Thank you very much for this review. All of the points you detailled here are not explained usualy. Howerver it's very usefull to know this parameter. One of the point you explain wich is very import in my opinion, is the gravity center distribution. The weith is imortant but the sensation when playing stroke is realy impacted by this . A head heavy or in oposition a hand balanced is the most important in accordance of playing style mouvement. Thanks a lot mister Hoang Vu. I receive my Zang Jike blade today and i hope i will enjoy it with Dignics 09C.
Great video! You really covered all the bases I think. But have you tried the other blades released recently? Like the Fan Zhendong ALC or the Harimoto innerforce ALC? I'd like to know how those fit into the ranks if you've tried them.
Thank you. ZJ has the best feeling, but the speed is faster. When I try to block, LGY lands on the table more, and the short push is easier since the ball doesn't bounce far. that's why I gave an edge to LGY. However, the ball is more likely to go under the net when you block, whereas with the other blades, the ball will be more likely to go off the table
I have a Lin Gaoyuan ALC, Viscaria, and I have played my friend's Timo Boll ALC. I can tell the Control of LGY ALC noticeably better than my Viscaria especially when you hit hard. When you hit hard, Viscaria will generate more power (The kicker that you mentioned roughly?) but with less feeling, Lin Gaoyuan ALC has less power when you hit hard but it makes it much easier for the ball to land on the table. Also LGY ALC has noticeably better "feel" when I hit hard, which Viscaria does not. I also like Timo Boll ALC, when I hit hard I somehow feel like it has more feeling than the Viscaria. My LGY ALC is code "T", My Viscaria is code "S", and my friends Timo Boll ALS is code "U". For my LGY ALC I use MXP backhand and hurricane 3 blue sponge on forehand. I particular like its backhand, its forhand lacks power but is very forgiving though.
Totally agree with you, but one thing I don't like about LGY is you have to do the "active" block, or else the ball will be more likely to go to the net, whereas with Vis, you can feel the bounce back from the blade. Both my Vis and LGY are code "T"
@@HoangVu-mm2wr I was using 5-ply/7-ply/Innerforce Layer ALC, and I felt my switch to LGY ALC very comfortable from Stiga CL. However, even today I cannot play well with Viscaria, I can play with it but after some time I'll lost the feeling the consistency. BTW my LGY ALC is 86.5 gram, I think it's perfect feeling.
H3 Neo Provincial with Haifu seamoon is nice but it's too expensive unless you play it intensively like more than 10 hours per week. Honestly I think the orange sponge H3 is not surprisingly great compared to Dignics 09C, however that's the best budge you can get if you want to use it with boost oil. My personal opinion is that If you use Hurricane 3 only the Blue Sponge is truely amazing most because its ability to place short so nicely as well as it's able to "Absort spin" of the oppentent, which is really amazing, also the blue sponge is able to loop some very "strange arc" which sometime unexpected. The orange sponge with oil boost IMO doesn't have such "abort spin" ability and it's "ARC" is not as strange as the blue sponge. Most importantly, I notice the control of the blue sponge is soooooo much better than the orange sponge especially in the short game and top-spin looping and defensing (absort spin defense). If you're not addicted to hurricane and don't want to buy the expensive blue sponge (If you boost blue sponge, there's might be "Bubble" damage to the sponge, so it's really expensive.) I would suggest you try Dignics 09C or tenergy 05 Hard more than the orange sponge hurricane with boost oil.
Would you also recommend the zhang jike for fast forehand one shot topspin winners or is the launch angle too high due to the softness? Currently playing with a Timo Boll Spirit (96g) but looking for a lighter alternative which plays similar as tbs will not be sold anymore.
Don't think the launch angle will be an issue, it will just take time to get used to it. The all Japan 2022 men single champion Shunsuke Togami is also using ZJK ALC as well. He has a killer forehand ;)
Hi !! Great video !! I'm an intermediate player and I would take an ALC outer blade from Butterfly. I used to use Treiber CI blade, but I would like to change to see difference. Which blade would have the best control in the short game, and be the best on serve ? Which one you advise me ?
