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I think is one of the best blades that i used in my career. Have a lot of speed and control in the same time..

I think it's very good!

So i've used this rubber forehand and backhand on my first blade and recently when making up 5 blades for my dad and his friends from old pre-mades i used 10 sheets i aquired for £35 or 3.50 per sheet .
It is really good for forehand for a beginner as its slow, but unlike a lot of very cheap rubbers that come bundled with blade provided good spin when used with proper technique (i'm looking at you pan-Asia)
It is workable on backhand due to the controlled nature but again not optimal, really its an improvers fh rubber or a beginner rubber.
Looping: well i usually use H3 Neo or H3 50, and after using those for almost 2 years looping with 729fx was different, much slower so you have to adjust the stroke, but once adjusted it works fine, slow but fine.

Driving: really the best stroke with this rubber is driving, its more of a close to the table rubber. Not speedy but fast enough.

Serve: quite good really, it produced good spin and keeps low enough and controlled enough for good serve placement.

Blocking: hard, very hard compared to most rubbers, its spin sensitive like H3 Neo but slower so you have to actively block a lot more than usual. if youre coming from pan asia or any europian style rubber it will take some adjustment

Chopping: well it can do backspin well but its not IMO a chopping rubber as its too spin sensitive.

All in all get it if you're new or have no money, its similar to globe 999 but softer and slower and often cheaper. If you can afford H3 neo its better at every stroke and still slow enough for a beginner, but an excellent way into the sport.

Hi All!

I was happy to switch to this rubber on my FH and soon I will try it on my BH. I was searching for a nice FH rubber after trying Baracuda, M2, T05, MX-P, EL-P, JP01, MAXXX 500. Lastly I sticked with MX-P for a long time, but I found lack of control in countertopspins and some blocking. So I searched for something similar ESN rubber, then came up with the M1, because they have the same sponge hardness, a bit different pore size, but still very similar sponge. The only big difference is the topsheet, because M1 has a softer topsheet. In previous reviews I read that M1 is better in counterspinning. Since M2 is my all time favourite BH rubber and I played with it on FH in the last 2 months, I was finally convinced, that I need more power but keeping the same characterictics of the Bluefire M series. My blade is a Walnder World Champion '89 OFF FL with 92 gr weight.

They say a blade is responsible for 20% of the characterictics of the complete bat. So I must speak of the blade first just a few words, if you wish to learn more search my review on the blade section. Waldner WC '89 has an interesting soft feel to it making it possible to play a fine ALL+ tempo touch play when needed, but has the speed of an OFF blade. With M1 you can really sink the ball into the rubber and the sponge, which generates awsome spin besides the prolonged ball contact time.

Counterhits
During counterhits the rubber is quite linear, and very easy to control. The ball clearly engages the sponge and jumps off it with a decent speed. But the topsheet of the rubber does not kick the ball fast, it let's the ball sink towards the sponge, which gives time for error correction. Some people who are XIOM Omega and Butterfly Tenergy fans/users don't really like this kind of lack of catapult, despite the speed of the ball is the same. I think this feature helps less experienced players.

Smashes
This is where the rubber shines, fast and precise balls with a distinctive feel of the contact. Many players mentioned above complain about that, but the blue sponge transfers more vibrations, which comes in handy when using composite blades.

Looping and Counterlooping
If a rubber is a good hitter it is probably a shameful looper. I must say 'A-A', wrong! The rubber has a nice topsheet which is grippy and after some abrasion it is still grippy and lifts the ball high. Heavy underspin balls can be lifted with ease and huge spin. Due to the soft topsheet it does not matter if you do a slow or a fast topspin, rhe rubber will help. I can also confirm that this rubber is more stable when counterlooping or when powerlooping, than MX-P. Some times during these shots I often hit the ball into the net without any distictive feeling or feedback why my shot failed. The blue sponge gives the feedback way more clear then the red one. Speed of the loop is at the top end. The arc is maybe a bit less pronounced, but still high. I found that the bluefire sponge has some unique characteristics, which can be observed when looping:

1. The uneven pore size of the sponge gives an 'extra kick' feeling. Even when the rubber is worn or 'dead', so the booster evaporated, you can still get this kick, which always ensures you, that you applied enough force for the loop.

