Please share your inputs and discussion.

It costs 6 times more than a Viscaria! This is insane.

Yeah it is expensive. It is better to test it first if one of your clubmates uses it. It is not an easy blade to play with. I struggled the first several times that I played with it. I listed it for sale here after feeling totally unsatisfied with it several times. But then I tried rubbers and kept playing with it for about a month, it starts to shine. 

It is much harder to play with compared with a Hurricane Long 5. 

so what's the difference between 968 and long 5?

Letter W968 is between the two. I tried one before and it has pretty good feel. 

There are several versions of W968.

National versions are usually specially made for DHS sponsored players such as ML, SYS, WYD etc.  DHS usually produces several W968 blades for its player in a tournament, so each player has extra blade. Prott sometimes sells these kind of blades. It is hard to know whether the blade is really specially made for the player.

The W968 sold on TT11 is called official W968. There are quite some of them out there. The series number on the handle starts with W968, but this is still different from the player version W968.

Then there are provincial W968 (or called letter W968). It looks quite similar to a regular HL5 except the imprint on the handle and the certificate card. The series number starts with HL5...

The Donic No 1 (made by DHS) is available in 2 versions, the more expensive one also has „premium carbon“ according to the product description.

W968 is softer than Long 5. More feel but requires better technique to get the most out of it.

The ceiling for Spin and speed is higher than Viscaria but it requires better technique, especially on the BH.

National W968 has a bigger head size. Even better forehand, needs even better acceleration to play a good backhand.

Thanks for the insight!   I didn't even know about this.  Good thing I didn't order the w968 from tt11 yet, since the price is so high and they didn't specify what version it is.  If I'm getting one, I definitely would want one that is either the National or the Player version (if not overly priced)

Does W968 also require to be paired with a tuned Neo H3 National Blue Sponge on the forehand for optimal results?  Or will it do with a Dignics 09C on both sides?

For my old version HL5, I pair it with Nittaku G1 on the forehand and D09c on the backhand, and it is fine too.  I guess it all depends on your level and play style.

I can confirm some of this. I just got a nation (numbers) version from prott. It feels softer in the short game, stiffer in all other shots. The head size is 161mm, larger than the regular one which is 159mm. On medium strength shots there's a noticeable "ping" sound not present on the regular Long 5. This is associated with a more direct shot and more crisp feel for these shots, which makes for a s stronger BH counter and flick game. On hard shots there's a similar cracking sound, but feels faster and stiffer, though still with better catapult effect than say the Viscaria.

Per Sergio of SDC, the regular Long 5 has aramid fibers running vertically, and carbon fibers horizontally, while the 968 has both fibers running both vertically and horizontally. I obviously can't confirm this independently.

To me, overall the W968 is a more balanced blade than the regular Long 5. The regular HL5 is good with the softest shots and the hardest shots. It has severe deficiencies in medium powered shots like close to the table BH counters which is the majority of modern BH game. 968 improves on this dramatically, and is even softer with touch shots somehow, but does sacrifice some stability with full powered FH loops.

The version from Prott is the official W968. It is usually softer than the player version W968. I got a letter W968 (provincial). It is much easier to play with than a number W968. 

W968 is really good if you play far away from table. If you play close to table, a Harimoto alc is actually easier to play with and offers you better chances to win games.

The number 968 looks thicker to me in the photo.

An official W968 is probably better for most players than a players' version, as the players' version is usually made for professionals. And the official version is much cheaper.

I was more concerned about reproducibility.  If I want a backup blade or a replacement, I figured a market version would be easier to find that matches what I'm using.  A player version would be tougher to find and the player may have changed his/her taste.

I think for my game, a letters version would've been more than enough, I'm just a big ML fan and wanted the W968 engraved on my blade lol.

Official W968 is not as good as national player W968 but I don't know by how much.

Maybe 8/10 or 9/10 -Did anyone actually play both version and compare the quality?

It all depends on how you define how "good" a blade is. For a beginner, a 5 wood blade is better than any W968 for sure.

