Cart:
0 items

Review: Shang Kun Hybrid ZC, Yasaka Falck Carbon, Andro Kanter CO OFF

23 November 2020  | Posted in: Table Tennis Reviews

      Having recently reviewed a series of excellent composite blades from Stiga, I have started to develop an increased appreciation for these types of blades. I was therefore pleased to be given the opportunity to try out three additional composite blades, i.e., the recently introduced Tibhar Shang Kun Hybrid ZC and Yasaka Falck Carbon, as well as, the Andro Kanter CO OFF which was introduced a couple of seasons ago. You can find a description of the testing protocol at the end of the article. 

Tibhar Shang Kun Hybrid ZC 

     Tibhar describes the Shang Kun Hybrid ZC (SK) as a blade that has “agility, suppleness, precision, determination and consistency” as its main characteristics. The blade has been tailored to Shang Kun, the former Chinese national team player, reflecting “his spirit and playing intelligence”. Tibhar gives this 5+2 composite blade speed and control ratings of 9 and 7, respectively. As a reference point, the Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition has speed/control ratings of 9-/7+.  

     The blade, which is made in Japan, comes in Tibhar’s standard black box, which is simple and compact, yet offers adequate protection. The Shang Kun Hybrid ZC has an attractive look, with a straw-colored outer ply and a light blue/dark grey/white vertical stripe handle design. The name of the blade is printed on the FH side of the blade, whereas the BH side is free of text. The comfortable handle has a modern-looking silver/blue tag in the left-hand orientation on the FH side, a black and silver shield-shaped tag on the BH side, and a silver Tibhar tag on the bottom of the handle (all tags are covered by thin protective films). The blade is very well-made with smooth surfaces and minimally sanded wings. The thick core ply (looks like ayous) is surrounded by a thin hybrid ZC composite weave, which, according to Tibhar, combines the high repulsive power of carbon and the strength and elasticity of Zylon. The composite layer is surrounded by a relatively thick penultimate ply, and finally a thin outer ply of limba if I was to guess.   

     The playing surface is larger than usual and has the following dimensions (height x width): 160 mm x 152 mm with a thickness of 5.8 mm. The FL handle has the following dimensions (length x width x thickness): 100.8 mm x 26.6-34.2 mm x 23 mm. The test specimen is light, weighing 83 g. Bouncing a ball on the naked blade produces a pitch of 1442 Hz, which is far lower than the Tibhar Fortino Pro (1701 Hz) but higher than the Tibhar Fortino Performance (1399 Hz) or the Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition (1378 Hz).


Playing Impressions

Initial Feeling 

     The setup rested comfortably in my hands, with a balance point that is tilted towards the head. The narrow wings and flared handle allow for a comfortable grip that can be easily adjusted during gameplay.  

Driving

      The feeling on FH drives using the DHS Hurricane 3 on the Shang Kun Hybrid ZC is surprisingly woody, at least compared to the Stiga Legacy Carbon blade that I have been using recently. The feeling when striking the ball is surprisingly soft and even somewhat dead, giving an impression of longer-than-expected dwell time. The SK was also slower than I expected, being no more than low OFF. Perhaps that’s because my sample only weighed 83 grams. As such, the blade reminds me of the Stiga Carbonado 145. I enjoyed excellent stability on FH drives. BH drives with the Spinlord Waran 2 short pips felt “thinner” than with the Stiga Legacy Carbon (more massive carbon feel) or the Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition (thicker blade), but were still easy to execute. FH/BH drives had medium-long trajectories. The blade’s nimble feeling rendered FH-BH transitions easy to execute during match-like play. 

Looping

     I found FH loops against backspin easy to execute, with the shots having a medium-long and medium-high trajectory over the net. Spin production, in my opinion, is good but not spectacular. All-in-all the SK works well for looping, though it lacks a little bit of power (a combination of spin and speed) relative to a blade like Stiga Legacy Carbon (faster with similar or slightly greater spin levels) or the Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition (similar speed, higher spin level). However, what it lacks in power it makes up with excellent control. Thus, I was able to FH loop with excellent consistency and predictability of ball placement. The blade also provides sufficient power to be effective in FH-to-FH loop rallies from afar.  