2. Arc of the ball is different, because it is not so symmetrical and dome shaped, like Tenergy 05. It's peak is more over the opponent's side, not over the net like Tenergy 05, but over the center of the opponents side or over the first third of the table. From that point the ball falls to the table with unpleasant speed and spin. Also the ball jumps off the table just like looping with any other professional rubbers. This forces them a bit more further or simply the miscalculate the ball as a long shot.

But still the rubber topsheet catapult is less pronounced, so it remains controllable, some don't like this, because they want explosive power.

Blocking these shots is just like a normal counterhit with the same circumstances like counterlooping with MX-P. I believe the feedback is stronger so I can adjust better.

Over the table
Short game is where this rubber can outshine catapult rubbers. There is plenty spin generaion in the rubber over the net, so small pushes will be loaded with underspin, and flicks will be easy to lift and spin also. Serving is funny, because you must have some developed technique and serves. I mostly use the topsheet only to generate spin, which I still find enough. With M2 I could engage the sponge also, but I am still able to do heavy and low underspin, that my opponent pushes into the net or it simply bounces 3 times on their side. I don't really do chops or chop blocks and this rubber is not really a defensive one.

Summary
The Bluefire M series (excluding Big Slam) is a very linear and easy to play rubber family if you consider their sponge hardness and playing capabilities. M1 is almost the fastest (M1 Turbo is a bit faster) rubber with the speed and spin capabilities of a modern offensive rubber. The Bluefire gives a bit more control and feel to the game, not to mention the sound of the sponge. Blade selection for the rubbers are wide, I found out that these rubbers can tolerate many types of materials. Cover layer of the blade should be medium hard to soft, Valnut covered Ovtcharov Senso Soft Carbon was playable but the looping was less pronounced, but smashes and hits worked fine. On Koto and Limba they were an offensive yet controllable miracle. On Hinoki and Spruce use M2 or M1 because these are soft woods and the blade will feel mushy, but the spin is awsome with more control. Most times I use Carbon, Arylate Carbon, Kevlar Carbon, Zylon Carbon blades, which do give more power to the shots and combine well with these rubbers. For me ALC blades with Tenergy 05 are a bit numb, can play with them effectively, but I miss the feeling. Well with the Bluefire I loved to play on ALC blades, because they had some feeling after all. Most times I use Kiri core ply looping blades, because you know... I loop. For advanced players ideal for both sides, thor intermediate players try it on FH first. Durability is at the top from my perspective, let me tell you why. I use Bluefire more than 4 years now and all I can say they are up for 200 hours of gameplay at least, mine Black M3 lasted 300 hours (incl training camps so I calculated the actual playing time). Some pro players who regulary have new sheets every 3 months can say that XX brand is better because most of them only wipe their rubbers with their hand and vapor from their breath. (I do this also during play). But at home I also apply rubber cleaner to remove dust, fat and oil from the surface. So it is easy to come to a conclusion if you see abrasion that the rubber is worn out, because the other brand does not look like that. I played with an MX-P for 3 years reboostering it from time to time, at the end it was like an FX-P with more power and still loops with tons of spin, but it looks like trash... I would say that is durability, performance over time! The M series is durable just like any other top brands. I use a sheet for a year, with 2-3 reglueing and 2 reboostering (to original size) to keep it at maximum performance. Black topsheet is harder, than the red one.

Price here is ~26€ so I will stick with it.

Sorry for the long post, hope it helps.

Genius sound is the softer version of Tibhar Genius.
This rubber excels at control and spin. It can produce a great arc on topspin, and this what makes this rubber fun to play!
Compared to the normal Genius, it has less speed and more control (but feels a bit more spin sensitive).

Topspinning is easy and fun (high arc), but the rubber produces less dangerous balls than normal Genius due to lesser speed. With genius sound your shots become dangerous with better placement. (sharp angles, high arc, ... ).

Works well (for me) on FH on stiff blades and as BH on blades with more flex.

