Donic Original True Carbon Inner

My search for an innerforce-type blade led me here. I had tried DHS H301, Ovtcharov ALC, and other similarly structured blades before this blade caught my eye.

The blade is very controlled, making it suitable for aggressive attackers and loopers. Its distinct characteristic is the LONG, LOW ARC TRAJECTORY, which means that all balls when struck properly will 97% go deep into the opponent’s baseline, despite Donic only rating it as AR+/OFF-. While you won’t get the ultra speed of blades like Primorac Carbon or other hard blades, directing and placing your shots with the OTCI is relatively easy and intuitive. Combined with the right rubbers, your topspins will be unstoppable.

My blade weighs 86.7g, and I put Andro R48 (FH) and Fastarc G1 (BH) on it. It immediately became the blade of my dreams. It has all the elements I wanted: good feel (dwell is unexpectedly good), enough speed and vicious spin (mainly due to R48), lightweight enough to do table flicks without hurting my wrist… and most importantly, the CONTROL factor is something I won’t trade for any other blade. This setup seriously plays like a $300-400 high-end racket.

If there is a negative point, I would say the size of the sweet spot is probably not as large as ALC blades. You need to aim to hit the middle-up part for the best feel. But that won’t matter much if you possess proper techniques. After all, the blade itself is quite forgiving even for higher-level plays.

I wonder why there aren’t many reviews or users of this blade. It’s a pleasant blade for a very friendly price. Could it be because it’s made by Donic and not Butterfly or Stiga?

P.S. @revspin please correct the thickness. It’s ~5.6mm, not 6.5mm.

UPDATE SEPT 2022: Yasaka Rakza Z (FH) and Rakza 7 (BH), both 2.0mm - and I can say it is probably the blade of ultimate feel and spin, even better feel than my Viscaria.

Review text:

I was reading up about the Donic range of carbon blades and decided to take a look at the Original Carbon. The reviews were overall positive about how the blade is similar to Viscaria, etc.

Sadly, I was not able to purchase the Original Carbon but got suggested this instead. Because this is a new blade out last year, there wasn’t much to go on as far as reviews.

First of all, I would like to say that this blade is going to suit loopers who utilize placement over power, and this blade is perfect for that. I am a powerful player, but I also rely upon accurate placement to win points. Looping with this blade is surprisingly good from mid-distance as the trajectory is long. I often found my opponent struggling to cope with the amount of spin produced. I paired this blade with Donic Bluefire JP turbo, and the combination worked really well.

Despite the speed rating, I wouldn’t altogether go by just that before choosing a blade because what I have noticed is a lot greater accuracy and winning more points because of this.

Serves were good, and this blade has just the right amount of weight distributed to ensure serves are low and short. Also, the blade does have some dwell time to ensure the rubber can do its work. Blocking is super easy with this blade and is one of its strengths, so if you like to play close to the table, I suggest this is a good buy for you because of the consistency.

Overall, this blade is ideal for players of all levels because it does have plenty of gears and is flexible enough to impart heavy spin. If you are a powerful player like me, you can easily play with a blade that is All+ or Off. because you won’t miss the speed too much. However, if you are a player who relies upon a fast, stiff blade to assist with power, this is not the blade for you.

I will be keeping this blade paired with the Bluefire/Bluestorm series as they work well in tandem.

I’ve been playing with this blade for a year now and I’m very satisfied with it. I’ve noticed a steady improvement in my game since I started using it. I would classify the Donic Original True Carbon Inner blade (fl, 86g) as an off-/off blade. I use it with Xiom Omega 7 Pro rubbers (thickness 2.0 mm, hardness 47.5 °), and the combination works perfectly for me. In my opinion, softer rubbers would not be suitable for a blade with this composition.

I play most of my matches at the table or from a medium distance. This blade offers not only speed and great rotation, but also sufficient sensitivity. It allows for precise ball placement and is forgiving of mishits, enabling me to return seemingly impossible balls back to the table. The Donic Original True Carbon Inner blade’s composition (koto-ayous-carbon-kiri-carbon-ayous-koto) suits my playing style perfectly, and I thoroughly enjoy using it.