DHS Fangbo Series B2 Aromatic Carbon 7-ply Table Tennis Blade

Double Happiness has recently released several 5+2 ply composite blades including the DHS Hurricane 301x, the DHS Classic 08X, and the DHS Fang Bo Carbon B2X, an updated and faster version of the DHS Fang Bo Carbon B2, that the 2015 Men’s Singles vice-world champion supposedly used. In this test, I was given an opportunity to try out the two Fang Bo blades.

     As usual, it is hard to find technical background information for the DHS blades. The Fang Bo Carbon B2 (B2) is composed of five ayous and limba plies, and two arylate carbon plies that surround the core. The blade is touted to offer unyielding power, good handling, and stable looping, and is recommended for game styles close to the table and mid-distance. The Fang Bo Carbon B2X (B2X) was designed with a slightly thicker core to give a power boost relative to the regular B2.  

     The two blades arrive shrink-wrapped and rest on cardboard padding inside DHS’s sturdy, silver box that features a high-class magnetic closing mechanism. The boxes are matte and feature a large photographic print of Fang Bo on the front along with his name in – presumably – calligraphic Chinese. None of the boxes list any blade-specific information on the back.       

     The B2 has a thick core that is surrounded by an Arylate Carbon weave, a relatively thick penultimate ply, and a very thin outer ply. The playing surface is straw-colored with a vertical grain that is devoid of text. The salmon-red handle features a silver-colored inverted “Y” stripe pattern, a simple oval plastic lens on the FH side listing “DHS” in the silver font on a red background, a similar oval plastic lens on the BH side listing Fang Bo’s name in calligraphic Chinese, and a large circular plastic tag on the bottom of the handle with a photo of Fang Bo. 

     The B2X looks very similar to the B2 except that the core is thicker still, the inverted “Y” stripe pattern is white, and a large circular plastic tag is used on the bottom of the handle (i.e., no photo of Fang Bo).