     BH hits through backspin with the Waran 2 short pips were ok but were more bat angle-dependent and required more precise timing than with the Stiga Legacy Carbon or Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition due to the thinner nature of the SK. Consequently, my consistency in BH hits was lower than usual.    

Blocking 

     The SK/H3 combination facilitated stable FH blocking. The low compressibility of the H3, slightly dead feeling, and low OFF speed of the blade, meant that the incoming energy from high-quality loops was absorbed efficiently. In fact, the SK blade almost felt a little too slow for me at times, resulting in blocks with short trajectories. BH blocks with the Waran 2 short pips, on the other hand, were livelier than with the Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition and required better timing to prevent the ball from careening over the table’s end. Accordingly, my consistency felt a little lower than usual. My main takeaway from this is that the SK blade should be combined with a hard-sponged rubber for stable blocking.      

Smashing

      The SK/H3 combination will not break any speed records but can get the job done. However, good placement is necessary against very fast players as they can chase down the only moderately fast smashes. 

Flicking

      The SK generates a reasonably crisp contact point on FH and BH flicks, which facilitates these shots. However, I found it difficult to make fast flicks, rendering shot placement rather important. The margin for error on BH flicks with the Waran 2 short pips was quite small.        

Pushing

      Long FH pushes with the SK require some finesse to prevent the ball from going long. When brushed properly, a high amount of spin can be imparted, rendering it challenging for opponents to effectively open up against such pushes. Similarly, long BH pushes also required some finesse to prevent the ball from going long. The moderate pace renders it easy to execute short pushes and drop shots. 

Serving

      The nimbleness of the SK is an asset when serving. I was able to fully engage my wrist and impart heavy backspin on short pendulum serves. The SK/H3 produced average spin levels on long topspin/sidespin serves.   

Conclusion 

     The Tibhar Shang Kun Hybrid ZC strikes me as a fine albeit somewhat unremarkable blade inasmuch it doesn’t have a clear strength or weakness. It performs admirably in all shot categories without excelling in any one. Looping is fine. Blocking is fine. Short game and serves are fine. Pushing needs a good feeling. Speed is moderate. Control is good. The feeling is a little dead. Perhaps “balanced’ is the appropriate label to pin to this blade. I have a hard time getting get too excited about blades with a stand-out characteristic. Softer European/Japanese rubbers might be a better fit for this blade and bring out more distinct offensive characteristics from the blade. Most intermediate-to-professional players who emphasize controlled looping and stable short game will likely play well it. 

 

Yasaka Falck Carbon 

     The 2019 Vice World Champion, Mattias Falck, used to use the popular Yasaka Ma Lin Soft Carbon 5+2 composite blade for many years before switching to the eponymous Yasaka Falck Carbon during the 2019 season, following a request for a slightly faster blade that retains excellent feeling for the ball. According to Yasaka, the Falck Carbon is a 5+2 composite blade for demanding attacking players, offering a superb balance between speed and feel. Yasaka gives the Falck Carbon speed/control ratings of 20/14 and described the sweet-spot as “superlarge”. By comparison, Yasaka lists the corresponding values for the Ma Lin Soft Carbon and Extra Special blades as 18/15+/xlarge and 19+/13+/xlarge.   

     The Yasaka Falck Carbon blade comes in Yasaka’s transparent and sturdy plastic clamshell box, which provides general brand information on its back. The blade has a simple but attractive design, with a straw-colored playing surface and a dark grey handle with two vertical orange stripes. The name of the blade is printed on the FH playing surface, whereas the BH side is devoid of text. A plastic lens with the blade name written in gold-on-black adorns the FH side of the handle, whereas an equivalent lens on the BH side lists “Champion Manufacturer, Yasaka, Made in Sweden”. A small rectangular gold-on-black Yasaka tag is placed on the bottom of the handle. Consistent with other Yasaka blades that I have reviewed, the playing surface and handle are rough to the touch. It is a shame that Yasaka doesn’t invest resources in giving their blades higher-end finishing touches. The core ply, which by far is the thickest ply, is surrounded by a thin blue weave of Japanese Premium Carbon (JPC), which in turn is surrounded by two thin wood plies. 