Best control i would say is LGY ALC. ZJK ALC does have a softer feel, but the bounce/speed is higher, which is why i give the edge to LGY. LGY will give you an impression that this blade is hard, but it's actually quite easy to control and not that hard at all, and due to the slower speed, the short game is quite easy.
Thanks for excellent review! Just a question: is Viscaria's sweet spot smaller than the rest? If you can rank these in term of sweet spot, what will that be?
Just wonder, whether somebody has used both Timo Boll ALC and Timo Boll ZLC? Is the latter one faster than the former? Does it really have a bigger sweet spot? Cuz I always thought ZLC-Blades should be faster, however the official butterfly website says that the TB ZLC had a lower reaction property which seems to be a nonsense to me.
I actually do have Timo Boll ZLC :) However, I bought it a long time ago, like a really long time ago, back when they still use the old butterfly logo. And Butterfly might have tweaked the formula a little from time to time. ZLC is generally faster so I'm not sure about the rating on the website. As for the sweet spot, it's around the same. The only blade with a larger sweet spot is the Super ZLC blade.
Hey I am contemplating between the Viscaria, Zhang Jike ALC and LG ALC. I am using nittaku violin right now. It feels very very nice, but I feel like I am ready for a faster blade. I also have a Rosewood VII, but I don't like it so much. I prefer looping/opening from both sides. I like putting spin on serves. I am looking for a faster blade than my current one, which one would you recommend? (I'm 24 year old if that matters, played for 6 years). I am still developin technique, so I might not use it all the time yet, but I wanna find a "final blade" that I won't have to upgrade again. Do you have a reccomendation or a personal preference?
I played with Nittaku Acoustic (Mima Ito's blade )before. It's actually not that slow, it's quick soft and bouncy. The overall feeling is fantastic, the control is also much better than any of the blade mentioned above. But I do like a blade that is slightly harder than my Nittaku, i think it is a little more direct with harder blade. I assume Acoustic is pretty close to Violin ? Among the above blade, ZJK alc is the closest one in terms of feeling, to the Nittaku blade i have, and is slightly faster. I think LGY might be slower than Nittaku's one, although the Nittaku is softer so it stays on the blade longer, whereas LGY will leave the blade faster, but i think it's slower overall since the Nittaku one is bouncier.
@@HoangVu-mm2wr Thank you for your elaborate response! This video helps a lot for me in deciding what blade to purchase! I am leaning toward ZJK ALC or Viscaria at the moment. My friend picked up LGY and said it was a bit too "slow" for him, but it offers very nice control. I like the Nittaku Violin feel, it is a bit slower than Nittaku Acoustic I believe. You suggest that ZJK ALC has a similar feel and is quite "soft". What do you mean exactly by "soft" and "bouncy"? Perhaps this is related to the trajetory of the ball? My Rosewood 7 has quite a flat trajectory when looping. I heard that my Stiga Rosewood NCT VII is also made of softer wood and is quite thick (6.9mm), is this correct? I don't like this blade so much, it feels more suited for blocking because the dwelltime is too short for me. Maybe it just means my technique isn't there yet, but that is my main question for you. Are these composite blades different in feel to a Rosewood 7? Is it easier to loop through backspin for instance with ZJK ALC/Viscaria? Or can a rosewood 7 be compared to fast carbon blades in terms of feel and speed? Also I currently play with Tensor rubbers, are they more suited for ZJK ALC or Viscaria? Thx so much for your time!
@@antoinenijhuis450 By "soft" I mean the dwell time, it stays on the blade longer. As for "bouncy", Just imagine a trampoline, stay on the surface longer, then shoot out the ball. But not all soft blades are bouncy, I guess it has something to do with their glue job that makes the blade bouncy. I have not played with Stiga Rosewood so I cannot compare them, sorry. Both ZJK and Vis are great choices. I like the overall feeling of Vis better, although I wish the outer layer of Vis could be a little softer. For me personally, I think it's easier to pair rubbers with ZJK. Since Vis is a little harder for me, I want to pair it with something softer on the backhand, but seems like rubbers are getting harder and harder nowadays.
