Donic Persson World Champion 89 Off+

Donic Persson World Champion 89 Off+ - The most offensive blade within this series

The Donic Persson Off+ World Champion 89 is similar to its name giver in many ways. The manufacturing process is - just like Persson back then - highly precise, characterized by a modern technology, and simply almost perfect.

The excellent workmanship combined with the thoroughly chosen veneers and fibers is the most important ingredient of this table tennis blade. Prior to the gluing process of the veneers, the vast majority of their moisture is reduced. This is achieved by a special drying-process. As a result, the Donic Persson World Champion 89 Off+ is very light (only about 85 g considering that there are 7 veneers) and stable. The stability is further increased by the layers made of carbon fleece zylon (CFZ), but more on this topic further below.

A stiff and fast blade like the Persson Off+ is of course designed for powerful attackers. Topspins with a high speed go off the hand easily, no matter if close to the table or from the mid distance. The same is true for hard shots and finishers in order to score. However, you should bear in mind that -similar to all hard and fast blades- a certain level of expertise, training, and experience is necessary to fully exploit the potential of this "weapon". Also, this is important to be able to control the blade with a fair amount of feedback, including more passive situations.

Donic Persson World Champion 89 Off+ - the materials under closer examination

In this paragraph, we want to take a closer look at the smart veneer composition of the Donic Persson World Champion 89 Off+. Overall, there are 7 layers with a weight of approx. 85 g.

The core veneer is the heart of the blade and in this case is made of kiri wood with a thickness of 3.0 mm. Kiri is a tree native to Central and West China. However, cultivations of this tree can also be found in Japan, Korea or North America. The tree may reach a height of approx. 15 m. Kiri is quite light (density: 300 kg/m³), not very strong (Young´s modulus: 4,380 N/mm²), and not very hard (Janka hardness: 250). Kiri veneers are denser, more durable, and harder than e.g. Balsa layers. Hence, Kiri plies are heavier and faster than Balsa plies. This underlines the suitability of Kiri to support more offensive strokes. Still, Kiri always exhibits good control and feedback!

Layers 2 + 4 and the outer plies are made of spruce. Spruce is the third type of material used in the Donic Waldner Off World Champion 89 (layers 3+5+outer plies). Spruce (Picea abies) is native to Europe (except the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula), but also to large parts of Asia. Spruce trees can reach an age of 600 years, a height of approx. 60 m, and a trunk diameter of approx. 2 m. The trees grow very quickly, and they are very frost-resistant during the cold months. Spruce is heavier (density: 420 kg/m³), clearly stronger (Young´s modulus: 11,000 N/mm²), and slightly harder (Janka hardness: 300) than Kiri. In general, Spruce veneers offer much feedback and control. However, as is evident by the above-mentioned properties, spruce also supports offensive strokes! According to the manufacturer specifications, Donic uses trees with an age of more than 200 years for this blade (Italian Spruces). Also, the so called SPT technology (Spruce Pressing Technology, made in Germany) is applied. Please also note that when combining Spruce with more offensive materials, like Carbon, the properties are clearly directed toward more offensive features.

In between the inner spruce veneers and the outer plies we can find carbon fleece zylon layers. This material is quite new, innovative, and it is produced exclusively for Donic. As you might already know, Carbon fibers (made of the element C) are very light, but at the same time extremely strong and stable. Hence, the whole blade becomes stiffer, more direct, and more dynamical.

Donic Persson World Champion 89 Off+ - Brief summary and overview

All in all, the Persson Off+ World Champion 89 from Donic is a high-quality and highly offensive blade developed and made in Germany. A true recommendation for very aggressive players preferring perfect materials. The corresponding gaming style is the brutal offensive (OFF+).