Nittaku Factive 7

I am a big fan of 7-ply wood blades. I have tried various models, including the Stiga Clipper, Nittaku Septear, Butterfly Korbel SK7, Falck W-7, VIctas Swat, and DHS PG7.

Among these, the Factive 7 is my favorite and also the second cheapest. It offers an exceptional value for its price.

Pros:

1. Huge sweet spot
2. Crisp feeling
3. Lightweight (all less than 83g)
4. Fast but controllable
5. Stiff but with enough flex for looping
6. Reasonable dwell time
7. Great build quality

Con:

The only downside is the thin handle, which requires the use of grip tape. I recommend the Nittaku grip tape, which I consider the best in the market.

The blade performs well with various inverted rubbers, ranging from hard and tacky Chinese rubbers to soft Japanese rubbers like the Yasaka Rakza 7 soft.

Buen peso, la combiné con gomas Victas y la sensación en top y bloqueo es genial.

The 1st thing to note—the handle really feels small for my medium palm, therefore be careful when thinking of this blade. For me, it was impossible to have a loose grip, and FH-BH switching was uncomfortable, especially out of position, when the blade angle can decide. The feeling is med-soft (but not much) and fairly stiff. Blocking near the table and flat hits are OK, but nothing special. Feeling while topspinning can be another point of concern for those who use to use flexible blades and medium-hard/hard rubbers—dwell on this blade is pretty small, as per my impression.

So generally, Nittaku provided a precise description: it can be suitable for kids/ladies (handle size) who are learning the basics. Well-rounded setup with Factive rubbers. Allround or aggressive material players can consider this blade as well, but of course, not for pure defense—it may be too fast near the table and not flexy enough for far from the table. Flat hitters may find it usable also.

Craftsmanship is good, but not perfect—wooden edge protection can splinter off while changing the rubbers.

Overall, Nittaku gave a pretty fair description of whom this blade is for, but there are a lot of nice alternatives for a lower price.