     The playing surface is of average size, with the following dimensions (height x width): 158 mm x 151 mm with a thickness of 5.8 mm. The FL handle has the following dimension (length x width x thickness): 100.8 mm x 27.1-34.4 mm x 23.3 mm. The blade is lightweight at 82 g. Bouncing a ball on the naked blade produced a main resonance frequency of 1335 Hz, which is in a similar range as the DHS Hurricane 301 (1335 Hz) or Nittaku Violin Carbon (1350 Hz).

 

Playing Impressions

Initial Feeling

      Despite being somewhat rough and unrefined to the touch, I enjoyed the balance of the Falck Carbon, which is tilted more towards the handle than the Tibhar Shang Kun Hybrid ZC. As a result, the test set-up with DHS Hurricane 3 and Spinlord Waran 2 felt lighter on the FC than on the SK despite being one gram heavier.  

Driving

      The Falck Carbon produces a soft and more reverberating feeling on FH drives than the Shang Kun Hybrid ZC. Moreover, the stronger vibrations produced on ball impact give the impression of the FC being bouncier and faster, even the speed difference between the FC and SK likely is minor. FH drives are very controllable but dip quickly after the net. This was less pronounced on BH drives with the Waran 2 short pips, which had longer trajectories and felt slightly more solid than with the SK. 

Looping

      The longer dwell time of the Falck Carbon relative to the SK, results in the noticeably greater spin generation and higher arcs for FH loops against backspin. As a consequence, my practice partner had a harder time controlling blocks and counter-topspins from the FC vis-à-vis the SK. Although the feeling on ball impact is soft, the FC’s reverberating vibrations offer useful feedback and I enjoyed excellent control of ball placement – in my opinion, the blade’s strongest asset. The bouncier nature of the FC relative to the SK, worked well in FH-to-FH loop rallies, as the shots had extra kick and arc over the net.   

      My consistency on BH hits through backspin with the Waran 2 short pips was lower than usual, something that I ascribe to the blade’s slightly longer dwell time. It felt to me as if the increased dwell time resulted in more power being imparted on the ball, rendering a greater-than-usual proportion of BH hits careening of the table end. 

Blocking

      The FC/H3 set-up absorbs the energy from incoming loops on FH blocks reasonably effectively but the livelier/bouncier nature of the FC relative to the SK meant that blocks are faster. Similarly, BH blocks were also livelier and bouncier, requiring good timing and technique. 

Smashing

     The FC/H3 combination is fast enough to win you points on FH smashes, but nowhere near as fast as equivalent setups with, e.g., Stiga Legacy Carbon or Stiga Carbonado 290. Accordingly, considerable physical effort and/or good ball placement is necessary. 

Flicking

      I was able to play controlled FH and BH flicks with relative ease. The shots are aided by the blade’s slightly flexible nature. However, my flicks, while safe and controlled, were not very fast, rendering shot placement rather important.  

Pushing

     I was able to generate more backspin on long FH and BH pushes with the FC than with the SK, presumably due to the longer dwell time. As a consequence, my practice partner had a significantly harder time looping against long pushes. While the FC is slightly flexible, this did not impede my short game, as I was able to place pushes short and low. 

Serving

     The extended contact time with the FC allowed me to impart a high amount of spin on my serves. And the blade’s slight flexibility almost acted as a spin accelerant. Yet, I enjoyed excellent control of ball placement and, thus, enjoyed the Falck Carbon for serves.

Conclusion

     The Yasaka Falck Carbon is well-suited for two-winged spin-offensive loopers. The blade has a relatively long dwell time with allows for excellent spin generation on loops, pushes, and serves. At the same time, it is sufficiently fast to generate powerful loops and counter-loops. It offers good control in the short game. Blocks livelier than with other blades, but intermediate-or-better players will not have any trouble adjusting. For me as a BH blocking short pips player, the blade did not feel solid enough, but ultra-aggressive driving/flicking short pips players like Mattias Falck or Mima Ito are proof that short pips players can use flexible carbon blades to their advantage.   