@@HoangVu-mm2wr Would you say that ZJK Alc is an excellent blade for looping , or there better options? Or is ZJK ALC more suited for hitting/blocking?
Hey!! I use Timo Boll Spirit and T80 back/fore. It is heavier than the other rackets, it helps me to do backhand flick. Which of these is the most similar to Timo Boll Spirit?
Lin GaoYuan ALC gotta be the closet or even an upgrade. And you should ask for the blade's weight when ordering, not every blade weighs the same even though they are the same model.
Well, the weight is truly important, in the Butterfly Universe official weight means 5 gram margin (from my experience). Timo Boll ALC can easily weigh from 81 to 90 gram. The best you figure out the weight of your Timo Boll Spirit and then you try to find the blade with the same weight, then the switch will be the simplest. I'd been personally using TB Spirit for 12 years, before I picked up a TB ALC. Both rackets weigh 81,5 gram. The ALC feels a bit crispy compared to Spirit, but I can't remember how my TB Spirit felt when it was new.
Have you played with Timo Boll Spirit before? I wonder how does it compare to these 4? It is one of the oldest 5+2 ALC blades and now it's like 30% cheaper. I know Timo Boll and Michael Maze and even Ma Long used to play that racket.
Great reviews and very informative. Just quick question I currently use Mizutani ZLC with D09C and D80 and I’m considering trying LIn Gaoyuan ALC how would this compare to Mizutani ZLC?
I did try Mizutani ZLC from my friend for a little bit, however, it was with different rubbers than what I was currently using. ZLC and ALC are quite different, ZLC is definitely more bouncy, so speed-wise Mizutani wins out. Mizutani's outer pile is definitely softer. LGY gives you a feeling that you thought the blade is a little harder, but actually, the blade is quite easy to control. I think they are trying to keep the backhand of Viscaria with that "hard" feeling. I would say these two blades are much more different compared to the other blades I have mentioned above.
@@HoangVu-mm2wr my thoughts also. MJ is Limba outer while LGY is Koto but the kiri core in LGY is softer than ayous in MJ. I previously used Apolonia and have used Harimoto ALC after using Apolonia for 2 years. Harimoto was so well controlled but downfall for me was speed. It lacked the zip of Apolonia. Then I got the MJ and it’s fast but very well controlled and noticed after trying MJ and HM how unstable Apolonia is in terms of blocking. Blocking with MJ and HM was almost automatic. Ideally I’m hoping LGY is inbetween MJ and Apolonia in terms of speed with the control of HM. What are your thoughts before I commit on getting one.
@@deep7496 I have not used Apolonia before, but even then I wouldn't say LGY speed is in between MJ and Apolonia. If you're not happy with Harimoto's speed then you probably won't with LGY either. Seems like you like ZLC better than ALC. I would say try out the innerforce ZLC series instead. But ultimately it's up to you and your capital :)
hmm, I think ZJK can pair with a wide range of rubbers, depends on how soft/hard you want the feeling to be, If Tenergy/Dignics is too expensive, i think Fastarc p1 can be a good rubber for backhand, or DNA pro M is also good. Too many forehand rubbers to choose from, but my personal favorite is Dignics 09c and Hurricane3, heard good review in chinese forum about XIOM Omega VII China Guang but it's slightly heavier, Rakza Z is also good, but i feel like it lacks power if you go little further away from the table, but pretty good control cause the top sheet is very soft. But these forehand rubbers are more spin oriented and require your own power for speed. If you like more speedy rubber, Tenergy 05 hard, Dignics05, XIOM Omega series have pretty soft topsheet and speedy sponge which i like, more conventional pick would be MX-P/MX-P hard
In the video, on my LGY I have Hurricane3 Provincial Blue for the forehand and Nittaku Fastarc C1 for the backhand. I am currently using Viscaria, with Nittaku PK50 on the forehand and Dignics05 on the backhand.
