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OSP Carbon Test / Reviews |
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Thomasson 
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Joined: 03/30/2010 Location: Netherlands Status: Offline Points: 1008 |
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 Topic: OSP Carbon Test / ReviewsPosted: 05/23/2013 at 10:29am |
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Hello everyone,
This thread will be for the OSP Carbon testers, I thought making a seperate thread from the OSP test topic was in place because this is something special for OSP and for all of us. I took the liberty to reserve the first 5 posts for the reviews. I created this thread without contacting OSP first, so if OSP decides that the reviews should move elsewhere, this thread will be closed. Regards Johan Thomassen Edited by Thomasson - 05/23/2013 at 10:31am |
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Blade: TB ALC
FH: Tenergy05 2.1 BH: Tenergy64 1.7 |
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Thomasson
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Posted: 05/23/2013 at 10:29am |
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Thomasson's review:
Hello everyone, I just received my OSP Virtuoso Carbon to test and write a review about it. By holding it I still feel the same balance and when looking at it, still the craftmanship im used to. Will be trying it out tonight and hopefully post pictures and a video soon after that. I will be comparing it to my Virtuoso Off- and hopefully the Virtuoso + which I didn't use alot yet. Pictures:  For more pictures click here https://picasaweb.google.com/101700010404042370970/VirtuosoCarbon?authuser=0&feat=directlink (Link doesn't work for me for some reason.. It does when I copy and paste) First impressions: Wow, I was impressed by the feel of this blade. Using the Virtuoso off- for myself, I hardly noticed any difference in feel. Just a bit crisper then a new Virtuoso Off-. My Virtuoso softened up after a few weeks of play, making it less crisp. I think when this Virtuoso Carbon softens up a bit, it will play like a new Virtuoso Off-. The carbon gave me the same control, just a bit faster, a bit less spin, easier hitting. I tried with rubbers I used last season, they are worn more then my current rubbers or the rubbers on my backup paddle. Tonight I will test the blade with the rubbers from my backup. Since all Tenergy rubbers get a bit faster and less spinny after a season ;) Control is pretty subjective, but in my eyes its how hard it was for the to control serves, how I can place the ball where I want it to and the short game mostly. Head to head results with Virtuoso Off- after first impression: V- = Virtuoso Off-, Vc = Virtuoso Carbon Balance: This one is hard to say since the test blade doesn't have the custom handle I normally have. I think with the same handle and same rubbers, the blade will have the same balances. Maybe the Vc just a tiny bit head heavier. Since its so close to call, you can say its equal and depends on rubber weight differences. Spin: V- > Vc Speed: V- < Vc Control: V- = Vc Blocking: V- < Vc Throw: V- > Vc (V- being higher just a bit) Gears: V- < Vc (Vc is able to have a more powerfull top gear) After this test, im 90% sure I will get this blade in my custom handle, for further testing and most likely being my weapon of choice in next season or the season after that. UPDATE: Couldn't test it the evening I wanted it to, due to just 1 player (a bit below my level) showed up. I will try again this Thursday, after that I will send it away. Sorry for keeping the blade for almost 2 weeks, but I want to make a good review and need to test it well. UPDATE: Final test So after other attempts to give it a good go didn't work out, I finally had the chance to test it during a 1.5 hour training. I was gonna compare it to the Viscaria, but this is a totally different carbon blade. So I decided during this training I was gonna switch back and forth between the V- and Vcarbon, doing the same drills with both of them. Training schedule for this evening: 1: Warm-up (this includes the basic strokes fh-fh,bh-bh, contra and spin) No problems here, like before I needed little adjustment. However when spinning, my partner blocked more balls in to the net when I was using the Vcarbon. He said to me the ball was coming at him faster but with less spin. I myself found myself blocking more precise and lower with the Vcarbon. 2: Falkenberg (Player A playing FH spin, FH spin on middle, BH, stepping round playing FH spin, then repeat. Player B plays BH only) After having done the warm up, my partner got used to the difference in spin and we were able to play the Falkenberg as we should, however as my opponent said the balls came at him faster during warm-up, I noticed this myself in the Falkenberg, since I had less time to step around and go for the FH after that. My backhand punch however was more precise and felt more comfortable, probably because of the carbon making the dwell time just a bit less. Also my partner had less time because of me being able to block more precise as in the warm-up. 3: Serve&Return - Thirth ball: Probably the most important thing to train in tabletennis today. Mixed feeling here. Serves: Using the V- I got more spin, however the Vcarbon serves were easier to place and I could get faster serves. Return: Due to the V- having a bit more feel it was easier returning the short spinny serves. The Vcarbon had less trouble on long spinny serves due to it being a bit less sensitive to spin. No problems with either of them on float serves. 