Nittaku Miyabi

Having read about the unique qualities of 1 ply hinoki blades (being very fast when swung aggressively, yet slow and controllable in the short game), I was excited to find a blade for a good price (flash sale for $75), rather than $200 and up like for other brands. The blade is actually much lighter than expected, very balanced, and the workmanship is flawless. The grain of the wood was very fine and close, so based on other reviews, perhaps there is some variance between blades.

It is a very soft blade, with very little vibration, yet it is also stiff. I put Gambler Nine Ultra Tack in 2.1mm black on the backhand and Friendship 755 in 1mm forehand, as I’m learning to twiddle. The feel at slow speeds, with both rubbers, is very controlled. Inverted pushing is simple, blocking is decent, drives are excellent, and brush loops are good though require more effort away from the table than carbon blades. Pips pushing is easy, blocking was a bit awkward, chopping was very natural, and flipping short backspins into topspin was a breeze. There is a lot of dwell time, and the feeling when the ball hits makes you feel connected.

If you want a lot of touch and control at slow speeds and a lot of speed and spin at high speeds, you will not be disappointed!

My first blade after playing with a pre-made bat, this one-ply hinoki is excellent for learning to control the ball and is not heavy, in my opinion. It has a soft feeling, good dwelling time, yet is still fast enough to hit the ball. It works very well when I used Fastarc G1 and P1 rubbers.

I was going to buy the Darker Speed 90, but I couldn’t justify spending $300 on a blade. Instead, I opted for the next best one-ply hinoki blade. In my opinion, I made the right choice.

My Miyabi weighs in a little on the heavy side at 91g. It’s an almost perfect setup with FH T64 1.7 and BH Donic Slice 40 1.5. The total weight is amazingly low at 172g. Backhand flicks and loops are a bit difficult due to the thin rubber, so I need to adjust the blade angle. The same goes for blocking and pushing. However, backhand chops are great, very precise, and ball control is excellent. I wish the D Slice 40 was a little thicker.

Forehand loops need some getting used to and adjusting the blade angle, but once you get used to the new angle, looping is a breeze. Hitting is what this blade is made for, both near the table and mid-range. I love it…crisp, accurate, fast. The feel and explosive sound of the ball hitting the blade are unmatched, even better than my friend’s Speed 90. Perhaps forehand blocking is the weak point of this blade, but I need to explore this area more. All in all, it’s a pleasure playing with this combo.

This is my third one-ply blade. It’s 9mm thick and weighs 95 grams, which is less than the Yinhe J1 and Sanwei H10. With 729 Cream Transcend 1.5mm on both sides, the overall playing weight is 180 grams, which is a fairly average setup. The flared handle is good but not comfortable for my big hands, so I added an overgrip at the neck.

The quality of the wood is questionable, as the grain (spacing of the growing rings) becomes progressively wider across the face of the blade. In theory, this means that the feel of the blade and vibration should differ from one end to the other. This is disappointing, considering that Nittaku made in Japan is often seen as a sign of superior quality. The Sanwei, which costs half as much, has consistent grain across the whole blade.

However, the feeling of this blade is superb. The speed is medium-fast, and it doesn’t have the vibration of the Sanwei. The weight is similar to my match-playing setup, which makes the transition to this one-ply much easier.

Everyone who has tried it has been captivated by the feel of this blade. It puts a warm feeling and a smile on your face - sheer pleasure!

This blade can do everything except pushing at the table, which is rather awkward, probably because of the adjustment needed to take into account the thickness of the blade.

Because of the wide spacing of the growing rings, this is not top-notch Kiso Hinoki, as mentioned in the introduction above. It has either been grown in a warmer area than Kiso or is made from cheaper cuts rather than the best quarter-sawn examples. It is definitely not 400 years old, but I believe it is Japanese Hinoki because of the size-to-weight ratio. The Sanwei H10 is likely to have been made from Taiwanese cypress, which is heavier.

Of course, top-quality Hinoki costs a multiple of the asking price of the Miyabi. Now, if I could get one made to measure…

So far, the blade has good control. It just has a little vibration.

Soft blade, offering good feel with the ball. Not intended for Off+ play, this blade is suitable for intermediate players (rating 1200 — 1900).

This blade is soft and has good control. Loop to loop is the best.

This blade is exceptional. In my opinion, it falls just shy of the Darker Speed 90, but surpasses the PP Moby. Its speed is remarkable, even exceeding some carbon blades. The touch and feel are superb. It offers excellent spin and control. Overall, I am highly impressed with this blade and prefer it to any carbon blade I’ve used. Even when paired with the Butterfly Rozena, it outperforms. With slight adjustments to the phrasing, this blade review provides a concise and informative evaluation.

I wanted to try hinoki due to the promising reviews, and yes, it is fabulous. The touch is soft, providing much control in the short game and from mid-distance. The blade delivers sufficient power for counter-attacks, even far from the table. Due to the stiffness, there are almost no vibrations.