@@darrenlee929 pk50 on LGY might be little slow, i have it on Viscaria and is speed is almost the same as Hurricane3 with 2 layer of booster. Pk50 feels softer, very good control and feel which i like, suit well with hard outer blade like Viscaria.
Hi Brother ,you seem to have a good experience using table tennis blades ,i am thinking about buying my first blade ,my style is attack and i dont like getting away from the table alot , I am gonna buy a off+ Blade, so what kind of rubber do you recommend ,thanks
Everyone has their own likings, and different rubbers might suit better with a different blade, normal pairings are hard blade + soft rubber, soft blade + hard rubber. For starter, I think wood blade is good, like the Stiga clipper wood, Nittaku acoustic, etc... Wood blades are easier to pair with rubbers. As for what rubber, just pick whatever you like, then based on your game, find what you are missing, for example, if you want more control, then maybe you can buy a softer blade ? or softer rubber? something like that. Good luck !!!
Have not played with those, only innerforces i've played with are harimoto alc and ovtcharov alc. Chinese Rubbers are really slow, would prefer non-chinese rubber on those blades to get the best out of these blades.
@@HoangVu-mm2wr Ok thank you for this feedback! Does this also hold up for boosted Hurricane 3 Neo rubbers? Or are you talking about unboosted Chinese rubber?
@@antoinenijhuis450 I do boost mine, but each person boost differently. And further more, i might feeling it's too slow because i use Viscaria to compare, and i can tell the speed is decreased when playing with Harimoto/ Ovtcharov.
There is no right or wrong answer here, always try them out first. The classic choice would be Viscaria, the safe choice would be LinALC or ZhangALC as they are easier to control and still offer high speed. After that, you can try to see what you like/don't like from them and get a different blade then.
Hi Hoang, I enjoy watching this video several times. I own a Viscaria which is the last blade that I bought after 20 blades including many Butterfly blades like, MJ ZLC & SZLC, TM ZLC, TM T5000, PC. But so far Viscaria is my favorite. I played with a friend's ZJK ALC last night and it did feel softer and slower but he had different rubbers. I also love the design of the ZJK ALC and maybe I will buy one. I would like to know about the balance, which is the most headheavy 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th?
to be honest, the head heavy feel is very minor. I think beside Boll, the rest are pretty even. In general, if you buy lighter blade, your blade will feel more head heavy than a heavier blade. I think my LGY is the most balance one though. If you still really want a rank, with my given blades ( please consider the individual blade differences too), i would say Boll > Vis = ZJK > LGY.
do you think tenergy 80 are good with Zhang Jike ALC or you have other rubber recommend? i am currently using Yasaka Sweden extra with Mark V and Rakza Z for about a year now and i am a new player amerter. Thanks
T80 is pretty soft compared to T05, I liked it on my Viscaria a lot. Zhang Jike ALC is quite soft on the outer layer already, it's a soft bouncy feel blade. so even T05 would feel fine on that blade (for me), but T80 would definitely offer more control. These rubbers are much faster than what you currently have, so keep that in mind. Don't overly dwell on the equipment.
@@HoangVu-mm2wr what about Andro Rasanter R42 with Zhang Jike ALC? or Andro Rasanter R42 on Yasake Sweden extra? I am a beginner player and try to find the best set up for me. right now the old set up i have with Yasaka sweden extra with Mark V and Rakza Z kind of slow for me. trying to find a set up that little faster and still have control set up. Thanks
@@ThuanPham-rv9yi I have not tried the R42 yet, I have tried the R47, I did not like it at all, it is however very fast, so I would assume that R42 should be decent in speed too. Butterfly Rozena, Xiom vega Europe are all pretty soft rubber that has good control and decent speed.
I think they all are pretty well balanced. Even timo boll alc, which is slightly head heavy, but still very manageable. The LGY ALC i have is very balanced, but might subject to the individual item. Also, if you buy heavier blade, the head heavy feel will also decrease.
