Latest reviews

Rubbers used: MX-P, Sanwei Target National, T05, Bluestorm Z2
The first thing I noted when I started playing with this blade is that it does not perform very well in close to the table counter or drive rallies from the bh side. This blade's forte is backing up a little and playing topspins with as much quality as you can. It's also surprising to me that despite the crisp and relatively hard feeling you get, the ability to grab and spin the ball is very strong. Opening up is pretty much effortless and the spin you can generate is very high. Still I would not recommend trying to play hard and agressive with the blade as the ball tends to overshoot when you try doing so and that's not what Butterfly designed the blade to do. You have to go for spin and placement over speed. The gears that this blade has are one of its biggest strengths. Even with MX-P on the bh I was able to push quite short to the table or go for a soft spinny flick off a low push and then follow up with a much stronger shot. Another thing I noticed is that the older ALCs (without the hologram) tend to be a bit faster than the newer ones with the hologram (Similar case with Viscaria). The blade pairs very well with Tenergy and MX-P but the Bluestorm felt a bit too slow. The Target was very good on the forehand but I would not recommend using a very hard or tacky Chinese rubber like Hurricane 2. All in all, if you know how to use it, this blade is one that is very hard to go wrong with.

I think Baal's review covered everything and yeah these balls play very close to Nittaku like you can easily switch between the two without noticing any difference. Everyone who I know who tried them said they were like the Nittakus and these are like half the price. The only difference I notice is that the D40 feels slightly lighter and has a slightly less glossy finish with less powder. In terms of durability, I've been using one ball for around 3 weeks and its still going. These balls also don't get as dirty as the Nittakus.

Initial impressions:
I have tried this rubber on a Nittaku Vioncello, Vodak Hinoki Carbon, and I am using at as my current FH rubber on my Stiga Infinity VPS V. The rubber has a blue cake sponge that has a somewhat fuzzy texture but it is still quite hard. The rubber also has plastic film on the topsheet and is quite tacky especially the red one. The red rubber also has a slightly dull shade of red. When you hit the ball with the rubber it has that classic Chinese rubber sound and the ball can stick to the rubber. However, the tackiness level is not as much as DHS Hurricane rubbers. It also is important to note that the red rubber is tackier and slower than the black rubber so if you are thinking about using the rubber get red if you want more spin and a slow high arc on your loops and get the black rubber if you want more speed and a fast low arc on your loops.
Playing experience:
When serving you can generate a good amount of spin especially with the red one if you brush vigorously but for me it is easier to produce variation using European rubbers. The short game is quite good and it is very easy to push the ball quite short and spinny. However, if someone gives you a slightly longer push and you try pushing back the ball is going to pop up quite high. Another area this rubber struggles with is opening up. Getting a strong open up requires perfect timing and brushing. You can do weaker and higher open ups quite easily but that is not a very good idea. Where this rubber shines is those top to top rallies, counter looping, and the follow up attack. The loops have low arc and have a large amount of spin. When looping you have to remember to open your arm up and use your body in your shot in order to get the ball where you want. You also have to accelerate your stroke upon contacting the ball in order to get the ball where you want. If you brush slowly with no power the ball is either gonna drop off your racket or go flying off the table. Remember that this rubber is not very forgiving when it comes to bad timing or flat hitting. Smashing the ball or passive blocking requires good touch though it is definitely more effective if you block actively and try to smash using the opposite side of the racket (assuming you are using a different rubber there.)

I have tried this blade with speed-glued Sriver EL a long time back and used it for several months when I put Bluefire M3 on both sides. The blade has a very good feeling due to it being comprised of balsa. It has a core that has carbon balls which move around as you make your stroke. You fell the effect very well on power loops which are incredibly fast. I also had the blade in the OFF+ version so it was a real rocketship. Still, the control was quite good. For blocking I'd say there is no better blade. No matter how hard the opponent loops or smashes the block is effortless and very consistent. The looping with this blade requires very little effort and you might want to take the ball a little later if you're using high-throw angle rubbers. The serving and short game bits are pretty good especially if you want to get a good low spinny push due to the speed and high throw. Flicks require little more than just a simple flick of the wrist (around 90 degrees) However, long pushes can go long. Opening up against backspin just requires a little more open of an angle and barely any effort and it doesn't come up really high. This blade shines at mid to long distance where you can do top to top rallies, lobbing, and counter loops/smashes very easily. It's not bad close to the table but you will find it hard to play a strong loop close to the table due to the blades speed. Still overall a very good blade for those who like to take a step away from the table and play with very little effort.

