Friendship/729 Red Spirit

This is a very well-balanced blade with nice touch and good control.

The speed rating is about off- (which depends on the rubbers you use).

It’s flexible, giving very good spin.

The hardness is medium.

It’s very good for close-to-table looping, and it can also be used in a mid-distance looping game but only with fast rubbers.

I tried it with Sigma2 Euro max on FH and Vega pro max on BH.

This blade perfectly suits my style. I play close to the table, using anti-spin rubber on the backhand, twiddle, and loop on both sides. I found this blade offers great control and feel. Its speed is very manageable, allowing for good dwell time to generate amazing spinning loops.

I tried the 729 Bomb, but it was a bit too fast for me, with slightly less control and feel compared to the Red Spirit. When I paired this blade with Cream Transcend, it created the perfect combination of speed, spin, and control (in my opinion). This blade is more user-friendly for beginners and improving players. If I had the option to trade my Bomb, I would certainly choose the 729 Red Spirit.

I can attack with more sense and feel of the ball, making my attack more controlled and executed more accurately.

I feel as more in control rather than only relying on the blade’s stiffness and thickness to do most of the work. I can feel the ball better, which is very good. The feeling of control does not only limits to attacking. It helps with any stroke, like serves and defense.