DHS Fang Bo B2 and B2X Composite Blades 

     Double Happiness has recently released several 5+2 ply composite blades including the DHS Hurricane 301x, the DHS Classic 08X, and the DHS Fang Bo Carbon B2X, an updated and faster version of the DHS Fang Bo Carbon B2, that the 2015 Men’s Singles vice-world champion supposedly used. In this test, I was given an opportunity to try out the two Fang Bo blades.

     As usual, it is hard to find technical background information for the DHS blades. The Fang Bo Carbon B2 (B2) is composed of five ayous and limba plies, and two arylate carbon plies that surround the core. The blade is touted to offer unyielding power, good handling, and stable looping, and is recommended for game styles close to the table and mid-distance. The Fang Bo Carbon B2X (B2X) was designed with a slightly thicker core to give a power boost relative to the regular B2.  

     The two blades arrive shrink-wrapped and rest on cardboard padding inside DHS’s sturdy, silver box that features a high-class magnetic closing mechanism. The boxes are matte and feature a large photographic print of Fang Bo on the front along with his name in – presumably - calligraphic Chinese. None of the boxes list any blade-specific information on the back.       

     The B2 has a thick core that is surrounded by an Arylate Carbon weave, a relatively thick penultimate ply, and a very thin outer ply. The playing surface is straw-colored with a vertical grain that is devoid of text. The salmon-red handle features a silver-colored inverted “Y” stripe pattern, a simple oval plastic lens on the FH side listing “DHS” in the silver font on a red background, a similar oval plastic lens on the BH side listing Fang Bo’s name in calligraphic Chinese, and a large circular plastic tag on the bottom of the handle with a photo of Fang Bo. 

     The B2X looks very similar to the B2 except that the core is thicker still, the inverted “Y” stripe pattern is white, and a large circular plastic tag is used on the bottom of the handle (i.e., no photo of Fang Bo).    

     The playing surfaces of the B2 and B2X both are ~159 mm x ~149 mm (height x width) with thicknesses of 5.9 mm and 6.0 mm respectively. The FL handles have the following dimensions: length ~99.6 mm (B2) and 100.3 mm (B2X), width ~26.1-34.4 mm (B2) and 25.9-34.1 mm (B2X), and height ~21.4-24.7 mm (B2) and ~21.1-24.7 mm (B2X). The B2 and B2X seem to have been built well but feature minimally sanded wings. The test blades weighed 88 g and 89 g and produced pitches of ~1325 Hz and 1442 Hz, respectively, when bouncing a ball on the naked blades.   

Testing Procedure 

     I tested the brand-new blades as-is without any additional varnishing/lacquering. I attached well-used sheets of DHS Hurricane 3 (2.15 mm, black, provincial version, 40-degrees orange sponge) and Spinlord Waran II (2.0 mm, red) short pips on the FH and BH side, respectively, using one layer of Revolution 3 normal viscosity glue. I tested the set-ups over 6-7 sessions each, playing a mix of regular and match-like drills against my regular high-level practice partner using Neottec Neoplast Pro 40+ or Nittaku J-Top training balls. 

Playing Impressions: DHS Fang Bo Carbon B2 

Initial Impressions 

     The B2 set-up feels a little head-heavy, a feeling that is exacerbated by a handle that is too short and thin for my large hands. Occasionally the blade felt as if it was about to glide out of my hands. Moreover, the insufficiently sanded wings gnawed the skin between my thumb and index finger.  

Driving 

     Given the B2’s relatively low resonance frequency, I was surprised by the feeling when executing FH drives, which was crisp, stiff, and fairly fast (low OFF). The trajectory on FH drives is long with a medium-low clearance, which is lower than I expected for a limba-based blade. BH drives with the B2/Waran II produce a cracking sound that is reminiscent of a 7-ply all-wood blade but with a more pingy feeling. All in all, I felt that I was able to place the ball at will with good consistency.   

FH Looping 

     The B2’s fairly stiff and nature means that FH loops are long but lacking in a spin as judged by the fact that my practice partner had an easier-than-usual time returning my loops. A greater-than-usual proportion of my shots caught the top of the net or went long. To compensate for the medium-low throw angle, I had to use a more open bat angle to ensure adequate safety over the net. My third-ball FH attacks with the B2 worked best when I focused on speed over spin, but this is a riskier style. The B2 works well away from the table in FH-to-FH loop rallies, although its low OFF speed at times forced me to use greater physical effort and tighten up, which in turn led me to overshoot the table.

BH Openers

     Due to the stiff nature of the blade, I struggled to produce enough arc on my short pip BH openers against backspin and accordingly had many shots that caught the top of the net and/or went long. I had to time my shots perfectly. As with FH loops, a more aggressive and riskier style worked better with this blade. 

Flicking

      The stiff and relatively fast nature of the B2 lends itself well for FH flicks, which I was able to play with excellent consistency, placement, and power. BH flicks with the Waran 2 short pips were a little more timing-dependent but largely mirrored my observations with FH flicks. 