The blade came in an unmarked cardboard box with foam padding. The first thing I noted was the high quality of the blade. The wood was incredibly smooth and the blade required no sanding whatsoever. Another thing I liked was that the wings are curved at the edges so that they don't dig into your hand (Stiga take note). This handle was also the most comfortable of any blade I have tried and the laser marked seal makes the handle feel smooth. I tried this blade with Andro Rasant Powergrip and Rasant Grip. This blade feels very similar to the Andro Ligna and Donic World Champion 89 blades. That's not surprising as they all have relatively the same composition and are all manufactured by Soulspin. The blade has a very good feel on impact (better than Ligna or World 89) and it has good dwell due to its softness. The throw angle is in the mid-high range and it's higher than the Ligna OFF. This blade also has a great control to speed ratio. However, the blade is not that fast. It's slower than a Stiga Infinity VPS but faster than the Donic Appelgren World Champion 89. Still, if you use fast rubbers like Rasant Powergrip and Evolution MX-P the speed will be good. Overall, I like the blades performance but I am even more impressed by its quality.

I have tried this blade several times from my partner and he is using Rasant Grip on both sides. The blade's surface has a smooth finish and the handle smells like a weird glue and your hands will too after playing with it. The handle also needed to be sanded as it was too thick on some parts of it. This blade is pretty darn fast, even faster than an Andro Kinetic Explorer OFF+ which is also quite fast. This blade is also quite stiff which is good and means you can also use softer rubbers if you like. Blocking is a breeze due to the hard surface. The looping is easy but overall, they are more on the speed side than on the spin one. Flat hits are really easy and have more than enough power to win the point. However, the blade doesn't have a very good feel or feedback which I find common in these very fast carbon blades. This blade would be great for players who want to hit hard and like a stiff blade and don't care that much about spin.

This is my current blade which I am using with Rasant Powergrip on the FH and Rasant Grip on the BH both in MAX thickness. This all wood blade comes in the standard Stiga packaging and you will definitely need to sand it especially the wings. I got this blade in wide FL by accident. I have smallish hands so I should have went for the regular FL. I sanded the handle down though so its fine. Get the Wide FL if you have big hands. Also get this blade lacquered as the top ply is not very tough. The blade felt a little weird when I first starting playing with it but as the glue and lacquer dried I started getting a better feel. This blade has an excellent feel and the control is very good considering its speed and the rubbers I was using. The blade is probably around the OFF- range and its sweetspot is good for a wood blade but not as good as composite or carbon blades. The dwell time on the blade is less than say a Timo Boll Spark but more than a fast carbon blade. The throw angle is medium to high and I like its open up. The short game is good but long pushes and chopping is not which is a bummer because i do that sometimes. As Dan mentioned in his review the flicking is not that good and you have to be precise. However, it is quite easy to loop a medium to long push with good power. I can't give that much more details as I haven't tried this blade with any other rubbers. Still, for the price this blade is great (Got it for $40) and it can be used by developing players with slow rubbers and by advanced players with fast rubbers.

