Donic Persson Carbotec The petermoo review

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   Despite being one of the worlds foremost equipment junkies, I hardly ever dabble with blades. Quite frankly I think I have already found possibly the world's perfect blade (for me), that being the ubiquitous Butterfly Gergely Carbon.
I've been using GC now for close to 2 decades, it does everything I  need except for one small problem.
lately the quality of the blades have been so sucky in particular the handles and the fact that I perspire heavily in my palms this seems to have a real debilitating effect on the feel of the blade after a few months and when combined with repeated speed gluing I feel a drop in performance in the blade so I have to be changing my blades (get ready for this) every three months!!!!
So I have been doing a lot of research into comparable blades which can give me the sweet feeling of the GC while proving the stability and rigidity I need for blocking and general control play.
Heres what Donic says about the new blade:
"The DONIC Carbotec blade has been developed in preparation for the ban on speed glues expressly for the Swedish holder of five World Championship titles. Because of its extreme speed and stiffness, this new type of carbon-glass blade is the answer for players who want to stop using speed glue, but still want to achieve optimum acceleration. The carbon-glass-fiber blade is more elastic than ordinary carbon-fiber blades. Despite the high stiffness, it offers superb feel. When combined with DONIC Formula rubber, the blade produces incomparable speed and spin without loss of control"
Well that certainly caught my attention.
A blade that supposedly has the glue feel, can you imagine that?
I've gotten quite used to people like Stiga making incredible claims, mini tubes with particles moving around and so on, rubbers that get faster every month, but from Donic?
Well I had to try it.
So I put the word out on my network of clandestine TT agents around the world. Codename Shark seeks golden egg etc.
Well now I have it. The holy grail is in my grasp! The Carbotec is here!
The specs show the blade is a 7 ply and weighs in at 90 grams, I'm no fan of 7 ply blades but damn! this one sure feels good.
I find out that the Carbotec is actually made in China and the handle is a little smallish for Donic very similar to Butterfly KC, the workmanship is impeccable very comfortable and fits in my hand like a glove.
The head is a bit smallish like the old Waldner carbon and if anything is somewhat spade shaped (meaning the top half is smaller than the bottom half unlike the symmetrical butterfly and Stiga blades).
I put on my usual Nittaku Hammond on the FH and F2 on hte backhand.
The balance is really sweet.
The feeling of the blade is superb, its really crisp for drives and smashes.
Blocks are firm stable and controlled.
I put this blade at a 9+ for speed, maybe the same or slightly below the Gergely carbon. Its feeling is way superior though, no exaggeration here.
The blade is more similar to the Gergely 21 than to the GC, if I were to change anything i would make the head a bit bigger and maybe 5mm longer. The added weight wouldnt hurt either as if anything its all a wee bit light.
Overall I am really pleased with the Persson Carbotec. With just a few minor tweaks it would be superior to GC, I can understand why Donic thinks a blade like this will make us not miss speed gluing.
Next up I will test drive the Sonex JP Gold and the JO Coppa Silver.
Petermoo

