Killerspin Jet400 Smash N2 Ping Pong Paddle, Table Tennis Racket, Table Tennis Equipment for Intermediates/Advanced, Table Tennis Paddle with 5-Ply Wood Blade, Black/Red

First off, I consider myself as someone just entering the intermediate level of table tennis play. I found I could not play with generic rackets, but when I played with some friends' cheap Stiga rackets I was able to improve my game to intermediate. My personal play style uses lots of spin. I am inconsistent with my forehand slams, but have control with my backhand.I purchased this Killerspin because of the high speed/spin/control ratings, the review ratings, and the relatively inexpensive price tag in order to improve my game over the cheap rackets we were using, and here is what I found.The following comments are based on my experience. Keep in mind they are in regard to my personal play style and I hope that you are able to use the review to accurately gauge how you can use the racket: I have had this racket for two to three months.1) This racket has a ton SPIN on it. It takes getting used to for the person using it, as well as the opponent. With very little movement, there is a great amount of spin placed on it. I find I can get many more points off of a well spun/placed serve, and can throw people off with the exaggerated spin in different directions while in play. (I use a lot of spin in my normal play, so I can control spin pretty well).2) This racket has a ton of SPEED on it. So much speed that I have to re-learn how to slam it with my forehand. My backhand slam still works pretty well, but I can't keep it on the table with my forehand anymore. Prior to using this racket, I could return a slam from my opponent by stationary blocking, but now when they slam it, if I do that, it bounces back over the table completely. You would need to pull the paddle back as you blocked to try to reduce the return bounce, unless you can control the slam back, or change the angle of return appropriately.3) The CONTROL on this racket is okay, but not great. Because of my difficulty with the speed, particularly when slamming, my control of the ball has shot down. I will require a lot more practice to gain the necessary control.My opponents: I play a two to three times a week for about 30-60 minutes. Prior to using Killerspin, my opponents often beat me overall, though sometimes I would win the majority of games. After using this racket, and getting some practice, and allowing my opponents to get used to it, I am hard to beat (they are at an intermediate level as well).You should know that I do not feel like I am any better at the game (in fact I feel as though I've lost skill). Adapting to this racket is difficult, and since I've lost so much control I don't slam as much. Without a doubt, though, it gives the ability to go from intermediate to pro if you can master the speed and control with the racket. The spin is very good, and I've enjoyed using it so far. I need a lot more practice in order to master it, but it's a very good racket.As a potential alternative, my friends bought an intermediate Stiga (I think the Supreme). I enjoyed using that one as well. It has less spin potential, and a lot less speed, but the control gain is very nice, in my opinion. I do not know which I prefer.I hope this helps!

This is a great upgrade from my old college racket. I purchased a ~$20 Stiga racket ages ago and have been continuing to use it much to my dismay. Slipper rubbers? Yikes. With the help of some generous family this past holiday season, I was able to purchase this racket without impacting the wallet. I have only a couple things to say about this product, all of them shining compliments.Fantastic spin, speed, and control (when I strike the ball correctly). Although I am not by any means a competition quality player, this racket has improved my game dramatically in a few short sessions. I am no longer fighting a racket that produces lousy spin or unpredictable sponge response. Balance is fantastic for me. The mass center appears to be near the lower 1/3rd of the racket face, giving it a nice feel either defensively or offensively. Though Killerspin's website ranks this racket a 7, it appears to be plenty of speed at this point in my ability.Pros: The racket has a seemingly great build with spinny, controlled response.Cons: I can no longer blame my racket for my play being bad.

I hadn't played ping pong in many years, then joined the local senior center just to play.. I didn't realize that it was full of retired ringers.. so, someone there suggested this paddle, or the one down from this.. but I "thought" I would quickly go back to being an average player.. I always played on sandpaper or the nubby paddles, never anything like this.. This is very fast, and the ball does not slip on it at all.. So, straight and controlled shots only for me. I would actually prefer the old sandpaper paddles to this, but nobody uses them any more.

I grew up using stock wood paddles with the rubber dimples (no sponged surface) and developed a pretty consistent flat hitting game. I wanted to upgrade my play with more spins and decided to try the Killerspin 400.I'm still trying to get used to the paddle. First of all, the handle felt a bit short to me using my handshake grip. I gripped my paddle like a tennis racket (as I also play tennis) which forced me to slightly rotate my paddle grip depending if I was hitting a backhand or forehand. With the shorter handle, it was tougher to rotate the paddle quickly. This worked as I primarily hit 80% of my shots with my more consistent backhand. My forehand was my smash shot when I decided to take it. But after watching some YouTube ping pong tutorials, I realized that my grip was wrong. I changed my grip so that my index finger wasn't wrapped around the handle but instead was resting on the rubber almost parallel to the bottom edge. This grip allowed me to hit a backhand and forehand without rotating the paddle at all. It also allowed me to swoop at the ping pong ball with more topspin arc or slice it.Well this paddle definitely added a lot more spin to my shots and serves when I hit them properly. However, I felt like my return of service was hindered significantly when I was facing an opponent with a good spin serve or a speed serve. Off serves, the ball flew off this paddle vs a cheap wood dimpled paddle which dampened much of the spin and provided a simple rebound of force to return the ball. My serve itself though has improved as I can hit it with more spin which has resulted in some easy points won.In rallys, I feel my control has lessen vs a wood non-sponged paddle. But I'm trying to transition my game from being a flat hitter to player that can hit with spin or flat so I can reach a higher level of play. This transition is still in progress and I can't say I'm totally comfortable with this paddle yet. I've only owned it 1 week though. I think over time, I will get used this paddle and begin to play back up to my same level of consistency but with more spins which will hopefully result in more easy points won.Bottom line, if you're a player that has only played with wood non-sponged paddles, this paddle will take some time to get used to. If you're already an advanced player that likes to slice or topsin the ball, I believe this paddle will suit you really well. Definitely harder to control my hits if I strike the ball wrong vs a more forgiving non-sponged paddle. If you hit the ball wrong with this paddle, the ball will fly off. So if you're a beginner, I wouldn't recommend this paddle. You definitely should be an intermediate player who already has decent control, which I did but am still adjusting.Give the price of this bat, I would recommend the inexpensive Stiga T6940 paddle cover (under $8 via Amazon) to keep the rubber on the paddle in top shape. Also, I read on the internet that you should wipe both sides of the rubbers with a slightly damp sponge to remove any dust to extend the life of the tackiness of the rubbers.Good luck and go Ping Pong!P.S. Killspin - if you're reading this review, what's up with the Killerspin sticker than goes over around the paddle. My came with air bubbles that I had to flatten and even then couldn't get rid of them all. For over $40, I was expecting that the sticker to be flush to the paddle.