STIGA Genesis S Rubber
Weight: 66 grams uncut, 42.5 grams uncut
Sponge Hardness: 45°
Hardness: Medium
Speed: Medium
Spin: High
Blade used: STIGA Carbonado 90 and STIGA Infinity blade (Dan), STIGA Hybrid NCT Wood blade (Tom)


Written Review

Read the full written review of the Genesis here.

We found the soft version was slightly better when taking the ball late, helping pick up low balls with lots of rotation. The flight path of the ball that this rubber creates stays low, allowing for control even when going for maximum power. This helps in situations under pressure when you need to active block.

The soft version produces a loud clicky sound which me and tom both liked. It gives you confidence in your strokes and you can feel the ball sink into the sponge.

STIGA Genesis M Rubber
Weight: 66 grams uncut, 42.5 grams uncut
Sponge Hardness: 47°
Hardness: Medium/Hard
Speed: Medium
Spin: High
Blade used: STIGA Carbonado 90 and STIGA Infinity blade (Dan), STIGA Hybrid NCT Wood blade (Tom)


Written Review

Initial

The Genesis rubbers were released in July 2016 and are completely different to predecessor STIGA rubbers in terms of composition. Right out the packaging I could feel the high quality. The top sheet being very glossy and aesthetically quite similar to Chinese rubbers such as the Hurricane 3 but not as tacky. The rubber comes in a protective film which you need to peel off and the sponge is orange and porous.

The pores of the rubbers themselves are quite large and it's hard to tell the difference between the soft and medium versions with the only real difference between them being the sponge hardness. The Genesis Genesis Medium has a sponge hardness of 47 degrees.





Topspins

The first thing that impressed us with these rubbers was sheer amount of control they give you. The ball snaps of the bat quickly yet you feel very safe and confident in your strokes. Again there are similar characteristics to a Chinese style rubber in how that the Genesis rubbers feels, with a hard sponge and a grippy surface.

Speed

The Genesis is a responsive rubber however not as responsive as traditional tensor type rubbers. You don’t get the same spring effect you feel in traditional tensor rubbers. This means you have to utilise more body and rotation when playing shots. What we like about the Genesis is the sponge effect feels quicker than most Chinese type rubbers giving the Genesis a Euro, Chinese feel. The Genesis rubbers have a consistent contact and provide more control than most tensors, as the rubbers tacky nature gives you more time on the ball.

Brush the ball

Due to the Chinese style topsheet it is important to brush the ball during your stroke. You don’t get away with hitting the ball flat. This means you need to adjust your bat face by opening it more to allow for the medium throw angle. The advantage of this really helps with topspinning low balls or when you are out of position.

The medium version definitely produces less of sound however Tom preferred the medium version to the soft as he wants a bit more pace on the ball. He finds the medium to produce high spin and control and enough speed to finish the point.

Spin

In today’s modern game it’s important to generate a lot of spin especially with the plastic ball. These rubbers do just that with the tacky surface gripping the ball extremely well producing lots of spin. This was very noticeable against backspin and in the short game.

I could produce a lot of spin on my open ups and liked the pace I could produce on the fifth ball. I did find it a little tricky to get as much power as I would have liked when the incoming 5th ball was slow. To generate the power needed to win the point required a good use of legs, body and timing at top of the bounce.

Serve and touch

Initially I served into the net on quite a few occasions. The tacky rubber keeps the ball on the rubber for a long time. After some slight adjustments with my technique I produced a spinny consistent serve. During short play, this is the area of the game is where the rubber excelled. Keeping the ball tight around the net was easy due to the grip.

Counter topspins

A particular area the Genesis works super well in is during a counter topspin. The grippy topsheet brings the ball down quickly and low over the net allowing for a strong attack

Backhand flicks

Another advantage of the genesis was picking up low side and backspin balls on the return of serve using a backhand flick. The rubber grips the ball superbly even against the lowest of backspin serves. I really liked the follow up backhand punch and topspin I could do after the flick. I could be play very aggressively whilst maintaining accuracy at the same time. I found the soft gave me a lot more control on the backhand, its softer nature gave me more time to play strong shots with the backhand.