I like to play with tacky Chinese rubbers, so the short game is a piece of cake. I can easily place the ball low and directly behind the net with a lot of spin. You can also place it long with delicate underspin or flip it with a lot of spin, accurately placing the ball where you want. The speed is OFF-; there are faster blades on the market. When blocking passively and absorbing energy, you may even get the ball as short as with all-around blades. Looping is fun, especially when opening against underspin. Even far away from the table, you can produce dangerous counter topspins due to the weight.

I love this blade, but it may become heavy with Chinese rubbers. The size is smaller, which helps prevent it from becoming too heavy (mine is at 205g with Yinhe Apollo V).

I was surprised that I had to work on the edges of the wood, since they were sharp. The grip is fine.

Sono sempre stato un fan del monostrato, ma essendo un patito del Kiso Hinoki, ho voluto provarlo. Che dire? È veloce, ma con la mia configurazione di gomme è perfetto. Gran controllo, si sente tantissimo la pallina e se si deve tirare, è perfetto.

Great feeling blade, good at almost any stroke. A little heavy so using Raksa P.O. on the backhand to keep weight down. A very pretty blade with nice feedback. Prompt delivery by Table Tennis 11.

This is a beautifully crafted and finished blade with an amazing smell out of the box.
I requested and received a heavy one, coming in at 97g. Mine is very fast, likely due to the above-average density of the wood at this weight.
It has a springing feeling on loops and drives and excels in topspin rallies.
The downside for me is the difficulties landing second ball attacks and looping backspin, often overshooting compared to a similar rubber setup on a one-ply Sanwei H10, although if landed, the Miyabi ball may be more dangerous.
Overall, I rate this as an exceptional quality blade for the price and recommend trying it for anyone interested in a 1-ply blade.

I bought this blade as an alternative to Darker 90 and Imperial, which are way too expensive. I am surprised to see the quality finish of this blade. I am using forehand Xiom Vega Japan and Spectre long pimples on backhand. I am very happy with the speed and control of this setup.

To a mid- to high-level player, this racket is good.
A very good racket to train for the feel of the ball.
For a professional player, the Darker Speed 90 is better.

Cheap & powerful for speed & control.

After reading the merits of one-ply hinoki during play (soft touch, fast speed when swung hard), I decided to try one out. This blade is finished very well, surprisingly light for its size, and very soft. It feels delicate, and hinoki is. It’s not a blade for you if you hit the table or drop your paddles—one-ply blades can split but it’s an easy fix with super glue or wood glue. My blade had a very close grain pattern and the finish was perfect on it. I use Gambler Nine Ultra Tack and Friendship 755 with .6mm sponge. There is a lot of dwell time with this blade when swung for a loop, and it catapults off when hit hard for a drive. It’s very simple to use for blocks and pushes, chopping is surprisingly easy. It is fast at top speed, but not quite as fast as some top-tier carbon blades are (given the same speed stroke). The feeling and control are fantastic, and the price was a great deal.

Also have to mention, I live in the USA and from when I placed my order to my receipt of it was only 4 days. It was packed with care and shipped fast!

What can I say about this fantastic blade? I have always liked soft-vibrating blades and hated stiff, hard ones, but this one is unique in its own way. Zero vibration, to my surprise. Stiff, but with a nice smooth feeling. Fast, really fast, but somehow controllable in short-middle game. No problem at all with the 9mm thickness. My only complaint is maybe the weight, mine is 105g and I put Chinese rubber on, so the total weight was 210g, too heavy for my taste. So I’ll change my backhand rubber to another, lighter one. Really a great blade, hinoki wood gives you a lot of pleasure: controllable play with good speed and good feeling. Just give it a try, many of my clubmates were stunned with the behavior of this beauty!

Ottimo telaio, leggero e non pesante, mi piace molto.

This is not made from top-quality wood but still good! It looks very soft and easy to damage.

I have tried many blades but cannot compare any blade with Miyabi as it is really a great blade I am having more achievement than ever.

Very good.

I originally bought one for my dad, who wanted to find a pure Hinoki blade. After he started using it, he raved about how good it was, and suggested I buy one for myself. I bought one, and it felt pretty natural when I first played matches with it. I got used to it pretty quickly. The blade is lightweight, has good control, is not that fast, and has a strange feeling sweet spot near the head on the backhand. I’m not sure if this is “the blade” for me, but I’m playing with it with no complaints. I switched from a Butterfly Viscaria.

The first ball I hit with this blade felt totally different from any other one I’ve used before. It has such a soft feel that makes it easy to control the ball up-close, but with an attacking stroke, it catapults with unexpected power. It also feels nice in the hand - lighter than other blades, yet thicker and easy to use your wrist.

The properties of the blade are OK, but there is too much vibration. I can’t use it.