Nittaku Violin

I bought the blade because of its notable reputation and due to it being used by Ma Long in 2005. Having tried out plenty of other 7-plys and assorted carbon woods, I decided to revamp my stroke development by switching to a slightly slower blade. The Violin proves to be highly beneficial in the learning curve of stroke development. After purchasing multiple blades, I’ve come to recognize why some might recommend embracing the art of the sport using a 5-ply blade first, as it stands to limit avoidable frustrations. Overall, I hold this blade in high regard, rating it a solid 10 out of 10.

Despite its reputation and price, it’s a pretty mediocre racket. It’s also relatively slow, which may not be ideal for all players. Additionally, Nittaku has a number of much better rackets, even in clear woods, so this particular model may not be the best choice for those looking for a high-quality blade.

Best blade I ever have. I like my Violin, beautiful and full of spin with Tenergy 05 fx on both sides.

This is my second blade, purchased after my first, the Viscaria. I wanted to build a second blade for another variation using long pips. It worked well, but when I tried combining it with FH-Goldarc8 and BH Fastarc-G1, it was absolutely amazing.

This blade provides greater tolerance for stroke and maximum control for direction. One of my colleagues also owns this blade but an older version. She combines it with T 80 FX and T 05, and the results are amazing.

The speed is slower than the Viscaria (since the Violin is all-wood), but the result is delightful, reducing my mistakes during gameplay. Using this blade for ball positioning is very convenient and will present difficulty for opponents.

This is my third blade, and to be honest, I’m a bit disappointed. The quality is top-notch, no doubt about it, but the racket is pretty slow. I switched from a Primorac (a classic 15-year-old Hungarian-made blade from a very nice batch of wood), and the Violine is slower. You can tell immediately. I tested the two blades with the exact same rubber, Yasaka Rakza 7, and the bounce was higher and faster on the Primorac. Also, it is stiffer and harder. In my opinion, the Violin must be labeled ALL+ or even ALL, not OFF-.

That being said, the blade is very consistent, and the control is awesome. I’m disappointed because the Primorac is a better blade (for me), and it costs three times as cheap. Maybe I’ve come across a good batch with the Primorac or something, but that’s the reality of it. The Nittaku Violine is a very well-made blade with awesome control, but it is overpriced, hyped, and slow.

I have been a dominant FL backhand player since I was introduced to the sport and have been playing with Chinese or Swedish paddles. Out of these, I preferred the Chinese paddles because the FL handle fit my small hand contour better.

Recently, I bought a used old tag Nittaku Violin out of curiosity for an all-wood blade. I had seen complaints about the handle size being too small, but the one I bought fit perfectly in my hand. It is my first Straight handle blade.

I paired it with Victas 401 on FH and Tibhar ELP on BH. I noticed that a slight adjustment was needed on Forehand strokes because of the ST handle, but it was effortless on Backhand.

In my opinion, this blade favors the feel factor in linear spin strokes and offers a medium trajectory with controlled arc. Flat hits are also good.

Comparing it with a DHS H301 blade with ALC construction that I used for almost two years consistently, I found that the Nittaku Violin is noticeably harder and slightly stiffer. This could be due to the blade being less head heavy and having a smaller handle to compensate for the flex.

If you get the right weight, around 85-90 grams, it does not feel slow even in the modern plastic ball era.

It is a wonderful blade. A light and superbly consistent blade that many people would play better TT by using. It is not too fast. It has all the speed you need without the loss of control or feel. It is a fast blade - Butterfly’s Primorac or Optimum Sync, but with a bit more speed. However, it doesn’t lose control at all.

(Far too much emphasis is put on Carbon and very fast blades.)

I know a man who played in the professional league in Germany and he never used a blade faster than a Stiga Allround or Donic Allround. One must learn to crawl before they can walk. 10/10 for the Violin.

I like it with Xiom Sigma II Pro on FH and Yasaka Rakza 7 on BH. A lot of spin and control on BH. Good power on FH with acceptable control. Very good feel.

Very interesting blade. I’m still a beginner, yet I wanted to try something more offensive than Stiga AC. I use it with 729 Origin (hard tacky Chinese rubber) on the FH and Stiga Genesis M on BH.

At first, it felt quite stiff, but after the first couple of weeks, it became more and more flexible. The feeling changed, and now I love it. It does everything well, and the looping quality is amazing.

