Update Notice (12th October 2023) : The data of ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ has been changed from that of 2018 version to newer 2023 version. ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’s measured in 2023 are thicker, heavier and more elastic than those measured in 2018. TTGearLab will deal with those two versions as different blades.

Update Notice (20th September 2023) : The Performance Indices of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ and ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ were corrected.

Yasaka is one of top Japanese brands. But, for long time Yasaka has dealt with the blades made in Sweden. ‘J.P Gatien Extra’ that was launched in the middle of 1990’s is the first Swedish blade introduced by Yasaka. Afterwards Yasaka introduced new Swedish blades named after Ma Lin who had been one of the top Chinese players. Yasaka ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ is the first model of new ‘Ma Lin’ series, and it became great hit after Ma Lin won a gold medal of Men’s Singles at the 2008 Olympic Games. And, Yasaka added more models such as ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. The blades of ‘Ma Lin’ series aren’t the representatives of Yasaka blade range now because those were launched more than 10 years ago. However, those are still serious considerable. And, it is especially true in the current situation that the number of players who are using sticky rubber is gradually increasing. ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ and ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ are two core models of ‘Ma Lin’ series. In this article, TTGearLab will analyze these two models through Performance Indices and compare them with some other models in the market. Further, TTGearLab will also check the actual characteristics of two models by field testing at table tennis court.

For detailed pictures, please refer to following links :

1.  Overview

Fig.01 ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ and ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’

Left is ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ and right is ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’. The designs of the two products are identical to each other except for differences in surface materials and differences in printings in the lenses. Two models inherit the concept of ‘Gatien Extra 3D’ which is the former Yasaka blade made in Sweden. (From the graphic design of ‘Gatien Extra 3D’, the color of the side blocks of handle has been changed from navy to black, and the head printing has been added.) Between two models, the blade that Ma Lin actually used is ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’. But, since it was released before the 2008 Olympic Games, the phrase ‘Olympic Gold Medalist’ is not printed in its lens. On the contrary, that phrase is printed in the lens of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ because it is the product that was released after Ma Lin won the gold medal. These two blades became huge hits surpassing the popularity of the previous ‘Gatien’ series, and are still there are fans of these blades.

1-1. Ma Lin Carbon

Fig.02 Yasaka ‘Ma Lin Carbon’

‘Ma Lin Carbon’ is an inner-fiber blade made in Sweden. This model was released after Ma Lin won the gold medal, and was introduces as a carbon blade that provides a natural feeling close to that of pure-wood blades.

Fig.03 The construction of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’

The fiber used for ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ is Fleece Carbon which isn’t woven but spread like a tissue. It is used for the blade that should provide natural feeling and high controllability although it doesn’t fully utilize the ability of carbon fiber. The top layer is Limba. The middle layer is Akazie, and the center layer is Ayous. Fleece Carbon is inserted between the middle layer and the center layer. Overall thickness is around 5.5mm. We can expect that its elasiticity isn’t that high because it is thin and the carbon fiber isn’t woven.

Fig.04 FL (flared) handle of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’

FL (flared) handle isn’t particularly thic. But, it feels very natural and secure in the hand. The width is around 28mm at the narrowest point, and 34.5~35mm at the handle end. The thickness is 22.5mm at thumb, and 25mm at the handle end. It feels thin and wide at middle point, and very firm at the end.

Fig.05 ST (straight) handle of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’

ST (straight) handle is wide and flat. The width is very wide 29.5mm, and the thickness is very thin 21.5mm. It feels quite flat on both sides although the surface isn’t completely flat. The shape of this handle is very unique, but the stability is excellent. Probably the players with large hands will like this ST handle.

Fig.06 ‘Ma Lin Carbon’

The size of head is 158.5mm x 152mm. It is a bit larger than the standard size (= around 157mm x 150mm). The average weight of measured pcs. is around 88.6g.

1-2. Ma Lin Extra Offensive

Fig.07 ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’

‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ is a 5-ply wood blade made in Sweden. This model was developed as a blade for Ma Lin when Ma Lin signed as a contract player of Yasaka. He won gold medal with this blade of Men’s Singles in the 2008 Olympic Games.