Away from the table

When away from the table you can really make the ball kick off your opponent's side due to the vast amount of spin.

Conclusion

To conclude, STIGA have definitely upped their game with these latest Genesis rubber series and are an improvement on their previous high end rubbers such as the Airoc and Calibra series. The Genesis soft and medium both pack a lot of punch in terms of spin and they really grab the ball well due to and the grippy topsheet. These rubbers don’t feel completely like a Chinese rubber in the sense that they are not as hard and are not extremely tacky, they also have more dwell and a crisper feeling. The balance between speed and control is excellent which gives you plenty of safety in your strokes.

In comparison to other rubbers the Genesis is spinnier than an Evolution rubber for example however it is slower. For those who find some rubbers too responsive to incoming spin and hard to control Genesis could be a good alternative. They are especially effective in the serve and receive game. If you're an all out power player you might find the Genesis series slightly too slow however for those players who value spin and control more these may be the rubbers for you. This is not to say the Genesis are slow rubbers they just require more use of legs and rotation to get the same speed as a Tenergy for instance.

We would recommend the medium for players who take the ball early and play aggressive opening attacks, the rubber works well from close to mid range to the table. I personally like the soft version especially with its loud sound and clicky feel which gives a bit more control and works especially well on the backhand side for blocking and counter hit shots. These rubbers are fantastic for active blocking and controlling the table. For players wanting more speed the medium would be a better choice over the soft. STIGA have developed a high quality top end rubber that produces supreme spin and control without compromising on speed. We feel that the Genesis rubbers are a refreshing update from STIGA and are the best STIGA rubbers currently on the market for advanced attacking players.

Got the Genesis M rubber as soon as it was available and immediately felt a big improvement in the spin in my game. The topsheet is very tacky, which helped to generate lots of spin during serves. Combined with the Clipper Wood this rubber is amazing.

Although I use TPE Fight myself, a faster version of this blade, my sister uses TPE Nature. As a girl who manipulates speed and control mainly in her game, this is the perfect blade. Although its made for mostly control, the blade surprisngly has a lot of power and speed. Great blade, awesome feel, and definitely something to try!

Along with the 80+ pairs of sneakers I collect as a hobby, in my closet I have about 3-4 pairs of these babies. Definitely the best table tennis shoe I've ever worn. Along with the comfort, great look and lightness, this shoe lasts me the longest. As a pro player training 5-8 hours a day, these shoes last me months longer than any of the other shoes i've had experience with. Get yourself a pair now!

If I had to choose between a lifetime supply of Tenergy or a life time supply of Joola Rhyzm, I would pick the Rhyzm in a heartbeat. By far, this rubber is the best I've used. The durability of this rubber is comparable to those of Hurricane. The spin, speed and power are balanced perfectly. As a mainly backhand attacker, I use this on my backhand and I am able to vary spin and power in different occasions. Definitely try this rubber if you're an attacker like me!

As a sponsored player of Joola, I tried many blades from them. After using Viva for the first couple years, I quickly transitioned to Rossi Fire, Wing Carbon, and many others. Recently, I was asked to try the TPE Fight. This blade is by far the best blade I've ever used in my career. The power and control is perfectly balanced, making it the best combo for the player that can loop and defend. Definitely recommend this blade to my attacking mates!

Hi,

I have recently been using the Freitas blade and I can honestly say that even with the limited time I have used it with, it feels great!

Very consistent bounce all around and feels very comfortable in the hand...I am yet to test durability as I haven't had it that long...but im sure its fine

Overall its a very fast and also controlled blade with a nice feel to the hand - would recommend to anyone - and the price isnt thaaaat bad either!

Xiom Vega Europe DF Rubber
Weight: 41 grams cut (151x157mm blade)
Sponge hardness: Soft
Speed: Off-

I have not used the Xiom Vega Europe for a while. In 2009 it was my favorite rubber when it first came out. I wanted to go back to XVE because I missed the feel and control plus spin I got when I started playing with the polyball. I contacted my local Xiom distributor in Philippines, www.pingpongonline.com, they sent me the new Vega Europe DF. The blade I used in the review was the STIGA Exclusive blade.