Blocking 

     While regular FH/BH blocking was firm and crisp, I had difficulties landing blocks during match-like drills, with blocks often going long. Thus, the B2 felt a little too fast and stiff and not quite capable of absorbing the incoming kinetic energy. However, whenever I managed to time my blocks well, the shots became unreturnable for my hitting partner. 

Smashing

     The relatively fast and low-throwing nature of the B2 lends itself well for flat hits and smashes, which are unreturnable if hit well. The blade is sufficiently fast to allow for efficient kill shots.

Pushing

      The B2 is a pretty fast and stiff blade, with a relatively short dwell time. Soft hands are therefore needed to avoid overshooting the table while executing long pushes. Whenever I got the timing right, the pushes were very fast, flat, and dangerous, but with a lower amount of spin than with my usual blades, which allowed my hitting partner to produce dangerous third-ball attacks. The B2’s crisp feeling also worked reasonably well for short pushes, which I was able to keep low. However, spin levels were no more than average, which allowed my hitting partner to gain upper hand in the rallies through well-executed flicks.

Chopping

     Given the above description, it should be clear that the B2 isn’t exactly a chopping blade. I was able to BH chop once or twice in a row but struggled to maintain the consistency, as the shots had a tendency of going long. Moreover, judging by the relative ease with which my practice partner returned the shots, it seemed that the shots were less spinny than with my usual setups.

Serving

      The crisp contact point is helpful on pendulum backspin serves, as I was able to execute short, low, and spinny serves. The B2 also works well for side-topspin serves although the emphasis is on speed rather than speed.      

Conclusion 

     In my opinion, the DHS Fang Bo B2 blade is a composite blade that is best suited for two-winged loopers, who prefer lower throwing blades and emphasize spin over speed. The blade is not very forgiving of poor technique and lazy footwork and requires an active playing style. If you are this type of player, the Fang Bo B2 blade will appeal and offer great value to you.

 

 

 

Playing Impressions: DHS Fang Bo Carbon B2X

Initial Impressions 

     Compared to the B2, the B2X feels less head-heavy and is more comfortable to hold, in large part due to the longer handle.  

Driving 

      Contrary to my expectations, the B2X feels less “thick” compared to the B2 and more akin to a conventional composite blade. It is a fast blade but not crazily so (mid OFF). FH drives are comfortable and more reliable than the B2, possibly due to a slightly higher throw angle. BH drives with the short pips were equally comfortable and produced a far less pronounced cracking sound vis-à-vis the B2.   

FH Looping

     I enjoyed improved consistency on my FH loops, which seemed to clear the net more often than with the B2, while still dipping down just before the end-line, resulting in deep, fast, and dangerous shots. However, just like with the B2, the spin levels on the FH loops are only average, meaning that third-ball FH attacks require an emphasis on speed over spin. The B2X is not a particularly flexible blade. The B2X works better than the B2 away from the table in FH-to-FH loop rallies due to its faster and higher-throwing character, which allowed me to rely more on the inherent power of the blade than having to impart power myself

BH Openers

      The slightly higher arc of the B2X relative to the B2 enabled me to land a high percentage of BH short pip attacks against long pushes. However, the margin for error is still relatively low and I often found myself overshooting the table, probably because the blade is too quick for my style. 

Flicking

     Just like the B2, the B2X works well for FH flicks, perhaps even slightly better due to the higher throw angle. Similarly, I was able to execute BH flicks with the Waran 2 short pips with good levels of confidence. 

Blocking

      Regular FH/BH blocking with the B2X is a little less firm and less crisp than with the B2, but still solid. Just like with the B2, at times I had difficulties keeping blocks against very high-powered loops on the table, but my error rate was definitively lower. And again, whenever I timed by blocks well, I was able to produce lightning-fast blocks that my practice partner could not return. 

Smashing

     The B2X is capable of producing fast smashes that your opponents won’t be able to return. This is probably the primary shot type, where the faster composite character of the B2X vis-à-vis the B2 is felt most pronouncedly. 

Pushing  

     Since the B2X is pretty fast, with a relatively short dwell time, one needs to be fully focused to produce high-quality pushes, as even small timing errors are punished, resulting in pushes that careen of the table. When properly executed, long, fast, but not particularly spinny pushes can be executed. My short pushes, on the other hand, seemed to pop up a little more than with the B2, allowing my practice partner to execute blistering flicks.     

Serving

     I don’t know if it is because it is more comfortable to hold, but I definitely felt more comfortable executing pendulum backspin serves with the B2X as compared to the B2. In addition to being short and low, the serves felt like having more bite to them. Similarly, I felt that the B2X produces a little bit more spin and speed on side-topspin serves than the B2.      

Conclusion

     In my opinion, the DHS Fang Bo B2X blade indeed is an upgrade and more forgiving relative to the regular B2 blade. Accordingly, I think it will be suitable for a wider range of players. The B2X provides a minor but noticeable increase in speed and a higher throw angle that provides for more safety over the net on many shots.