Review of Killerspin Kido 7P Blade

Thursday, July 10, 2008

by Greg Letts - an Australian state coach, an International Umpire and one of the top ranked players in his country.

I've reviewed Killerspin's Forza 4z rubber elsewhere, now it's time to go from software to hardware and review one of Killerspin's blades - the Kido 7P. Once again, Megaspin generously sent me a sample blade to evaluate and critique. Thanks guys!

Design Stage
The overall Kido blade series are all wood blades - no fancy carbon layers here! The 7P model is supposed to be have the best mix of speed vs control in the Kido range - Killerspin state that the blade is designed for all around players who like to play aggressively.

With that in mind, I switched to my aggressive mindset and got ready to rumble. I grabbed my Killerspin Forza 4z 2.1mm rubber and slapped that on the forehand side, and put a thinner 1.5mm Dr Neubauer Domination inverted rubber on the backhand side. I figured this would give me a good way of comparing the Kido 7P blade to my current attacking blade - a Butterfly Timo Boll Spirit on which I often use Mark V 2.0mm on both sides, and my current defensive blade - a Butterfly Matsushita Pro Special, on which I use Domination 1.5mm on the forehand.

First Impressions
Nice packaging - the blade comes in an elegant black and silver/grey box that looks good. Open the box and you won't be disappointed - the Kido 7P is a good looking blade with a attractive black/grey handle. I thought the handle was a little bit narrower than I usually like, although that's mainly the shape rather than the size - it's a rounded octagonal shape, while my Timo Boll Spirit blade is a rounded square, and the Spirit feels bigger although it's actually smaller! Other friends of mine have liked the handle straight away so you may find it suits you perfectly. One thing I definitely did like is the handle's ribbed grain finish - it's not rough but it's very good for staying grippy even when your hands are sweaty. Good thinking Killerspin.

Test Results
Enough of the fashion show - time to get down and dirty. First of all I gave the rubbers a couple of days to lose any glue effect, and then I put the Kido 7P to work.
And work it did, right off the bat(!). If I hadn't known better, I could have sworn I was using my Timo Boll Spirit with just a touch of speed glue. That old familiar feel was there, just a smidgeon faster. I rotated between my Timo Boll Spirit and the Kido 7P a few times to double-check, and by the end I was convinced - the Kido 7P definitely has the same sweet touch with a fraction more pace. What that means in playing terms is that the Kido 7P behaves well through all the gears from low to high - a good linear feel without any breaks or jumps in pace.

Looping, driving, and counterlooping are fast but controlled and you get back what you put in to the stroke. It also has that little bit of extra dwell time that really allows you to load up the spin when you want to go heavy.

The short game (blocking, pushing, serve and serve return) has excellent feel considering the speed of the blade - not as much touch as my defensive Matsushita blade but good nonetheless. The Kido 7P is a bit on the quick side for chopping, but then again it's not aimed at the defenders out there. Quite a good sweet spot for a non-carbon blade - which goes to show that it is possible to get a big sweet spot without resorting to carbon, arylate, fiberglass or anything else.

Having come to terms with the Kido 7P without glue, I couldn't resist gluing up heavily and seeing what it could do. As you would expect, the overall effect really upped the capabilities of the racket in regards to speed and spin, but without affecting the touch too much. The blade still felt pretty much the same, just in a more super-charged way. If you are planning to speed glue or boost your rubbers regularly, I'd recommend sealing the blade first. It is apparently sealed by Killerspin, but I could feel a little roughness from the wood grain when I took the rubbers off to reglue - so better to be safe than sorry and do the job yourself.

Conclusion
Killerspin have made a very good blade in the Kido 7P. It's a worthy contender for any all rounders looking for a bit more power, or any looper - fast or slow - with its extra bit of dwell time that allows you to really load up the topspin. Choppers, blockers and speed hitters should probably look elsewhere in the Kido range, since they won't be making the best use of this excellent blade.

Order Killerspin Kido 7P »

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