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Andro Ligna OFF Blade Review |
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yogi_bear
Forum Moderator Joined: 11/25/2004 Location: Philippines Status: Offline Points: 7220 |
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Posted: 09/04/2015 at 10:21pm |
Andro Ligna OFF Blade
Blade Specs:
Weight: 90 grams Blade Dimensions:
151x156mm Thickness: 6.1mm Plies: 7 (spruce outer
with carbon 3rd layer) Hardness: Medium Stiff Test Rubbers: Andro
Plaxxon 450 & 350, Reactor Corbor medium soft, Andro Rasant Beat, MXP Speed: OFF Product Description:
“Origin, water content, storage, processing method and many more
aspects have big influence on a blade’s playing characteristics. For the in
Germany manufactured exclusive andro® LIGNA series only the finest wood, which
is also used for manufacturing violins, is processed.
Particular attention is given to the sawing method of the wood
veneers: Only the finest sawn veneers are processed for LIGNA woods. Major
advantage is that this processing leaves no scar on the veneers behind.
Consistently solid and clean cut veneers on both sides form the foundation for
an outstanding feel. Wood in the way it should be.” Initial Inspection: This blade came to a surprise because the outer layers of the
blade are made of SPRUCE! Yes the spruce wood that we know that is usually used
as a 2nd layer for famous 5 ply blades is used in the Ligna blades.
You could mistake it as Hinoki because of the lines but on closer inspection
you would see some sort of difference. Andro claims that this is the wood that
is also used in making violins. Spruce looks like Hinoki because they are pine
trees and belong to the same group of trees. The blade itself is an example of fine craftsmanship and above
average quality among European blades. This blade at first look is obviously
not a product from the factory that makes Andro blades. I like the texture and
smoothness of the blade and the handle. I got the straight handle. It felt a
bit small for my hands.
On a bounce test, the ball has only average height and the sound is like a metallic low pitch. I was curious with its flared handle because the one I got was ST. The ST version tends to have its weight more on the blade head. Playing Observations The speed is only OFF level. It is not too fast in my own
opinion. The control is like that of an all wood 5 ply offensive blade. The
Ligna OFF is not faster than a Timo Boll ALC. Sometimes it feels slower but the
control is better. This is more of a spinnier’s blade or a looping blade. I
really noticed the high throw that this blade gives with different rubbers that
I tested it with. Top spinning near or middle distance from table is its forte.
There is some flex on the blade despite being medium stiff and it has some
vibration. It is very easy to loop and spin with. I had a weird feeling with
the feedback maybe because it was a new feel in terms of the blade. It gives a
medium hard feedback when I strike the ball and there is this hard metallic
feel with a muffled not so loud sound. However, this is not a bothersome
feeling. I think I could attribute the feel with the kind of carbon layer they
placed together with the spruce outer layer.
The Ligna OFF goes very well with medium to hard rubbers. The
Plaxon 450 and Rasant Powergrip were good combinations. I think faster rubbers
would even be better because I tested it for 10 min. with an MXP and the
control was so good the shots were accurate enough not to miss. With soft
rubbers, it can be choosy. There are soft rubbers like the Plaxon 350 and
Rasant Beat that did very well with the Ligna off but softer and slower rubbers
like the Reactor Corbor seems not a good combo. If one has to use a soft rubber
it has to be a fast and bouncy soft rubber. Overall, this is a very good blade. It can be used from intermediate to expert levels of players. A bit expensive but very good. |
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Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach |
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p1ngp0ng3r
Super Member Joined: 12/24/2005 Location: Netherlands Status: Offline Points: 228 |
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Thanks for the review Yogi.
I was interested in the Ligna blades, but your review could reflect any other 5ply allwood OFF blade. Nothing really outstanding or extra ordinary it seems.
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Infinity VPS - Hybrid MK - T25 FX
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vvk1
Gold Member Joined: 11/14/2009 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 1925 |
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Except that this is a 7ply blade, not a 5ply.
As usual, great review from Yogi. |
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yogi_bear
Forum Moderator Joined: 11/25/2004 Location: Philippines Status: Offline Points: 7220 |
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It is a good blade in its own right.
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Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach |
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yogi_bear
Forum Moderator Joined: 11/25/2004 Location: Philippines Status: Offline Points: 7220 |
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Also tested the Ligna OFF with Victas Limber rubbers and they combine well. Further testing proves this blade is ideal for medium hard rubbers
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Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach |
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slevin
Premier Member Joined: 03/15/2012 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 3602 |
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Looks like a Soulspin product
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Trade feedback:
http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=50787 |
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mog1111
Silver Member Joined: 06/15/2016 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 771 |
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This blade has the control of a 5 ply wood.