4: Push&Flick game: Try keep it short as possible and flick when you can. 1 point for opening up and 1 point for the one that scores the point at the end of the rally. The Vcarbon, although being faster, has a bit lower throw. Which made it easier for me to keep it low over the net, but they went a bit deeper then normal. They were still hard to open up though. My V- tends to sometimes pop them up a bit. However when opening up with a banana-flick it was easier to use the V- because of the higher throw and more dwell. Fh punching was easier with the Vcarbon because of the lessers dwell. 5: Matches In the end I won easier with the V-, but I think the main reason for this is because im used to it more. Im pretty certain that if I chose to use the Vcarbon more often and got it in the same handle (since I like the other handle more) my results would be almost identical between the two. Conclusion: This is a great blade, close to all-wood blade with more power, less sensitive but losing some spin. I don't know when OSP will release it, but when they do I will be interested in getting on in my custom handle. However for now I will be sticking to my V-, my game is currently balanced and focussed on spin mostly. In the last few weeks I also tried the Viscaria with the same rubbers. The Viscaria is a notch or 2 faster than the Vcarbon, but also has more spin. Its throw is alot lower. The feel of the blade is totally different and I prefer the feedback given by the Vcarbon and the control on short game. Although the dwell on the Vcarbon is longer, it is very easy to open low balls with the Viscaria, it requires a different game though. I would play an opening loop with the Vcarbon which would be a bit slower and being spinny mostly, where I would rip the ball with the Viscaria making it a killer shot loaded with speed and spin (yes on low balls). However the Viscaria didnt give me the placement control I have with the V-. The only better aspect of the Viscaria compared to the V-&Vcarbon is imo, the ripping balls and smashing/blocking. Since I prefer having a better allround game and having control most of the time, the V- will be the blade for me next season. Scoring points with the Viscaria is lovely though, but its not just about ripping balls past your opponent in table tennis. I hope this review will help people and if there are any questions, please don't be afraid to post them here, rather then trough pm. Since other people may have the same questions. I will be happy to answer them. I would also like to thank OSP (www.ospblades.com) for giving me the opportunity to test this blade! JCDI's review:
SPEAQUINOX's review: Weight: 92 gr Handle: SQSTThrow is medium, lower than my ALC, P700, etc. Blocking is quite nice and accurate.
Since it is not a high-throw blade, blocking is really precise and fast.
Punch blocking is quite effective. As a
conclusion, it's not a blade for me, since I prefer softer blades. I
won't be buying this one. May be mid distance drivers may like this
blade, but i don't. It's hard AND stiff for my tastes, i can't feel the
ball. Don't get me wrong, it loops very powerful but my consistency is
quite low with this. I would prefer testing the OSP Carbon with the
limba top ply. Will add photos.. Edited by Thomasson - 06/14/2013 at 3:47am |
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Blade: TB ALC
FH: Tenergy05 2.1 BH: Tenergy64 1.7 |
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Thomasson
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Joined: 03/30/2010 Location: Netherlands Status: Offline Points: 1008 |
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Posted: 05/23/2013 at 10:30am |
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#2
GLASSMAPLE'S REVIEW: I got mine this week and I finally had time to try it out last night. Here's some pics:     First Impressions: The blade is nicely crafted, chamfered in most places except the edge of the thumb slant thing on top of the handle. That edge is somewhat sharp and hurt my thumb a bit when I did BH loops (easily fixed, of course, but I didn’t have sandpaper with me) It was probably not a good idea to use a newly tuned (falco long, 1 layer) Xiom Omega IV Pro to test a blade but it’s what I got so here’s my set-up: Blade: OSP Carbon Test “Expert” Flared, 90g according to OSP’s email (didn’t have time to weigh it) FH: Xiom Omega IV Pro MAX, tuned 1 layer with Falco Long Booster. BH: Xiom Omega IV Europe MAX, no tune. The blade has more feeling than the Viscaria I was using. It is slightly less stiff than the VIS and has a harder surface. I think with the harder surface it was good for the tensor rubbers since they were clicking a lot louder than the VIS. With regards to how it feels, it has a clearer feeling of where the ball strikes the paddle. Where VIS has a dampened feeling of vibration over the entire blade, the OSP carbon has a very localized strike point vibration and spreads out a little bit after the initial contact. This is somewhat important for blocking so you can tell where it is when you’re blocking the ball. Perhaps I’m used to the Butterfly ALC stuff but I feel that the OSP carbon has less dwell time than the VIS, making it more “drive” than “loop”. This is not to say that it can’t generate spin, but it does so more in the slight flex it has when more power is exerted upon it. The OSP carbon is more balanced than the slightly head-heavy VIS. This took me some time to adjust to, as the swing speed and timing needs to change to compensate for this discrepancy. It is pretty fast with the rubbers I have on, but I was able to keep returns short and perform the short game with decent control (I believe this is more of a technique-based area instead of equipment). Close to table game was good because it has good power transfer speed, better than some of the more flexible blades I tried (like the Xiom Zxi). Didn’t do much mid-range loops so I’ll try those next time. Upon first impression, I would say it’s like a faster version