Andro Kanter CO OFF 

     According to Andro, the balsa core of the Andro Kanter CO OFF produces a soft blurred feeling on ball impact that perfectly complements the relentless hardness of the carbon weave. Thus, Andro recommends the Kanter CO for variable offensive play close to the table and half-distance with high safety and speed, dubbing it the “Featherweight Counter Attack” blade.

     The Kanter CO comes shrink-wrapped inside Andro’s sturdy standard cardboard box, which has a grey shell and yellow accents. Generic information about Andro blades is provided on the back of the box, while an identifying sticker is attached to the front lip of the black inside box. The Kanter CO looks very stylish with a light-grey playing surface that features descriptive text on the FH, but not the BH side, and a light-grey handle with a thick dark-grey white-bordered asymmetrical diagonal stripe. A silver Andro lens adorns the FH side of the handle, while a black tag listing the blade’s name, is placed on the handle butt. There is no lens on the BH side. The Kanter CO has a 5.5 mm thick balsa core, which is surrounded by a thin carbon weave and an outer ply of Fineline wood. The playing surface has the following dimensions (height x width): 157 mm x 150 mm with a thickness of 6.7 mm, while the FL handle has the following dimensions (length x width x thickness): 100.4 mm x 25.7-33.9 mm x 23.8 mm. The blade is RIDICULOUSLY lightweight at 64 g. Bouncing a ball on the naked blade produced resonance frequencies in the 1830-1895 Hz range, which by a long distance is the highest pitch that I have recorded for any blade; the Donic Ovtcharov/Original Carbospeed (1765 Hz) and Tibhar Fortino Pro (1701 Hz) are the only blades that come even remotely close. 

 

Playing Impressions

Initial feeling

     First off, a disclaimer: I believe this is the first time that I have played with a balsa blade. The set-up with H3/W2 is RIDICULOUSLY light, weighing only 155 grams, rendering it particularly suitable for kids or older players with shoulder problems. It should not come as a surprise that the set-up feels exceptionally nimble. Additionally, the blade is very comfortable to hold. The balance point is tilted towards the handle. Being so lightweight, I was concerned if the blade would turn out to be frail and break. However, as per usual, I hit the edge of the blade a couple of times while playing with no signs of damage.       

Driving

     The Kanter CO feels AWESOME on both FH and BH drives. The blade produces a uniquely soft, vibration-free feeling on ball impact, yet at the same time, the blade feels firm. FH drives are very fast (mid-to-high OFF) with long, flat, yet surprisingly controllable trajectories. I made similar observations on BH drives, which seemed more consistent than usual. The Waran 2 short pips were slightly more glassy than usual and seemed to produce more spin reversal than usual. Top marks in this category.

Looping

     The good news first: the control on FH loops with the Kanter CO is supreme. I enjoyed more than enough clearance over the net, even though the ball trajectory seemed are rather long and flat to me. The bad news? It was comically easy for my practice partner to block my loops despite my sincerest efforts to generate spin using one of the spinniest rubbers available (H3). In other words, the dwell time is too short to effectively impart high levels of topspin. However, I was able to utilize the outstanding control of the set-up to place the shots in hard-to-reach places. The blade has more than enough power to facilitate FH-to-FH loop rallies from afar. In fact, I enjoyed outstanding consistency on those shots. The firm, vibration-free feeling also worked very well on BH hits against backspin, giving me greater-than-usual confidence and consistency on these shots, which were dangerous because they were fast, flat, and significantly spin-reversed. 

