Yinhe 988

It’s a cheap blade, and considering its price, it’s quite good if you like harder blades like this one. I’ve used it with Yinhe Mercury 2 and Loki Rxton 1. These are pretty slow rubbers, and I felt that. This composition wasn’t particularly fast for me, and I’d use ESN rubber on the backhand (yes, it has a backhand side).

If you like J pen, it’s okay considering the price.

Okay, I recently purchased this blade and used it (one side, of course) with a Dawei 388a-4 (Hard+Tacky). After about a week of training, I’m able to deal heavy attacks to my opponents. Its smaller, rectangular board means it has stronger power and speed. I can now 3rd ball attack very well and have managed to beat Defenders 4-1 that I used to beat 4-3 or lose to 3-4.

For beginners, I do not recommend this paddle. You will not develop a good feeling for the blade and ball if you use this as your first paddle. However, if you are an offensive Japanese penhold player and you feel your paddle is slow or needs more speed, I would recommend it. But beware of its “self-kill” power—if you smash too hard against a lightning-reaction player, you will be killed if you act slower than them. They will block, and I have a hard time dealing with them, although I win.

For consistency, you need to develop good contact points. This means not missing your ball more than 2 inches for good consistency. (But, really, who misses that much?) For people who say the consistency is not always identical, please train more.

If you like control, do not buy this paddle. It will mess you up. I guarantee you, the control is just too decent. This means placement is very good, but you can only control a fast game—this paddle is not good for a slow game. Passive blocks are solid with this blade and fast ball, and if you can drive well, this paddle can overwhelm your opponent. I cannot say that this paddle is for all-around players, but I can say that it’s very suitable for “power” players and “speed” players.

With 729 Cross, it is a very slow bat. However, put better rubbers on it and don’t worry about control.

Good paddle, good sound, good speed, good control. I play pen hold, but I like the option to backhand, so I prefer short handle rackets. I paired this one with Galaxy 9000 rubber. It’s a great paddle for me to practice with.

Good blade, but the Chinese penhold is better, and I’m happy I switched.

Yinhe 988 produces a loud noise when hitting the ball, and the penhold seems thick. However, when playing attacking shots, it is very fast. I like using it with DHS Hurricane 3 rubber.

Perfect for fast attacking, this blade is very cheap and good for average players.

It could be as good as the T-11 blade, but a key difference is that the 988 is a penhold, while the T-11 is a handshake. Price-wise, the 988 costs half the price of the T-11.