NEXY Reviews: the SPEAR blade

rawrtje wrote: BH-Man, from your review I'm get the overall message that the SPEAR functions like a Galaxy W6 in its looping ability, and is comparable to the TBS, albeit a slower, more controllable, less offensive TBS. Am I right? In your opinion, how much do these tradeoffs between the SPEAR and the TBS rank up? I suppose if it had to come to using only either the SPEAR or the TBS, which would you use?

 

...I think that will be Peter C & maybe jcdi(sp?) not sure but I think he picked up a Spear
Give it time.
ps I am very much curious in the comparison too!

& to BH-Man; I will address your feedback/vibration question after my next hit.
Sorry for the delay

I will say too; my very first match played w/ my Spear was against a Korean gentleman.
I won 17-15 in the 5th!
Needless to say, I pointed out the country of origin of my new  s w e e t   NEXY blade!

Thanks for the replay Peter

Okay, review is up. Pictures coming in a bit. Counterlooping was all right. I couldn't tell though, because of the setup having such uncontrollable high throw. From my initial impressions, I don't think H3 Neo is good on the SPEAR. I hear the LKT Black Power is comparable but better, with lower throw, so I'm going to be test running that. 

Does the Color also have a high throw? I'll let you know the results of my experiment with Black Power hopefully in 24 hours.

Blade is in, along with the ordered H3 Neo and the Air Scirocco sample.

I got a Red MAX (2.3) rubber, SN version, its rockhard (couldnt cut it, even my scissors barely could get trough, glued it on the nexy blade. I will upload pictures along with my first hitting after tomorrow evening.

Outlaw is pretty low throw and it worked GREAT onthe SPEAR, for me at least. look forward to seeing your updated observations.

Hi rawrtje, My first go with it says, to me, it is not bad with a soft sponge.
I am using a super-soft Tensor and it does not feel mushy to me... even at near-mid
to mid distance.
No disrespect intended... just noting what is mushy to one may not be mushy to all.
Still look forward to seeing the rest of your updated observations!

I am going to try either
Blue Whale II
or
XIOM Vega Pro
next (in a couple of weeks or so)

Maybe I will find them much more suitable;
at any rate, they are both a good deal harder than my Macro.
Heck, I think I ~could~ go softer (Andro Impuls) but that rubber was clearly too soft on my Maze Passion and would probably be too soft for the Spear... even as a BH rubber? Maybe.


& for BH-Man, I am finding the feedback/vibration mild & not nearly so pronounced as was my
Stiga Allround NCT, which vibrated wildly if one had the displeasure of striking too far off center.
Nasty.


Edited by Heimdallalso - 07/08/2010 at 2:44pm

Heimdallalso

I can imagine Blue Whale II being a good match for the Spear.

My first impression review is in (first page).

My TB ALC gives a pretty high throw, but less controlled then Spear.

Thomasson & Karabijnje

I think you are both on the right lines. I used to play with the TBS and Michael Maze, as main blades too, in the past and still occasionally play with them; however, I have gone back to using wooden blades, for my main set up; as my game has changed and I prefer the better feel of wooden blades.

Regarding the Hurricane King; well you might want to consider the Xiom Fuga; which is classed by some as a cheaper alternative and it's a good blade in its own right.

Having said that, I wouldn't be surprised if you adopt the Spear, as your main blade; as it's already made a favourable impression on you.

The Nexy Spear

Weight : 90 grams

The flared handle fits comfortably in the hand and feels natural, during play.

It's a well balanced blade; which comes in useful when doing forehand to backhand transitions and vice versa, during close scrimmages.

Like the Color, the Spear doesn't feel head heavy, like the Dexter can; with heavy rubbers.

The bounce test indicates the Spear is faster than the Color, but not as fast as the Dexter or Oscar.

Like the Dexter, the Spear is a linear blade; which is fine by me; as that's how I like my blades .

Dwell time :

Compared to the Color, it has better dwell time and that gives it more control.

Blocking :

I don't have a problem blocking with the Dexter and the Spear was no different. It's good for blocking.

Control :

I'd rate the Spear as the best of the Nexy blades I've tested, when it comes to control.

Which makes it the most versatile design too. Variations of Spin, Speed and placement feel easier with the Spear, than the Color, Oscar and Dexter..

Looping :

Nexy has done a good job with this blade, as I'd rate it as his best design for controlled looping, to date.

Whether you want to play a slow, heavy topspin loop or put more spin and speed into your loop; this blade responds thanks to its linear nature.

Thanks to the Spear's control, I find it easy to loop consistently with, on both wings.

Rubber wise, it plays fine with H3 Neo on both wings. I've yet to try it with Japanese or European rubbers.

Backhand Chopping :

This is the one area I struggled with, on the first night; when the 2mm Apollo was brand new. However it's had enough playing time to have lost it's original tack and chopping is fine..

The Spear also performs well for backhand chopping, about 3-4 feet back with H3 Neo too.

Conclusions :

I would class the Spear, as the most rounded and versatile design of the Nexy blades I've tested to date.

It's a more balanced design than the Color, because of it's better dwell time and much better looping performance..

Prior to testing the Spear; the Dexter was my favourite Nexy blade and it replaced the Clipper Wood in my TT bag.

The Dexter is still the blade I would suggest for those who like the Clipper Wood and are looking for a 5 ply alternative.

As a European two winged looper though, the Spear gets my vote for those who don't need a blade as fast as the Dexter and want a blade ideal for controlled looping and playing a varied allround/offensive game.

Edited by Peter C - 07/12/2010 at 6:54pm

Nice review Peter. If you had to choose between the Virtuoso and Spear?

Which would you choose to play with?