I have tried this blade on an OFF+ carbon blade (Avalox Ruiba), an OFF all wood blade (Stiga Infinity), and an OFF- soft composite blade (Nittaku S-series SCZ). Currently, this rubber is on the BH of my main blade which is the Infinity. This is quite a heavy rubber but it doesn't feel boosted like the Evolution rubbers. The rubber is quite soft compared to the Powergrip, MX-P and it's even softer than Vega Pro. Due to this softness the rubber has a good amount of dwell and is not linear. The rubber also has a high throw angle. The spin this rubber can generate is very good and open ups are very good especially on the FH. This rubber has a bouncy nature and high throw which makes the short game difficult especially compared to the Xiom Vega Pro. This rubber is good on the BH due to its high throw which make flicks easy. This rubber has quite a pronounced catapult effect. It is very easy to do slow spinny shots and and quickly punch a low ball with this rubber. This rubber will pair best with the hard and stiff blades that are at least in the OFF category. One thing to note about this rubber is that it has ok durability and the topsheet gets messed up very easily. The rubbers also seem to be inconsistent in terms of characteristics. The one on my Infinity is softer than the other ones I have. Some are also faster and spinnier than others. If you like bouncy rubbers that have high throws and good dwell get this.

I am currently using this on the forehand of my Infinity VPS. I have also tried this rubber on a Nittaku S-series SCZ. This rubber is quite hard and reminds me Evolution MX-P except that MX-P is faster and has a bigger catapult. This rubber serves quite well but due to it being fast it is hard to keep serves short but they still are very spinny, low, and hard to return. For returning serves keep an open angle as the rubber is low throw and is not very bouncy. The open up against underspin is difficult at least compared to Rasant Grip and Evolution MX-P. Still if it lands it will be quite powerful. The counter-loop is very good and can be placed easily. Blocks are also amazing. Smashing with this rubber is great especially with a hard blade. Overall, this rubber goes well on the forehand and if you plan to use it on your backhand don't expect very good results. With soft blades this rubber is easy to control and alows you to create soinny and controlled loops. On harder blades this rubber is not as good in the looping department but the power shots are going to be outright winners.

I had these rubbers lying around for a very long time just sitting in sandwich bags. They were on an Andro Kinetic Explorer OFF+ 3 years back. My friend had been using a Xiom Muv Racket (he is a beginner) and the rubbers on his blade had become very messed up. I suggested putting these rubbers on and he agreed. I put a decent amount of baby oil on the rubbers before gluing them to make them a little softer, tackier, and stretch them out a little as they were a little smaller than the racket face. After a few hours the rubbers had become tackier, bigger, etc. but to my surprise the old and dried speed glue on the rubber had become slightly liquidy and really sticky. I stuck the rubbers on and they domed so I put some books on the it and an hour later the rubber was fine. When I started playing i could feel the speed glue effect and sound. The rubber had very good control and the speed glue created tons of spin. My friend liked it a lot even though it was a little bit fast for him but he got used to it. Without the speed glue from what I can remember is that this is was a lot less spinny and slower but had better control. Sriver is still the best rubber for a beginner along with Mark V

I have used this blade for around maybe 4-5 hours in total with Donic Bluefire M3 on both sides in 1.8 mm thickness. The quality of this blade is exceptional like the other Andro products I've used except this one had an even higher level. The handle is top notch, comfortable, and perfectly flared. The feeling that the spruce wood gives is quite exceptional. I've used other Andro blades before but this one had a very good feel even better than a the Andro Kinetic Explorer (a blade that I love but don't use due to the anatomic handle) The dwell time on this blade is a also quite good and despite being a relatively soft blade the ball contact is crisp. As yogi bear stated the throw angle on this blade is high (good if you want to stick some hard Chinese rubber). I don't think I need to talk about how the blade performs because yogi bear covered it pretty well. I would like to add that when doing a backhand flick this rubber gives you that sensation that you can just slam the ball and it'll still land. Also, this blade is I would say identical to the Donic World 89 blades (made in the same factory same composition etc). I have the Appelgren ALL+ one so it is slightly slower than this (but then again with MX-P that is a killer). Rubbers that would go well on this blade are ones that are relatively hard and have low throw angles like MX-P, Omega V Asia, and Chinese rubbers should also perform well

Despite its age, just like tenergy this rubber remains one of the OGs that still got it. There are faster and spinnier ESN tensors now but as far as I know none of em have this combination of it. The spin this rubber can generate on a fine brush is high and even on something like a loop drive the quality is there. The best shots are by far when you're a few feet away from the table hammering out the loops and counters. Making sure the shots land is not as easy so yeah make sure you can handle a speed monster before slapping this on your blade. I currently use this on my backhand and have tried it on my forehand where it proved to be to fast for me. Also, even though this rubber is cheaper than tenergy, its durability is nowhere near the same. After about 2-3 months the boosted effect will mostly be gone and in my experience wear spots will begin to show after about 75-100 hours of use.

