Nittaku Hino Blade 5.22 and 7.22

     This time, I was in for a very special treat as I got to review two brand-new Kiso-Hinoki composite blades from Nittaku, i.e., the Hino Blade 5.22 and Hino Blade 7.22. Nittaku is known for making some of the highest quality blades in the world, and let me tell you, these blades look and smell INCREDIBLE. The Hino Blades are constructed using 5- or 7-plies of premium quality Kiso Hinoki that has been aged 300 years. It is the same wood type that is used for the construction of traditional Japanese palaces. Kiso-Hinoki is known to provide a uniquely embracing feeling upon striking the ball which facilitates spin production. In addition, these blades feature four plies of elastic AD carbon. Nittaku characterizes the 5.22 and 7.22 Hino Blades as being mid-fast and fast, respectively, and producing a hard feeling. 

    The 5.22 and 7.22 blades arrive in the typical Nittaku-sized cardboard boxes, which have received a significant makeover, featuring a beautiful wood veneer design that matches the blades inside. The boxes are adorned with calligraphy on the front and a technical description on the back. Key blade characteristics are listed on the front lip of the box. Upon opening the box, an amazing cypress aroma unfolds, just like stepping into an old-fashioned cigar shop. Absolutely phenomenal smell. 

     The 5.22 and 7.22 are gorgeous blades to behold with straw-colored playing surfaces that have beautiful faint pinkish/brown wood grain that runs in the vertical direction. The FH playing surfaces feature descriptive text and beautiful red-brown and black (5.22) or golden and black (7.22) calligraphy, whereas the BH sides are devoid of text. The 5.22 handle has the same color as the playing surface, whereas the 7.22 handle is dark brown. The name of the blade – along with an unknown-to-me symbol – is seared into the FH side of the handle, whereas the BH side of the handle is devoid of any decorations. The bottom of the handle features a rectangular silver tag and an engraved JTTAA symbol. As expected, the quality of the blades is phenomenal. The playing surfaces, edges, and handles are smooth, though the wings do not appear to have been sanded. 

     The 5.22 has a thick hinoki core that is surrounded by a very thin carbon layer, a thin hinoki ply, a thicker carbon layer, and finally a thin hinoki outer ply. The playing surface is standard-sized (height x width: 157 x 151 mm). The blade is relatively thick for a composite blade (~6.0 mm) and weighs 84 g. Bouncing a ball on the naked blade produces a main resonance frequency around 1550 Hz, which indicates a fast and/or stiff blade in the OFF/OFF+ category. The FL handle dimensions are as follows: length 100.4 mm, width 26.0-33.3 mm, height 23.8-24.6 mm. 

     Interestingly, the ply composition of the 7.22 differs significantly from the 5.22. Thus, the 7.22 has three central hinoki plies of similar thickness, which are then surrounded by a very thin carbon layer, a thin hinoki ply, a thicker carbon layer, and a thin hinoki outer ply. While the size of the playing surface is identical to that of the 5.22 (i.e., height x width: 157 x 151 mm), the 7.22 is substantially thinner (~5.5 mm). The blade is quite heavy at 88 g. Counter to my expectations, the bounce test produced a lower resonance frequency (~1335 Hz) than the 5.22, seemingly suggesting a blade in the OFF- category. The FL handle of the 7.22 has similar dimensions as the 5.22: length 100.3 mm, width 25.6-33.2 mm, height 23.7-24.5 mm. 

Playing Impressions of the 5.22 

Initial Impressions

     The 5.22 test set-up felt well-balanced and nimble with a center of gravity that is tilted towards the head. This gave me the impression that the blade produces additional acceleration on certain strokes, most notably topspins and pushes. The sensation upon striking the ball is interesting. The contact is butter-soft and embracing, producing minimal vibrations. Yet, the contact time is relatively short as the blade is somewhat springy, though less so than with other hinoki blades, something that I attribute to the four carbon plies. The blade was comfortable to hold once I moistened the handle with a few drops of water, as it was too smooth otherwise. The handle was on the verge of being too small for my big hands. 

Driving

   FH and BH drives are quite enjoyable with the 5.22 blade. Although the contact is soft, it is still possible to feel the ball deep in the palm of your hand. My FH and BH drives were controlled, yet quite fast (low to mid OFF) with long trajectories.

