Now to the new RL Rapscallion.

 

Looping

This is a looping blade, generating spin was not an issue and loop drives were very easy - I felt the control was slightly better than the Barwell.  The speed was good to about 5 ft from the table, anything further would need a OFF+ blade.  I want to emphasize that this blade is above average for looping, with emphasis on consistency / spin and placement.

 

Flicking

Very good, stable and quick acceleration due to weight reduction.

 

Passive Blocking

Very good (surprised me).  I could adsorb very heavy loops and control the placement with a soft wrist.

 

Punch Blocking BH only for me

This was slightly worse that the Barwell - I will need to play more before coming up with a final decision.  I don't train this stroke, I just use it as part of my game, so I might need more adjustment.

 

Serves

The first session with the blade, I had a difficult time adjusting to the weight change, which caused inconsistent height trajectory over the net.  Spin was the same, which I believe comes more from the rubbers - timing is impacted by total weight and distribution.

 

Serve return

Much better than Barwell.  The blade has a stiffer outer ply and is less bouncy, which helps with control.

 

The real test came when playing with several friends, but I played mostly with a friend that is rated ~2300.  We played 5 sets - 3 out of 5 - I got 4 points (much lower rated than him, but since I train with a high level player, I actually play better with higher rated players than some lower rated ones).

I won 4 out of 5 sets and several games outright, to say the least he was very surprised that I played that well and so was I.  I do have to add that he could not use his BH serve, since I have seen players up to 2500 having issues with returning it, but his FH serve is no slouch either, I just can read it better.

I have played with several light blades before and never liked any of them, but I am glad that I like this one - this makes using Bluefire a breeze.

 

 

 

 

 

Weight - 77grams blade, Total weight 176 grams

FH - Donic Bluefire M1 Max

BH Donic Bluefire M2 Max

Speed rating Off -

 

 

 

 

I am glad that you had a similar experience with the Rapscallion. You will notice that after adjusting to the blade's particular weight, punch blocking and throw angle this blade will become an asset in your TT development. The first two issues people notice with the blade (beside its beauty) are the speed/power and the light weight. I received two new ones and will soon open a thread on how their pitch differs from other blades (i.e., Acoustic).

 

I should say that this particular blade was lighter than most Rapscallions, and I believe that's primarily due to lighter weight handle grips.  For those with sharp eyes, you might recognize this handle from an earlier metalone blade http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46506&PID=590004&title=handcrafted-blades-by-ross-leidy#590004 - here .  There was a build defect in that blade, and I retrieved the handle grips to use on the new Rapscallion.  Metalone had done some significant shaping of the grips to suit his grip preference, so they were a bit lighter.  Most Rapscallions will finish in the low-to-mid 80's.

 

Always a pleasure working with you and your blade quality is above all others!