Friendship/729 Bomb

Recently bought this blade. Very flexible and definitely produces variations. It requires medium hard to play decently. The blade quality is acceptable for the price; it is a cheap intermediate blade.

The ball doesn’t bounce more than 2 or 3 times on the blade, giving it a dead feeling, probably due to the cork core. So this might work for modern defenders. With rubbers, the ball bounces less with a soft touch but skyrockets with even a little harder touch.

Update: After 4 years of getting this blade on Amazon.in, I can’t find this blade for sale; very high demand but no supply. Mid-Hard and Super-Soft rubbers work like magic on this blade. Very hard rubbers are “unpredictable”…. You want deception, you want touch play, you want super-spinny surprise loops, extra deep-cut, short drop shot / heavy-cut, but don’t expect to smash to the heavens though. I haven’t tried Pips-Out rubbers on this yet…I suspect it will work out great: -D Maybe I will update about more things later on. On/Off I play on a very casual level with this blade, but it produces results like anything!

People say that the handle is narrow, but mine isn’t. Maybe they have changed it to a Stiga Semi Legend type handle. I attached a Hurricane 3 Neo rubber and a Friendship 802-40 Red rubber to the blade. It has a lot of dwell time and a nice feel. It is a fast and aesthetically pleasing blade. I will provide more impressions soon.

Update No. 1: I replaced the medium pips with Boost TS, a very soft sponge tensor. The hard top veneer helps the ball sink deep into the Boost’s sponge, absorbing the incoming spin at the right angle. It is a good combination. I then replaced it with a 729-5 rubber. The speed is now reduced, but the control is a little better.

Overall, it is an easy blade to use that matches well with different types of rubbers. Weight is always an issue with this blade, so be careful if you decide to use heavy rubbers like Hurricanes and Skylines.

Unfortunately, the wood layer peeled off when trying to remove my old rubbers. This was not something that I expected. I liked the blade, but this is just not okay….

In my opinion, the best blade in the low price segment, it offers a great combination of speed and control and can compete with much more expensive blades in its playing characteristics. The finish is not the best, but it is more than okay for a 20€ blade.

Some people complain about the handle being too slim. I cannot say anything about the flared version, but the straight one I have is perfectly normal and actually very comfortable. So if you are worried about the handle, I recommend the straight version.

Out of the box, this blade has the typical and annoying “ting” sound of balsa, but once you glue rubbers to it, the sound turns into a nice “plop” sound.

Quite unique feeling and difficult to find proper rubbers for it. For me it seems to work great with hard tacky rubbers on forehand and short pips on backhand. Powerful and in the same time controllable in this combination.

Not for modern tensors. Very cheap and durable. Consider this blade before you spend a lot of money on expensive blades. Could be a very good solution. It is not my current blade, but from time to time I always come back at this blade.

A good controllable blade. Not fast for smashes, but the control is OK.

Dec 29, 2014:

My second blade and the one I’ve gone back to. It feels slower than I remember in the short game and warmup, but I was using hard carbon blades for too long. Now I can loop away from the table with good speed. It has good dwell, and the flex makes this blade faster at higher speeds. Mine weighs 88g.

May 20, 2015:

Lowered speed from 8.8 to 8.6. I’d say it’s OFF-. Looping away from the table with decent speed and good spin. Blocking had to adjust from easy-to-block hard carbon blades as this one has a pretty high throw angle from the medium feel and dwell time, especially with Vega Pro on forehand. Used for about 5 and a half months the second time around, and it helped me regain my control and up my game.

I love this blade. It is my first semi-decent blade that I have purchased, and it has great speed. Even with super soft rubbers, I got lots of speed.

I USED THIS BLADE Before, “The Bomb” has an above-average performance. Like a chameleon, it has a changeable effect on every rubber you install, resulting in very surprising results. No other blade can duplicate such a combination of rubber and blade. However, the only thing I dislike about this blade is the yellow color of the handle.

Really have to rewrite most of my reviews. There are lots of updates but no conclusions. Here’s a start:

I really like the blade. Like all the blades that I have, it has brought both victory and defeat. This is a fast blade for sure. Sometimes it blocks fast shots for winners. Its OFF rating is right on since my R2’s are OFF-. It feels really good with ox lps and versus some players it can be very effective either playing close or far. If playing passive opponents you can pressure them well. Of course there is a limit to this as the speed picks up. There are more control issues and you might have to step way back and chop or block if you are a defender like me. Because it’s so fast you may not be able to spin the ball as well under fast pace rallys. But it sure feels great and agressive pushes and smashes are easy to perform with a fast blade.