Fig.08 The construction of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’

The blade construction of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ is based on the typical Swedish offensive 5-plywood construction using Tanne as the middle layer, but the thickness has been increased to 6.0mm and the surface is made of hard Walnut wood instead of common Limba or Koto. ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ can be compared to Stiga’s Hardwood series. Among the Hardwood series, ‘Rosewood NCT V’ is directly comparable to this blade although the surface material is different. And, Stiga ‘Intensity’ can also be comparable with ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ because of very similar blade construction. But. It is thinner than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’.

Fig.09 FL handle (left) and ST handle (right) of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’

The FL handle and the ST handle are similar to those of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. (So following description on handles is almost identical to that for ‘Ma Lin Carbon’, except for detailed values.)

FL handle isn’t particularly thick. But, it feels very natural and secure in the hand. The width is around 27.5mm at the narrowest point, and 34mm at the handle end. The thickness is 22.5mm at thumb, and 24.9mm at the handle end. It feels thin and wide at middle point, and very firm at the end.

ST handle is wide and flat. The width is very wide 29.5mm, and the thickness is very thin 21.5mm. It feels quite flat on both sides although the surface isn’t completely flat. The shape of this handle is very unique, but the stability is excellent. Probably the players with large hands will like this ST handle.

Fig.10 ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’

The size of head is 156.5mm x 151.5mm. It is smaller than that of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’, and is even smaller than the standard head size (157mm x 150mm) of many blades. The average weight of measured pcs. is 87.7g.

Fig.11 Chinese Penholder version of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’

CP (Chinese penholder) handle is available for all models in ‘Ma Lin’ series. But, the most important one is the CP version of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ because it is the blade of Ma Lin who is penholder player. The head size of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ CP is 165mm x 149mm, and the handle size is width 26.5~33mm and height 19.6~24mm.

2.  Performance Indices

Performance Indices are measured objective values to represent the characteristics of table tennis gears.. Concerning the detail of four performance indices, please refer to following articles in ‘About TTGearLab’ section :

The performance indices of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ and ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ are as follows:

Ma Lin Carbon (average weight = 88.6g)

                    Ep = 1.49

                    Ec = 1.30 (Ec/Ep = 0.88)

                    Vp = 1.09

                    Vl = 1.16 (Vl/Vp = 1.07)

Ma Lin Extra Offensive (average weight = 87.7g)

                    Ep = 1.72

                    Ec = 1.33 (Ec/Ep = 0.83)

                    Vp = 1.11

                    Vl = 1.33 (Vl/Vp = 1.20)

Fig.12 ‘Ma Lin Carbon’

‘Ma Lin Carbon’ isn’t a fast blade although it is a kind of Carbon blade. And, it is basically slower than ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’. That is because ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ is much thinner than ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ (5.5mm vs. 6.0mm) and Fleece Carbon is not as elastic as woven Carbon Fiber. The Ep (= 1.49) of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ is comparable with those of many common 5-ply wood offensive blades with moderate speed. Ec/Ep’s of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ is smaller than 1.0, and is even smaller than 0.9. So we can expect that ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ will hold the ball very deeply when players hits the ball very strongly. And, the feeling of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ isn’ that hard, although it is a Carbon blade. (That is the reason why Fleece Carbon is used for the blades of this kind.) Vl is noticeably higher than Vp. But, the difference isn’t significant. So the feeling at fingertip of index finger is also soft. Relative value (Vl/Vp) is under 1.1, and it means that the feeling at the fingertip is just a bit sharper than the basic feeling. (Some players will even feel that ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ gives almost uniform feeling across the entire blade.