The Xiom Vega Europe DF feels very much like a 35-degree European hardness. When I pressed against the rubber it felt soft. When comparing side by side the original Vega Europe and Vega Europe DF the original felt a bit harder. The Vega Europe feels more of a 37 degree sponge hardness. The pimple structure looks identical between the two with the only difference it seems is the hardness. The Vega Elite is still the soften Vega Rubber in the series. When comparing all 3 rubbers in terms of hardness the Vega Europe DF is between the original Vega Europe and Vega Elite.

While testing the rubbers I used the Nexy 3* polyball, I felt right away that the original Xiom Vega Europe is slightly faster than the newer DF version. The speed of the DF felt between the Vega Elite and Vega Europe. The sound of the Vega Europe DF was very loud, the Vega Series is known for its sound, the DF was louder by a few notches. In terms of categorising the speed, the DF ranged from ALL+ to OFF- speed, but in general the speed on all of my strokes was OFF-.

I found the DF rubber to work well inside the table on shots such as short pushes, drop shots and serves.Serves in particular are very controllable and not too bouncy. The spin on my serves and sharp pushes seemed very high when you compress the ball onto the sponge.

The topsheet of the Xiom Vega Europe DF is very spinny and feels grippy, infact spinier than the original Xiom Vega Europe.

Comparing to Rasant Beat: The Vega Europe DF is spinier than the new andro Rasant Beat rubber, however the Beat is faster. The advantage with the DF is looping and spinning the ball.

The DF rubber produces a medium arc which I liked when looping or spinning the ball. When contacting the ball thin strokes were not the way to go with the DF version. Even with the plastic ball the DF rubber is very spinny. The rubber is not to sensitive to incoming spin and is highly controllable on blocks and controlling the heavy spin. I found the Europe DF more suited for the Forehand. This was because it is designed for close to the table producing lots of spin, at mid distance you need more effort because of the softness of the rubber. On the backhand I could have done with a bit more pace. If you are a player who likes to block, spin and drive on the backhand then the DF would suit you well. I think to make the rubber faster you need it on a faster blade like the Xiom Zetro Quad or the Stradivarius blade. This rubber would pair well with carbon blades as the spin and control would balance well.

Overall, the new Vega Europe DF rubber is a great all round attacking rubber designed for the plastic ball. The high control and forgiveness of this rubber would even be suitable for beginners. This rubber is excellent for learning the strokes because its very balanced between spin and control and a reasonable amount of speed.

A very good blade with good control and it's all wood fast blade (off+).I think combined with rubbers like xiom vega china or pro you can get good spin ,better control and fast to.

So I've used Xiom Omega 5 Europe in max thickness on a Nittaku Redshank blade.

Throw angle:
The rubber has a high throw on slow and medium paced shots but on fast strong shots the throw angle lowers. This fact led me to a conclusion that the rubber is good for backhand and not so good for forehand if you hit hard.

Spin:
Spin on serves is good.
Spin on slow shots is very good. The rubber is great for a nice spinny opening topspin.
Spin on fast loops is OK. Can't say that it's very spinny or not spinny - just OK.

Speed:
The rubber is medium fast. It's slow on slow shots and not very fast on fast shots (for example Tibhar MX-P is about 30% faster in my opinion)

Control:
Just great!

What I didn't like:
I didn't like the change of the throw angle on fast killing shots (it just drops and that's why it's pretty hard to loop kill a nicely pushed ball). Again with MX-P a have no such problem for comparison.
After 2 months of regular play (4h a week training + about 2-3hours of free play) it lost a lot of grip (a significant drop in performance).

What I did like:
It's a great rubber for backhand (high throw and medium catapult help a lot here).
It's great for serve in receive - very controlled and very good for opening shots.
The rubber has great control and using passive shots with it is very easy.

All in all it's a great allround rubber with emphasis on spin. It has great control, good spin and medium speed so it's a great weapon for a player that likes to play a controlled tactical game.

I made a hard decision after nearly 6 years of using the Donic Waldner Senso Carbon blade that it was time for me to look for something new, something with a bit more speed but still a softer carbon touch.

