Offensive blade with plenty of spin and a very unique feel (OFF-)

The BASALT is our responsive synthetic-fiber blade designed for players who fall between the all-around and offensive styles. The combination of basalt fiber and a thick spruce outer veneer gives it plenty of speed and spin potential without turning it into an uncompromisingly fast offensive blade.

Here's how Basalt works

The BASALT falls in the mid-to-aggressive range in terms of speed. You get enough speed for an active attacking style, but you don't have to hit every ball with perfect timing to keep the blade under control.

The ball contact is rather soft and responsive. The 1.0 mm-thick spruce outer veneer lets you clearly feel the ball at the point of contact and supports a spin-oriented style of play. Especially when hitting topspin, this helps you send the ball over the net not only quickly but also with plenty of spin and a higher arc.

Even with more controlled shots, the BASALT remains easy to control. The sweet spot, which is enlarged by the basalt fiber, ensures that not every ball hit slightly off-center is immediately penalized. This makes placement and controlled counterplay more enjoyable.

His strength, therefore, lies less in his uncompromising finishing and more in his versatile offensive play: opening up the court confidently, using spin, placing the ball well, and accelerating when necessary.

BASALT GAME FEATURES :

• moderate pace, with a soft ball contact
• enlarged sweet spot
• easy to control
• Low vibration, resulting in clear feedback
• much less stiff than carbon clubs
• High bounce with a nice trajectory
• long ball contact time

BASALT VENEER CONSTRUCTION

• WOOD: BASALT
• OUTER VENEER: 1.0 MM SPRUCE
• INTERLAYER: 0.8 MM AYOUS
• CORE VENEER: 2.4 MM KIRI
• THICKNESS: APPROX. 6.2 MM
• LAYERS: 5-PLY + 2 LAYERS OF SYNTHETIC FIBER
• SYNTHETIC FIBERS: BASALT FIBER

GAME FEATURES

• GAME TYPE: ALL-ROUND TO OFFENSIVE BLADE
• SPEED: HIGH
• HARDNESS: MEDIUM-HARD
• CONTROL: HIGH
• TRAJECTORY: HIGH
• VIBRATION: MEDIUM
• FAULT TOLERANCE: HIGH

This blade will help you with that

Above all, the BASALT helps you build your offensive play in a controlled manner.

You’ll get plenty of contact time with the ball and feel to deliberately execute topspins and generate a lot of spin. At the same time, the basalt fiber provides additional stability and speed. The BASALT is by no means a slow all-around blade; rather, it has decent baseline speed.

If a stiff carbon blade feels too direct or simply a bit “dull” at impact, the BASALT is an interesting alternative: You retain the support of a synthetic fiber, but get a much more natural feel.

Here's what you should look for before buying

• The BASALT isn't a blade designed for maximum top speed. If you want to win mainly through speed and power, there are more aggressive alternatives.
• Its responsive, spruce-influenced character is intentionally livelier than that of very hard and stiff carbon blades. In other words, it vibrates a little more and has a more explosive response.

Alternatives from the SOULSPIN lineup

Various Offensive - The slower alternative to Basalt: If you want a similar emphasis on spin and feel, but control and error tolerance are even more important to you. The Various Offensive is slower and designed more for classic all-around players.

Z-Carbon - The Faster Alternative: If the BASALT is a little too slow for you. The Z-Carbon remains more spin-friendly and responsive than classic hard carbon blades, but is clearly classified as more offensive. It plays harder than the Basalt, but is nowhere near as stiff and hard as, for example, the Speed Offensive.

Our Conclusion on Basalt

The BASALT is ideal table tennis blade for players who play offensively but don’t prioritize maximum speed above all else when choosing equipment. It focuses on a responsive feel, high spin potential, and an offensive pace that’s easy to control. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for maximum power, you should check out the faster offensive blades in the SOULSPIN lineup.