DHS
Power G7.

Few blades have found a niche as clearly defined as the DHS Power G7. In a catalogue where the Chinese manufacturer is known above all for its rubbers — the ubiquitous Hurricanes — and for high-end blades tied to elite players, the Power G7 occupies a different place: that of the player who wants to step up from a five-ply blade to a seven-ply one, somewhat faster and more structured, without spending top-of-the-range money or giving up the control they already had.

It is a blade that comes up again and again in conversations about a "first serious blade" and in value-for-money lists. This review looks at what it actually puts on the table, which type of player it makes sense for, how it behaves against alternatives of similar construction and where its limits lie. The aim is not to repeat the manufacturer's sales pitch, but to help the reader decide whether this blade fits their game.

What DHS is offering with the Power G7

The Power G7 is a blade made of seven plies of pure wood, with no carbon or arylate fibre. That starting point already defines its character: against composite blades — stiffer, faster, with a wider and more forgiving sweet spot — a seven-ply all-wood blade offers a more progressive launch, more feel on contact and, as a rule, better control in the short game, in exchange for slightly less raw speed and stability on off-centre strokes.

The construction combines two woods that are very common in offensive blades: limba in the outer plies and ayous in the five inner layers, core included. Limba is a relatively soft wood with good grip, which favours contact time (dwell time, the time the ball stays "hooked" on the surface before it is launched) and makes it easier to load spin. Ayous, being light, keeps the weight in check and adds an elastic response. On top of that, DHS applies an outer surface treatment — a treated medium-hard veneer — intended to add a little power and speed without turning the whole thing into a hard board.

The intended result is recognisable: an affordable attacking blade that feels like wood, geared towards topspin and the game close to the table. One point of classification is worth making: DHS labels it OFF+ in parts of its commercial documentation, but the behaviour described consistently by reference laboratories and by accumulated user experience places it rather in the OFF- / OFF range. It should be taken as an offensive blade of moderate speed, not as an explosive board.

Behaviour in play

Honesty about the starting point matters here: what follows rests on the manufacturer's specifications, on the tests published by specialist laboratories and on the consistent assessment of a very large number of players and reviewers, not on weeks of personal use with this particular blade. That said, in the case of the Power G7 the volume of opinion is so high and so consistent that it allows a reliable portrait of its behaviour to be drawn.

On speed, the Power G7 is clearly an offensive blade, but a moderate one within its category. It shares its seven-ply construction with faster blades, yet sits a step below them in pure speed: it is more flexible and less direct than, for example, the Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro, which follows a very similar layout. That contained speed is not a defect but its whole reason for being: it does not fire the ball off at the slightest touch, which makes it manageable for someone coming from a slower blade and still refining their stroke. When the player really accelerates, there is enough power to attack close to the table; what it does not offer is the penetration of a stiff blade at mid to long distance.

In feel and contact time lies one of its strongest arguments. Being an all-wood blade with an outer limba ply, it generates a long contact time and a clear sensation at impact. For the topspin player this translates into two concrete advantages: more capacity to load the ball with spin, and a more progressive, more predictable launch. Users agree in describing good dwell, particularly helpful when opening against backspin and on heavily rotated topspin. The flip side of that feel is a slightly more marked vibration on contact than with many fibre blades: not unpleasant, but present, and part of its woody character.

The trajectory is medium or slightly high, which helps clear the net with margin and makes spin easier to impart. It is a blade that rewards the player who works with arc and looks for rotation over flat speed. On serve it performs soundly: it allows both short, heavily rotated serves and long, fast ones, thanks to that combination of feel and control.

In control and the short game, not being an explosive blade and offering good feel, the Power G7 is comfortable to handle: drop shots, flicks, touches and low pushes are easier than with stiff, bouncy blades. That is precisely one of the reasons it is so often recommended as a first "serious" blade: it keeps much of the control of a five-ply blade while adding some speed and structure.

Its most debatable point is the sweet spot and stability. Having no fibre, the Power G7 has a more contained sweet spot than a blade with carbon or arylate: off-centre strokes lose more speed and feel less solid. For a player with a clean stroke this is no problem; for someone who does not yet strike the ball with consistent precision, it is a factor to bear in mind. Some users also note a certain tendency to send balls very deep when playing away from the table, which fits its character as a blade designed for the close game.