Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC

Description & Background Before getting into the details, I want to share a bit about my experince. I’ve been playing table tennis for about 7 years now, currently competing around Division 4-3 here in Thailand. Over the years, I’ve been a bit of an equipment junkie. I’ve tried so many blades ALC, ZLC, Super ALC, and plenty of all-wood blades from various brands. I’ve also gone through tons of rubbers, from Tenergy 05 and 80 to Rakza Z ,7 , DHS Hurricane3 National/province , and more.
For the past six months, my main setup has been the Fan Zhendong (FZD) ALC paired with Dignics 09c (2.1mm) on my forehand and Dignics 05 (2.1mm) on my backhand (i will call D09c and D05) .

The FZD ALC has a very famous 5+2 structure: Koto, ALC, Limba, Kiri, Limba, ALC, and Koto. Yes, this is the exact same composition as the Viscaria. A lot of people online claim that the FZD ALC feels totally different from the Viscaria, but in my experience, that "different feeling" mostly comes down to the weight.

Overall Impression If you're going to buy this blade, I highly recommend finding one that weighs 90+ grams. The heavier ones just feel much more solid upon impact compared to the lighter batches. To me, the biggest actual difference between the FZD ALC and the Viscaria is the handle. The FZD handle is noticeably thicker and fuller. If you have bigger hands or just never liked the somewhat thin Viscaria grip, the FZD ALC is a massive upgrade in terms of comfort.

Key Strengths & Weaknesses So, how does it play? As I mentioned, I use D09c and D05, and I found that the FZD ALC pairs perfectly with medium-hard to hard sticky rubbers. It’s fast, but what really impressed me is how controllable it is. Looping and blocking feel very great . When I use my footwork to step around and commit to a full-power forehand stroke, the ball still lands safely on the table with heavy spin. It just gives you this great sense of safety. I actually tried the Viscaria Super ALC with the exact same rubbers. While the Super ALC gives you crazy power and a bigger sweet spot, I honestly felt I couldn't control the ball as well. The standard ALC in the FZD is much safer when you want to swing at 100% power without fear of overshooting.

It’s not completely perfect, though. The biggest weakness is the physical finish of the blade neck. Out of the box, the edges near the handle are way too sharp. You will absolutely need to use some sandpaper to sand down the wings; otherwise, it will hurt your fingers during long practice sessions. Also, if your game relies mostly on passive blocking, you might prefer an inner-carbon blade.

Clear Recommendation To wrap this up, the Fan Zhendong ALC is the most well-balanced blade I have ever used when it comes to speed, spin, and control. I highly recommend it to intermediate and advanced players who love an aggressive, topspin-heavy game. It's a fantastic, reliable blade that lets you play your shots with pure confidence.
P.S. In this picture I use Victas V15 sticky but I feel it's lack of durability so I change to D09c and it feels much better

I bought this blade with FL handle in April of 2023 and have played with it with multiple rubber combos, the first being Rozena both sides, second Dignics 80 FH and Dignics 05 BH and third DHS Hurricane 3 Neo BS Provincial FH and Xiom Vega X backhand (next combo will be Tenergy 05 Hard FH and Dignics 80 BH). This is the first professional blade that i have bought so i do not have any comparisons to other blades. The handle felt nice in my hand, very comfortable. When I played with this blade, it feels quite fast and rather hard, but the control is still there so that i can still land most of my powerful shots. I love this blade for the BH flicks on receive, they came skinny and fast, though i had to practice the BH flick for a while to get used to it. My BH topspin was also good and quite easy to execute. For my forehand topspin, my primary weapon, it was very fast yet still controllable which was a joy to use. As a player who loves the third ball attack, i was very happy to see that my serves come spiny and fast whenever i wished which made my opponents miss or hard to hit. Blocking is just good, not extraordinarily good but not bad either, the ball will go to where you place it but it will be easy for the opponent to return the block. In rallies the blade performs well, though i prefer with the blades speed to try and finish the point outright. I will say that it is hard to control in the short game with the FZD ALC due to how hard it is (maybe i’m just bad lol). It’s a very good blade, possibly the best imo but don’t take my word for it since i haven’t played with other butterfly blades. Just wish it wasn’t so damn expensive lol.

I have tried more blades and rubbers than I am willing to admit. When we talk Butterfly, I tried all ALC blades, a few ZLC and ZLF, one super ALC and one super ZLC. I also had the opportunity to play with Tenergy rubbers, namely T05, T80, T64, T19 and T25. Now I play with Dignics 05 on both sides. Before this setup, I used to play with Dignics 09c on the forehand side and Dignics 05 on the backhand side for a couple of months.