of Acoustic that’s more balanced, harder and have better localization of where the ball strikes. Reminds me of the Violin I tried a long time ago (5+ years), but then that might not be an accurate comparison since I don’t have one at the moment. Currently I still prefer my VIS over the OSP Carbon, but it's only day 1. Will update during next week. Feel free to request specifics since I don't know what else to write. Update 1: Went back to using my 98g Viscaria and I can totally feel the difference. The head-heaviness along with the extra weight makes it a lot slower to move around and response to shots. Every stroke took a lot more effort than the OSP Carbon. Played with a 1800-1900 player with good consistent FH and BH and did tons of rallies. I have to say I missed the feedback from the OSP as the Viscaria felt a lot more dull and even mushy at times. This is especially evident in my weaker BH as many shots were off due to less feeling and the lower throw of the Viscaria. I finally couldn’t take it and put the same rubber on my 90g Nexy Lissom (Xiom Omega IV Pro/Europe) and the result was a lot better. There was definitely a lot more control for both wings. My FH counterloops have much more spin such that my opponent missed many counter rallies due to the sudden drop the extra spin creates after the bounce. The BH was sooo much more consistent mainly because of the better response and localization of the striking point. I’ll test out a few wood blades against the OSP Expert Carbon tomorrow and see how they stack up. I remember that the OSP has a more crisp feel than the Lissom (soft dampen dwell time feeling thingy) and is faster. I’ll put the same rubbers on my Nittaku Acoustic and Stiga Energy Wood to see how it compares.
Update 2: Tested the same rubbers on different wood blades I had, the Acoustic, Lissom, and Energy Wood. In comparison to the OSP Expert Carbon, all of the wood blades are softer feeling. (Softest) Lissom > Energy Wood > Acoustic > OSP Expert Carbon (Hardest) Note that for the most clear feeling, as in the most precise localization of the strike point, the OSP Expert Carbon wins out. The rest of the wood blades are more “muted” and “dampened” in comparison to the OSP, but somewhat similar with each other. For speed during drives, or perhaps even flat hit speed: (Fastest) OSP Expert Carbon > Acoustic > Lissom > Energy Wood (Slowest) For counterlooping, taking in to account the amount of spin and how difficult it is to return for the other player: (Most difficult to return) Lissom > Energy Wood > Acoustic > OSP Expert Carbon (Most predictable and easiest to return) Take note that this is based on counterlooping and how the opponent thought the loops are coming at him. With Lissom the trajectory changed the most, as it dips very low after the bounce. Energy Wood was also very close, but requires more effort to get the same amount of spin and dip. I have to say that it was somewhat of an unfair comparison to Acoustic since I couldn’t get used to its small handle to hit that many shots but it was definitely less spinny than those two. OSP Expert Carbon was very hard in comparison. The amount of dwell time was low enough that I couldn’t get much spin on the ball with the stroke I have. Perhaps if the player is used to hard carbon blades with a very compact and fast swing it would be different. For the short game, for returning serves via pushing and drops, the rating would be: (Most controllable) Energy Wood > Lissom > Acoustic > OSP Expert Carbon (Least controllable) For aggressive short game, such as flips and in table loops, I can’t really put a rating on them because it really varies with your own technique. I would say that if you are more of a hard flip/flick person, then the harder blades would be easier. If you are more of the in table loop/twist person, then perhaps the softer blades are easier. In the end I chose Energy Wood as my final selection because of my BH requirements. I had to decide between the Energy Wood and the Lissom. The Lissom offers greater power and spin for my FH loops which are my main weapons but the trajectory is pretty low. My BH likes a higher throw angle so I pick the Energy Wood which can get the same amount of power/spin with a bit more effort but with a higher throw angle that suits my BH stroke. OSP Expert Carbon is a good feeling, hard and somewhat stiff blade. This blade is plenty fast for most people that can generate their own power with a short and fast swing. If you’re looking for maximum power and spin for a FH loop, this might not be the answer as the all wood blades will simply put out more spin easily. If you’re more inclined towards drive loops instead of loop drives, then it might be something you want to try. It is very fast for direct shots with good control that you can point at where you want to hit with confidence. Blocking is good and precise due to its feel but is somewhat fast so you need to have the technique and footwork to control it.TSUBASA'S REVIEW: OSP Carbon St Sq review (musko version with walnut top ply) The quality is great like all other OSP blades. The blade looks quite nice and natural. Blade is a bit head heavy with two T05 Fx glued on it.( I like it) That OSP Carbon has a hardish feel overall. Vibrations are similiar to a BTY aryl/carbon blade, but still there is a little bit woody feell reminds you that its an OSP blade not a Timo Boll Spirit. ( I like it) Its similar to a timo boll spirit with just a bit more feel and control. So its just a bit slower than TBS. Bad thing is there is not much dwell time and throw is a bit too low. Maybe short pips guys may like it. But I'm a two wing looper( mid distance) with weak foot work so I need a bit "lift" and dwell. Short game is controlled, It doesn't have a bouncy nature. Blocking is quite nice and accurate.