Looping

      It is easy to generate fast, long-trajectory FH loops with the 5.22. The blade’s head-tilted center of gravity and springy nature, propel the ball. The trajectory is relatively low but sufficiently high to clear the net with good consistency. The short dwell time renders it challenging to impart high levels of spin on loops. Interestingly, the trajectories are long but the 5.22 isn’t a blisteringly fast blade, if that makes sense, so proper ball placement is important. I did find the 5.22 to be a fun blade to play FH loop-to-loop rallies with. Its springiness and tempered OFF character, allowed me to whack the ball hard without overshooting the table, which resulted in some cool rallies. However, I found it challenging to generate high spin levels. 

     The same characteristics that render the 5.22 a fun FH looping blade, gave me headaches when attempting to hit through backspin with my BH Waran 2 short pips. The blade’s springiness and short contact time caused many of my BH flat hits to either fly past the table or get caught in the net. I struggled to generate the necessary arc on my shots, unless I slowed down the shots substantially, which in turn gave my practice partner ample opportunity to launch counterattacks. Frustrated, I twiddled the Hurricane 3 into my BH and began to execute regular BH loops. To my great surprise – since I never practice the shots - the BH loops were very consistent and loaded with spin. The different spin behavior between FH and BH loops has me a little puzzled, but I think it is a consequence of BH loops being more wristy and less physical shots. Thus, the blade’s springiness helps generate power and compensate for the more compact stroke mechanics of BH topspins.        

Flicking

    The 5.22 works pretty well on FH and BH flicks. On these shots, the contact was sufficiently long and embracing to lift the ball over the net and allow for the execution of reasonably dangerous and controlled flicks, be it diagonal or down-the-line. The feeling, though, is rather muted. I prefer blades that offer more feedback.

Pushing

     To my surprise, the 5.22 works supremely well on long FH pushes. The embracing feeling, coupled with the blade’s head-tilted center of gravity, allows for aggressive and deep pushes. However, the pushes are not as spinny as other blades, which enabled my practice partner to attack the shots with ease. BH pushes with the Waran 2 short pips, were flat and surprisingly spinny. The difference between FH and BH pushes is likely due to the softer nature of the Waran 2 vis-à-vis Hurricane 3, resulting in marginally longer dwell time and spin production. The blade is not springy on low impact shots, and high-quality short pushes can therefore be executed competently. 

Blocking

     The 5.22 provides sufficient stability to execute standard warm-up passive FH/BH blocks. However, the springy nature of the 5.22 renders semi-aggressive blocks more challenging, as the shots tended to go long. I found it to be more beneficial to commit 100% to the shots instead to produce blisteringly fast, albeit not always consistent, blocks.   

Flat Hits

     Given the blade’s springy nature and relatively high inherent speed, it was easy to generate very fast smashes with the 5.22. 

Serves

     I struggled a bit with my short backspin serves as I couldn’t really feel the contact point. This led me to overcompensate at times, hitting the ball thicker, resulting in longer, less effective serves. In the end, I just trusted my regular serve mechanics to produce good quality serves. I was also able to serve reasonably deep top/side-spin serves with good consistency, although they did not seem to be very spinny.  

Conclusion

The Nittaku 5.22 Hino Blade is a beautiful blade that is well-suited for two-winged loopers who enjoy the characteristic soft, springy, hinoki feeling. It seems to me that the carbon layers somewhat temper the hinoki feeling, resulting in a more controllable blade. It is a specialty blade that I would recommend to advanced and//or high-level players who want to generate long trajectory shots but care less about producing high spin levels on their shots.

 

 

Playing Impressions of the 7.22 

Initial Impressions

     The center of gravity for the 7.22 is tilted more towards the handle than the 5.22. This is probably also why the 7.22 feels more solid and lacks some of the inherent acceleration of the 5.22. The contact point is soft but less embracing than with the 5.22. In other words, the 7.22 is stiffer and less springy. Moreover, even fewer vibrations are generated, rendering it even harder to feel the ball. As with the 5.22, I found it necessary to moisten the ultra-smooth handle, to ensure proper grip, especially as the handle is borderline too small for my big hands.  

Driving

      FH and BH drives with the 7.22 blade are solid and produce a feeling that is not unlike some slower 7-ply all-wood blades, although there is an absence of the satisfying cracking sound. I was surprised to note that the 7.22 feels slower (~OFF-) than the 5.22. As a result, the trajectories of my FH/BH drives were only medium-long. The shots, however, were more stable.  