I tried the Mizutani ZLC on the advice of one top international player but found it was a little stiff for my liking. When I heard about the Apolonia ZLC I messaged the man himself to get an idea of what it was like. He appeared to be loving it, so I figured I would give it a try.

Initially I found adjustments a little tough as the WSC was a great control blade and not quite as fast. After trying the blade for 5 or so sessions I felt it had worn in and I had made the necessary adjustments and the improvements have been clear.

I love the inner layer carbon concept and the Apolonia combination of carbon close to the core cushioned by a double layer of softer limba wood really creates a unique situation. The speed of the ZL Fibres along with the improved spin and touch from the outer wood layers creates an amazing composition for playing with incredible spin and great speed but without being too stiff to control the game.

I have been playing with it daily for a couple of weeks now and it grew on me really quickly. I'm happy to say it will be a permanent fixture and I have decided to make the changeover!

Check out my review below:
http://www.mhtabletennis.com/2016/08/mhtabletennis-reviews-butterfly-tiago.html

Playin it since may. I came from Primorac jap. and tested the LS from a friend. I really fell in love with the feeling it gives to you while playing. It really helps to generate lots of spin.
It´s perfect for Topspin near and 1-2m away from the table. I like the softer touch it has.

All in all a perfect Topspin blade.

Played with T05 and Aurus Soft

My EL-S arrived last friday and glued it in my backhand replacing H3-50. The sponge has a faint smell of booster like what you will expect in MX-P but the smell in MX-P is stronger. It was raining last friday night when I tested it so the rubber is moist. I did backhand mini topspin drill and I was surprised that the ball shoots fast, faster than MX-S and slighltly faster than MX-P. The feeling was meh and there is nothing special about it. I did match play and surprisingly I struggled with my backhand or maybe because of the moist. I went home really disappointed and I was just staring at the rubber thinking (I should have gone with MX-P) lol. The following day the weather was good and when I started doing backhand drills. As if the rubber was repenting about the night before, the ball was even faster and more controllable and grabs the ball really well. I did matchplay and what I found was...

Serving:
I tried it twice the underspin was really heavy and deceptive. It looks like a float ball but weighs a ton.

Receiving:
Receiving on the backhand side was really easy especially when doing the banana flick. Pushes are loaded, short and controllable due to the low catapult effect.

Flicking:
Flicking is a breeze the rubber grabs the ball well and adds sufficient. no, rather tremendous spin that helps it clear over the net.

Blocking:
I had struggle in blocking at first but when I adapted it is much easier than 05. I think due to slightly lower spin sensitivity. after a few adjustments I can do different types of block very well. Punching, counterspin, nullification and even chop block.

Spin:
This is the best part, I was very skeptic about the claims in the forum and found myself smiling like a fool. This rubber produces more spin than 05 and MX-S. They were having a hard time blocking my backhand topspin due to the tremendous spin and it is very funny cause I am unaware of it at first. the ball feels heavier in 05 due to the help of spring sponge. I let my friend try my racket and blocked his backhand and I was surprised of the spin that I had to really close the angle or nullify the ball to return it successfully.

Due to the cheaper price and fantastic spin this rubber will probably stay in my backhand and one thing is for sure, it plays really bad when moist. The sponge feels really hard but adjustable. The rubber is really suited in my backhand cause chinese rubber in the forehand is still better hehe. One last thing, about the dominance of Tenergy 05 IMO this rubber can replace it if you can get rid of your decision making bias. As a psychology student I notice many decision making bias among players.

http://www.businessinsider.com/cognitive-biases-that-affect-decisions-2015-8
Especially numbers 3, 5, 8, 9, 17 and 13 which is the placebo effect

Tenergy 05 is a flagship rubber, and has been leading the market for years now. Tenergy 05 is regarded as the most spinny in the Tenergy line, as well as the most popular.

To start off, I believe it is not as fast as people make it out to be. Sure, it is fast - but there are faster rubbers. The trade-off with a loss in speed means more spin, and this sure does have a lot of it.