Fig.13 ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’

‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ is noticeably faster than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ if we just observe the primary elasticity (1.72 vs. 1.49). But, the central elasticity of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ is just a bit higher than that of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ (1.33 vs. 1.30). As a result, the ‘Hold’ characteristic of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ when player hits the ball very strongly is much more noticeable than that of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ gives quite soft primary feeling. Its Vp is 1.11, and is just a bit higher than that of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ (= 1.09). However, ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ gives much higher value of Vl than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ (1.33 vs. 1.16). So, the relative value (Vl/Vp) is noticeably higher (1.20 vs. 1.11). Differently from ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ which gives near uniform feeling across the blade, ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ will gives very sharp ‘relative’ feeling at the fingertip of index finger.

Although ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ gives much higher value of primary elasticity, it can be slower than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ when player plays at mid-distance area, because 5-ply pure wood blades lose more energy than fiber blades during the process of deformation and restoration when player hits the ball very hard. It has become more evident after the ball was changed from celluloid ball to poly ball. That is one of the reasons why many top players replaced their pure wood blades with fiber blades although many fiber blades they selected don’t give noticeably higher elasticity than pure wood blades. However, if the player plays only at close-to-table area, more energy loss of pure-wood blades can be neglectable because timing is more important issue in that case. And, with the quite high Ep (= 1.72) we can expect that ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ will provide sufficient speed at close-to-table play. And, the low value of Ec/Ep and high value of Vl/Vp are the important characteristics of the blades for close-to-table topspin. On the contrary, ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ doesn’t provide high speed when players focus more on timing than on power at close-to-table area. However, we can expect that it will provide more power than pure-wood blade when players hit the ball very strongly with very fast swing thanks to the high energy efficiency of artificial fiber inserted in the blade. Basically ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ can be regarded as an all-purpose blade capable of any technic, thanks to its moderate elasticity. Moderate values of Ec/Ep and Vl/Vp are also the characteristics of modern all-round blades.

3.  Comparison by Performance Indices

Then we can compare ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ and ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ with some other blades. Four inner-fiber blades and six 5-ply wood blades (two Hardwood blades and three standard offensive blades) will be compared.

Following is the list of the blades to be compared :

Inner Fiber blades

  • Butterfly ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ (avg. weight = 91.2) : The standard of inner-ALC blades – 2023 version which is thicker, heavier and faster than older version measured in 2018
  • Donic ‘Waldner Senso Carbon’ (avg. weight = 84.1g) : Similar construction as ‘Ma Lin Carbon’
  • Tibhar ‘Stratus Samsonov Carbon’ (avg. weight = 88.7g) : Inner-ALC blade with reduced speed
  • Stiga ‘Allround Classic Carbon’ (agv. weight = 88.8g) : Fiber is Fleece Carbon

5-ply Hardwood blades

  • Stiga ‘Rosewood NCT V’ (avg. weight = 90.8g) : Hardwood surface and Tanne middle layer
  • Stiga ‘Intensity’ (avg. weight = 87.0g) : Similar construction as ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ but a bit thinner

5-ply blades (Offensive blades of standard type)

  • Butterfly ‘Korbel’ (avg. weight = 88.7g) : The standard of 5-ply wood offensive blades
  • Nittaku ‘Acoustic’ (avg. weight = 90.6g) : Standard 5-ply wood offensive blade made by special glue
  • Stiga ‘Celero Wood’ (avg. weight = 88.1g) : Limba surface and Tanne middle layer

3-1. Elasticity Indices

Fig.14 Comparison by Elasticity Indices

Fig.14 shows the comparison graph of Elasticity Indices.

Ep (Primary Elasticity Index) is directly concerned with the rebound speed of blade. Ec (Central Elasticity Index) is concerned with additional ‘kick’ when player hits ball very strongly.

