In 2007 I had two Joola Chen Weixing DEF+ blades. In 2008 I had one Joola Chen Weixing DEF+ and one Joola Chen Defense DEF blade. They are my favorite table tennis blades with some exceptions. Over the years Joola has upgraded the Joola Chen Weixing DEF+ blade. The Joola Chen Defense DEF is new – was introduced to the market in 2008. Both the blades are made in Germany or Hungary.
Both the blades are not flimsy – they are solid in construction. They have 7 layers and are good for defense and attack. The types of wood that has been made in both the blades are different. The Joola Chen Weixing DEF+ has Limba outer layer while the Joola Chen Defense DEF has Samba Yellow wood. The Limba wood is popular in cut defense blades.
The handles on these blades are excellent. One reason I love these blades is because of its craftsmanship and well designed handle.
Joola Chen Weixing DEF+ blade:
Weight: 86 gm
Dimension: 158 mm x 165 mm
Joola Chen Defense DEF blade:
Weight: 88 gm
Dimension: 162 mm x 170 mm
I’ve tried out these blades while testing also other blades like TSP BalsaFiber 3.5, XIOM Aigis, Butterfly Defense II, TSP Reflex Defensive, Dr.Neubauer Combination Effect, Dr.Neubauer Barricade DF and XIOM Amadeus. I have tried also different inverted rubbers such as XIOM Omega III, XIOM ZETA, TSP Real. TSP Actor, DHS Hurricane III and long pips rubbers like TSP Curl p1R and XIOm Guillitine.
When I compare Joola Chen Weixing DEF+ with other defensive blades, this blade can be categorized as an allround blade also. The forehand of Joola Chen Weixing DEF+ is faster and the backhand is little slower. An allround player who plays defense on the backhand can use this blade – he does not need to be qualified as a modern defensive player to use this blade. While Chen Weixing DEF+ can generate good speed from its forehand, the Joola Chen Defense is slower on the forehand. I have felt the Joola Chen Defense is little more stiffer than the Joola Chen Weixing DEF+, so the modern top spin was little difficult. The Joola Chen Weixing DEF+ can generate more throw angle than the Joola Chen Defense, so the touch shots over the table has more chances to fall on the other side of the table.
At the Joola Chen Weixing Super Camp where I participated last June, I was using the Joola Chen Weixing DEF+ blade. Chen Weixing himself has shown some amazing shots with this blade to me. There are so many tricky service returns and close to the table strokes you can do with this blade. The handle of the blade will help you to do various defensive shots because the blade is easy to manuever inside the wrist. Both the blades are good for further from the table game also.
There are some exceptions to my likeness towards these blades. The Joola Chen Weixing DEF+ blade is a standard DEF+ blade with compromising weight and dimensions. The Joola Chen Defense DEF blade is bulkier than the Joola Chen Weixing. The Joola Chen Defense can accommodate more rubber so the weight of the blade will increase.
If you are a weight sensitive person, you can overcome this problem. When you put the new rubber on, align the rubber little further away from the handle. This can reduce the rubber mass on the blade.
The Joola Chen Defense DEF blade suit close to the table long pips players. If you try long pips of sponge size 0.6 mm or lower, your shots can generate moderate reversal of spin and deception. The Joola Chen Weixing DEF+ is designed for more defense and attack game, so the reversal is not available as the Chen Defense. The Joola Chen Weixing DEF+ is very good for underspin and top spin attack game. The Joola Chen Defense is suitable for defense and hitting game.
The other blade I’ve compared these blades is XIOM Aigis. The performance of Joola Chen Defense is close to the XIOM Aigis. The Joola Chen Weixing DEF+ blade has higher throw comparing to the XIOM Aigis. You can reduce the throw easily by fast forearm movement. The Joola Chen Weixing DEF+ has very good control to achieve any kind of stroke with that.
The inverted rubbers that match Joola Chen Weixing blade are spinny rubber having less speed. I don’t recommend using pips rubbers on both the sides of Joola Chen Weixing DEF+ blade. The Joola Chen Defense suit more for players who use short pips on the forehand and long pips on the backhand.
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