Since it is not a high-throw blade, blocking is really precise and fast.
Punch blocking is quite effective. Overall: Not my cup of
tea. I like long dwell time - high throw - head heavy blades like
nittaku ludeack. That one lacks dwell and throw... Maybe a limba top ply
or a softer-thicker seconder ply(anigree) would be better...MG'S REVIEW: I got the Virtuoso Carbon (FL, 92 g) from Thomasson at end of last week (thanks) and was able to play it for about 2 hours (FH Andro Rasant black max, BH Rakza 9 red max). First of all I should say it's not the kind of blade composition that I prefer and that I'm used to. I like blades with koto or hinoki outer veneers and did't feel comfortable with most of the limba blades I have tested (Maze, Mizutani, Innerforce ZLC, Liu Shiwen), the only exception were the Waldner Ultra Carbon, which has a different structure, and to some extent the Holycrown. Besides the V Carbon was a bit too heavy for my taste, with two heavy rubbers it was like 192-193 g. Two hours are not enough to get
used to a completely different blade but I think it is a good product,
although not very easy to use. Like I said it is a bit heavy, thickness
is more or less identical to that of Boll Spirit/Boll ALC/Viscaria, but
it vibrates more. I have played the Virtuoso+ for a couple of hours and
like its feeling and control, but it didn't feel solid enough when
blocking powerfull shots or trying to finish the point. Virtuoso
Carbon felt much more solid but IMO it lacks some of the feeling of the
V+ and for me it was harder to get enough topspin on my shots. Maybe the
problem lies to a certain degree with the rubber, I played Rasant for
the fist time and it felt softer than expected, I prefer medium hard or
hard rubbers. The throw was quite high and I really needed to close
the angle significantly. Serving was OK, receiving too, blocking was
very effective but it needed a lot of attention and being active on the
shot. It has enough speed especially on hard drives when one feels the
carbon inside. I suppose there will be people who will like it if they
can get their preferred weight and if they are ready to pay the price
which should be in the range of the Innerforce ALC/Boll ALC if it
follows the logic of the other OSP blades. Since I don't
know if I will be able to play the blade again soon I would like to send
it to the next tester so I need a name and an address:) I would like to
thank OSP for the opportunity, I had fun with the V Carbon and maybe
would have been pleased to a greater extent with a different rubber
on the FH.
Edited by Thomasson - 07/08/2013 at 3:00am |
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Blade: TB ALC
FH: Tenergy05 2.1 BH: Tenergy64 1.7 |
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Thomasson
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Joined: 03/30/2010 Location: Netherlands Status: Offline Points: 1008 |
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Posted: 05/23/2013 at 10:30am |
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#3
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Blade: TB ALC
FH: Tenergy05 2.1 BH: Tenergy64 1.7 |
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Thomasson
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Joined: 03/30/2010 Location: Netherlands Status: Offline Points: 1008 |
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Posted: 05/23/2013 at 10:30am |
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#4
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Blade: TB ALC
FH: Tenergy05 2.1 BH: Tenergy64 1.7 |
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Thomasson
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Posted: 05/23/2013 at 10:49am |
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#5
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Blade: TB ALC
FH: Tenergy05 2.1 BH: Tenergy64 1.7 |
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speaquinox
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Posted: 05/28/2013 at 1:14pm |
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I also received the test sample. 92-93 gr, SQST handle, dark outer veneer (probably walnut). 5,7mm thickness. Composite layer next to core just like Innerforce blades.