Blocking

     The Kanter CO is capable of absorbing MASSIVE amounts of incoming kinetic energy both on the FH and BH side resulting in slower-than-usual-blocks that were particularly dangerous due to spin reversal on the BH side. Yet, if I tightened my forearm even minimally, I was able to accelerate the block massively, as a strong catapult effect was activated. Thus, I enjoyed outstanding consistency on blocks as long as I used the appropriate amount of tension in my forearm. When I overtightened my forearm, the ball had a tendency of flying far off the table. Another factor to consider is that the sweet-spot of the Kanter CO drops off more steeply towards the edges than with other blades. Thus, blocks are significantly slower if mistimed and hit near the edge.   

Smashing

     The Kanter CO is a beast when it comes to smashing, even with the H3 which by no means is a flat hit rubber. BH smashes with the Waran 2 short pips were lethal as well.  

Flicking

     The dull, direct, and vibration-free feeling worked very well on flicks, resulting in long, flat, and – by my standards - dangerous shots.  

Pushing

     Long FH pushes were noticeably less spinny and sat up higher than with any of the other test blades, rendering it MUCH easier for my practice partner to loop. When hitting the ball using a short sharp contact (rather than brushing it), a dangerously long and fast FH push can be generated, which proved to be a more effective strategy to quell attacks. Interestingly, long BH pushes with the Waran 2 short pips were very dangerous due to flat and fast trajectories. The Kanter CO works well in the short game because its massive catapult and fast nature aren’t revealed on these low impact shots.    

Serving

     Along similar lines, I found the Kanter CO to be slow (in fact, very slow) on short backspin serves. Thus, it was easy to lay the ball short and low, albeit with a little spin. It is easy to execute very fast and long topspin/sidespin serves but once again the level of spin is moderate. 

Conclusion

      The Kanter CO is a very interesting blade, which lends itself towards players who enjoy light blades (e.g., players with shoulder problems), who have a direct aggressive style that places less emphasis on the generation of high topspin levels, and/or who play a blocking game, especially with pimple-out rubbers, relying on high amounts of spin reversal to confuse opponents. Don’t get me wrong, two-winged loopers can also enjoy this blade, but be prepared on having to follow up your opening loops with 5th and 7th ball attacks. The blade is very slow on low impact shots, yet very fast on high impact shots. Accordingly, it requires good hands to be fully mastered. 

 

Comparative Analysis

Speed on fast impact shots (fast to slow): Andro Kanter CO > Stiga Legacy Carbon > Yasaka Falck Carbon > Tibhar Shang Kun Hybrid ZC ~ Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition.

Speed on low impact shots (fast to slow): Stiga Legacy Carbon > Yasaka Falck Carbon ~ Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition > Tibhar Shang Kun Hybrid ZC > Andro Kanter CO.

Throw angle on loops (high to low): Yasaka Falck Carbon > Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition ~ Stiga Legacy Carbon ~ Tibhar Shang Kun Hybrid ZC > Andro Kanter CO. 

Spin generation (high to low): Yasaka Falck Carbon > Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition ~ Stiga Legacy Carbon > Tibhar Shang Kun Hybrid ZC >> Andro Kanter CO.  

 

Testing Procedure 

     I tested the Tibhar Shang Kun ZC Hybrid, Yasaka Falck Carbon, and the Andro Kanter CO OFF blades (in this order) using gently used sheets of DHS Hurricane 3 (H3, black, 2.15 mm, 40-degree orange sponge, provincial version) and Spinlord Waran 2 (W2, red, 2.0 mm) in my FH and BH, respectively. I evaluated these set-ups alongside equivalent set-ups on the OFF-rated 7-ply Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition blade and the 5+2 composite Stiga Legacy Carbon. I attached the rubbers using Revolution 3 medium viscosity glue. The test set-ups weighed 175 g (SK), 176 g (Falck Carbon), and 155 g (Kanter CO). I was able to evaluate these set-ups doing various drills against a high-level practice partner for the first time since the Covid-19 lockdown. I supplemented these in-person tests with multiball-like drills at home against my Newgy 2050 robot. Mostly Nittaku J-Top training balls were used in the tests. 

 

 

 

About the Reviewer

     Patrick Hrdlicka is a table tennis enthusiast with a Ph.D. in chemistry who combines his analytical and experimental skills with his love of table tennis in order to test and review a wide range of table tennis equipment.