Amazing instrument! Great feel and great spin. Good for developing proper technique. Outstanding quality and worth every penny. Proud owner of such an instrument.

Excellent OFF-/OFF blade. Works great with hard sponge.

This is arguably the best 5-ply all-wood blade for players prioritizing looping. When paired with Tenergy 05, this setup grants exceptional ball spin control. Blocking loops instils a sense of dominance. Countering loops from a distance sends the ball soaring over the net and dipping sharply near the baseline. Precisely driving the ball down the sideline often ends points swiftly.

My own playing style involves extensive arm movements and relies heavily on spin and placement. This blade allows me to place the ball with remarkable accuracy and return my opponents’ attacks effectively.

Despite the advent of the 40+ ball era, this blade remains a formidable choice. Slight adjustments to playing techniques may be necessary, but its effectiveness persists.

The Nittaku Violin is an extremely high-quality 5 Ply blade that I would rate in the All+/Off- category. It’s an amazing blade for developing players, offering great feel and control. Its Ply composition is fairly unique, with the blade feeling harder yet very flexible compared to your standard Limba 5 Ply wood. This makes it great for looping and close-to-the-table play.

It’s not quite as fast or good at blocking as the Acoustic, but the control and feel are the best. As a new player to table tennis, I used this and the Yasaka Sweden Extra as my main blades along with Mark V rubbers. It’s a very high-quality All Around wood blade by Nittaku. Recommended.

Violin is a distinctive blade. It lacks exceptional speed or spin, but what it excels at is enabling unlikely victories. Its unparalleled control and placement empower players to counter superior opponents, returning challenging shots and unleashing decisive attacks when necessary. Despite its unassuming appearance, Violin delivers unwavering support in competitive matches.

For amateur players, Violin arguably surpasses more expensive alternatives. Its effectiveness and affordability make it an exceptional choice.

My personal setup includes Joola Black Rhyzm-P on the forehand and Tenergy 64 on the backhand. Minor adjustments to the text may be required.

Build quality is top-notch as expected. When compared to Nittaku Acoustic and Barwell, with the same rubber and blade weight of 88g, the results are as follows:

Speed: Barwell>Acoustic>Violin# Control: Acoustic>Violin>Barwell # Flex: Acoustic>Violin>Barwell # Blocking: Barwell>Acoustic>Violin # Aggressive topspin: Acoustic>Barwell>Violin # Arc: Acoustic>Violin>Barwell (similar) # Best overall performance: Acoustic>Barwell>Violin (down by a couple of notches) #

Acoustic and Barwell are very close in performance and play. They have a medium feel and are very responsive on all strokes. The catch is instant when playing aggressively. Violin is different. It is slower by a couple of notches. The feel is softer and less aggressive than the other two. It is suitable for all-round play with high spin. It is still highly recommended.

My previous experience with a pure wood blade was the BTY Petr Korbel, but I didn’t enjoy using it, which led me to believe that pure wood blades were not for me. However, after trying the Violin blade, I was pleasantly surprised. The flexibility of the wood allowed me to have more control and accuracy than with any of my carbon blades. Looping, chopping, and serving all felt exceptional. The arc was low but very precise.

One drawback is that due to its thinness (5.4mm), when I hit hard with a certain amount of force, the blade doesn’t accelerate further. I’m currently using Tuttle Golden LV FH and Sanwei A+ Tacky BH rubbers, which are affordable but heavy and hard. Despite this, the blade performs quite well and is enjoyable to play with.

Update: After several more sessions, I realized that it’s challenging to find the perfect rubbers for this blade, particularly for the forehand. The blade is quite soft and flexible, which may not be ideal for the new 40+ balls. However, it remains a good option for training purposes.

Nittaku Violin me deja sorprendido lo fácil que es jugar con ella, sobre todo por su alto control. Antes de ser el afortunado de tener una Nittaku Violin en mis manos, pasaron muchas otras marcas y modelos, todas ofensivas pero con mucho menos control.

Violin te permite levantar la pelota de topspin con una facilidad antes desconocida por mí, controlar la recepción de saque con efectos laterales con gran facilidad, bloquear con total comodidad pudiendo angular la dirección deseada sin temor a que la pelota termine fuera de la mesa.

Una madera ideal para jugadores de nivel medio-alto que estén en período de depuración técnica.