Will report soon with pics. |
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Innerforce ALC, Glayzer / Rozena
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glassmaple
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Posted: 05/30/2013 at 5:10am |
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Nice review, Thomasson! Can't wait till I get my hands on one. It's still floating around somewhere...
Was it less spinny because of shorter dwell time? How does it compare to Viscaria (saw you had one in your pics)?
Edited by glassmaple - 05/30/2013 at 5:12am |
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Thomasson
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Posted: 05/30/2013 at 5:54am |
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I think its less spinny because of my rubbers being worn mostly. (Will be able to confirm this tonight)
Viscaria has much less feel, lower throw and is faster. Ill try to video myself tonight using: OSP V Carbon, OSP V-, Viscaria. Using T05 2.1 on FH for all of them, T64 1.9 on BH of V- and Viscaria and T80 1.9 on BH of V Carbon (since this is the rubber on my bh for backup blade). |
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Blade: TB ALC
FH: Tenergy05 2.1 BH: Tenergy64 1.7 |
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Jolan
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Posted: 05/30/2013 at 9:18am |
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I also have received my sample last week and have published first photos and impression on french forum :
To do a short resume, I would say it is a very different blade than Virtuoso, or even V+. It is faster, I would say as fast as Ultimate but with a solider feel. It make me think to Redshank or even Maze. It is an OFF blade with a very large sweetspot. Mine is 92gr with conic handle. It is a bit slower than Maze but faster than a Korbel. Very trusty and linear. As Virtuoso, you have the absolute control feeling, huge feedback, excellent balance. With heavy Rhyzm fh and Light nianmor bh, it made a very nice combo. Especially fitted for mid distance looping. I've had two sessions with it and sent it away to TTping85 and then to 9 other french forum members. I am sorry not to be able to make a more extensive review but I soon go on surgery and won't be able to play for a while. Has anybody a clue about its retail price ? Pros : Speed, control, balance, sweetspot, sexy, handle. Cons : Weight (however, I fully realise it wouldn't have such above assets without this respectable weight). One canno't have it all, can he ?
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Joola Wyzaryz Freeze
Vega pro 2.0mm Vega intro 2.0mm Blade collection : https://photos.app.goo.gl/PrgCu5ib5RnhVXTn9 |
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glassmaple
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Posted: 06/04/2013 at 2:09am |
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Any new reviews? My sample will come this week but I'm out of town till the weekends so =(
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speaquinox
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Posted: 06/04/2013 at 9:29am |
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Weight: 92 gr Handle: SQSTThrow is medium, lower than my ALC, P700, etc. Blocking is quite nice and accurate.
Since it is not a high-throw blade, blocking is really precise and fast.
Punch blocking is quite effective. As a
conclusion, it's not a blade for me, since I prefer softer blades. I
won't be buying this one. May be mid distance drivers may like this
blade, but i don't. It's hard AND stiff for my tastes, i can't feel the
ball. Don't get me wrong, it loops very powerful but my consistency is
quite low with this. I would prefer testing the OSP Carbon with the
limba top ply. Will add photos.. |
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Innerforce ALC, Glayzer / Rozena
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TSuBaSa
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Posted: 06/05/2013 at 1:39pm |
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Hey speaq! Called you last week, but it didnt worked, maybe you were chappulling at taksim square, I'll try again this weekend. It seem that this carbo thing is a carbon version of martin with walnut top ply.
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Nittaku Tenaly Acoustic Inner Carbon
Joola Rhyzer Pro 50 & 45 |
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speaquinox
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Posted: 06/05/2013 at 2:22pm |
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:)
I think it's musko with carbon, not sure though. I'll call you tomorrow.
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Innerforce ALC, Glayzer / Rozena
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Pongz
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Posted: 06/05/2013 at 6:43pm |
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Thomasson, I can't see it clearly from the pictures. But is the carbon layer after the central core or right below the outer surface?
Thanks
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Butterfly Sardius
FH Donic Barracuda BH Tibhar MX-P |
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Thomasson
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Posted: 06/06/2013 at 3:00am |
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Hello Pongz, its right after the core.
Last test tonight, sadly enough I won't be able to video anything. Maybe I can video some bounce tests at home. |
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Blade: TB ALC
FH: Tenergy05 2.1 BH: Tenergy64 1.7 |
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glassmaple
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Posted: 06/09/2013 at 9:49am |
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I got mine this week and I finally had time to try it out last night.
