Nittaku S-Series S-5

The blade offers a pleasant feel with excellent touch. When equipped with Bluestorm Z2 Max on both sides, it delivers impressive speed, exceptional control, and effortless ball placement, making it a standout for blocking. This blade is a valuable addition to any collection and comes highly recommended.

Nice blade with a great feel, offering both speed when needed and excellent control for precise ball placement. The blade’s handle provides exceptional comfort and feels excellent in the hand. Similarities to the Donic Ovtcharov Feat are noticeable, although this blade carries a slightly heavier weight. The craftsmanship is top-notch, resulting in a high-quality blade. Give it a try!

Sold as an all+, the blade actually belongs in the off- category. Its speed is comparable to the Stiga Infinity. The blade offers a soft touch and no unpleasant vibrations. However, flat hitting is not its forte. The throw angle is high. Control becomes mushy when paired with soft sponge rubbers. The best results were achieved with Fastarc G1 and C1 rubbers. The blade exhibits excellent craftsmanship, a testament to Mr. Schneider’s German construction knowledge from Soulspin.

Excellent when paired with Xiom Vega Pro or Yasaka Rakza 7 Soft. The blade offers awesome control combined with quite good speed.

The blade is a 5-ply spruce with a thickness of 6.1mm and a weight of 88g. Its handle is perfectly suited for small to medium-sized hands and is very well-finished. The blade can be classified as an OFF blade or at least a fast OFF-. Its speed is comparable to the Tibhar SPW.

The blade is most enjoyable when playing mid-distance offensive strokes, such as looping. It also blocks well close to the table. Pushes and flicks work reasonably well, while flat hits are not its strongest attribute. When hitting hard counter drives or loops, the blade produces a satisfying cracking sound, akin to the sound of an old Italian car at high RPMs. This sound is especially pleasing when paired with new 'clicky' Tensor rubbers, resulting in a combined click-crack sound.

The blade offers a significant amount of feeling, vibration, and feedback, which is ideal for those seeking a departure from lifeless blades. However, those accustomed to harder carbon or ZLF composite blades may not fully appreciate this aspect.

The S-5 is a 5-ply Spruce blade with a medium-soft feel, as Spruce falls between Limba and Hinoki in terms of hardness. The core ply, while softer than the outer plies, remains firmer than the Kiri core found in the S-CZ blade.

Despite its moderate stiffness, slightly stiffer than the S-CZ, the soft Spruce core provides a bit of “give,” allowing the ball to penetrate before being catapulted out. This unique blend makes the S-5 suitable for looping, despite my preference for more flexible blades.

The combination of Spruce plies grants the S-5 excellent touch in the short game, enabling both slow and fast loops. Its speed rating falls within the solidly offensive range, but it also accommodates slower gears.

The S-5 distinguishes itself with exceptional feedback, surpassing blades like Septear, Virtuoso+, Expert All+, V’King, Hurricane King, and Temper Tech Off+. It produces a satisfying cracking sound and feel when looping with the right rubber. The S-5 also boasts top-notch precision and control when paired with the appropriate rubber.

If you were unimpressed with the S-5 initially, consider experimenting with different rubber combinations. My experience with Rasant PowerGrip was underwhelming, but regular Rasant and Tenergy 05fx transformed my perception of the blade.