What makes a table tennis blade worthy of being called a classic? The number of blades sold? The fact that it is popular blade among high level players, or should that be average players? Or a ping-pong blade that is still in demand many years after first being produced?
Well, perhaps it can be any or all of these things – or maybe a blade is a classic when many players consider it to be one! Thinking along those lines, I called for the About.com Table Tennis forum members to name the blades they think are classics, and here are 10 blades that they considered met the criteria for household status.
List Updated 9 January 2020
Added: Joola Chen Weixing, Butterfly Timo Boll ALC, Yasaka Ma Lin Carbon, XIOM Ice Cream AZXi
Removed: Nittaku KVT, Juic Kalinic, Avalox 550 Blue Thunder, Joola K series
1. Butterfly Timo Boll Spirit |
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My own personal table tennis blade of choice at the time of writing the original article way back in the late 2000’s, the Timo Boll Spirit uses an Arylate-Carbon layer to give a great balance of speed with a soft touch that gives increased dwell time when topspinning. Very popular among loopers the world over. Oh yes, apparently some top German player called Timo Boll uses the blade as well.
Still a best seller in 2020 – there must be thousands upon thousands of these blades in use every day around the world! |
| Interested in Purchasing a Butterfly Timo Boll Spirit Blade? | Buy Online |
2. Stiga Allround Classic Blade |
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Considered to be one of the classic beginner blades, the Stiga Allround Classic’s mix of excellent control with good speed has proven to be a winner for over 40 years.
Also comes in the popular Stiga Allround Classic WRB version, which has now been around so long it qualifies as a classic blade in its own right. |
| Interested in Purchasing a Stiga Allround Classic Blade? | Buy Online |
| Interested in Purchasing a Stiga Allround Classic WRB Blade? | Buy Online |
3. Yasaka Extra 3D Blade |
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Orginally known as the Yasaka Gatien Extra 3D, this classic table tennis blade is loved by loopers around the world, having plenty of power while retaining good control.
Apparently the Yasaka Gatien Extra was used by Jean-Philippe Gatien of France to win the European Top 12 in 1997. No guarantees that it will do the same for you, but if you don’t, it won’t be the blade’s fault! |
| Interested in Purchasing a Yasaka Extra 3D? | Buy Online |
4. Donic Persson Powerplay Blade |
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A classic OFF blade 7-ply that uses a layer of foil to help increase ball control. Has a harder feel while still retaining a bit of flex, along with a high throw.
Used and loved by 1991 World Champion Jörgen Persson, and many thousands of table tennis players since. |
| Interested in Purchasing a Donic Persson Powerplay Blade? | Buy Online |
5. Joola Chen Weixing Blade |
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Back in the day, the now discontinued Butterfly Matsushita Pro and Matsushita Pro Special (of which I own 3!) were considered classic defensive blades.
Since then, the Joola Chen Weixing defensive blade has been building up a reputation as a spiritual successor to those old favourites. An oversized 7 ply blade with black cloth layers to provide extra control, it still has enough zip to allow strong counterattacks. Better for the more modern defender who mixes attacks in with his chops – traditional defenders would probably need something a bit slower. |
| Interested in Purchasing a Joola Chen Weixing Blade? | Buy Online |
6. Butterfly Timo Boll ALC Blade |
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What is it with Butterfly and Timo Boll? The Timo Boll ALC was meant to be the replacement for the evergreen Timo Boll Spirit blade, and while the Spirit refused to fade away, the ALC in turn has become a classic blade in its own right.
Butterfly state that Timo Boll helped design this blade, and as you would expect it has a blend of speed, heavy spin and control that he is famous for in his own game. Rated a little faster than the Spirit. |
| Interested in Purchasing a Butterfly Timo Boll ALC? | Buy Online |
7. XIOM Ice Cream AZXi Blade |
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South Korean XIOM is a relatively new kid on the block in western table tennis circles, but it is fast developing a reputation for producing some beautiful table tennis blades.
The Ice Cream series is a perfect example of this, and interestingly the AZXi is one of the few blades on the market with different plys on each side of the blade – one side has Zephylium Carbon (ZLC) which is a little spinnier and controllable, while the other has Arylate Carbon (ALC), which is a touch faster. Quite possibly the start of a new generation of classic table tennis blades. |
| Interested in Purchasing a XIOM Ice Cream AZXi Blade? | Buy Online |
8. Yasaka Ma Lin Carbon Blade |
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Yasaka have put out more versions of their Ma Lin blade than you can poke a stick at. Pictured is the Ma Lin Carbon shakehand version, although of course there is a Chinese Penhold equivalent!
Reportedly developed with the input of Ma Lin himself, the Ma Lin Carbon is a thinner OFF blade with a large sweet spot and great mix of control, speed and touch. |
| Interested in Purchasing a Yasaka Ma Lin Carbon Blade? | Buy Online |
9. Butterfly Primorac Carbon Blade |
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The Butterfly Primorac Carbon was popular throughout the 1990’s with players trying their first carbon style blade, as well as many top players. Noted for being fast and stiff, it remains a popular choice with aggressive players today. |
| Interested in Purchasing a Butterfly Primorac Carbon Blade? | Buy Online |
10. Stiga Clipper Classic Blade |
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A classic by any definition, the Stiga Clipper is one of the most popular attacking table tennis blades found around the world. A fast blade with good control, this blade has been a favorite of many high level players for many years. |
| Interested in Purchasing a Stiga Clipper Classic Blade? | Buy Online |