Here's some pics:     First Impressions: The blade is nicely crafted, chamfered in most places except
the edge of the thumb slant thing on top of the handle. That edge is somewhat
sharp and hurt my thumb a bit when I did BH loops (easily fixed, of course, but
I didn’t have sandpaper with me) It was probably not a good idea to use a newly tuned (falco
long, 1 layer) Xiom Omega IV Pro to test a blade but it’s what I got so here’s
my set-up: Blade: OSP Carbon Test “Expert” Flared, 90g according to OSP’s
email (didn’t have time to weigh it) FH: Xiom Omega IV Pro MAX, tuned 1 layer with Falco Long
Booster. BH: Xiom Omega IV Europe MAX, no tune. The blade has more feeling than the Viscaria I was using. It
is slightly less stiff than the VIS and has a harder surface. I think with the
harder surface it was good for the tensor rubbers since they were clicking a
lot louder than the VIS. With regards to how it feels, it has a clearer feeling of
where the ball strikes the paddle. Where VIS has a dampened feeling of vibration
over the entire blade, the OSP carbon has a very localized strike point
vibration and spreads out a little bit after the initial contact. This is
somewhat important for blocking so you can tell where it is when you’re
blocking the ball. Perhaps I’m used to the Butterfly ALC stuff but I feel that
the OSP carbon has less dwell time than the VIS, making it more “drive” than “loop”.
This is not to say that it can’t generate spin, but it does so more in the
slight flex it has when more power is exerted upon it. The OSP carbon is more balanced than the slightly head-heavy
VIS. This took me some time to adjust to, as the swing speed and timing needs
to change to compensate for this discrepancy. It is pretty fast with the rubbers I have on, but I was able
to keep returns short and perform the short game with decent control (I believe
this is more of a technique-based area instead of equipment). Close to table
game was good because it has good power transfer speed, better than some of the
more flexible blades I tried (like the Xiom Zxi). Didn’t do much mid-range
loops so I’ll try those next time. Upon first impression, I would say it’s like a faster
version of Acoustic that’s more balanced, harder and have better localization
of where the ball strikes. Reminds me of the Violin I tried a long time ago (5+
years), but then that might not be an accurate comparison since I don’t have
one at the moment. Currently I still prefer my VIS over the OSP Carbon, but it's only day 1. Will update during next week. Feel free to request specifics since I don't know what else to write. Update 1: (This is only comparing between Viscaria and Lissom after I used the OSP Carbon exclusively for a few days) Went back to using my 98g Viscaria and I can totally feel
the difference. The head-heaviness along with the extra weight makes it a lot
slower to move around and response to shots. Every stroke took a lot more
effort than the OSP Carbon. Played with a 1800-1900 player with good consistent FH and BH
and did tons of rallies. I have to say I missed the feedback from the OSP as
the Viscaria felt a lot more dull and even mushy at times. This is especially
evident in my weaker BH as many shots were off due to less feeling and the lower
throw of the Viscaria. I finally couldn’t take it and put the same rubber on my 90g
Nexy Lissom (Xiom Omega IV Pro/Europe) and the result was a lot better. There was
definitely a lot more control for both wings. My FH counterloops have much more
spin such that my opponent missed many counter rallies due to the sudden drop
the extra spin creates after the bounce. The BH was sooo much more consistent
mainly because of the better response and localization of the striking point. I’ll test out a few wood blades against the OSP Expert
Carbon tomorrow and see how they stack up. I remember that the OSP has a more
crisp feel than the Lissom (soft dampen dwell time feeling thingy) and is
faster. I’ll put the same rubbers on my Nittaku Acoustic and Stiga Energy Wood
to see how it compares.
