If you already have a table tennis blade, there is a very high chance that it is either carbon or wood.
This article is not about which one is better than the other but to pinpoint the key differences between the two most common type of blade composition.
I personally own a Donic Crest (Carbon) and Sanwei Fextra One (Wood) and have used the same rubber in both of them to test their key differences. When testing blade properties, it is important to use the same rubber (and glue) and vice versa.
Donic Crest – Carbon (Left)
Sanwei Fextra One – All Wood (Right)
Control or Feel
All-wood blades have better control because of longer “dwell time” which is the amount of time the ball leaves the blade. Carbon is inherently stiffer than wood which means you don’t get to feel the ball penetrate the blade as much as it is with wood blades. Wood blades are known to be beginner friendly since they offer better “feel” for the ball.
Power and Speed
Since carbon is more rigid, it generates more energy and power which translates to faster speed. If you want a fast-pace game, then you should consider using carbon blades. Carbon blades are known to be more suitable for advanced players.
Spin
Because of the longer “dwell time” you get that extra milliseconds contact time between your rubber and ball – that’s added brushing time to give the ball more spin. If you are the type of player who do a lot of looping (spin-oriented), then you should consider using wood blades.
Price
There is a quite significant price difference between all-wood and carbon blades. Carbon blades are cheaper and if you are budget-conscious (as most Pinoy do), you should consider buying wood blades.
Other considerations:
I’d like to talk to two more key points only because other sites have discussed blades’ durability and weight.
Durability – There seems to be a lot of people favoring the carbon blades when it comes to durability. All I can say is that ultimately it always depends on how you take care of your racket.
Weight – I find it controversial that there are comparisons between carbon and all-wood weight. “Shouldn’t a 90-gram carbon blade weigh the same as a 90-gram wood blade?” (lol).
There you have it. The decision to choose between carbon and wood blade depends on your development stage (beginner or advance), budget, and playing style.
It’s worth noting that even though wood blades are preferable for beginners and carbon are mostly used for advanced players, there are a handful of top caliber world players who uses all-wood blades.
Roel is a freelance software engineer and table tennis enthusiast based in Cebu City, Philippines. He would like to see the table tennis communities prosper which was his prime motivation to create tabletennis.ph. He is also the creator of cheapmath.com – a free math question and answer website that leverages both human and AI to solve common math problems.
