Adidas V1.3 Blade Review

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Adidas V1.3
Size: 152x157mm
Handle: flared
Weight 85 grams
Speed: off-
Plies 5 (hinoki-awan-kiri-awan-hinoki)
Thickness: approx 6mm
Test rubbers: P7 and Blaze Spin short pips, RITC 837 long pips

Got this blade from Adidas and i've been wanting to review this blade eversince because this is one of their first series of blades that they have released in the market. the other v-series blades were discontinued due to being redundant of newer and better designs. The blade has a wider wing blade design compared to its newer brothers. The finish for the blade is topnotch. Its very smooth because its hinoki and the handle IMO is smoother than the newer blades in Adidas. 

the composition of the blade goes with 2 thin hinoki outer plies about .5mm each followed by a 2nd layer awan wood and a thick center kiri ply colored brown.

Anyway, i drilled and played with the set on a P7 on one side and Blaze Spin short pips on my bh. The blade felt good and i would emphasize more on its feel and control rather than its speed. On drills using fh to fh or bh to bh, it felt harder than the usual 5 ply all wood blades i have tried in the past like offensive classic, peter korbel and even the adidas challenge speed. This one felt special not for its speed but for its feel mostly. The hinoki and kiri combination seemed good enough that there is good feel upon impact but very little bad vibration at the same time. 

Despite being a bit harder than most 5 ply all wood blades, the V1.3 is still considered flexible when looping or spinning the ball. In fast its built not just for an all around game but for looping or having a game with spinning as the nature of one's game. 

The blade is highly recommended for loopers who use chinese rubbers and other rubbers that are a bit slower but are very particular on control and placement. This could be an aggressive looper's or loop driver's blade provided it has a rubber ion the level of a P7 and the like. Even with the P7 or maybe a Tenergy-like rubber, the V1.3 still maintains a huge amount of control. Speed is definitely there but it felt like using a tenergy 05 on an offensive classic blade thats how fast it is. The tradeoff is precision and easiness to spin the ball.

On the distance that is best for this blade, it would definitely be at close to the table distance. On 5-6 ft away from the edge of the table, it felt a little slower on my shots. This could also be a pips blade. The short pip Blaze spin was a match for the V1.3 on attacks and blocking. The RITC 837 LP was a good hitting LP on the backhand so I think it also matches well if you use an LP. NOt a chopping blade but good for a blocking or hitting blade with an LP. 

Overall, a very good blade with a very affordable price. The V1.3 is underrated and a lot of people haven't tried this blade yet. Some forum members here have told me that they really like this blade and they have used this blade way earlier than me.