Update 2: Tested the same rubbers on different wood blades I had, the
Acoustic, Lissom, and Energy Wood. In comparison to the OSP Expert Carbon, all
of the wood blades are softer feeling. (Softest) Lissom >
Energy Wood > Acoustic > OSP Expert Carbon (Hardest) Note that for the most clear feeling, as in the most precise
localization of the strike point, the OSP Expert Carbon wins out. The rest of
the wood blades are more “muted” and “dampened” in comparison to the OSP, but
somewhat similar with each other. For speed during drives, or perhaps even flat hit speed: (Fastest) OSP Expert Carbon > Acoustic > Lissom >
Energy Wood (Slowest) For counterlooping, taking in to account the amount of spin
and how difficult it is to return for the other player: (Most difficult to return) Lissom > Energy Wood >
Acoustic > OSP Expert Carbon (Most predictable and easiest to return) Take note that this is based on counterlooping and how the
opponent thought the loops are coming at him. With Lissom the trajectory
changed the most, as it dips very low after the bounce. Energy Wood was also
very close, but requires more effort to get the same amount of spin and dip. I
have to say that it was somewhat of an unfair comparison to Acoustic since I
couldn’t get used to its small handle to hit that many shots but it was
definitely less spinny than those two. OSP Expert Carbon was very hard in
comparison. The amount of dwell time was low enough that I couldn’t get much
spin on the ball with the stroke I have. Perhaps if the player is used to hard
carbon blades with a very compact and fast swing it would be different. For the short game, for returning serves via pushing and
drops, the rating would be: (Most controllable) Energy Wood > Lissom > Acoustic
> OSP Expert Carbon (Least controllable) For aggressive short game, such as flips and in table loops,
I can’t really put a rating on them because it really varies with your own
technique. I would say that if you are more of a hard flip/flick person, then
the harder blades would be easier. If you are more of the in table loop/twist
person, then perhaps the softer blades are easier. In the end I chose Energy Wood as my final selection because
of my BH requirements. I had to decide between the Energy Wood and the Lissom.
The Lissom offers greater power and spin for my FH loops which are my main
weapons but the trajectory is pretty low. My BH likes a higher throw angle so I
pick the Energy Wood which can get the same amount of power/spin with a bit
more effort but with a higher throw angle that suits my BH stroke. OSP Expert Carbon is a good feeling, hard and somewhat stiff
blade. This blade is plenty fast for most people that can generate their own
power with a short and fast swing. If you’re looking for maximum power and spin
for a FH loop, this might not be the answer as the all wood blades will simply
put out more spin easily. If you’re more inclined towards drive loops instead
of loop drives, then it might be something you want to try. It is very fast for
direct shots with good control that you can point at where you want to hit with
confidence. Blocking is good and precise due to its feel but is somewhat fast
so you need to have the technique and footwork to control it. Edited by glassmaple - 06/14/2013 at 5:13am |
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Jolan
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Joined: 01/14/2005 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 1299 |
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Posted: 06/10/2013 at 1:47am |
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Sorry if I missed it before, but it looks like OSP sent us not only 1 model but at least 3 different blades. Thomasson and I have virtuoso carbon, Speaquinox has a musko carbon and Glassmaple has expert carbon. I can't remember OSP told us about that before starting the test program, did he ? Anyhow, it's just making it more interresting. The french blade has already reached its 3rd tester. We all 3 like it very much so far. http://www.tennis-de-table.com/forums/sujet-41847-50.html . Opinions differ about its speed but we are all enthousiast about its control/gears and the fact it is a success. It is not that Virtuoso was missing something. Virtuoso is a perfect blade for a certain type of game and player. Virtuoso C is hitting a new market target that Ultimate and Musko (although they are very good offensiv blades) didn't hit. There were already a few "hand-made " manufacturers such as BBC and TT-Manufactur.de that were providing carbon blades. Now OSP does.
I can't imagine how fast must be a Musko C...
Edited by jcdi - 06/10/2013 at 1:48am |
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Joola Wyzaryz Freeze
Vega pro 2.0mm Vega intro 2.0mm Blade collection : https://photos.app.goo.gl/PrgCu5ib5RnhVXTn9 |
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glassmaple
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Joined: 04/21/2009 Location: California Status: Offline Points: 120 |
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Posted: 06/11/2013 at 3:24am |
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Update 1 posted
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Thomasson
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Posted: 06/14/2013 at 3:47am |
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Updated, final review. Blade is sent to Luxembourg now!
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Blade: TB ALC
FH: Tenergy05 2.1 BH: Tenergy64 1.7 |
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arg0
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Joined: 07/22/2009 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 2023 |
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Posted: 06/14/2013 at 4:37am |
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I'm definitely interested in hearing how the OSP Expert
Carbon compares to Acoustic and Energy Wood, as those are blades I used to play with and still have in my cupboard. |
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glassmaple
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Posted: 06/14/2013 at 5:14am |
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Update 2 posted
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glassmaple
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Posted: 06/14/2013 at 5:16am |
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That was with respect to the Viscaria, but with further comparison as in my 2nd update report, the Lissom has more control than the OSP Carbon as well. Feel free to ask more specifics.
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ejmaster
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Posted: 06/17/2013 at 8:19am |
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To choose an energy wood over a viscaria means that glassmaple has no feeling to evaluate a composite blade. Imo. |
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 EJ Club. MM T05(fh)/Srvfx(bh);  InfVps,LSW,Viscaria,RwV,TBAlc,PG7,yextsc,yeo. EJmaster wood.