Also, it pops up under strong top spins to LP so I’ll give it a 7.0…

I’m strictly a recreational player who recently received this blade. Before this, I had only used cheap store-bought rackets and some lower-level Stiga paddles. I purchased it from colestt with Gambler Wrath 2.1 on the FH and Dawai Quattro Inspiirit SV 35 1.8 on the BH. Cole was incredibly helpful in answering my questions before the purchase, and I eagerly anticipate using his exceptional site again.

Better suited for pushing, blocking, and hitting than topspin. Not a fast blade, control is ok.

Very good and fast blade.

The blade offers good control and does not produce a catapult effect. This means you can choose to hit fast or slow shots. I have used it with Sriver FX 2.1 and Stiga Neos Tacky 2.0 rubbers and achieved good results. It allows for both effective topspin and backspin shots.

Not as fast as I expected, but the control is amazing. I used Chinese rubbers, Mark V and Donic Vario, on this one. It does not produce the same pace when those same rubbers are used in my old DHS PF4 032 wood blade.

However, the loops are consistent, and I can place them wherever I want. Lifting heavy chops is also easier on the Bomb. Still, you need a lot of stamina when playing against a good blocker.

Compared to the Yinhe/Galaxy Children’s Carbon blade, the Bomb is just a tad faster, in my humble opinion. But it compensates for this with more spin and greater control. Overall, a great purchase for its price.

Veoma lagano drvo, barem tako djeluje u ruci, što mu daje fenomenalnu osjećajnost. Izrazito je balansirano između kontrole i brzine. Vrlo je osjećajno, ali i ima dobru brzinu kada se potegne. BTY Sriver FX ili EL su idealan izbor jer se onda dobije još bolja osjećajnost. Uglavnom, po meni, soft gume izrazito pasu za ovakvo drvo.

Ja sam jako zadovoljan i smatram da se isplati imati ga u svojoj kolekciji. Moj kolega ima čak četiri primjerka i uparuje ga sa različitim gumama.

Very good feeling of control and speed together! A must-have in terms of straight attack style.

For the price, this is an excellent blade. It has a good throw angle and a great touch. I believe this is one of the best blades for beginners. Not many blades play well with Chinese hard rubbers (such as DHS or Globe), but this one performs exceptionally with them. While I didn’t particularly like the handle, it’s still a great blade to try.

BOMB is a HIT!

It was recommended at OOAK, and I bought it last summer.

On offense, euro style loops and lots of spin, even with red 1.5 Chinese rubbers. It has gears if you need them.

On defense, yes, you can defend with LPS. It’s just slow enough to do this. Use no sponge; any cheap pip will be effective because it’s hard 7 ply. Great feel, slight vibes, for chop blocking and small wrist action strokes at the table. Good depth on pushes and great to HIT with the LPS!!! You can lift backspin too. Farther away chopping is excellent. It’s got some spring, and you need it from 10 feet back for control and consistency.

If you like chop with LPS and tempt with a high float, and then fast block with the FH, you can’t ask for a better blade!

Great backhand drive blade! When paired with GEOTACKY rubber, it delivers exceptional performance.

The blade itself is pretty good, and the cork core makes it a bit lighter, too. The only issue I have with it is the uncomfortable handle. I got mine as anatomic, but it is still narrower than it should be. (Probably even worse on flared.) It’s definitely possible to get used to it, but if you put heavy/thick rubber on it, it’ll be top heavy and harder to hold comfortably due to the thin handle.

This is a fantastic blade that enables the execution of various shots while offering exceptional feel.

Pros: — Remarkable touch (possibly due to the cork layer) — Adequate speed, not exceptional — Exceptional control, particularly for chopping shots — Balanced weight distribution — Affordable price

Cons: — Unsatisfactory handle (excessively thin, necessitating the use of grip tape or rubber handle covers) — Unfinished edges (easily remedied by sanding).

Everyone who knows what they are doing has commented on how nice it feels. The handle feels a bit thin and rough, and I do have some racket envy, maybe because this blade was so cheap, but I can’t argue with my results. I am progressing pretty quickly according to my coach, and I can recommend this to any basement hack like me who is looking to go legit.

