BBC Reviews: 9-10-9 blade

jcdi wrote: I don't know whether Charlie made me a special sample since I specified him I played with off blades, but the one he sent me has nothing to do with an All+....That is to say, I suspect him to be able to adjust the model you are ordering to your own needs. Charlie, correct me if I'm wrong. If so, that is indeed a major asset compared to what you can find at a normal TT retailer. It is not "cousu main" but very close. And so, for almost the same price. Even cheaper if you consider new BTY ridiculous expensive products...

I suspect that with all Hinoki blades like this one or DS 90 it is hard to quantify their class as to ALL+ or OFF etc, because they have more than one gear and therefore behave differently in different situations. Like, when you play gentle short touch or quick over-the-table block then the blade hots like ALL+, but when you loop or do medium-power flat hit and such, then it is definitely at least OFF- or OFF for power-loops. Basically, when carbon layers come into play (meaning you start to hit fast and strong) then its classification jumps one or two degrees up. Soft and thick outer layers on the other hand guarantee that carbon is not interfering with the short game below certain power level of your strokes - hence ALL+ for that aspect of the game. And so on...

Charlie, did you ever make a non-symmetric blade which has different thickness (wood) on FH vs BH?

JimT wrote: Charlie, did you ever make a non-symmetric blade which has different thickness (wood) on FH vs BH?

hi jcdi,  can you guess where from--"he tasks me!"

it's quite still ok for you to keep the SUPERBLADE.  and may the force be with you!
p.s. do the Sapranos know where France is?   
charlie

JimT,  yes and i still do.  obviously the site still needs to be fleshed out.  lots of missing data not added yet.
BeerBelly in Austrailia got an o/s 2-speed Carbo-flex with mahogany outers.  so technically it is a 7 ply blade, but the plys are definitely not the same thickness.
just for a second i thought of a 7-10-9 or other permutations(many).  but realized that dissimilar thicknesses of the same wood on the outer layer will eventually warp.  i'm sure that the micro-carbon would not be sufficient to prevent it for more than a year(even well sealed).

the Tri-flex carbon is also made as a 2-speed, is faster than a skinny Tri, but not as fast as the fatty Tri (which is "goofy" fast).  pictures on the site soon.

after years of exhaustive research i decided that carbon stretches more than it compresses.  so...in the Tri 2-speed, 2 of the carbons are closer on one side than the other.  on that blade i use 1/16" balsa-3/32" balsa to offset the center carbon.  the skinny side flexes slightly more than the fat side, thus my suggestion is "fat on the b/h".  i think the f/h needs more
dwell/carry time than the b/h.  the fatter side gets rid of the ball faster.

in BeerBelly's case, as well as others, i suggest this but also ask them to "try" it the other way also.  some like it fat on f/h, depending on rubbers used and preference.

Carbo-flex and Tri-flex composition prevents warping(never seen one in 35 years).

p.s.  BeerBelly's blade has hide glue under the mahogany layers to improve touch for chopping 'til they drop.

more later,  charlie

Hi Charlie,

nathanso wrote: Palio Macro ERA 42.5* max worked well on my 9-10-9.

Did you happen to try the 47.5* degree on the 9-10-9 as well?

charlie, thank you for your response.

Outlaws...? Thank you, it might be an option. I am still searching the perfect match with this blade (remember ? I'm a "perfect match" searcher....). I've tried Tenergy 64/05 = trow angle way too high. Baracuda = Even worst (sorry Charlie, we disagree on that one) , too slow, too high. (off topic : Baracuda on Mazunov is fantastic...)

Dear Charlie,

@JimT : Thank you for the tip. Outlaw works much better on 9-10-9 than anything else I've tried so far. It's low throw, fast without being a speed demon though. I like the "crispy feel" it provides and my wallet likes the price. I took it in 2.2mm and it does the match perfectly. Closed case !

I bought a 9-10-9 off a tester from this site and received it this Monday. It certainly is much thicker and more solid than any other blades I've tried, but I love it. At first I was doing great, although that was probably the honeymoon phase. I soon had trouble controlling it with IQUL 35 2.2 on it so I tried my renanos bright hard and found it much easier, most likely due to the more predictable nature of the harder sponge. I'm picking up a couple chinese rubbers a friend sent me from the post office tomorrow to try out and see if I like them. It could just be that I prefer harder sponge than the 35, but at the moment I don't have the resources to find out yet, but soon I'll get it.

As an amateur review of this blade, it is very excellent and I don't think I'll be needing to try any other blades anytime soon. The rest has been covered more thoroughly and with more experience by previous posters.

Yeah, and the feel was just not quite for me. It's a very nice blade, but I need something with more flex to loop with at my level.

the_theologian wrote: Strangely, last night I weighed it, and it came in at 87.4 grams.... ... maybe it's burned off some calories since it was created?

Humidity changes and with it the weight can jump 1 g up and down easily - so mine was 89, your 87 - the "real" weight is probably 88 then

Carryboy wrote: Can I make you an offer on that 9-10-9 please!!!!!!! Better still name your price!!! Really a nice blade