Official W968 is made for the general market. Player version usually is made maybe with some minor modification based on the requirements of the player. Some professional players might want thicker and harder blades, which are not suitable for most amateur players. 

And basically each W968 plays differently. So it is really hard to say which is better.

Kindof99: 

So what you are saying is the wood quality and process to make official W968 and National W968 are the same. The only different could only be (Thickness, Weight, Head size)

There are many inaccurate statements in this thread and I'll add some color to it. 

1. Only the absolute elite DHS sponsored players (ML, WCQ, SYS etc) get blades specifically made for them, and only they have the "National Player version". 

2. "National Player version" are EXTREMELY rare on the market, probably in single digits figure every year. The reason is simply why would ML, WCQ give their blades to other people for resale? Therefore, majority of these "National Player version" on the market are absurdly marked up "National Official/Digital version" or simply just fakes.

4. The way DHS distribute the National Official W968 is straightforward: they make a batch of blades and send them to the National team. All National team members are assembled and get to pick the blades based on their preference. The blades that are unselected by the players go to the market and become the "National Official/Digital version". 

Yin Hang's livestream recording(only available in Chinese, no translation): 

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1SG4y1L7mP/?spm_id_from=333.337.search-card.all.click&vd_source=627f2d840c6495fd4477636824299e28" rel="nofollow - https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1SG4y1L7mP/?spm_id_from=333.337.search-card.all.click&vd_source=627f2d840c6495fd4477636824299e28

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1rG4y1w76K/?spm_id_from=333.337.search-card.all.click" rel="nofollow - https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1rG4y1w76K/?spm_id_from=333.337.search-card.all.click

Official W968 is actually used by all other National team members except the absolute elite ML WCQ etc. So, they were not meant to be made only for the general market. 

Or probably there is special W968 which is truly excellent and really cost a fortune, but how do I know that special W968 is really the special one (not ordinary W968 that is claimed to be a special one and sold for hundreds of $$$).  In other words, which is the trusted store or supplier?

So I am thinking, probably I am better off buying Donic No. 1, at least I know the official Donic store that will sell genuine Donic blade.

So, again, thank you for the discussion of W968 and HLong 5 here.  They help me clearing up my misunderstanding.

You can buy one from a DHS certified dealer like TT11, but that'd set you back ~$800 for the official national version. You can also get one from prott which is run by a former provincial player and has many forum members who'd vouch for him. That would get it down to ~$500 for a national version or ~$300 for a provincial version.

Now I got one because I'm a big ML fan, but if I wasn't I probably would've just gone for a similar but cheaper blade like the Yasaka Athletico Power. 

I had doubt in these W968 and other national blades before. My plan is to get a used one first and see how good it is before buying a new one. If you can borrow one from a club that is even better. One of the coaches probably have one.

For the quality of the blade i think there is only you who can tell how better it is compare to the commercial one. W968 could be more spin, more speed but is it better for you?

I haven't extensively tested the new commercial HL5, but I used the old one for a few months before switching to the 968. They're completely different blades. It's not just a matter of different quality materials, per Sergio of SDC they use different fibers for the composite layer. It definitely feels like that. The 968 has a softer feel, is way faster, is significantly stiffer, but still has good flex when hit hard. It's just not the extreme flex of the old HL5. This makes the BH a lot more direct and controllable, with much more consistent quality in shot production, but the FH becomes a lot harder to control.

Basically the old HL5 commercial felt like a faster Yasaka Sweden Extra, while the 968 felt like a flexier Viscaria. I actually had an easier time transitioning from the YSE to the old commercial HL5 than from the HL5 to the W968, that's how different they are. 

I have played HL5, then Golden Long 5, then Provincial W968, then W968 player version. It just got better and better. Feel like i am cheating with my opponent a little bit when i have better equipment.

Don't get me wrong, you still have to get used to each blade and adjust the stroke a little bit, for me its like a month or two before i can really comfortable with the transition.

Saying HL5 is faster than an extra is like saying a ferrari carvis faster than a honda. I have played with both.