The Palio Legend 2 table tennis bat is the most expensive of the Palio x ETT series of rackets. However, it’s also the fastest and spinniest, with performance characteristics able to match those of custom bats costing over £100!
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The original Palio Legend bat – released in 2013 – was extremely popular and received unanimously positive reviews. This updated version has big shoes to fill but looks to be selling even better.
Palio Legend 2
In this review, I will be looking at the following factors…
- Features
- Price
- Customer Satisfaction
- Recommendations
1. Features
The Palio Legend 2 is a premade table tennis racket aimed at intermediate to advanced players. The blade is an exclusive OFF collaboration between Palio and Expert Table Tennis. The rubbers are the brilliant Palio Hadou, on both sides. A free case is included with the bat.
Speed
The Expert 2 and Master 2 rackets were not designed to be fast – the same cannot be said for the Palio Legend 2. This is a fast premade bat!
The speed of a bat is determined by the combination of blade and rubber.
The Legend 2 blade was designed to give maximum power, and it doesn’t disappoint. It is a very solid blade that manages to transfer energy straight into the ball.
The Palio Hadou rubbers are harder and faster than CJ8000 (which is used on the Expert 2 and Master 2). They remind me of the Hurricane series by DHS. They are that type of attacking spinny Chinese rubber. Play a perfect loop with flawless technique and the racket will reward you with a lot more spin and speed than you would receive if you were using CJ8000 rubbers.
The Palio Legend 2 is a fast table tennis bat. If you haven’t mastered a solid basic technique or are looking for something a little slower, then this one probably isn’t for you. However, if you want a fast racket that will give your loops that extra kick the Legend 2 could be exactly what you are looking for.
Spin
All of the Palio x ETT bats offer brilliant spin, but the Legend 2 is a cut above the rest due to the fantastic Hadou rubbers. The top Chinese table tennis players are well known for using tacky rubbers with hard sponges. This allows you to get maximum spin on your serves and strokes by brushing the ball using the topsheet, instead of letting it sink too far into the sponge.
This is exactly what the Palio Hadou rubbers allow you to do. They are heavier and harder than CJ8000 and will let you apply heavy spin by brushing the ball. Of course, in order for this to work you need to have mastered the “brushing” motion on your strokes and serves. This is where all the hours of practice come in!
Control
Out of the speed, spin and control; control is the weakness of this bat. You can’t have the maximum speed, maximum spin and maximum control all at the same time. To some extent, it is always a trade-off between them.
The Palio Legend 2 is more difficult to control than the Expert 2 and Master 2 rackets. The speed of the blade means that incoming shots are much more likely to “ping” off your bat. You’ll need to have good feeling and touch in order to control them and block them back with soft hands. This is not a problem if you are a competent player, but if you are still relatively new to the sport of serious table tennis you may be better off with the Expert 2 instead. For now.
2. Price
The Palio Legend 2 is priced near the middle of the premade bat market – at £39.99 in the UK, and $59.99 in the USA. It isn’t loads more expensive than the cheaper Palio rackets.
I firmly believe that the Palio Legend 2 is great value at under £40. You will not find a comparable racket from one of the big table tennis brands at that price.
The fact that you can buy from Amazon, with free shipping and a free bat case, makes the price even better value!
3. Customer Satisfaction
Here are some customer reviews I found on Amazon…
Great bat! Really pleased with the quality of the rubber on it too. Cheap compared to other comparable bats.
I haven’t played for over 15 years so this bat purchase was researched online. I have to say I am delighted with it so far. Great value for a quick bat surface and it provides good spin too. Control is what you make it, with plenty of practice.
It is very quick and very spinny but with lower control – I guess the control side will come as I gain familiarity with the bat.
All the reviews of this racket have been very positive, but the thing to point out is that the Palio Legend 2 isn’t the easiest bat to control. If you have been playing for a while, or are currently having lessons and rapidly improving your technique/control/feeling, then it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. If you are simply looking for a “good” bat that is easy to play with then perhaps you’ll find this one a little bit tricky.
4. Recommendations
Is this bat/racket for you?
Despite it featuring in my post The Best Bat for Beginners, I would not recommend the Palio Legend 2 to complete beginners. If that’s you, I think you are going to struggle to control the bat and will probably find yourself shooting balls all over the place. Perhaps go for the slower Palio Expert 2 instead.
However, if you have already developed a decent technique and learnt how to loop and serve well, then the Palio Legend 2 could be exactly what you need to take your game to the next level. This is the fastest and spinniest premade table tennis bat I have come across. If that’s what you are looking for… look no further.
- Buy from Amazon.co.uk for £39.99
- Buy from Amazon.com for $59.99
Unfortunately, the Palio Legend 2 isn’t currently available with a penhold handle. If you are a penhold player looking for a premade racket I would suggest going for one of the DHS bats.
For more information on choosing a table tennis bat, check out my blog post, The Best Table Tennis Bat for Beginners.
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