Alternative of Nittaku Acoustic

Hello everyone. I am really new at this so I apologize. Does anyone know of 5ply (or not too fast 7ply), allwood blades with SIMILAR characteristics to the Nittaku Acoustic?
I'm interested in Japanese blades (because they are usually better finished than the others) but I accept ALL suggestions. The blades I think could be a cheap alternative are: Nittaku Latika, ShellShock. Yasaka Ma Lin EO? OSP Virtuoso OFF-?
Important: The blade must do a proper combination with soft rubbers (joola energy extra to be more specific).
Thank you very much!

I don't know for sure but I think that OSP Virtuoso would be one option...second option, from what I've read not tested, I think it would be Timo Boll W5(but not cheap)...yeo it's a differrent species...Bear in mind that the blade should have 5 ply and the top ply should be limba...also I think the blade should have about 157/150 mm...  

tiehwen wrote: ermmmm...5 ply allwood blades with SIMILAR characteristics like that of Nittaku Acoustic?  You no longer have to look far, pls. refer to my Signature. (V & V+) The 1st time I played w/my older Acoustic ST (91g), I was shocked & awed by that unique feeling & to this day I'd say that I could not find anything like that....nah....I was wrong, then I got hold of OSP Virtuoso & wow....it's someth'n else, not as expensive as Acoustic or Violin or Tenor but my search ended then. Btw. both of V & V+ and also that older Acoustic ST were bought from PLLSystem. What a coincident.

Wich one would you say is more similiar to the Acoustic? V or V+? Both blades have the same construction and the difference is in the balance of the weight (V center balanced, V+ head balanced)? Or the plies construction is different?

Edited by tongas20 - 07/05/2011 at 5:36pm

V+ is stiffer due to harder outer limba ply and a different lamination process. This results in an about 10% stiffer blade (according to OSP), which is a bit faster and has a "clearer contact".
Thickness is about the same: 5.8-5.9mm.
Never played an Acoustic, so I cannot tell you which one is more similar.

Nori wrote: I compare v+ to tenor and v to acoustic

Yeah I think that's a good comparison.

Another question: How much is the shipping cost of an OSP blade to the USA? Because maybe with the $85 of the blade + shipping cost it ended up not being so cheap after all...

Why dont you just searching for used Korbel?
Try it,maybe you will like it.
I have Acoustic for a long time,so as Korbel.
For me,Acoustic is superior in feeling but that`s all.
Korbel is 3 times cheaper than Acoustic.

FL still available.

 

tongas20 wrote: Another question: How much is the shipping cost of an OSP blade to the USA? Because maybe with the $85 of the blade + shipping cost it ended up not being so cheap after all...

Just place an order 2 weeks ago.  Total price is $103.21 after conversion which is on the high side compared to other 5ply wood blade.  But this is not a mass produced blade. 

I felt the expert is the same speed as my acoustic but better feel and much more spin

Www.ospblades.com

They are on a holiday at the moment :(

Why not just get an Acoustic. It isnt that much, considering you live in the USA. You can keep the blade forever anyway. Its expensive/short lived rubbers that really end up being expensive in the long run. If you try to buy alternatives you will always be thinking "what if", and in a couple of years you'll prob go and get an Acoustic anyway.

Ive used my Acoustic for 5-6 years, I got it for ~US$100, works out to ~US$20 a year and going lower as time goes on. Ive spent way more than that on rubbers. In fact if I advertized my old first edition (and probably first batch) Acoustic on this forum I might even recoup all my money and make a profit .

The problem with Acoustic is the tiny handle. Latika appears to be a good alternative, but Latika's handle doesnt seem much bigger. So maybe the OSPs might be the one to get. They look extremely pretty too.

I doubt the exact type of blade makes too much difference. But sometimes we buy luxury things for our heart.



Edited by Vassily - 07/08/2011 at 9:00pm

What are each of the plies on the virtuoso made of?

Over time, Virtuoso tends to be All+ rather than Off- blade. In comparative terms, Virtuoso is markingly slower than Korbel, and certainly slower than Primorac. I am now in possession of 4 OSP blades, plus Korbel and Primorac, so can tell and feel the difference. Out of these, Ultimate is the best choice for an attacking player, 528 has the same speed but better sound and feel.

Imago wrote: Over time, Virtuoso tends to be All+ rather than Off- blade. In comparative terms, Virtuoso is markingly slower than Korbel, and certainly slower than Primorac. I am now in possession of 4 OSP blades, plus Korbel and Primorac, so can tell and feel the difference. Out of these, Ultimate is the best choice for an attacking player, 528 has the same speed but better sound and feel.

Edited by speaquinox - 07/09/2011 at 3:35am