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
petermoo Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Silver Member Joined: 10/13/2003 Location: Jamaica Status: Offline Points: 651	Post Options Post Reply Quote petermoo Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Donic Persson Carbotec The petermoo review Posted: 08/31/2007 at 11:33am
	Despite being one of the worlds foremost equipment junkies, I hardly ever dabble with blades. Quite frankly I think I have already found possibly the world's perfect blade (for me), that being the ubiquitous Butterfly Gergely Carbon. I've been using GC now for close to 2 decades, it does everything I need except for one small problem. lately the quality of the blades have been so sucky in particular the handles and the fact that I perspire heavily in my palms this seems to have a real debilitating effect on the feel of the blade after a few months and when combined with repeated speed gluing I feel a drop in performance in the blade so I have to be changing my blades (get ready for this) every three months!!!! So I have been doing a lot of research into comparable blades which can give me the sweet feeling of the GC while proving the stability and rigidity I need for blocking and general control play. Heres what Donic says about the new blade: "The DONIC Carbotec blade has been developed in preparation for the ban on speed glues expressly for the Swedish holder of five World Championship titles. Because of its extreme speed and stiffness, this new type of carbon-glass blade is the answer for players who want to stop using speed glue, but still want to achieve optimum acceleration. The carbon-glass-fiber blade is more elastic than ordinary carbon-fiber blades. Despite the high stiffness, it offers superb feel. When combined with DONIC Formula rubber, the blade produces incomparable speed and spin without loss of control" Well that certainly caught my attention. A blade that supposedly has the glue feel, can you imagine that? I've gotten quite used to people like Stiga making incredible claims, mini tubes with particles moving around and so on, rubbers that get faster every month, but from Donic? Well I had to try it. So I put the word out on my network of clandestine TT agents around the world. Codename Shark seeks golden egg etc. Well now I have it. The holy grail is in my grasp! The Carbotec is here! The specs show the blade is a 7 ply and weighs in at 90 grams, I'm no fan of 7 ply blades but damn! this one sure feels good. I find out that the Carbotec is actually made in China and the handle is a little smallish for Donic very similar to Butterfly KC, the workmanship is impeccable very comfortable and fits in my hand like a glove. The head is a bit smallish like the old Waldner carbon and if anything is somewhat spade shaped (meaning the top half is smaller than the bottom half unlike the symmetrical butterfly and Stiga blades). I put on my usual Nittaku Hammond on the FH and F2 on hte backhand. The balance is really sweet. The feeling of the blade is superb, its really crisp for drives and smashes. Blocks are firm stable and controlled. I put this blade at a 9+ for speed, maybe the same or slightly below the Gergely carbon. Its feeling is way superior though, no exaggeration here. The blade is more similar to the Gergely 21 than to the GC, if I were to change anything i would make the head a bit bigger and maybe 5mm longer. The added weight wouldnt hurt either as if anything its all a wee bit light. Overall I am really pleased with the Persson Carbotec. With just a few minor tweaks it would be superior to GC, I can understand why Donic thinks a blade like this will make us not miss speed gluing. Next up I will test drive the Sonex JP Gold and the JO Coppa Silver. Petermoo

Sponsored Links

AMonteiro Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Platinum Member Joined: 01/30/2007 Location: Brazil Status: Offline Points: 2042	Post Options Post Reply Quote AMonteiro Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 08/31/2007 at 12:05pm
	very good review..
	Dynaryz AGR /Yasaka Goiabao 5 / Dynaryz AGR

wfwfitz Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Gold Member Joined: 04/02/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1475	Post Options Post Reply Quote wfwfitz Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 08/31/2007 at 6:21pm
	Good review as usual Petermoo. As a replacement blade did you try the Primorac Carbon or the Boll Tricarbon?
	Wfwfitz Xiom Axelo Xiom Sigma Pro Red and Black Butterfly Amultart Tenergy 05 Black and Red 64

aeoliah Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Premier Member Joined: 11/18/2005 Location: Indonesia Status: Offline Points: 3215	Post Options Post Reply Quote aeoliah Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 08/31/2007 at 10:50pm
	Sorry, I still don't understand : why did you feel that you have to change the blade every 3 months.
	Member of the Single Ply Hinoki Club Viscaria Super ALC C-Pen Rasanter C48

petermoo Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Silver Member Joined: 10/13/2003 Location: Jamaica Status: Offline Points: 651	Post Options Post Reply Quote petermoo Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 09/01/2007 at 8:42am
	In the last two years I think they have changed the material in the handle a bit. It seems more porous and absorbent of moisture. While this feels real good out of the box, after a while the handle feels a bit soggy to me and consequently a bit less responsive and possibly heavier. The blade also loses a little speed with repeated speed gluing. I feel that this detioration in the blade warrants a change every few months or before each major competition I play in. I used a new blade for the Pan Am qualifiers in Brazil in June and had to use a new one for the Caribbean champs in Trinidad two months later. I just took out a new one to prepare for the Nationals. It might seem fickle but its just my feeling. I am having some custom 'Gergeleys' made for myself in the future. I will probably post details some other time. Petermoo

petermoo Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Silver Member Joined: 10/13/2003 Location: Jamaica Status: Offline Points: 651	Post Options Post Reply Quote petermoo Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 09/01/2007 at 9:53am
	I've never tried Boll tricarbon but I have used Primo Carbon. Its not as well balanced as the GC and is a bit slower.I also prefer the shape of the GC handle.