Sword Strange King IV: A Detailed Review and Comparison

Image	Product	Features	Price
	Sword Strange King III	7-ply combi blade for long pips players, with a fast forehand for attacks and a slower backhand for control, disruption, and defensive play.	Check Price
	Sword Strange King IV	9-ply combi table tennis blade with different speeds on each side, offering strong control, spin variation, and versatile play, ideal for defensive strategies that mix disruption and counterattacks.	Check Price

The Sword Strange King series has long been one of the most renowned table tennis blade lines designed for long pips play, with Strange King III (SK3) and Strange King IV (SK4) being particularly celebrated. Thanks to the success and influence of long pips specialist Wang Yin, these blades have gained widespread recognition among defensive and all-round players who utilize twiddling techniques to switch between offense and defense seamlessly.

With an affordable price and a design tailored for long pips players, the Sword Strange King series remains a strong choice for players who prioritize control, variation, and deceptive play. This review will provide an in-depth analysis of the Sword Strange King IV, compare it with Strange King III, and examine its practical performance in real matches.
If you’re interested in enhancing your long pips or short pips performance with the Sword Strange King IV, you can purchase it directly from our store through the link.

Star User: Wang Yin

Wang Yin, a renowned amateur table tennis player from Beijing, is celebrated for his exceptional skills and contributions to the sport. Known as the “Western Poison,” he employs a right-handed penhold grip and specializes in long pips and anti-loop techniques. Despite not undergoing professional training, Wang has achieved remarkable success in amateur table tennis through his solid fundamentals and outstanding footwork.

In the national 60-year-old age group, Wang has secured multiple championships with a high winning percentage. He clinched the title at the International Veteran Star Cup and won a gold medal at the World Table Tennis Championships.

Wang’s technical prowess is complemented by his willingness to share his expertise. He often selects different blades and playing styles based on his opponents’ characteristics, demonstrating deep tactical acumen. Additionally, he shares his knowledge through videos, teaching long pips techniques to help fellow table tennis enthusiasts improve their skills.

Regarding his equipment, Wang Yin uses the Sword Strange King IV blade, developed by the Sword company specifically for him. This blade features a unique design with differing elasticity on each side, enhancing its suitability for long pips play. For his rubbers, Wang employs the “Scylla III” long pips rubber, also produced by Sword. This combination of specialized blade and rubber complements his distinctive playing style.

Wang Yin’s esteemed reputation in the amateur table tennis community stems from his exceptional skills and selfless dedication to sharing his knowledge, serving as an inspiration to enthusiasts worldwide.

Why Combi Blades Are Ideal for Long Pips Players

Combi blades, like the Sword Strange King IV, are specifically designed to enhance the performance of players who use long pips and rely on a combination of offense and defense. These blades feature asymmetric construction, meaning that each side of the blade has a different material composition, optimizing one side for attack and the other for control and defensive play.
For long pips players, this is crucial because:

• The forehand side (typically paired with an inverted or short pips rubber) provides speed, spin, and power for attacking shots.
• The backhand side (designed for long pips) has a softer, less elastic surface that absorbs incoming energy, making defensive strokes easier to control.
• The ability to twiddle (flip the racket quickly) allows players to seamlessly switch between offensive and defensive tactics, making their game more deceptive and unpredictable.

The Sword Strange King IV is a high-performance combi blade built to support these strategies, offering speed, control, and excellent defensive stability.
For twiddling players, this allows one side (typically the inverted rubber side) to generate offensive pressure, while the other side (with long pips) absorbs and disrupts the opponent’s attacks. The effectiveness of this heterogeneous structure is evident in both SK3 and SK4, though each model employs a different approach.

Blade Construction and Material

The Sword Strange King IV is a nine-ply blade with a unique combination of wood and carbon fiber layers:

• Forehand Side: Features Hinoki wood for its soft touch and explosive power, combined with carbon fiber for added speed and stability.
• Backhand Side: Uses a horizontally arranged softwood surface to minimize bounce and maximize control, making long pips play highly effective.
• Thickness: Approximately 6.5-6.7mm, ensuring a balanced mix of power and feel.
• Weight: Around 85.2g, making twiddling and quick transitions effortless.

This hybrid construction gives the forehand side a dynamic attacking quality, while the backhand remains stable and effective for defense.

Performance Breakdown

Speed

The Sword Strange King IV is a well-balanced blade in terms of speed, offering a fast and responsive forehand while maintaining a more controlled and dampened backhand. The forehand side, reinforced with carbon fiber, provides excellent rebound and acceleration, making it highly effective for aggressive topspin play and counter-attacks. The Hinoki surface enhances this effect, as it grips the ball well and releases it with added spin and power.
On the other hand, the backhand side is intentionally designed to slow the ball down, allowing for precise and controlled returns. This difference in speed between the two sides makes it easier to transition between attacking and defensive strategies seamlessly.

