Player Level and Style
Shakehands with inverted both sides. U.S. rating 1650-1750, intermediate level. Strengths: Serve, table control, third ball attack, forehand loop, drive, and smash. Weaknesses: Many, but biggies are inconsistent footwork, timing, and backhand.Summary
The Genote F is a fast, solid feeling blade, which seems to loop better than it should. It is stiff and fast enough to be a hitter's blade, but has a softer feel, and more forgiveness than (I) expected.I got it as a 'tester' from Cole (owner of Cole's Equipment Site) in May 2007, and sent him a check very shortly thereafter. At a whopping $28, it seems a bargain.
Who Will Like It
Hitters, loopers, and drivers who like stiff, but soft feeling blades and are comfortable with a 90gram blade.Who Will Hate It
People who like light blades, flexible blades, or blades with a lot of feedback. It probably wouldn't be a top choice for control spinners, but it even does that competently.Marketing Claim
None really...Specifications
The blade seems to have a 'normal' size - not small or large. The head is roughly 155x151 mm, and 6.8 mm thick.The blade weighs in at 93.8 grams, but note that I asked for a heavy one. I think they average just under 90 grams. The handle is moderately large, with a nice shape. It is neither overly square (like some Yasaka's) nor too oval (like some Avalox's).
Blade composition is 5 plies of wood (limba?) and two (2) plies glassfiber.
The stiffness - measured by me is very close to that of my old Butterfly Kong Linghui Special, which is pretty stiff. It is slightly less stiff than last Schlager Carbon or Gergely 21 I measured.
The speed is pretty fast - I'd call it high end of OFF to the low end of OFF .
Initial Impressions
This is a nicely built Chinese blade. The face sheets have nice tight grain. I radiused the handle to face transition area, then sealed the blade with wipe-on polyurethane. I've had no problems with it while swapping rubbers, and have lost no wood whatsoever.Initially tried with 2.0 Joola Energy forehand and 2.0 Six Shooter backhand.
Playing Impressions
Solid, with almost no vibration, but still has some ball feel. I've played mostly with medium or softer sponged rubber, but it seems quite rubber tolerant. It seems to have a larger than average sweetspot - definitely bigger than my Avalox 500.Although fast and 'lively', it isn't springy. It is very reliable and stable in the short game. It seems to have a linear response, i.e. it is relatively fast on all shots. This is not a 2-speed blade, i.e. it isn't slow on soft blocks, serves, and pushes, then fast on smashes. The throw is pretty close to average - probably just on the low side. It isn't anything I had to worry about adjusting to. It has a higher throw than most thick fast balsa blades.
I was surprised at how easy it is to loop with this blade. I've never had a lot of luck with blades this stiff in the past, but this one is nice.
Overall
The Genote F is a good, versatile blade for aggressive all-around attackers. It has a lot of power, but is still quite manageable. It probably isn't the hot ticket for a control player. If you can stand a little weight, and handle the power, it would be a fine choice - especially for the $$.Interested in Purchasing a Table Tennis Blade? Buy Direct