Let me start off by saying this is a great blade. I am sort of an all-around, off-the-table looper who is defensive-minded with his backhand.

The control of this blade is outstanding. The dwell time on the blade is enough that you can punch back or block back any amount of spin with little effort. I would recommend using soft sponges on this blade because what I have found is if you use a harder sponge on your backhand side, it is really hard to play up close to the table. But, it plays fantastically away from the table and has no troubles putting spinny, precise shots onto the table. The cork core gives it that added pop in your shots but has the control of an All Around blade.

The Bomb is a surprising blade. Thanks to its cork core, it has a kick of its own. This special cork + balsa construction gives much more control than expected for an OFF wood blade.

Because of its kick, control is less in slow shots such as chops (but it’s not bad either because of other properties), but it excels in faster shots for which this blade is clearly made. The trajectory of the ball, feeling, and everything is like you have an ALL+ wood in hand, except the ball is faster like with any other true OFF blade. This gives it a unique feel.

This blade is somehow sensitive to the rubber you stick on it, which means that not every rubber will get along well with it. But in the case of a good “marriage” with rubber, playing with the Bomb is exquisite.

I personally cut all my new woods in the same form and use all my rubbers in various combinations. Cutting the wood is a very easy job with a very thin 1-2 mm saw, and its new form is as original. After cutting, of course, brush with sandpaper, and the effect is very good.

I love the feedback I get from this blade. I only used it so far in one practice session, but it really feels great. It has good speed on off-the-table loops and is great for loop drives.

Now that I’ve played with it for a few months, I really like it. There is a nice kick mid-distance, but also enough control to take speed off an incoming drive or smash. Initially, I had problems hitting the sweet spot since it isn’t as big as in a carbon blade. However, the difference in bounce if you miss the sweet spot is not so great that it will make you lose the point. I actually won quite a few points hitting the ball near the edge of the blade. It’s a great value for the price.

Blade Review:

For $18, this is a very good blade. It’s not my first choice for competition because I prefer a more flexible and slower blade like the Btty Spark or Keyshot, as I play an all-round game. However, this Bomb blade is well-made and a good choice for a two-winged looper or a counterhitter. I equipped one with Rapid Soft and it performed well for mid-distance looping. I may also try it with Royal or Radical Pips. I have many different bats, primarily for training purposes, and I give this blade a “best buy” rating.

Comfort:

It’s not the most comfortable bat in my collection, but it’s certainly not uncomfortable either. I have slightly larger than average hands.

It is an oversize blade, which rendered the rubbers I already owned unusable. The increased size also results in a heavier overall weight when rubbers are attached.

The blade delivers consistent, powerful hits, accompanied by some vibration.

The flared handle is noticeably slim. To enhance comfort, I employed sandpaper to refine the sharp corners near the handle. I intend to further increase the handle size by applying an overgrip.

Overall, it is a commendable blade that offers great value for money. Minor adjustments to the wording may be necessary.

This feels like a Dynasty Hinoki Carbon, but a notch slower. So it’s about a squarely “OFF” blade. It has the same feel as the DHC so I barely had to adjust.

This is a great offensive blade with a balance of control. If you want more control on your attacks, this is a great choice.

I’m just not a fan of the yellow handle.

Great blade, perfect for loopers. It has a great springiness at mid distance, providing excellent power and spin. It also offers a good dwell time, allowing for precise control and spin generation. The speed is also well-balanced, enabling both fast and controlled shots.

The yellow handle makes it easy to distinguish between your blade and others. However, it can be uncomfortable, causing pain in the fingers that are positioned on the backside of the blade.

Good blade for medium fast and slow rubbers. Suitable for semi-pros and amateurs. The grip is thin and uncomfortable. Cannot control chop the ball always. Not suitable for defensive game.

This is a very good offensive blade. You can spend a lot more, but I don’t think one can gain a lot.

I have used this as an off the table fh topspin and bh chopping blade and it was a little too fast for that, but would be an excellent 2 wing looping blade from off the table, and also good for short game and close to the table play.

With the cork in this blade, it provides plenty of kick and spring, even when using slower rubbers. If you play with faster rubbers, it might be challenging to control. I appreciate its relatively light weight, as it grants me some power when looping with a spinny, slower rubber. Additionally, it’s quite effective when chopping with pips, and I occasionally find success hitting with them.