@@HoangVu-mm2wr Thank you so much btw how many gram your Lgy and tmb are ( including rubber) ? I’m beginner so you know ...many basic questions but i think that experience you have is so much with 4 good blades. Tks a again!
haven't tried either of them. But from what I've read, those two blades are quite soft. and some Chinese forums say LGY is like a small upgrade version of boll spirit, so I assume they are quite similar in feel.
Hi, I have not used Kenta ALC before, however, he is now using Zhang Jike ALC, as seen in this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1YTw67CURUI.html
hi, kenta matsudaira is the softest alc blade with koto i've tried. it's not fast and has very good control. it is slower than tb alc, zhang jike alc, and close to tb spirit. very good and balanced blade. weight is about 85 g.
Thanks for your video. I have a question that: I'm now using Boll ALC and it's really old 😂 so I want to buy a new ALC blade, which one would you recommend to me? I'm a forehand dominance, mainly play forehand topspin at medium distance. Sorry for my bad English 😅
Your English is great :). You won't go wrong with any of these blades. I think Boll ALC is also a very good forehand blade. Personally, I would pick ZJK ALC if I mainly use my forehand. I think the softer outer of ZJK helps generate spin and control. Whereas for backhand, I prefer harder outer.
@@HoangVu-mm2wr Thanks for your answer, but how about Viscaria ? I intend to get it 😄, is there much differences when I switch from Boll ALC to Viscaria ?
@@KhoaNguyen-nx9wy You won't have any trouble switching to Vis. After all, they all have the same wood composition, the playing characteristic is the same. Depends on your level, the differences can be trivial. Some forums said Butterfly is making Vis softer than before following the trend (Softer blade/ harder rubber) So the new Vis should be easier to use than before. I'm also using Vis right now 🥳, just a very well rounded blade. Enjoy !!!
I don't think so, but you will feel a big difference in feel. The ball will stay on ZJK alc longer cause it's softer than Boll alc, so overall Boll alc is slightly faster.
@@Sweechai_butterfly Harimoto is definitely slower, as the blade has two layers of limba before you can get to the alc. But in return, much better control and feel. I tried it once from my friend's, it's one of the best blocking blade that I've tried.
Thanks for your suggestion. Personally, I don't think the choice of blade will affect your spin as much as your choice of rubber. Generally, the softer outer blade will give you more control and help you generate spin. However, that doesn't mean the harder blade will generate less spin than the softer one. The technique and rubber will be more important in determining how spinny your shot can be. As for power, the definition may vary for different people. Some people think power is the speed, whereas I think power is the ability to play far away from the table. That's why I divide it up into speed and ability to play far from the table.
It was a really good review but I was waiting a little bit more about the conclusion. You didn’t even mention any conclusion about Timo Boll compared to the others and that’s the one I was looking forward to buy 🤣
lol, because it's been awhile since I've played Timo Boll ALC that's why I didn't want to include it in too much as my memory is not as fresh. But based on what i've remembered, the outer of Timo is pretty similar to Vis, but the core is softer than Vis, so it has a little more "Feel". Control wise Lin > ZJK > Timo > Vis.
Sorry, I did not play with Freitas before, but based on the composition, Freitas is the only outer ALC with Limba outer, which probably means the blade is softer than Vis and is easier to "hold" or control the ball, my guess is the blade will feel similar to ZJK ALC
Every brand is trying to replicate Viscaria but no other blade has the same feeling to Viscaria. And Viscaria is also not for everyone, it is hard and fast, thus difficult to control. Some people prefer Limba outer for a softer, easier control. But back to your question, I don't really know any other blade that gives me the same feeling as Viscaria.
Stuor (made in China) has a very nice blade that is quite similar to Viscaria in physical characteristics and performance imho. And it only costs about $30 on Ali Express.
@@TuanNguyen-xm5cs Zhang jike ALC, because it has the softest outer. Similar to blade with Limba outer (like Nittaku Acoustic carbon). But Koto outer is still stiffer, and more direct, I like it for backhand more compared to Limba
