Rook...more questions.
Table Tennis Equipment
Last updated 8 years ago
James Lindberg Asked 12 years ago
I'm debating on if the Rook is the bat for me.
When looking at other sites, they have all kinds of information about their bats.
Do you have any "ratings" for the ROOK. Such as speed, control, and weight?
What about the rubbers? I see you state Lion rubbers, but which ones? How thick?
Is it a straight or flared handle?
What is the blade made out of?
Are the rubbers replaceable?
I'm just an above average recreational player but want to step up a little bit in my game. I'm only using a cheap low level store bought bat that's probably 10yrs old. My play is all around, the backhand is my main defense.
I've been looking at the yasaka extra with Mark V as my other choice.
Thanks.
Alois Rosario Answered 12 years ago
Hi James,
Thanks for your queries about the Rook.
The bat weighs 185grams with the rubber. The blade is a 5 ply wood. It is fairly soft to give you good control. It has a flared handle.
The rubber is Lion 5 Star rubber with 2mm sponge. It has ratings of Speed 7, Control 9, Spin 9. I don't worry too much about ratings more about how the bat plays. It is a very good control bat that will offer you good spin to develop your game. It is intended for a player starting out or having played up to 2 years.
The rubbers are replaceable once you have "out grown" them.
The Yasaka extra with Mark V is a bit faster than the Rook.
Hope this all helps.
Thoughts on this question
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James Lindberg Posted 12 years ago
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 12 years ago
No problems. Going to a club or anything new like that is always interesting if not a little daunting the first time.
Let us know how it works out.
James Lindberg Posted 12 years ago
I called the local club president and told him of my desire to purchase the Rook. He had no clue about it, but did ask what rubber was used. I told him LION and he responded that those rubbers are not USATT approved rubbers and if I wanted to play in any tournaments and such, I wouldn't be able to use the Rook.
Do you anticipate adding any USATT legal rubbers to the Rook? I could imagine that I could just remove the LION rubbers and replace them, but I think there are other bats that I could purchase without doing so.
I guess I need to do a lot of homework to purchase the right bat for me that is similar to the Rook. Any suggestions on USATT approved bats?
Is the yasaka I mentioned earlier close to the rook at all?
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 12 years ago
Hi James,
The Lion Rubber that we use is definitely ITTF approved. This is from the ITTF list of approved rubbers. The USTTA would use the ITTF approved list directly.
There may be some other rubbers that are not but the one on the Rook is OK.
Let your club president know of this.
James Lindberg Posted 12 years ago
Thank you again Mr. Rosario.
I pointed this out to the club president. Seems he didn't even know that you could use ITTF equipment in USATT events, even though it is clearly stated as so. Sorry for the confusion and trouble. Thank you again for your help!
As I suspected, I am very much a beginner in the realm of "real" table tennis. Thankfully, the members were very helpful and I'll be back for more.
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 12 years ago
Vivan Jain Posted 8 years ago
Hi Alois,
I had purchased the Touch on maybe around 11th of October. Do you think I made the right choice? Because I've only been playing 'real' table tennis for around 4.5-5 years.
Alois Rosario from PingSkills Posted 8 years ago
Yes, the Touch will be good for you Vivan.