It is a much faster blade though, especially if you swing. I have a Tibhar Stratus Powerwood and the Andro Ligna is quicker and I feel it has I higher throw with the rubbers I use. Excellent for looping, loads of spin. Whilst it is faster it still is very controllable. I would rate it as Off in power and speed But Off- in control It can be quite bouncy if you are lazy though, you still need to play a good stroke. |
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Ladon1997
Super Member Joined: 05/08/2016 Location: Lansing Square Status: Offline Points: 278 |
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The blade size is traditional Andro design which bears wider shoulder and looks shorter . Not many players favour this design .
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Matt Pimple
Gold Member Joined: 12/03/2012 Location: Phoenix Status: Offline Points: 1995 |
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What exactly do you mean by this? Andro blades are actually quite popular in Germany. |
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lineup32
Gold Member Joined: 12/06/2012 Location: Calif Status: Offline Points: 1195 |
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The graduated grips look like SoulSpin and I noticed on there web site the entire Ligna line has the same handle design..very SoulSpin looking including the logo treatment
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mog1111
Silver Member Joined: 06/15/2016 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 771 |
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the handle is a little narrow, I just wrapped a grip round it and now it is fine. it is a lovely bat to play with, loops beautifully with 05fx
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bptse
Member Joined: 10/27/2015 Location: Louisville Status: Offline Points: 46 |
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I have the Ligna OFF+ that I bought from a forum member. It's also a very good blade. I believe it's a 7W blade. It is in my opinion faster than my Photino with more control. If Photino was a 9.2 on a scale of 10 then I'd give the Ligna OFF+ a 9.3 or 9.4. It has just a slightly lower throw than my Photino with the same rubbers (MX-S and Nanoflex FT48). It's great for power looping a few feet from the table. Good spin and feel despite being an overall medium hard and stiff blade. I would play with it more if I wasn't attached to another blade.
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zdal
Beginner Joined: 05/09/2015 Location: New York Status: Offline Points: 3 |
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It would be interesting to know exact layer structure of this blade. Ligna series of blades from Andro came out at about the same time as Donic World Champion 89 blades. And both brands use special Spruce wood for outer ply.
Though marketing catch phrases are different - "200-year old Italian Spruce" for Donic, "used for manufacturing violins" for Andro - we can guess that this is the same wood (and most likely manufactured at the same factory, Soulspin). It seems that the closest match to Andro Ligna OFF is Donic World Champion 89 Waldner OFF. Thanks to slevin (http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=66123&PN=2&title=donic-world-champion-89-blades-2014), we know that it is 6.9mm thick and its composition is: Spruce (1 mm) - Spruce (0.8 mm) - ZLC - Kiri (3 mm) - ZLC - Spruce (0.8 mm)- Spruce (1 mm) Andro Ligna OFF is 6.0 mm thick, but what is inside? Spruce (around 1 mm based on photos) - Wood Layer 2/6 - Some Carbon Layer 3/5 - Core Wood layer 4 - Some Carbon Layer 3/5 - Wood Layer 2/6 - Spruce Besides the structure question, can anybody compare playing characteristics of these blades?
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mog1111
Silver Member Joined: 06/15/2016 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 771 |
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I can only comment on ligna off. it is a beautiful looping blade but also stiff enough to be very good at driving.
I could never tame the backhand and I tried lots of rubbers. IMO you need to be at least a slightly advanced player to get the most out of this blade, it definitely loops better than any blade I ever used and I don't have a very good loop really. It looped wonderfully with 05fx or H3N, I personally found el-s to hard on the fh but as I say this would not be a problem for an advanced player. you need really good touch to handle the bh though. If you are a beginner try something else. |
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Yasaka Ma Lin Carbon
FH: Tenergy 05fx BH: Spinlord Keiler |
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zdal
Beginner Joined: 05/09/2015 Location: New York Status: Offline Points: 3 |
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Thanks for your reply! For the last two years I've played with Andro Treiber H (equipped with Xiom Omega V Tour and Euro). It is a very spinny and light (<80g) blade. Carbon layer surround the core, which gives it a wooden feel on touch strokes. Also rated OFF, it is great at serving and looping but perhaps lacks a bit in blocking.
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piligrim
Premier Member Joined: 06/21/2011 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 5319 |
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Anybody tried new tp_ligna? What difference compare to this blade?
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Tuot
Beginner Joined: 12/14/2020 Location: Rome Status: Offline Points: 11 |
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What are the differences between Donic AWC 89 and TP_Ligna CI OFF?
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Tuot
Beginner Joined: 12/14/2020 Location: Rome Status: Offline Points: 11 |
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