Donic Ovtcharov True Carbon

Hi All,

It has been ages since I wrote a review. I have some blades, and I wanted to try this one, so I got one for ~60 EUR.

Dima wanted to have a blade comparable to a BTY Viscaria, just made by Donic. Since I played in a club with at least 5-7 Viscaria owners, I could easily try them all.

DONIC tried to create a relatively fast and slightly flexible blade, ideal for counterloop battles from mid-distance to far away. I believe the flexibility part and the speed part were achieved quite well.

This blade feels a little harder to the touch than the Viscaria. It can loop like a machine, no matter where you are on the court. When playing close to the table, it demands good timing and technique; otherwise, your strokes will be too long or will launch into the net.

Feeling-wise, the blade resonates a bit more than a Viscaria. If you play D05 or T05, you won’t notice it, but with softer or more transparent rubbers, you will feel it. Due to this, it is an honest blade; if you mess up your stroke, you will feel it. Not as an all-wood or an old carbon blade resonance, but as a softish numb resonance.

Over the table, it is really good for dropshots and counterloops. Short game requires good touch to keep the ball short. This blade asks for tempo and puts pressure on the other side.

Activating and harnessing the flexibility of the blade requires good technique and some force to be applied. The quality of the loops is crazy good. The flex of the blade adds to the rotation even more, so you can push yourself harder and harder.

This is not a beginner’s blade. It is recommended if you can loop/counterloop/loopkill from both wings and are fast enough to do at least a 50 ball/min random loop exercise with minimal errors. I mainly tried this blade with bluefire M1 but used it with C2, Omega V PRO, T05, T05H.

It’s an amazing blade! Better than Viscaria and many high-priced blades! You can easily play topspin with a lot of spin and power at the same time! It’s fixed well with medium and hard rubbers like Donic Bluestorm Z1 Turbo or Bluegrip C2.

This blade offers similar speed and control to the Ovtcharov Senso Carbon, but it differs in feel. Notably, it’s thinner, harder, and more crisp. As an offensive blade, it pairs well with medium hard or medium rubbers, while hard rubbers may compromise control.

In my experience, the OTC (Viscaria clone) stands out among similarly designed blades. When paired with Battle II (39 degrees) on the FH and Vega Pro (2mm) on the BH, it delivers a stiff and fast performance with a crisp, solid feel. Compared to inner structure blades like Long 5, it boasts a noticeably shorter dwell time.

Due to its stiffness, hardness, and hard rubbers, the OTC provides effortless blocking and counter looping. Drives and loop drives are solid and secure, especially on both FH and BH. This blade excels in the short game, offering precise touch shots and spinny, fast long pushes. However, its short dwell time and middle to low throw angle present a challenge for spinny brush loops. Therefore, it’s better suited for skilled players who can consistently open up with OTC on both wings. While the OTC packs enough power for threatening shots from close to mid-range, its speed may be too much for players who struggle to consistently open up attacks. For such players, a slower, more flexible blade like Carbonado 45 or Acoustic Carbon Inner may offer better consistency and spin.

This is a very good blade. It is fast with good control. You should give it a try.

Very good blade with a medium hard feel. It is best matched with Baracuda and Killer Pro rubbers. I own two pieces weighing 88 and 86 grams, respectively. This ALC blade is often compared to the Butterfly Viscaria and is considered to be very close to it in terms of performance. I do not have any experience with the Viscaria, so I cannot personally compare them. However, I am very satisfied with the True Carbon blade. It offers a very balanced ratio of control and power, and it is not very sensitive to incoming spin. The blocking game is significantly better with this blade compared to my previous one. It generates enough spin, and surprisingly, it provides dampening during passive strokes close to the table.

Edit 28.6.19: After using a different good blade for a while, I have come back to the True Carbon. In my opinion, it is a very balanced blade that offers both speed and control at the table. With this blade, I am more aggressive and dangerous. I have optimized the weight of the entire racket by using Dawei C1 1.8mm rubbers, which brings the total weight to 176 grams. This is ideal for me when playing at the table.

My fastest blade had to swap the MXP on the forehand side because the ball was shooting like a gun. If you have the skills and the technique, then it’s the best choice. I now use Hurricane 3 on the forehand side and Tenergy 05 on the backhand side. It’s faster and better than the Boll ALC or Viscaria.

A very nice blade. Fast with good control.

It’s a good blade, but it lacks a bit of power.

As an intermediate FH looper, I find the Donic OTC blade suitable for my style. It enhances ball feel during controlled strokes like short pushes, flicks, and blocks. However, the blade performs best with medium or medium-hard rubbers of 1.9 or 2.0 thickness, especially for attackers seeking controlled loops. Using max sponge rubbers is unnecessary since the blade is inherently fast.

The balance of spin, speed, control, and feel provided by Tibhar Evolution MX-P (1.9-2.0) for my FH and Donic Baracuda (Max) for my BH suits my playstyle. The FH setup offers less power than max sponge rubbers but more feel and dwell. Blocks become easier with the thinner sponge, and serves gain spin due to the slower rebound.

For my BH, counterhitting and looping are effortless. Blocking fast and powerful attacks is manageable, but slow and spinny topspins pose a challenge due to increased spin sensitivity and reduced wood feel. Flicking is adequate for lifting the ball, but not particularly spinny. I intend to switch my BH rubber to Donic Baracuda 2.0 thickness to improve my blade feel.

Very disappointed in this blade. The handle is designed for children and feels very light, lacking any solidity. It’s probably the worst blade I’ve ever played with since I started customizing my rackets.

If you seek an exceptional blade with versatile performance at an affordable price, this option is highly recommended. Its playability rivals that of high-quality Butterfly ALC blades, offering comparable performance at a significantly lower cost. It excels in third-shot type games, providing a well-balanced experience.

The Donic Ovtcharov True Carbon blade has an OFF/OFF rating, making it very lightweight and relatively stiff. It gives a direct and intuitive feel when using Waran short pips on backhand drives. This combination provides one of the most pleasant setups for backhand drives, offering both speed and excellent control.

However, the feel on the forehand side, where DHS Hurricane 8 rubber is used, is significantly different. This suggests that the impact feel is more dependent on the rubber used than with other blades. Forehand drives were still fast and executed with high control. This feeling also translated to flat forehand/backhand hits and blocks, which are the strong points of this blade. Blocks, particularly on the forehand side, were very stable as the blade/rubber combination absorbed most of the incoming kinetic energy and produced fast and flat blocks. Backhand blocking with the Waran short pips required proper timing to avoid overshooting the table. Backhand loops with the short pips also benefitted from the optimal feel provided by the blade. For a more in-depth review, please visit: http://blog.tabletennis11.com/donic-ovtcharov-true-carbon-review.

This blade is similar to Viscaria, but in my humble opinion (IMHO), it is actually better. The handle is not as large as Viscaria’s, but the control and balance are superior. Additionally, it is faster than Viscaria.

I tested this blade with Tenergy 05 on the forehand and T64 on the backhand for comparison with the Viscaria. The True Carbon is faster than the Viscaria. In terms of dwell time, both blades have a similar feel, creating very spinny loops. However, the True Carbon has a low to medium throw compared to the Viscaria’s high throw.

After testing and comparing the two blades, I chose the True Carbon based on my personal preference.

It’s not like a Viscaria, more like a Timo Boll ALC. It has good speed, spin, and control. The handle is comfortable and the blade is thin and light.

I have an MXP-50 on the forehand (FH) and a Vegas Pro on the backhand (BH). This combination allows me to attack and close to the table and counter loop effectively.

It performs better playing close to the table but still performs well at a mid-distance.