Offensive Play

For players who enjoy an offensive game, the forehand side of the Strange King IV provides the necessary explosiveness for powerful loops and drives. The Hinoki outer layer offers a soft touch on slow strokes while delivering a crisp, direct feel when attacking. This makes it easier to generate spin on loops and maintain stability during high-speed exchanges.
When engaging in counter-attacks, the carbon fiber reinforcement ensures that the blade does not lose its structural integrity, providing consistent and reliable power. Smashes are also highly effective due to the blade’s firm yet elastic nature, which allows players to execute forceful finishing shots with confidence.

Defensive Play

The backhand side of the blade is where the defensive characteristics truly shine, making it particularly well-suited for long pips play. The softwood surface absorbs incoming energy efficiently, reducing the ball’s speed and making defensive strokes more manageable. Blocking against fast loops becomes much easier, as the blade provides natural cushioning that minimizes unwanted rebounds.
For choppers, the stability of the backhand allows for deep, controlled chops with consistent backspin, giving defenders a reliable tool for disrupting their opponent’s rhythm. Drop shots and short game control are also improved, as the reduced bounce ensures that balls stay low and unpredictable.

Stability and Control

One of the standout features of the Sword Strange King IV is its exceptional stability. Whether engaging in offensive or defensive exchanges, the blade maintains a high level of control, allowing players to execute precise shots with confidence. The forehand, despite being fast, does not feel overly bouncy, making it easy to direct aggressive strokes accurately.
The backhand, designed to minimize excessive rebound, ensures that defensive strokes are not affected by uncontrolled speed or spin. In the short game, this balance allows for delicate pushes, flicks, and placement shots without the risk of excessive liveliness, providing a well-rounded experience for players who rely on versatility.

Long Pips Experience

For long pips users, the backhand side of the Strange King IV is a dream to play with. The reduced elasticity makes it easier to absorb and manipulate incoming spin, allowing for effective blocking, chopping, and disruption tactics. Spin reversal is particularly effective, as the hard outer layer interacts well with the pips to create unpredictable returns.
When defending against aggressive attacks, the blade provides enough dwell time to keep chops low and loaded with backspin. Twiddling is also made easier due to the blade’s lightweight design and ergonomic handle, enabling quick transitions between attacking with the forehand and defending with the backhand.

Differences Between Sword Strange King III and Strange King IV

The main difference is that Strange King IV has a 9-ply construction, while Strange King III features a 7-ply design. As a result, Strange King IV is heavier, feels firmer on impact, delivers stronger underlying power, and provides more solid support, whereas Strange King III is relatively lighter and easier to handle.

The materials on the forehand and backhand also differ. Strange King III has a walnut surface on the forehand and a blasa wood layer on the backhand designed to absorb and reduce incoming power. In contrast, Strange King IV uses more elastic hinoki on the forehand, paired with a horizontally oriented kiri wood layer on the backhand.

Despite these differences in structure and materials, both blades achieve similar playing characteristics: a lively, powerful forehand for attacking and a slower, less elastic backhand that excels at absorbing power and providing strong defensive control.

Who Should Use the Sword Strange King IV?

The Sword Strange King IV is an excellent blade for:

1. Long pips players who need a controlled backhand for blocking and chopping while maintaining an offensive forehand.
2. All-round players who twiddle frequently and require a balance between attack and defense.
3. Defensive strategists who rely on placement, deception, and spin variation to outmaneuver their opponents.

With its combi blade construction, optimized long pips playability, and balanced speed and control, the Sword Strange King IV is a high-quality choice for modern defensive and all-round players seeking versatility in their game.

Conclusion

Strange King III, because its forehand is on the harder side, is best paired with softer inverted rubbers. Strange King IV, on the other hand, doesn’t have this issue and is relatively more versatile. The looping and flick strokes on the Strange King III tend to have a lower arc, while the arc on the Strange King IV is a bit higher. Overall, the Strange King III is faster, whereas the Strange King IV offers a more pronounced ball feel and easier loop control.

If the Strange King III can be regarded as a blade that combines fast-attack with looping capability, then the looping nature of the Strange King IV is even more prominent. Its relatively softer characteristics lower the technical barrier for generating underspin on the forehand. And once power is applied, its offensive threat is still quite impressive—especially considering that beneath the cypress wood surface there is an extra layer of carbon fiber for support.

In terms of short-game control, whether using the forehand or the long-pips side, the Strange King IV handles play with ease. Its lateral panel excels in short pushes and in buffering and dissipating power, almost as if it goes exactly where you intend. Moreover, the inherent low elasticity of the long-pips side makes defensive play very effortless.

Regarding offensive threat, the forehand pressure of the Strange King IV isn’t as strong as that of the Strange King III—with the latter being faster and offering a better block. However, the Strange King IV has a superior ability to generate arc and spin, and its maneuverability in exchanges is quite commendable.

Both the Strange King III and the Strange King IV exhibit very distinctive heterogeneous characteristics. They are specifically designed as reversed blades for long-pips play, and especially for beginner long-pips players, both offer excellent control on the long-pips side. Although they employ different wood structures and processing methods, while reinforcing defensive control on the long-pips side, the offensive quality on the other side still performs well. This already surpasses many of the heterogeneous long-pips blades available on the market.