Short game is controlled, It doesn't have a bouncy nature.

Throw 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.

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.

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.

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.

Was it less spinny because of shorter dwell time? How does it compare to Viscaria (saw you had one in your pics)?

http://www.tennis-de-table.com/forums/sujet-41847-50.html - http://www.tennis-de-table.com/forums/sujet-41847-50.html

 

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 ?

Short game is controlled, It doesn't have a bouncy nature.

Throw 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.

I think it's musko with carbon, not sure though. I'll call you tomorrow.

Thanks

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.

I can't imagine how fast must be a Musko C...

Very nice review, thanks. When you say you got much more control with Lissom, that was with respect to Viscaria or OSP? 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.

Good thing that's just an opinion. Overall, I always have preference for wood blades over composite anyway. 

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.

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.

-------------
My feedback:



http://www.mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=47297&title=mg-feedback

are you mr johan thomassen? because u were supposed to send the blade to me after you test it, at least that's what my email received from mr palatinus described...

 

You better take a trip to Hungary.

Best thing that jumped out to me was how exact the blade was, i could place the ball where i wanted with ease...

Worse thing that jumped to me, was that i had a hard time punch blocking/countering with power

FH: tuned national version H3 works ok

BH: Tibhar Evolution Mxp works very nicely

Blade has a medium-low throw, well-balanced, bigger sweetspot,

It is stiffer but springy...

One of my curios discovery was that went i met the ball perpendicularly, smash, block, drive, flatter push the blade played ALL+

When i met the ball closed angle, loop, loop drive, hard spiny push, even flips, blade felt OFF- to OFF

Serves, very nice for placement, keeping it short was easy and good potential for Spin, but not as much as with Virtuoso

Pushes are easy, return of serve and short game is easy no issues in this area, ball stays low and exact

Looping is best from mid to close distance, 

Countering is nice and easy, but a tad more power would be nice

Blocking has a nice feel but it needs a bit more pop for powerblocks or punching, it is excellent for placement and feel blocks...i would venture to say that if the core would be .2-3 mm thicker this would solve the issue.

Overall, i would give it a 9 out of 10...so i am looking forward to ordering one.

Thanks to Mr. Laszlo and Robert for the opportunity...

I hoped, to find some other tt-players on the journey (on a crusing-ship). So I took the Virtuoso Carbon and the Ross Leidy Vagabond (another test-blade, which arrived on the same day) with me on the ship. But here wasn`t a really opponent, so I can`t give a real review, only a short impression from playing with my daughter. And the next proble was, that the tt-board was on the deck of the ship. So the wind was another problem.

I played both blades with Evolution MX-P 1,9 and Hammond Pro Beta 1,9. The rubbers were not new, but still playable (played for 3 months on my main blade). While the Ross Leidy blade was a bit too bouncy for me, the Virtuoso Carbon fits better to my game. 

Especially from 1m behind the table, the Virtuoso Carbon was really good. The blade has enough power, but also good control. In comparison to the original Virtuoso (I played a year ago) blocking and ball-placement is a bit easier. 

Like I said: it is only a short impression, because I have no chance, to test it for a longer time.

 

It's only now that I had the chance to really hit with Expert Carbon. If there is no other candidate before typus - and Peter C agrees - I would be glad to send it, or even bring it to Serbia.

 

As much I was seduced by Martin Carbon for its power, speed and feel, it's probably Expert Carbon that can take a central place in my heart.

 

I tried it first with some old T05 and Xiom Vega Pro and it was bad. Then I have put an old H3 Nat on FH and a newer T05 on BH - and it was like Christmas wonder. Controlled power at its best.

Dear Imago, many thanks for info, if blade still in your hand we will wait for Peter C replay, and continue conversation by pm...

Of course, if you want visit me in Serbia, you are welcome !!!

Dear Peter C, can you inform us do you agree with this proposal, or somebody else is before me in line.

Blade is still in brand new condition ready for shipment, if owner and high rated members not have complaitns, I will send to mttgfg next week.

Best regrds,

Timo1978 wrote: Seems like OSP really has a bad customer service. Issues with big orders - okay, that means a lot of work and most customers might be ready to wait. On the other Hand if you have a running business you should at least check the incoming mails daily and a short reply like: we are currently out/overbooked takes just one minute and shows your customer that you pay attention to him. Often seen: At the very beginning the small customer have been the base for this kind of manufactureres being able to grow - now with having the big orders the ordinary customer gets treated like a dog.

+1, I ordered a customed blade last April, and they changed pretty much all of the composition that I requested for without my consent.  Laszlo has agreed to do a replacement, and then...boom!!! 13months later, still haven't email me back.  I emailed them like 10 times already...

Although I love OSP's work, that' no way to treat a customer... OSP SMH

Service, replies, orders on time etc.