Looping

      The moderate speed of the 7.22 was particularly evident when doing FH loop warm-up drills. For sure, I struggled to generate powerful loops, also in part because the contact point is quite short, rendering it challenging to produce high spin levels. The 7.22 is surprisingly linear for a hinoki blade and I felt that I had to generate most of the power. The blade’s stiff nature, coupled with an exaggerated swing to generate more power, led me to overshoot the table on several occasions, especially on down-the-line FH loops. Once I accepted the blade’s inherent power limits, however, I was able to loop with good consistency. 

     The 7.22 works pretty well in FH-to-FH loop rallies. You won’t generate high spin levels, but if you accept the blade’s spin level, put in the necessary physical effort, and time your shots well, it becomes possible to produce consistent shots from afar. 

     BH hits against long pushes with the Spinlord Waran 2 short pips were significantly easier to execute with the 7.22 than the 5.22, presumably due to its stiffer and less springy nature. I enjoyed far better consistency and was able to precisely place the shots with a decent amount of pace. Conversely, standard BH loops using the Hurricane 3, were less forgiving of poor timing than with the 5.22. Hence, my BH loops were less consistent, with a greater proportion going into the net, some going long, and only a few actually hitting the mark. 

Flicking

     The 7.22 allowed execution of controlled FH and BH flicks, although the shots were slower than with the 5.22. The stiffer feeling worked particularly well for BH flicks in combination with the softer Waran 2 short pips. 

Pushing

     The stiff feeling and short contact time of the 7.22 gave me some challenges when executing FH long pushes. Good brushing technique and timing are required. My FH pushes had a tendency of going too long if I hit the ball too thick against less spinny serves. The shorter contact time also rendered it challenging to generate high amounts of backspin, which, in turn, made it possible for my practice partner to put me under heavy pressure on the subsequent third ball attack. The 7.22 worked better on long BH pushes with the Waran 2 short pips, presumably due to their slightly softer nature, which extended the contact time just a little bit. The spin levels, however, were still only moderate, and the pushes did not really pose a challenge to my practice partner. In contrast, the linear nature and moderate speed of the 7.22 worked well on FH and BH short pushes, which I could play very low and short. My opponent struggled to flick these pushes.  

Blocking

     The stable and stiff nature of the 7.22 is beneficial when executing FH blocks against topspins. The blocks are very solid, though not blistering fast. My BH blocks were also consistent and flat, allowing me to move my opponent around the table, setting me up for winners. Thus, the 7.22 has its strengths in the driving/blocking game.  

Flat Hits

      The moderate speed and linear nature of the 7.22, means that you must generate most of the power on smashes. The blade is fast enough to produce winners, but you need to put some effort into it. 

Serves

     Just like with the 5.22, I struggled a bit to make high-quality short backspin serves since I wasn’t able to feel the ball. I simply had to have confidence in my standard brushing motion producing the necessary spin. Spin levels were moderate unless I really used an aggressive wrist motion.      

Conclusion

     The Nittaku 7.22 Hino blade’s stiff nature, ultra-soft contact point, and moderate speed render it best suited for a controlled driving/blocking game. The characteristics of this blade have more in common with a slower 7-ply all-wood blade than a typical springy hinoki blade. It therefore also caters to a narrow group of players. For example, the combination of this blade with short pips in the BH works reasonably well, whereas I would probably pair the 7.22 with a softer European/Japanese-style rubber in the FH to extend the dwell time.    

Final Thoughts

      The Nittaku 5.22 and 7.22 Hino blades are gorgeous. The 5.22 is faster and more flexible and better suited for a looping style, whereas the 7.22 is more solid and better suited for a more direct driving/blocking game style.       

 

Testing Procedure

     I tested the Nittaku Hino 5.22 and 7.22 blades as received without any additional varnishing or lacquering. I used relatively new sheets of DHS Hurricane 3 (2.15 mm, black, provincial version, 40-degrees blue sponge, one thin layer of Haifu Sea Moon booster) in my FH and well-used sheets of Spinlord Waran 2 (2.0 mm, red) short pips in my BH. The rubbers were attached using one layer of Revolution 3 medium viscosity glue. I tested these set-ups over 4-5 sessions playing a mix of regular and match-like drills against my regular high-level practice partner (two-winged looper). Neottec Neoplast Pro 40+ training balls were used throughout this test.