The first group to be compared is ‘Inner Fiber’ group that includes four blades. This group can be mainly compared with ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. Among four blades, ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ (2023 version) shows noticeably higher values (Ep = 1.87 and Ec = 1.67) than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ and the other three in this group. That is mainly because ALC is woven fiber that can utilize the ability of the fiber better than fleece fiber of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’, and ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ (2023 version) is noticeably thicker than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. However, the values of ‘Stratus Samsonov Carbon’ (Ep = 1.32 and Ec = 1.24) are lower than those of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ despite its artificial material is also woven fiber. That is because of its softer material of center layer. Differently from ordinary inner-fiber blades, the center layer of ‘Stratus Samsonov Carbon’ is Kiri which is generally used for the center layer of outer-fiber blades. The influence of softer center layer isn’t serious in case the blade is thick. However, the effect of softer center layer is noticeable because ‘Stratus Samsonov Carbon’ is a thin blade. ‘Waldner Senso Carbon’ has similar blade construction as ‘Ma Lin Carbon’, and there isn’t serious difference between the Elasticity Indices of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ and those of ‘Waldner Senso Carbon’. Both of those two are made in Sweden. The most important different between two blades is that the head of ‘Waldner Senso Carbon’ is much more compact than that of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. The head size of ‘Waldner Senso Carbon’ is 153mm x 149mm while the head size of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ is 158.5mm x 152mm. This is probably one of the reason why ‘Waldner Senso Carbon’ is lighter than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’, and the weight difference will become more serious when rubbers are attached to both sides. For modern all-round play at close-to-table area, ‘Walnder Senso Carbon’ may be better, and on the contrary ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ will be better choice if player wants more power of topspin not only at close-to-table area but also from mid-distance. Finally, ‘Allround Classic Carbon’ is a bit less elastic than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ and ‘Walnder Senso Carbon’ despite its construction is similar except for the material of middle layer. I’m not sure but that is probably because of the density of Fleece Carbon in ‘Allround Classic Carbon’ is lower than that in ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. It is expected that ‘Allround Classic Carbon’ is very close to ‘Ma Lin Soft Carbon’ which isn’t included in this comparison. (TTGearLab will update the information of ‘Ma Lin Soft Carbon’ sooner or later.)

The second group is ‘5-ply Hardwood’ group that includes two blades. This group can be mainly compared with ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’. The Ep of ‘Rosewood NCT V’ (= 1.64) is a bit lower than that of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’. Probably that is because Walnut is a bit more elastic than Rosewood. But, the difference isn’t serious. And, the Ec ‘Rosewood NCT V’ (= 1.36) is just a bit higher than that of ‘Ma Lin Extra. Therefore, if only elasticity is considered, we can think that ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ and ‘Rosewood NCT V’ are very similar with each other. (But, we will soon see that there is noticeable difference in feeling.) ‘Intensity’ has very similar construction with ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ but it is a bit thinner (5.8mm vs 6.0mm). The result is that the values of ‘Intensity’ (Ep = 1.43 and Ec =1.24) are noticeably lower than those of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’. But, still ‘Intensity’ is more elastic than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. So at least at close-to-table area that timing is more important than power, ‘Intensity’ will be faster than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. But, at mid-distance area, the influence of energy efficient of artificial fiber will appear.

The third group is ‘Standard Offensive 5-ply Wood with Limba top layer’ group. (It is written simply as ‘5-ply Standard’.) This group can be compared with both of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ and ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’. The fastest one in this group is ‘Korbel’ whose Ep is 1.54 and Ec is 1.27. (And, ‘Acoustic’ is just a bit slower than ‘Korbel’. We can think that the elasticity of ‘Korbel’ and ‘Acoustic’ are almost identical to each other.) Its Ep is noticeably higher than that of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. However, its Ec is just a bit higher than that of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. And, both of Ep and Ec of ‘Korbel’ are lower than those of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ but the differences aren’t big. ‘Korbel’ will make faster ball than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ at close-to-table area because of its high Ep. But, it doesn’t guarantee that it will make more powerful ball than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ in all conditions. Again, that is because the energy loss of pure wood blade is bigger than that of fiber blade. The indices of ‘Celero Wood’ are noticeably lower than those of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. We can expect that ‘Celero Wood’ are not faster than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ even at close-to-table area. Instead, ‘Celero Wood’ will provide higher safety when players hits the ball at rising.

Examining Ec/Ep is an easier way to understand the characteristics of blade concerned with elasticity. Fig.15 shows the relationship between Ec/Ep and Ep.

Fig.15 Ec/Ep vs. Ep

Ec/Ep expresses the ‘tendency’ of the elasticity of blade. By examining Ec/Ep and Ep at the same time, we can easily understand the behavior of blades.

