Z-CARBON SPEED—  our hardest and fastest table tennis blade (OFF++)

TheZ-CARBON SPEED IS DESIGNED FOR PLAYERS WHO NEED A VERY HIGH PACE AND CAN HANDLE IT. IDEAL FOR VERY FAST TOPSPINS, EVEN FROM A DISTANCE FROM THE TABLE. ALSO GREAT FOR POWERFUL SHOTS AND DANGEROUS COUNTERATTACKS. DEFINITELY NOT A TABLE TENNIS BLADE FOR BEGINNERS.

It is designed for experienced offensive players who actively seek out and can control this speed. The relatively thick spruce outer layer gives the blade a slightly more "wooden" feel than one would expect from a very stiff carbon blade. 

Here's how the Z-CARBON SPEED plays

In this blade, the Z-Carbon fiber is located directly beneath the spruce top veneer. This makes the construction very stable, and the blade feels quite stiff when played.

The result is a short, very direct ball contact. When you make clean contact with the ball, your movement is instantly converted into speed. This means that, especially with fast topspins, counterattacks, and shots, you don’t have to generate much additional acceleration from the blade itself.

There’s a downside, too: at this speed, control and error tolerance decrease. The Z-Carbon Speed is therefore not a club that masks technical shortcomings and is thus not suitable for beginners. On the other hand, clean technique is rewarded with plenty of power and speed.

Despite its stiffness, the Z-Carbon Speed doesn’t feel completely “dead.” The relatively soft and thick spruce top veneer adds a bit of that woody feel to the otherwise very direct play. So it’s a good fit for players who aren’t looking for a rock-hard carbon blade, but want a little more feel and good spin potential.

The Strengths of the Z-CARBON SPEED

The key point about this blade is this: The Z-Carbon Speed isn't meant to give you more confidence. It's designed to provide players who already have the necessary confidence with more speed.

If you already have sufficient control from your technique, you'll get a blade that doesn't slow down your topspin, counterattacks, and shots much. Especially from a distance, the high speed helps you play consistently powerful shots and make life difficult for your opponent.

What makes the Z-CARBON SPEED so extremely fast?

The secret — as the name suggests — is Z-CARBON fiber. A high-performance synthetic fiber used in various fields, such as motorsports. What makes it special is its extremely high strength combined with its low weight.

When it comes to table tennis rackets , this means that the blade can be made extremely stable or and hard  without significantly increasing its weight. The harder a table tennis blade is, the faster the ball bounces off the blade and, accordingly, gains a lot of speed. 

Z-CARBON SPEED VENEER CONSTRUCTION

• BLADE: Z-CARBON SPEED
  
  
• OUTER VENEER: 0.8 mm Spruce

• INTERLAYER: 1.0 mm Kiri

• CORE VENEER: 2.0 mm Kiri

• THICKNESS: approx. 6.2 mm

• LAYERS: 5 layers of wood + 2 layers of synthetic fibers

• SYNTHETIC FIBERS: Z-CARBON in outer layers

GAME FEATURES

• GAME TYPE: Offensive blade
• SPEED: very fast
• HARDNESS: very hard
• CONTROL: low
• FAULT TOLERANCE: low
• VIBRATION: low
• TRAJECTORY: flat

While using HiTec fibers alone makes a table tennis blade fast, that alone doesn't make it a good table tennis blade. Just as important is the skillful combination of suitable wood types and veneer thicknesses.

For the Z-CARBON SPEED, we placed the Z-Carbon fabric on the outside, directly beneath the relatively thick top layer made of spruce. The outer fibers enhance the firm feel and provide even more speed. This is precisely why the Z-CARBON SPEED isour fastest table tennis racket.

To ensure that the  table tennis bladedoesn't lose too much feel despite its hardness, we also use an -thick outer layer made of relatively soft spruce.

The Alternative to the Z-CARBON SPEED

If you find this table tennis racket too fast and too stiff, you should check out the slightly softer offensive blade Z-CARBON: we use the same carbon fibers in this table tennis blade. However, these fibers  are laid directly on the core veneer and are covered by the intermediate layer and the outer veneer . This softens the blade slightly and gives it a softer feel. In other words, the Z-CARBON is just a little slower than its counterpart, making it easier to control.

Our Conclusion

The Z-Carbon Speed is designed for players who are looking for one thing above all else in a blade: a lot of speed. It rewards clean offensive technique with a hard, direct, and fast ball bounce, but in return demands significantly more control from the player. If you’re clearly leaning toward speed over “more safety” when making your choice, this is the right racket for you.