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glassmaple
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Posted: 06/17/2013 at 9:26am |
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Good thing that's just an opinion. Overall, I always have preference for wood blades over composite anyway.
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TSuBaSa
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Posted: 07/01/2013 at 12:33pm |
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OSP Carbon St Sq review (musko version with walnut top ply)
The quality is great like all other OSP blades. The blade looks quite nice and natural. Blade is a bit head heavy with two T05 Fx glued on it.( I like it) That OSP Carbon has a hardish feel overall. Vibrations are similiar to a BTY aryl/carbon blade, but still there is a little bit woody feell reminds you that its an OSP blade not a Timo Boll Spirit. ( I like it) Its similar to a timo boll spirit with just a bit more feel and control. So its just a bit slower than TBS. Bad thing is there is not much dwell time and throw is a bit too low. Maybe short pips guys may like it. But I'm a two wing looper( mid distance) with weak foot work so I need a bit "lift" and dwell. Short game is controlled, It doesn't have a bouncy nature. Blocking is quite nice and accurate.
Since it is not a high-throw blade, blocking is really precise and fast.
Punch blocking is quite effective. Overall: Not my cup of tea. I like long dwell time - high throw - head heavy blades like nittaku ludeack. That one lacks dwell and throw... Maybe a limba top ply or a softer-thicker seconder ply(anigree) would be better...Edited by TSuBaSa - 07/01/2013 at 12:56pm |
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Nittaku Tenaly Acoustic Inner Carbon
Joola Rhyzer Pro 50 & 45 |
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Peter C
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Posted: 07/01/2013 at 4:06pm |
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Is anyone in a position to compare the OSP Expert Carbon; alongside the OSP Expert?
That's a comparison I'd like to see; as I regularly play with the OSP Expert. |
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bluebucket
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Posted: 07/02/2013 at 2:42am |
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I'd compare them since I'm very experienced with the expert but wasn't offered a carbon test blade. I can't imagine it to retain much of the experts flexy nature, still it might a little
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mg
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Joined: 05/18/2011 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 984 |
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Posted: 07/02/2013 at 9:50am |
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I got the Virtuoso Carbon (FL, 92 g) from Thomasson at end of last week (thanks) and was able to play it for about 2 hours (FH Andro Rasant black max, BH Rakza 9 red max). First of all I should say it's not the kind of blade composition that I prefer and that I'm used to. I like blades with koto or hinoki outer veneers and did't feel comfortable with most of the limba blades I have tested (Maze, Mizutani, Innerforce ZLC, Liu Shiwen), the only exception were the Waldner Ultra Carbon, which has a different structure, and to some extent the Holycrown. Besides the V Carbon was a bit too heavy for my taste, with two heavy rubbers it was like 192-193 g. Two hours are not enough to get used to a completely different blade but I think it is a good product, although not very easy to use. Like I said it is a bit heavy, thickness is more or less identical to that of Boll Spirit/Boll ALC/Viscaria, but it vibrates more. I have played the Virtuoso+ for a couple of hours and like its feeling and control, but it didn't feel solid enough when blocking powerfull shots or trying to finish the point. Virtuoso Carbon felt much more solid but IMO it lacks some of the feeling of the V+ and for me it was harder to get enough topspin on my shots. Maybe the problem lies to a certain degree with the rubber, I played Rasant for the fist time and it felt softer than expected, I prefer medium hard or hard rubbers. The throw was quite high and I really needed to close the angle significantly. Serving was OK, receiving too, blocking was very effective but it needed a lot of attention and being active on the shot. It has enough speed especially on hard drives when one feels the carbon inside. I suppose there will be people who will like it if they can get their preferred weight and if they are ready to pay the price which should be in the range of the Innerforce ALC/Boll ALC if it follows the logic of the other OSP blades. Since I don't know if I will be able to play the blade again soon I would like to send it to the next tester so I need a name and an address:) I would like to thank OSP for the opportunity, I had fun with the V Carbon and maybe would have been pleased to a greater extent with a different rubber on the FH.
Edited by mg - 07/05/2013 at 5:44pm |
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My feedback:
http://www.mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=47297&title=mg-feedback |
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PLLsystem
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Posted: 07/04/2013 at 5:07pm |
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Thanks for your efforts MG and all of you. You delivered very much useful information to us.
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we make real professional handmade table tennis blades - ospblades.com
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glassmaple wrote: