Donic Original True Carbon Inner

Great blade for the intermediate player. However, by pairing it with suitable rubbers, it can also be a good fit for both a skilled beginner and a fairly advanced player.

This is my first inner carbon blade.

It’s not as fast as I initially thought. Apparently, you need to pair it with modern rubbers to achieve a really high loop speed. The koto top layer provides a low, but well-balanced, throw. Smash speed, however, is quite high.

The control is fantastic.

In my opinion, the straight grip is perfect. The blade quality and finish are very good, especially considering the price.

I need to try out a limba top inner carbon, and perhaps a hinoki too, to figure out which inner carbon suits me best. Until then, this is my favorite blade so far.

Had a robot testing session with this blade. My setup included DHS H3 Neo Boosted on the forehand (FH) and Tenergy 05 on the backhand (BH). The bare blade weighs 88g, with a total weight of 193g after adding the rubbers. For comparison, I also used the Donic Waldner Senso Carbon (WSC) with the same rubber setup.

This blade appears to be modeled after the BTY Viscaria, with differences in the placement and type of carbon layer. The blade profile and handle length and shape are similar to the Viscaria.

Compared to the WSC, this blade is faster and bouncier. On FH drives, full-force shots are crisp and precise. However, on slow to medium shots, the feel is slightly mushy due to the boosted H3 rubber. Despite this, the balls land consistently on the other side without much difficulty. The throw is slightly lower than the WSC, and the control is very good.

On BH drives, the speed is excellent. Due to the slightly lower throw, punch blocks can be executed with power, and passive blocks are effortless. FH and BH loops are also easy to execute, with well-paced shots at close and medium distances. Unfortunately, I lack the space to test long-distance shots. The WSC is known to be weak in long-distance shots.

In terms of pushes, the blade allows for both aggressive and short control pushes. Similar to the WSC, there is nothing particularly remarkable in this area.

On serves, the blade has enough flex to generate good spin. However, the blade truly excels in loop drives with backspin. Hitting the sweet spot results in balls landing with speed, whether cross-court or down the line. Blocking is also effortless with this blade.

Overall, I am interested in experimenting with different rubbers to find the best combination. T05 on the BH is very effective, while H3 Neo on the FH requires some effort to generate pace. This blade is faster than the WSC with a lower throw, offering a good wood feel on slow shots and a carbon feel on hard shots. Update: Razka Z is the ideal FH rubber for this blade.

Used to wooden blades like Primorac, after using Timo Boll ALC for a few months, I couldn’t forget the feeling when blocking. I couldn’t handle the TB ALC; it’s fast but impossible to defend when not in perfect position. The ball is immediately out or up in the sky. That’s where my quest for an inner type started.

This DTCI blade provides everything it advertises: absolutely great with BH block with the typical Koto feeling but not too fast at all, probably in the off- department (some would say all-around+, whereas I think this is more an off- “+”, bordering on, with max gears). With this or the TB ALC, you will know if you can stand Koto or not, it’s very stable but might be weird to loop with at first.

With the DTCI, I will rarely overshoot during topspins or counters. The short game is impeccable and the serves are OK. If you’re still of a wood blade, smashes get a little bit time to adjust because it’s going more straight. With the right commitment, you can do a lot of damage. Flared handle is quite good, nothing remarkable.

All in all, I’m really satisfied with the blade and will use it for the upcoming season. I’m using Fastarc G1 2.0 FH (subject to change) and Fastarc C1 1.8 BH (keeper or 2.0). For curiosity, I’ll be looking for some limba outer ply blades such as the Acoustic Carbon Inner or similar to see if looping can be even easier without losing too much in the blocking game.