On the graph, all blades in this comparison (except for reference blade whose Ec/Ep = 1.00) are in ‘Hold’ range (Ec/Ep < 1.0). And, at first we can observe and compare the positions of three groups – ‘Inner Fiber’, ‘5-ply Hardwood’ and ‘5-ply Standard Wood’. So we can understand that generally inner-fiber blades don’t hold the ball as deeply as 5-ply wood blades when player hits the ball very strongly, without concerning the primary elasticity of inner-fiber blade. In case the primary elasticity is identical, 5-ply wood blades will provide higher stability than inner-fiber blades when the player hits ball at very early timing. However, if the strength of impact becomes stronger, 5-ply wood blades don’t provide sufficient level of additional kick that inner-fiber blades do provide. At the same time with the fact that fiber blades provide higher energy efficiency than pure wood blades, this may be one of the reasons why many top players replaced their 5-ply wood blades with inner-fiber blades after poly ball had been introduced.

In ‘Inner Fiber’ group, ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ is placed at the center of the group while ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ is at the right end of the group. I.e. the primary elasticity of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ isn’t that high when compared with ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’. Therefore we can’t expect high power or high speed when we hit the ball lightly. (And, there are three inner fiber blades those are even slower than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. But, if the player hits the ball very strongly, the difference will be significantly reduced because those three provides more kick than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’.) If player hits the ball lightly, 5-ply wood blades such as ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’, ‘Rosewood NCT V’ or ‘Korbel’ will make faster ball. Especially in case player plays at close-to-table area and always aims at the rising of ball. However, if the player takes more distance from the table and hits the ball with very fast swing, 5-ply wood blades don’t make sufficient power of ball that is expected from the speed of swing, while inner-fiber blades makes sufficiently powerful ball as expected.

‘Ma Lin Carbon’ will be good solution to increase power from the 5-ply wood blade with moderate speed such as ‘Celero Wood’. If the former blade is faster one such as ‘Korbel’, player should consider the playing style before replacement, because in some situation ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ will make even slower ball than former blade.

Differently from ‘Ma Lin Carbon’, ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ provides quite high primary elasticity in this comparison. And, its Ec/Ep is quite low. Therefore we can expect that it will easily make fast ball when player plays at close-to-table area and aims at very early timing. If the player lays emphasis on timing, ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ will not be insufficient, even under the standard of current table tennis. And, from the beginning ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ was developed for that kind of very aggressive play. It isn’t for all-round play, and it isn’t for the play at mid-distance area. Therefore, if the playing style of the player isn’t that aggressive, different blade such as ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ will be better solution.

Then next, let’s compare Vibration Indices.

3-2. Vibration Indices

Fig.16 Comparison by Vibration Indices

Fig. 16 shows the comparison graph of Vibration Indices. Vibration Indices are concerned with feeling. Vp indicates primary feeling which is transferred to player’s palm. And, Vl is the feeling at the edge of the wing – the lower side of blade head. It is felt by player’s index finger or middle finger.

The Vp of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ (=1.11) is a bit higher than that of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ (= 1.09). However, the Vl of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ is much higher than that of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. Therefore, ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ gives much sharper feeling to the fingertip of index finger when compared with ‘Ma Lin Carbon’, although there isn’t significant difference in primary feeling transferred to the palm.

Then we can compare the groups. The first group is ‘Inner Fiber’ group. Among four blades in this group, the blade whose Vp is the highest is ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’. However, the difference from the Vp’s of other three blades isn’t significant. The Vp’s of ‘Waldner Senso Carbon’ and ‘Stratus Samsonov Carbon’ (= 1.11) are identical to that of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’, and a bit higher than that of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. And, ‘Allround Classic Carbon’ gives the lowest value of Vp (= 1.05). But again, it is just a bit smaller than the Vp of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. Regarding Vl, the Vl’s of ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’, ‘Waldner Senso Carbon’ and ‘Stratus Samsonov Carbon’ are higher than that of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’, and lower than that of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’. The differences of Vl’s are more noticeable than those of Vp’s.

