Class
Racquet class describes the general purpose of the product and its ability to perform various table tennis techniques. The general purpose is clear already from the name of the class: for example, those who have not yet held rackets in their hands are best suited for
1 * models, players with some experience playing regularly can pay attention to
2 *, etc. As for tricks, the more stars, the wider the available "arsenal": for example, on "one-star" models, only imitations of undercuts and top spins are available, "two-star" models allow you to perform these techniques with medium strength, and powerful undercuts and top -spins are available starting from
3*.
It is worth noting that the term “professional” in this case is somewhat arbitrary: the class is indicated for the finished racquet (see “Type”), while professional athletes prefer to collect equipment, choosing their own base and lining. Therefore,
the 5 * marking corresponds to the most advanced class among ready-made rackets, but this class is more often designed for experienced amateurs than for representatives of "big sports".
Playing style
The style of play the racquet is designed for. For each of the playing styles, the optimal indicators of speed, rotation and control (see below); the specific values of these characteristics may be different, but the general trend in models of the same style, usually, is clearly visible.
— Attacker.
The attacking style of play involves high speed — it is this indicator, usually, that dominates the characteristics of rackets of this style.
— Protective. When playing in a defensive style, the speed of the ball is relatively low, which is compensated by the abundance of technical elements such as twists and undercuts. Accordingly,
"defensive" rackets focus mainly on control (and partly on spin), and also have a design designed to dampen the high speed of the ball (in case the opponent prefers an attacking style).
— Universal. A style of play that combines attacking and defensive elements. Usually,
universal rackets have approximately equal indicators of speed and control.
Within each style there are specializations. For example, attacking racquets can be designed for top speed—or a combination of slightly slower speed with increased control; in universal models, the ratio between speed and rotation depends on which direction the emphasis is shifted in the design of the product — to attack or to protect; etc.
Also note t
...hat not only ready-made rackets, but also blades can belong to a certain style (see "Type").Base material
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Tree. A traditional material that has long been used in table tennis rackets, but has not lost its popularity to this day. This is due to the combination of low cost with practicality and ease of production. In addition, many different types of wood and many specific processing technologies are used in sports equipment, due to which this material can have different properties. As a result, the tree is very popular, it is widely used in all classes of rackets — from "beginner" 1 * to professional base blanks (see "Type").
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Polymer. This option is also known as "plastic". Actually, both of these names cover not one material, but a whole class, including substances with different characteristics and with different costs. As a result, the overall quality of a model with a resin base can vary, usually depending on the price category. At the same time, for a number of reasons, plastic is not allowed by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) as the main material for the base of rackets used in competitions; therefore, this option is not found in professional models, and it has not received distribution in non-professional models.
— Carbon. This material, also known as carbon fiber, combines carbon fiber filaments and a polymer filler. Thanks to this, carbon is characterized by extremely high characteristics of strength and rigidity at a very low weight. On the other hand, it is s
...ensitive to strong impacts and drops, the cost of carbon fiber products is quite high, and, like plastic, it is not allowed by the ITTF for officially certified rackets. As a result of all this, bases made entirely of carbon are extremely rare — in most cases this material is used in the form of inserts (see below).
— Wood + carbon insert. Bases made of wood and completed with one or more layers of carbon. The features of both of these materials are described above. Also note here that the use of carbon in a wooden base reduces weight and has a positive effect on rigidity, while the tree protects the insert from impacts, and such a construction costs much less than an all-carbon one. On the other hand, the price of such bases still turns out to be quite high, and the mentioned advantages are really noticeable only to professional athletes and experienced amateurs. Therefore, this combination is found mainly in class 5 * models.
— Polymer + carbon. Bases combining a polymer base with carbon inserts. See above for more on each of these materials, and the main advantages of this combination are that rackets are lighter and stiffer than full polymer rackets, while being less expensive and less susceptible to falls than full carbon rackets. At the same time, this combination is not as common as the other combination described above — wood + carbon; this is due to the low popularity of polymers as a base material.
– Wood + basalt insert. Bases made of wood combined with one or more layers of basalt fiber. This material has been compared to carbon (see related paragraph) in the sense that basalt is also considered a premium material and is used in rackets of the appropriate level. As for the practical properties, it is believed that such inserts improve the feeling of the ball and feedback, allowing you to achieve good controllability even on "high-speed" rackets.Number of base layers
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.
