it at all times.

Control can vary with some shots because of the lightness of the blade, so I’m thinking of upgrading the Akkadi Taichi from 1.5 to 1.8 mm. I don’t think it will upset the balance.

#3September 2013

Good light blade. Due to the hardness of the outer layers, it has almost no feel at all. It is better paired with soft sponge rubber. I had hard sponge rubber on it and keeping the ball under control was challenging.

#4September 2012

Used with Donic Vario Soft & Mach 1 rubber, this blade outperforms its advertised specs, delivering great control despite its speed. It excels at looping with soft rubber and has a formidable counterattacking game. The blade’s versatility makes it a valuable backup option.

#5September 2012

Got this as my first “real” blade. It’s very delicate since the inside is made out of cork and uber light. There is no vibration and it feels very soft. However, I don’t like this blade since I don’t feel that I hit the sweet spot often and it’s just way too soft for a counter hitter like me.

Rated Speed: ALL Rated Control: high.

#6October 2011

Super light, stiff all-rounder, as proclaimed, works well with long pimples.

#7August 2011

Got the blade for only $26 off TTNPP — good stuff! This is how the blade plays:

Blocking/Flat Hitting: This thing blocks and flat hits extremely well — especially when near the table. Many times it’ll surprise the opponent because the ball gets returned before they can recover from their stroke.

Looping: I found it a bit tough to produce some spinny loops. So far I’ve been experimenting with a bunch of different rubbers, and it seems a medium sponge has been working the best.

Chopping: Not the greatest for chopping because the blade lacks feel. Like for looping, medium rubbers seemed to work best for me.

A very good blade for the full-offensive player, but a finesse-oriented player should look elsewhere.

#8April 2024

Muy liviana. Rápida con mucho control. Excelente precio calidad.

#9December 2020

Review text:

Very light ALL type balsa blade feels great in combination with Spinlord Dornenglanz II (OX) long pips. The finish on the racket feels good, with no sharp edges (my version has the ST handle). Overall, excellent for the price.

#10August 2020

Light wood made for long pips. All pips play nicely with respectable reversal floating balls and good strokes. It is better in a close-to-table game. Very good for blockers. But in drive for modern defender game is terrible. Lacking in spin. No top spin, no mid-distance spin, with a lot of different rubbers, soft or hard, tacky or not.

#11October 2018

Mine weighs 54 grams!
Good with long pimples.
Fast enough for an attacking game.

#12May 2018

At my request, manager Dmitry picked out the lightest blade. For my aching elbow, this is good support. First time ordering a ST handle, experienced new sensations. Overall, I am satisfied, good control and speed is enough for an advanced level.

#13January 2017

Although Donic rates this blade as a defensive blade, it has a lot of speed and control with short pips. It blocks and hits very well, but it seems to have less control than their Applegren Allplay.

#14November 2016

Good blade.

#15September 2016

Very good control and lightweight. No need to say much… It’s simply the best.

#16April 2015

Perfect product. Very nice feeling, best allround blade I’ve ever used. Especially when using with short pimples, you can get perfect results. Forehand side with medium-hard European-Japanese rubbers, backhand side with short and medium pimples, even long pimples… killing machine… strongly recommended.

#17January 2015

Good for attacking LP OX play, especially off the bounce. Faster than Firewall Plus. Relatively easy to control. Blades do vary greatly in weight from production, however.

#18March 2014

Blades are new and of fine quality. Very good control in blocking and attacking. Their weight is ideal for players aged 50+ to protect their elbows.

#19February 2014

Very light, yet fast and powerful. Pairs very well with Radical and Clippa. Control is great.

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