DHS Power G7 Review - A Moderately Fast 7-Ply Do-It-All Blade

About the Reviewer

Patrick Hrdlicka is a table tennis enthusiast, who was introduced to the sport by his parents at the age of six. Patrick progressed to play in the highest national cadet and junior team leagues in his native Denmark and was among the top 40 players in his age group, which fostered several long-standing members of the Danish National Team. With college looming, Patrick quit the sport for almost twenty years. During this hiatus, he obtained a Ph.D.-degree in chemistry and accepted a position as professor of chemistry at the University of Idaho.

At the beginning of 2014, the mid-life crisis and yearning for table tennis grew too strong for Patrick and he decided to pick up the sport again. Bitten again by the table tennis bug, he plays 4-6 times per week. 

Since his comeback to table tennis, he has enjoyed combining his analytical and experimental skills with his love for table tennis, testing and reviewing a wide range of table tennis equipment.

DHS Power G7 - A Moderately Fast 7-Ply Do-It-All Blade With Excellent Price-Performance Ratio

The DHS Power G7 was Tabletennis11.com’s 3rd best-selling blade in 2016. The blade is described as a “7-ply wooden blade with incredible energy and power”. 

Physical appearance
The DHS Power G7 comes in sturdy silver and red box that opens to the side and which is held together by a red band with a photo of World Champion Ma Long and the name of the blade. The Power G7 also has a 7-ply limba-ayous-ayous-ayous-ayous-ayous-limba composition like the Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition but is slightly larger (158x152 mm) and thinner (~6.3 mm). My specimen weighed 89 g. The relatively thick core ply (as compared to the Tibhar blade) is surrounded by thin red plies, followed by a relative thick penultimate ply, and thin outer layer. The name of the blade is featured on the front of the blade, whereas there is no text on the back. The handle is kept in a dark and light grey color scheme, with grey and yellow chevrons pointing upwards. There is a lens on the front side of the blade and a silver tag at the bottom of the blade. The ST handle has a pronounced SQST style with the following dimensions: length ~101 mm, width ~28.2 mm, and height ~23.8 mm. The handle feels very bulky and solid, but players with smaller hands might find it a little bit too big. Even though the wings only are minimally sanded, the blade is comfortable to hold. The build quality of the blade is excellent but it needs sealing to facilitate removal of the rubbers.

Playing impressions
The DHS Power G7 is clearly a little slower than the Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition even though it is based on the same ply construction. I would categorize it as an OFF- blade. It is also more flexible, has slightly longer dwell time, and produces more vibrations upon ball impact. FH and BH drives are pleasant to play, controllable, and moderately fast. For better or worse, the PG7 feels a little softer and bouncier than the Samsonov Force Pro on these shots. For the same reasons, I had slightly better control on slower and spinnier FH loops, whereas my loop drives occasionally went too long. The throw angle with the Power G7 is a little higher than with the Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition, being what I would categorize as medium to slightly above medium. BH “loops” with the Waran short pips were easy to execute using this blade. I enjoyed a high level of control on FH blocks, presumably due to the blade’s moderate speed. The blade’s softer nature, longer dwell, and slightly higher throw relative to the Tibhar blade was clearly felt on BH blocks. My consistency was ok but lower than with the Tibhar blade. FH flat hits are very controlled and reasonably fast since the higher flexibility produces a slight whip effect that gives the OFF- blade an extra kick on high-impact shots. I made similar observations with BH flat hits although it was harder to make these shots very fast given the smaller arm movement. Touch shots and short pushes are comfortable to play with the Power G7. I was able to keep pushes tight, low and spinny, making it difficult for my opponents to attack the ball. The Power G7 provided excellent control, and a pleasant feeling on serves, enabling short spinny serves, as well as long fast serves.

Conclusion
The DHS Power G7 is an excellent blade for those who want to upgrade from a 5-ply limba/ayous-based blade to a slightly stiffer and faster blade without significant loss in flexibility. Those looking a stiff and fast 7-ply blade might find the DHS Power G7 a little bit too slow and flexible. For the same reasons, the DHS Power G7 is most suitable for play close to the table and less so from beyond mid-distance. It is easy to understand why the Power G7 is so popular, especially when considering its price point. 

Read DHS Power G7 Customer Reviews & Get Our Best Price >>

Got any questions or comments? Let us know in the discussion section below!
Did you find this review helpful? Why not share it with your friends!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition Review - A Fast 7-Ply Do-It-All Blade
Donic Ovtcharov True Carbon Review – A Fast and Direct Composite Blade for the All-Out Attacker