The second group is ‘5-ply Hardwood’ group. The Vp’s of two blades in this group (= 1.10) are just a bit higher than the Ep of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’, and a bit lower than the Vp of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’. And, the Vl’s of two blades are very close to the Vl of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’. We can observe that overall shape of the graphs of two blades – ‘Rosewood NCT V’ and ‘Intensity’ – is very similar to that of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’.

The third group is ‘5-ply Standard Offensive’ group. The Ep’s of the three models in this group (= 1.07, 1.03 and 1.01 respectively) are lower than the Vp of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. So these three models are softer than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. However, the Vl’s of ‘Korbel’ and ‘Acoustic’ are higher than the Vl of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. So the feeling of these two blades is sharper at the fingertip of index finger, while the primary feeling of these two blades are softer than the feeling of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’.

Examining Vl/Vp is an easier way for the comparison of the tendency of feeling. Fig.17 shows the relationship between Vl/Vp and Vp for easier comparison.

Fig.17 Vl/Vp vs. Vp

On the graph, all blades (except for reference blade) in this comparison are placed in upper parts of the graph – ‘Relatively sharper at finger’ range. And, the range of each group is clearly distinguished.

‘Inner Fiber’ group is placed at the lowest position. And, all blades in this group except for one are in ‘Near Uniform’ range. The feeling transferred to index finger is sharper than the feeling transferred to palm. But, the difference isn’t significant. One exception among the inner-fiber blades in this comparison is ‘Stratus Samsonov Carbon’ whose Vl/Vp is higher than 1.0.

‘5-ply Standard’ group is placed at top left of ‘Inner Fiber’ group. The primary feeling of the average of this group is softer than that of ‘Inner Fiber’ group. But, the blades in this group provides noticeably sharper feeling at index finger than at palm, because all three blades are in ‘Relatively sharp at finger’ area (Vl/Vp > 1.1).

‘5-ply Hardwood’ group is placed at top right of ‘5-ply Standard’ group, or at top of ‘Inner Fiber’ group. So this group is basically harder than ‘5-ply Standard’ group, and gives even sharper relative feeling at index finger. If you just see the average of group, the primary feeling of this group is similar to that of ‘Inner Fiber’ group, however this group gives significantly sharper relative feeling at index finger when compared with ‘Inner Fiber’ group.

The feeling of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ is moderate and almost uniform. Its Vp is just a bit higher than that of ‘Korbel’, and its Vl/Vp is under 1.10. It gives a bit sharper feeling at index finger, but it isn’t significant. On the contrary, Vl/Vp of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ is very high. It gives definitely sharper feeling at index finger, while its primary feeling is also harder than that of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’.

It is expected that ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ is a very versatile blade that fits for various kind of technics. Although it doesn’t have a strong personality, at least most players will have no trouble getting used to and using it. It will be good that we think it as the all-round blade with enhanced power. On the contrary, ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ is a blade with very strong personality that is specific to a particular playing style. That kind of blade fits for very aggressive play that always aims at rising of ball. But, there will be players who will never get used to the feeling of ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’.

4.  Field Test

‘Ma Lin Carbon’ and ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ were tested briefly at table tennis court. In fact, these blades have been tested many times because those were launched more than 10 years ago. Therefore, the basic characteristics of those two blades have been very well known. At this time, the check point was whether those two blades fit for poly ball and some recently launched rubbers including sticky tension rubbers.

Fig.18 ‘Ma Lin Carbon’

The first impression of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ is that it is soft and very easy to control. When performing basic offensive strokes by light hitting, the speed of ball is moderate, but there isn’t any impression that the ball is too slow. The vibration absorption isn’t as fast as the inner fiber blade with Arylate Carbon for example ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’. So the vibration of blade remains longer, and is transmitted to hand clearly. That vibration doesn’t give an unpleasant feeling. It just helps the player to feel the impact between the ball and the blade more clearly. However, if the player doesn’t like the vibration of 5-ply wood blades such as ‘Korbel’, that player will not like ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ because it vibrates as if it is a 5-ply wood blade.

