Nittaku Violin vs Sanwei V5 Pro: Which Should You Buy?
| Nittaku Violin | Sanwei V5 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 8.4/10 | 8.5/10 |
| feel | Soft, warm and flexible with long dwell, premium hand-crafted Japanese all-wood feedback | hard, fast, crisp all-wood with strong vibration and a high-pitched ping |
| handle | FL | FL/ST |
| plies | 5-ply all wood (Kiri core with White Ash outer plies) | 7W (all wood) — ash outer plies over an ayous core |
| speed | ALL+ | OFF |
| thickness_mm | 5.3 | 6.3 |
| type | ALL+ | — |
| weight_g | 86 | 90 |
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The Nittaku Violin and Sanwei V5 Pro are both all-wood blades that take opposite approaches to offense. The Violin is a soft, warm, flexible 5-ply with a Kiri core and White Ash outers, rated ALL+ and built around exceptional control, feel and dwell. The V5 Pro is a hard, fast 7-ply with ash outers over an ayous core that delivers a high-pitched, crisp impact and strong attacking pace at an outstanding value price.
On feel and speed they clearly diverge. The Violin is soft and slower than its billing, weak at long-distance pace, and needs harder or tackier rubbers to come alive. The V5 Pro is hard and lively with strong vibration, playing closer to OFF than its advertised OFF+, with a large sweet spot but punishing of imprecise strokes.
For styles, the Violin suits all-round and developing offensive players who prize control, feel and spin and want a premium technique-building blade for close-to-mid looping. The V5 Pro suits improving intermediate to advanced attackers who want fast, spinny all-wood with clear feedback on a tight budget and who already have reliable technique. Both can show copy-to-copy weight variation, more so the V5 Pro.
Buying advice: choose the Violin for premium soft feel and forgiveness, and the V5 Pro for speed, crisp ash feedback and value. The V5 Pro edges the rating at 8.5 to 8.4.
FAQ
Which blade is faster?
The Sanwei V5 Pro is faster, a hard 7-ply that plays close to OFF, while the Nittaku Violin is a soft ALL+ blade that is slower than its billing and weak at long-distance pace.
Which is more forgiving for developing players?
The Violin, with its soft feel, long dwell and control focus, is more forgiving and technique-building. The V5 Pro punishes imprecise strokes despite a large sweet spot.
Which is better value?
The V5 Pro is the budget choice, often compared to blades costing several times more, whereas the Violin carries a premium price that some reviewers question.
How does the feel differ?
The Violin is soft, warm and flexible with premium hand-crafted Japanese feedback, while the V5 Pro is hard, fast and crisp with strong vibration and a high-pitched ping from its ash surface.