Well another “de-bunked” assumption of mine has been put to rest. For whatever reason I automatically assumed that a graphite faced paddle was the way to go. I mean come on it’s graphite, lightweight extremely strong who wouldn’t want that on a paddle for increased “playability”. I so stand corrected on the use of graphite, at least for the immediate future and for this review after playing with the Summit C1 this past Friday.
I had all kinds of mythical reservations about playing with a shorter table tennis handle and elongated hitting surface and a composite face.
I had it in my mind that all of those combinations would provide the worst experience for me instead of considering it or embracing it I just didn’t even ask. Maybe I just thought the more expensive material meant a better piece of equipment. Here I go again with the higher priced equipment mentality. The more I spend should mean the better the equipment plays?
The Summit C1 has a polypropylene honeycomb core across it’s face and I find that the sweet spot is more consistent across all of the paddle and not just in the center. The shorter table tennis handle I was certain was going to be too small and offer not enough grip, I was wrong there too. In fact it felt more natural in my hand than the longer tennis handle and I am 6’1”. I had better control especially on my left to right spinning server and I played the best I’ve played since I started playing in December. The added length provides a little more reach, my wrist wasn’t as fatigued and my tennis elbow while still letting me know was there was nowhere near as painful. I had some great crushing shots from the baseline and even a few Roger Federer type back hands that had great top spin on them. I found myself more confident, hitting harder and knowing I could get the shot in when necessary.
Probably the biggest difference here was having a composite face over a graphite one. My tap test put’s this paddle in the lower sound category. I find with this paddle that every shot had more feel to it. I wasn’t getting any harsh reflective shots that were bouncing off the face with little control. I can’t say for certain that anyone of these differences made my play better but the combination of all them together has me wanting more play with this paddle. I am very happy that I gave this paddle a shot and while I have several other paddles yet to review I can assure you that I will start my next game with the Summit C1.
If you are considering a new paddle and aren't sure what to get, I highly recommend that you give the Summit C1 a shot. If you want to test it out you can find me at Hill Top on Friday evenings open play. Hope to see you there.
Adam
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