Thanks to the reduced elasticity and clear feeling, it is really easy to perform various technics with ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. But, if the impact becomes strong, the speed of ball becomes higher than expected. That unexpected high speed is even more noticeable when the player performs smash. When smashing, the soft feeling disappears and the stiff feeling of carbon fiber comes out, and makes very fast ball.

The power of topspin depends on the ability of player. Although ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ isn’t a highly elastic blade, it provides enough power for rally by continuous topspin if the player performs the topspin properly with strong impact force. But, ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ will not be suitable if the player frequently uses a very powerful shot for closing the rally. ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ fits for the players who mainly play with continuous topspin, and lay emphasis on the control, safety and stability of rally.

Fig.19 ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’

‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ is definitely faster than ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ when performing basic offensive strokes by light hitting. And, its feeling is also definitely harder than that of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ as expected. Further, if the player raises the speed of swing and the strength of impact, it holds ball very deeply. Although the feeling of the surface is hard, ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ gives extra stability when player performs very aggressive topspin. The feeling of block isn’t as good as that by ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. Counter-topspin is easier to perform than block. There isn’t room of complaint as long as the player plays at the area very close to table. And, the speed of the topspin from mid-distance area is higher than expected. Therefore it may be sufficient for ordinary players. However, skilled players will soon notice that the ball lack heavy rotation as expected from the speed of ball. If the player tries to put heavy spin on the ball continuously, the player’s stamina is quickly consumed. We’d better consider ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ as a blade which is specified for very aggressive close-to-table topspin.

Recently, interest in 5-ply wood blade has reduced, and many players are moving to fiber blades. However, if the player isn’t a professional player and plays only at close-to-table area, the performance of some fast 5-ply wood blades such as ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ will not be insufficient.

Regarding the combination with rubber, ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ makes good harmony with almost any type of rubber. On the contrary, ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ makes good combination with the rubber whose performance is focused on spin and whose sponge is very hard. (For example Butterfly ‘Tenergy 05 Hard’ or Chinese sticky rubbers such as ‘Neo Hurricane 3’.)

Both of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ and ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ makes good harmony with recent sticky tension rubbers made in Germany or Japan, for example Donic ‘Blue Star’ or Butterfly ‘Dignics 09c’. Those combinations don’t give any inconvenience that is seem from the combinations of those rubbers with some fiber blades, and are very easy to control. Sticky tension rubbers are recommended for the combination at the face that will be used for continuous topspin. Non-sticky tension rubbers will be better for the face that will be used for more various technics.

Below are the testers’ opinions on the ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ and ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’. Testers are distinguished by the color of indicator. (Red and green.)

5.  Summary

Yasaka ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ and ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ are the blades launched more than 10 years ago, but are expected to be seriously considerable also for poly ball. The result can be summarized as follows:

‘Ma Lin Carbon’ is the inner-fiber blade of moderate speed. And, it holds the ball when player hits the ball very strongly, but not as deeply as 5-ply wood blades. Its feeling is also moderate, and the feeling transferred to index finger is a bit sharper than the feeling transferred to the palm, but the distribution of feelins is near uniform. ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ can be recommended for all-round players who want to play with various table technics. ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ is an almighty blade that makes everything possible. But, the power of the ball depends on the ability of player.

‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ is the 5-ply wood blade with hard top layer. Its basic elasticity is much higher than that of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. And, it holds the ball very deeply when player hits the ball very strongly. Its basic feeling is stiffer than that of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’, but the difference isn’t significant. On the contrary, its relative feeling at index finger is noticeably sharper than that of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’. ‘Ma Lin Extra Offensive’ is recommended for aggressive players who play with topspin at close-to-table area and mainly aim at rising of the ball.

In addition, the ST handle of these two models is very unique. It is wider and thinner than most of the other ST handles in the market, and provides excellent stability of grip. It is strongly recommendable for the players who lay emphasis on the stability of grip.

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to TTGear Lab with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The dates on TTGearLab follow the time in London, United Kingdom.