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.
All-wood
Higher throw than Viscaria, with slightly less speed, better spin, longer dwell time, and improved control. It offers a muted feeling.
The ball results are quite similar to Victas ZX Gear In (newer version), but this blade is faster, has slightly less spin, and better control. The Gear In provides a slightly excessive dwell time for my preference.
970XX A is my preferred blade. As a two-wing looper, I recommend pairing it with Neo Hurricane 3 Provincial Orange sponge (max) and Vega Pro. I intend to replace the Hurricane with Tibhar MX-S, as it performs exceptionally well with the Gear In.
If you are not concerned about the muted feeling, the 970XX A is an excellent choice.
I bought this blade due to its construction. I prefer blades with inner carbon. It falls between the Innerforce Layer ALC and Timo Boll ALC in terms of characteristics.
Compared to the Innerforce, it provides less ball feel and less flex but maintains the same level of control. It is slower than the TB ALC but offers a similarly crisp and slightly hard feel. It pairs well with tensor and hard tacky rubbers.
The blade facilitates executing powerful loops with spin and even smashes. I have utilized DHS GoldArc 8 or Rakza 7 on the backhand and Yinhe Jupiter II or Big Dipper on the forehand.
The quality is comparable to Butterfly products, but it is more budget-friendly.
After several months, I updated the rubbers. I currently use Tibhar Evolution EL-S on the forehand, FX-S on the backhand, and have noticed a significant improvement in feel. It appears that this blade is best suited for medium-hard or medium-soft rubbers.
This blade is an off blade, suitable for loopers. It pairs well with Chinese rubbers.
My blade weighed 89 grams. The speed of the 970xxA is more akin to an outer carbon blade, suggesting that the core has been stiffened. It is marginally slower than my Timo Boll ALC. The throw angle of this blade is high, and it provides excellent grip. Forehand shots produce a clean arc over the net.
Backhand play is particularly enjoyable, yielding a significantly greater dwell time compared to the Timo Boll ALC. The blade has a slightly wooden feel on backhand strokes.
Overall, it is a quality blade, somewhat comparable to the Bty Dima Innerforce blade. Note that the handle is large.
༼ 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.