Yinhe LQ-2

Review

After using this blade for two-thirds of a season, I have come to the conclusion that it is much better than first thought.

Although I now want to try a slightly softer, faster FH rubber, the Long Pips on my BH cause confusion amongst my opponents as I hit at any distance with a great deal of accuracy. The hardness of the blade complements the Long Pips DHS Cloud & Fog 3 1.0mm red. I have gotten used to playing with a hard FH rubber, DHS G888 2.2mm black. I get great spin on loops and have been able to lift backspin to some degree. I play a looping hitting game. I think there are a lot of players who just think that long pips are for blocking and disturbance, not with this blade.

This blade is definitely more all/all+, and playing a hitting, chopping, and blocking BH game works well for me.

I underestimated just what this blade is capable of.

My only worry is the degradation to the cork handle; mine is straight. I have noticed some splits in several places, both where the cork meets the wood and on the top of the handle.

Otherwise, it is a well-made blade.

I am still deciding whether or not to try the LQ-1 because it is slightly faster and has an all-wood handle. If anyone has used one, please let me know its gameplay.

This is a very nice blade for defensive play. It has a large, long head and is well made. The head is likely too large if one played max thickness inverted on both sides as it would be extremely heavy.

The long head and flex make it a very good blade for combo players - you can loop very nicely with it. The blade is probably not for close to the table LP pushblocking - best for off the table play.

Edit - I recently bought a second blade as a backup. Unfortunately, almost 1.5 to 2 years later, the new blade is lighter (9 grams) and significantly slower, and the handle is somewhat shorter. Lesson to self - buy two at the same time to help with variations.

This is the best blade I have ever used for a hitting game.

Rated as a DEF blade, I would rate it as ALL+.

I would recommend it for blockers/hitters.