I have used this rubber previously on three blades. The first was an Animus blade which was very stiff and fast and when paired with the M3s it became an uncontrollable rocket ship as the rubbers was also MAX thickness. After that I had it again on both sides on an Andro Ligna with 1.8 thickness. This combo was amazing in every way except I should have got the MAX because some loops weren't very powerful and spinny. I slapped the MAX ones on an Andro Kinetic Explorer OFF+ and that combo was also really good. Fast but with superb blocks, flicks loops. Most shots required little effort and mid to long distance was real good. This rubber has a relatively high throw angle and is better on the backhand for sure. I would say the best blades for this rubber are ones that are relatively hard, don't have high throw angles, and are at least OFF. The only disadvantages are the lack of speed if you use a slow blade and the great amount of doming that occurs when you glue the rubber. But other than that this is a solid rubber.

I decided to use this blade after I put Xiom Vega Pro on both sides. (before I had some really old and horrible Banda Helix rubber) I am overall really impressed with it. Loops have a highish throw angle but the arc is still long and low. Make sure you pair this blade with hard rubbers that have at least a medium throw. (Those helix rubbers produced no arc whatsoever) the speed of the blade is quite good and more than adequate for mid-distance play. You can also chop with this blade if you have a very good stroke but don't do it unless you really have to. (I chop sometimes to get back in the rally) Touch play with this racket is not very easy. Vega pro is spin sensitive and this a flexy blade so you have to touch the ball very well. Opening up against backspin requires quite a vertical technique. Flicks are good if you time it right though I feel that I can't produce as much speed and be consistent as with a slightly stiffer blade. The flared handle is really good for people like me who don't have big hands. Also please remember that this blade is not the best for a beginner as it won't forgive your mistakes very often. (If you plan on using softer, less spinny, and controllable rubbers you won't have fun) Still overall a very good blade.

This is the best ball you can buy at least from what I've tried. It lasts a really long time and has a great bounce. It's not too heavy and it's hardness, roundness, etc. are great. It bounces a little tiny bit slow though but I guess no ball is perfect. Also, they are not cheap. Anyone now about the one star training versions? How are they compared to this one?

I was using this rubber previously on a lot of blades and it was a little too hard for me to control but i loved it still. After I improved my game I went back to it and put it on BTY Timo Boll Spark and it's great. Throw angle is a little higher than I would have liked on the forehand but loops on both sides are great but better on BH. Remember that this rubber is hardish and not very forgiving so timing and brushing the ball well is crucial. If you get it right the rewards are high. This rubbers durability is also really good if you maintain it. If you want to fix the rubber's hardness a little, put a tiny bit of sunflower, baby, etc. oil on it and it'll soften up a little. Also, make sure you remember to change your racket angle when opening up. Too low, and you'll hit the top of the net. Too high and you'll barely miss the edge of the table. To sum up though, if you want a relatively cheap rubber, buy this.

I got this blade with Tibhar Evolution MX-P on both sides. It feels almost identical to the Andro Ligna due to the fact that both have spruce. The Appelgren seems to be better at looping than the Ligna and very good at looping generally. The dwell time is also quite good. Counter-Loops and blocks are simple and easy to do but the counter-looping can go long sometimes. One thing I had liked about the Ligna was the ability to basically slam the ball when backhand flicking. This blade is no less powerful in the flicking department. Overall, if you buy this blade with rubbers like Tenergy, Evolution, Bluefire, Rasant etc. you can't go wrong.