This is definitely one of the spinniest rubbers I have played with. Only a few other rubbers have competed or outperformed the rubber in this regard. This also means it is very sensitive to incoming spin, so if you make a mistake reading a serve or do not have the ability to read spin adequately, this rubber will punish you. Coupled with that is a high-throw angle, meaning that misreading a sidespin and/or topspin serve will fly off the end of the table, or a no spin serve will pop up and get killed. With that being said, the high-throw angle are inherently its best and worst features - depending on the user.

If you are an advanced player with very good control, I believe that is when you should use this rubber.

For a beginner or intermediate player, this rubber is not ideal. The hard sponge, high-throw and intense spin capabilities can just make this rubber a nightmare to play with if your skill and ability just is not good enough. It may seem to be inconsistent to these players, or too fast. They may not be able to handle the sensitivity. There are lots of factors about this rubber that make it a make or break rubber. It is different, but it is what a lot of modern players want. You can play slow, fast, spinny, flat etc. and this rubber will just provide.

You will gets tons of spin on your serve, and your fast serves will be very fast due to the hard sponge... if you can control it. Like I said before, if you cannot control it, it will feel like a nightmare to play with.

Pushing is good, flicking is great, looping is out of this world and blocking really couldn't be that hard.

If you know how to play properly, and you have the right abilities, the high-throw angle, hard sponge and high spin capabilities make this rubber your wet dream. If you're not consistent or lack proper technique, do not buy this rubber. It will make your life a living nightmare.

Ultimately a great weapon - but only if you know how to use it. I cannot emphasize it enough!

Unboxing
The TA ZLC comes in a beautiful presentation box in the colors of the Portuguese flag. The handle of the blade has the same color scheme and on the front side of the blade Tiagos name and the coat of arms of Portugal which is containing five blue shields forming a cross and seven golden castles. On the blade it is shown in black.
On the back of the handle the new green holographic sticker is placed.
The quality and finish is superb as always when you buy a Butterfly blade and it looks like a has a fine layer of sealing from the factory.

















Composition: Limba-Limba-ZLC-Ayous-ZLC-Limba-Limba
Handle: Flared
Head size: 157x150mm
Thickness: 5.8mm
Weight: 88g


Test setup: FH DHS H3 Neo 2.15mm and BH Tenergy 05 2.1mm





Drive
When driving with the TA ZLC I didn't expect that the blade had the amount of feel and the control it had. The Zylon-Carbon layer adds lightness, stiffness and flexibility to the blade. Another thing that was noticeable was the large sweet spot.


Loop
Looping with the TA ZLC was a dream! This blade is a pure spin machine and the dwell was good even with the H3. The arcs with H3 was low to medium and with the T05 it is more medium. The balance of the blade was to the middle even though playing with heavy rubbers. The blade gives a lot of flex and an enormous dwell which is obvious in the loop to loop game. This also noticeable in Dan’s review.


Block
In the passive game I could really feel that the blade gave a lot of control, stability and consistency due to the large sweet spot and the composition of Limba and ZLC. Still if I was a bit active on the ball the blade still felt controllable. If you are a bit tense you will still hit the ball on the table.


Flick/short game
As I mentioned earlier in the review the TA ZLC has a lot of dwell which is one of the pro’s in this part of the game. On service receive I was able to put quality balls on the table. Flicks are made with ease and the ball just feels like it stays forever until you have unleashed a spinny banana flick. This was one of the fun parts playing with the blade.


Conclusion
Butterfly has made a signature blade for Tiago Apolonia. The price is high at 189.90 Euro (in Europe) or 259.99 USD (in US) compared to the Innerforce ZLC 189.90 Euro (in Europe) and 236.99 USD (in US). In Europe is price is the same but in the US there a 20 USD difference. So is it worth buying the TA ZLC? The thickness of the blade is 5.6mm and the IF ZLC 5.7mm. The TA is more flexible and feels just a nodge faster. Also the design is just flawless. If you are looking for those features then, yes!


I would recommend the blade to players who focus on an allround game with spin and speed and plays close to mid from the table. Also the player that favors the short and over the table attacking game. Then this looping machine is what you are looking for.