This is a really good table tennis blade. However, it is not suitable for a full spin game. Instead, it is better for smashing. It is also good for looping, blocking, and controlling. Overall, it is a good “off” blade, just Nittaku quality.

The Nittaku Violin Large Handle fits my hand perfectly.

This blade provides good loops and excellent smashes. It also performs well in the short game.

The Nittaku Violin is classified as Off-. It can be paired with any type of rubber.

Thanks, Lord, I’m a proud owner of this wonder. Be aware that some people may not like it, but for others… I mean, you have to test it before buying it. Mine is 73 grams, and you can see it’s irregular — not very fast, but the control is beyond comparison with other blades if your game is controlled offensive. Somebody up there loves me :). I will never sell it for any price.

This blade is simply stunning! It almost feels like part of your hand when you use it. I’ve tried several rubbers to see which ones go best with it and have settled on Xiom Vega Elite max on the forehand and Friendship Geospin Tacky max on the reverse. However, the Geospin works great as a forehand as well. I play an all-around attacking game, and this bat loops, blocks, and counter hits with ease. I’ve had to pry it away from other players at my club as they wanted to keep it!

It worked great with Friendship 802 short pips on the backhand as well. It’s great for blocking and driving. Looping with the short pips was hard work for me, though not impossible. But this is supposed to make things easier, right? So I’m back to the Geospin. I found Tenergy 80 didn’t suit me or the blade (one or the other anyway!). But other people who tried it while it was on the Violin liked it, so I guess it was me!

Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a slow blade just because it’s all wood. You put max Tensor style rubbers on this, and it comes alive; too lively for me with the Tenergy 80! But any blade can be tamed with the correct rubber for the playing style.

I can only compare it to the other blades I’ve tried recently and in the past. Butterfly Viscaria owned by another player at the club: very heavy but nice to use. Not as fast as I expected. 1976 Butterfly Surbek Hinoki. I thought this was a fast blade when I was 17, but it feels a bit slow these days. The Sriver still works fine and plenty sticky too! Two Stiga A/R woods. One from 1975, the other a modern version. Slow in comparison to the Violin but play okay.

So the Violin is expensive, but if I lost it, I’d buy another immediately!

Spin superb, but blocking is not easy. The blade is too elastic, and you need to pair the rubbers medium-hard.

Okay, this blade is the DREAM blade, perfect for looping with precision. I’m using Tenergy 64 on both sides with this blade.

In terms of speed, it’s not as fast as the carbon blades, but you don’t need the carbon blades if you’re using Tenergy anyway. The control is superb, and the feeling and feedback from the blade are great.

I prefer this blade over TBS, Kong LH Special, MM, and Viscaria.

- Great feel for the ball. — But because it is so flexy and not very hard, you need hard rubbers to get the most out of the short game. — It loops very well, effortlessly. — The wood grain is so beautiful you may not want to put rubbers on it!

The Violin is a flexible blade with a high feeling. It is rated as OFF-, making it a great option for all-around aggressive players. However, it requires relatively hard rubbers such as Tenergy or Spinart. While it is an expensive blade, the quality is exceptional. Minor adjustments to the wording may be necessary.

- Flexible blade with superb control. — Perfect for aggressive all-round players. -

I recently purchased a Nittaku Violin with the large handle and was pleasantly surprised by the significant improvement it made to my game. Previously, I used a Butterfly Timo Boll Forte blade with Tibhar FX-S 2.0 on the forehand and Tibhar Aurus 1.9 on the backhand. I maintained the same rubbers on the Nittaku, except for reducing the thickness of the backhand rubber to 1.7 for experimentation.

The Nittaku Violin has significantly enhanced my performance. Spins and smashes now consistently land on the table, rather than over it. Pushing has become more predictable, and I have gained the confidence to incorporate backhand flips into my game, adding a valuable element of variation.

In comparison to my previous blade, the Violin is slower, which allows me to incorporate more movement into my serves. While it may generate slightly less spin when I exert maximum effort, I anticipate that the increased confidence and control will compensate for this in the coming weeks.

For players who tend to overpower topspins like myself, the Nittaku Violin is an excellent choice. It effectively limits the speed and energy that can be imparted to the ball, enabling greater control and accuracy.

Despite its price, the Nittaku Violin comes highly recommended. It has elevated my game to a new level and is well worth the investment.