Yasaka Max Wood
Blade description:
This is a 7-ply all-wood offensive blade recognized for its high speed and power. Characterized by a stiff and hard feel, the blade provides clear tactile feedback upon ball contact. While it is highly capable in offensive exchanges, its performance profile allows for versatility, enabling effective chopping and spin-oriented play when paired with the appropriate rubbers.
Playing Characteristics
- Speed and Power: The blade is inherently fast, suited for aggressive looping and attacking play. It maintains its power even when paired with softer rubber sheets.
- Control and Feel: Despite its speed, it retains enough touch for controlled play, though some users note that mastering this control requires consistent technique.
- Weight and Balance: The construction tends toward a heavier weight profile compared to many other blades, which can affect the speed of transitions between forehand and backhand, particularly for penhold styles. It is generally regarded as having good overall balance.
- Versatility: It functions well as a multi-purpose blade, accommodating both traditional playing styles and modern attacking setups.
Construction Details
- Composition: This is an all-wood blade consisting of a 7-ply construction. It contains no carbon or composite layers.
- Build Quality: Feedback indicates some variability in manufacturing, specifically regarding handle finishing and the durability of handle inlays. Players should be prepared for potential weight variations between individual units.
Submit a Review
Recent Reviews
#1 — May 2024
Good blade from Yasaka. I tried it with Yasaka Mark V GPS Soft rubbers.
It chops well. The speed is good enough, and the control is easy to manage. I found it to be a spinny setup.
However, I felt blocking was where the setup fell a bit short. Overall, it’s a solid AR+ setup/blade for beginners, intermediates, and above-intermediate players.
#2 — May 2020
For a 7-ply wood blade, this one is on the stiffer and harder side. As a result, it has a reputation for being somewhat heavy. Mine is the CPEN version which weighs 103g, which was the lightest one available at the retailer (had 5 to choose from).
Yes, it is powerful and with enough feedback retained. The hardness allows it to perform speedily and powerfully, even with softer rubber like Rakza 9. In my hands, it played more like a JPen blade and seemed more suited to a traditional penhold backhand.
Somehow, I think this blade fits Yoshida Kaii more than his own blade. It might not be the best idea for modern penholders, as the exceptionally heavy weight hinders backhand forehand transition.
#3 — June 2017
Maybe the best all-wood blade on the market.
Get Notified of New Equipment and Reviews
༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ No spam or other useless stuff. We plan to send out some newsletters from time to time with the latest reviews and project updates. Feel free to unsubscribe at any time.