Comparison Butterfly Timo Boll Carbon vs YINHE Milky Way 08B Carbon

— Racquet. This type includes classic table tennis rackets, supplied fully assembled and ready to play out of the box; they are sold one at a time and are not equipped with additional equipment such as a net or balls (however, they can be supplemented with covers, see below). It is often more convenient and cheaper to buy a ready-made racquet than to assemble a sports equipment on your own. This is true primarily for beginner athletes and amateurs; but for professional use, this option is considered less suitable than a self-assembled racquet. However, ready-made rackets of all classes (see below) and price categories are available today.

— Foundation. The base is the part of the racquet that includes the handle and the rigid plate on which the pads are attached. Actually, to turn the base into a full-fledged racquet, it is necessary to install overlays on it. This option is not very convenient for beginners and intermediate players, however, professionals often prefer to choose their own blade and rubber combination, not trusting the selection and assembly of sports equipment manufacturers. Therefore, models of this type, usually, belong to the top class, use advanced materials and are not cheap — to the point that some “bare” blades are more expensive than ready-made rackets with similar blade characteristics.

— Kit. The sets include sets that include, in addition to the finished racquet (see above), also additional...sports equipment — tennis balls, and sometimes a net. In addition, there can also be several rackets; see below for details on items included. The convenience of this option is obvious: having bought a set, you can immediately get everything you need for a match (except maybe a table). Most of these kits are made for beginners, but there are exceptions — some kits quite reach 5 stars (see "Class").

Table tennis rackets have 3 main practical characteristics: speed, spin and control. The general class of the product, the style of play (see above), the available techniques, the requirements for the player's skills, etc. depend on their values and ratio. One of the most popular designation options is on a hundred-point scale; This scale is also used in our catalogue.

The speed indicator describes how fast the ball will move after contact with the racquet. High speed values are extremely important for an attacking style of play.

Table tennis rackets have 3 main practical characteristics: speed, spin and control. The general class of the product, the style of play (see above), available techniques, requirements for player skills, etc. depend on their values and ratio. One of the most popular designation options is on a hundred-point scale; This scale is also used in our catalogue.

The higher the spin number, the more the ball will spin with the corresponding hit and the better the racquet is suitable for various twisting techniques.

Table tennis rackets have 3 main practical characteristics: speed, spin and control. The general class of the product, the style of play (see above), available techniques, requirements for player skills, etc. depend on their values and ratio. One of the most popular designation options is on a hundred-point scale; This scale is also used in our catalogue.

Control describes the overall handling of a racquet; Roughly speaking, this is an indicator of how easily it can be used to give the tennis ball exactly the speed, direction of flight and rotation that the athlete wants to provide. In principle, high values on the control scale will be comfortable regardless of the level of the player and the style of play; however, increasing the speed/rotation has a negative effect on control, as a “faster” or “twisting” racquet is usually more demanding on the accuracy of movements. Therefore, many models for professionals and experienced amateurs, usually, are distinguished by a low degree of controllability, and “beginner” rackets, on the contrary, have high control indicators and low speed / rotation.

The number of layers that make up the base of the racquet. Theoretically, the number of layers affects the degree of rigidity and elasticity of the base and, accordingly, the characteristics of the rebound of the ball. However, in fact, this moment is irrelevant for the simple reason that the materials used (see above), the presence of inserts, build quality, sponge thickness (see below), etc. also affect the mentioned characteristics. And given that modern table tennis rackets are very diverse (for example, wooden models can use different types of wood), the number of layers is today an exclusively reference parameter, which in itself does not affect the practical characteristics of a particular model.

Sponge is the bottom layer of the lining, located under the outer coating (rubber is most often used for such a coating). The thickness of the sponge determines the characteristics of the impulse that the racquet transmits to the ball, and, accordingly, the characteristics of the flight of the ball after the impact; in other words, this indicator affects all three practical characteristics of the racquet - speed, rotation, control. Accordingly, models for different playing styles (see above) also differ in sponge thickness.

So, a small thickness - up to 1.5 mm - is typical for protective style products, which are distinguished by low speed and good control. All-purpose rackets use sponges of the order of 1.5 – 1.8 mm, which provides a balance between speed and control. And thick sponges - from 2 mm - are installed in rackets for an attacking game, and the greater the thickness, the higher the speed and rotation, and the worse the control.

This racquet is ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) certified.

ITTF — International Table Tennis Federation — is a worldwide organization that is responsible for developing official rules for international competitions and monitoring their implementation. These rules also include technical requirements for equipment used in international competitions. The presence of an official ITTF certificate is mandatory for the admission of equipment (including rackets) to such competitions; in other words, to participate in an official international tournament, you will definitely need an ITTF-certified racquet. However, in fact, the presence of a certificate is more important, taking into account another point: the ITTF puts forward rather stringent requirements for the quality of equipment. This has a positive effect on the quality of certified products, but also puts forward some restrictions: for example, the racquet base must consist of at least 85% wood (see "Base Material"), and some types of spikes on the rubbers are prohibited.

It is worth noting that rackets of almost any class (see above), even very inexpensive models, can have an ITTF certificate. Also, a certificate can be issued for sets — usually, this means that all complete equipment (net, balls, etc.) meets the ITTF requirements, but bases (see "Type") do not pass certification: a self-assembled racquet may turn out not...meeting ITTF standards, even if the base itself fits these standards perfectly.

The total weight of the racquet or blade (see "Type"). Usually, in the first case, the weight values are in the range of 140 – 180 g; occasionally there are lighter models, mainly these are rackets of the "beginner" class 1 * (see above). For most bases, this figure is 50 – 100 g.

In general, lighter racquets are considered better suited for beginner players — in particular, light weight contributes to good control. And trained professionals can use more "weighty" inventory. In addition, it is believed that heavy rackets are better suited for the attacking style of play (see above), while light rackets are more convenient in defense. Well, anyway, the choice of weight depends on personal feelings: the racquet should not seem either too light or too heavy.

The presence of a cover in the scope of delivery of the product. Note that this accessory can be supplied not only as part of a set (see "Type"), but also with a separately sold racquet, but bases for rackets with covers are not sold.

The purpose of the cover is obvious: it facilitates and simplifies the transportation of the racquet, providing protection from unwanted contacts with surrounding objects and other unwanted influences that can damage the working surface of the product. Cases can have a different design and layout: some racquet is placed entirely, others cover only the pads, leaving the handle outside. Theoretically, the cover can be purchased separately or even made independently, but this is associated with unnecessary hassle, while the complete accessory fits optimally with the racquet and does not require any extra effort.