Since isolated reviews are of questionable usefulness throughout this review, I will be comparing this blade to both Viscaria and TBALC. I believe it's always helpful to put things into perspective.

The structure of this racket has been proven many times over three decades of history in tournaments around the world. It is a legendary Viscaria-based blade with the following structure: Koto -ALC- Limba - Kiri - Limba - ALC - Koto. However, in my deep belief, that's only part of the story when trying to answer the question of what kind of performance a blade provides. Although it is a familiar structure, Butterfly has for the umpteenth time done their ingenious fine tuning and released a racket that has its own special character. First of all, what is obvious is that the thickness compared to the Viscaria has been increased by 0.1mm. FZD ALC is 5.8mm thick. Although the veneers are officially the same compared to for example TBALC or Viscaria, what we don't know is how they were treated. Whether it is a question of chemical treatment, the production process itself, glue, treatment with UV rays, it is difficult to say for sure.

What is certain in my opinion is that the aforementioned blades in the game show different performance, feel and overall gaming experience.

As I already mentioned, on both sides are Dignics 05. I think it is important to say a few words about the rubbers because they are a critical part of every racket. Some rightly say that rubbers are the soul of every racket. I think Tenergy rubbers were and remain an excellent choice for many. They are the rubbers that have taken their place in table tennis history. I always liked them, but I still thought they were kind of wild horses in the hands of a less than excellent player. They demand(ed) a high technical level from the players. Now, the Dignics rubbers are different animals. They are truly an engineering masterpiece from Butterfly because they somehow managed to achieve almost impossible - to improve something as good as the Tenergy line but at the same time change the character of the rubbers, again compared to the Tenergy series. I have never tried rubbers that have as many different gears as the Dignics. At the same time, they are very advanced, fine-tuned instruments, and on the other hand, they are really not that difficult to use. They are just perfect for short game, have a lot of feel and also offer a lot of power 2 meters from the table. They can be „dead“ but they can also be catapulty when you pull the trigger. They cover all aspects of the modern game. They can be Fast and furious when needed but also controlled and forgiving when needed. If there is one word that describes the Dignics series of rubbers, it is – dynamics. Extreme dynamics. I have not found other rubbers that can be remotely compared to the Dignics series. They are simply superior.

Compared to Viscaria and TBALC, FZD ALC represents a significant leap in all aspects. Viscaria is a great wood for topspin play but lacks the talent for flat shots and smashing. TBALC is a great wood as well - for block, drive, push. However, due to its increased stiffness, it has a nano-dwell time, so the spin game really requires high technical competence.

In this sense, FZDALC is a highly balanced blade. It is excellent for both backhand and forehand, smash, feel shots, drive, topspin, push... When I say this, I certainly do not mean “jack of all trades, master of none”. The wood is extremely good for all shots and suitable for less technically fluent players. It's truly amazing what the Butterfly engineers have been able to achieve. For me, this is the best ALC blade. It's as if at Butterfly they used the accumulated know-how from their extensive experience in ALC blades design and applied it to a single blade. I would especially emphasize the forehand aspect of this wood. The forehand is crisp and clean, gets a new higher quality and is easier to hit than with the aforementioned ALC blades. Additionally, backhand flip with this combo of wood and rubbers is relatively easy. This is especially important because this shot is crucial in modern table tennis when it comes to returning serve. It changes the dynamic of the game and allows the skilled player to gain an advantage and change the momentum.

Although I play with the ST handle, I had the opportunity to try the FL handle as well. Compared to Viscaria the handle is definitely thinner which is good news from my perspective. I never liked the FL handle on Viscaria. I don't think it's comfortable, far from it. The FL handle on TBALC suited me better, although it was a bit too small for my liking. The handle on the FZDALC is somewhere between Viscaria and FZDALC in size. I haven't had any problems with ST handles on these three racquets. However, I must say that ST handles on TBALC and MJZLC are still my favorites by a huge margin.

In conclusion, I encourage everyone to try this blade/combo. It is really worth looking into.

I ordered this blade directly from Butterfly shortly after it was released and specified 90g and a flared handle in order to compare it to my regular Viscaria and my LGY, both a similar weight.

The blade was exactly as specified and came in about 2 weeks. Well presented and with the quality I have come to expect from Butterfly I glued it up with a few different rubbers, including T05/05FX and Tibhar K3 / R7 as these were all rubbers I had used regularly and so knew what to expect.

The handle is very similar to the Viscaria and LGY in dimension and feel and the blade balance also felt very similar.

In short, I would have a hard time separating this blade from either the Viscaria or LGY - very similar in speed and response. If I was pushed I might rank the FZD as slightly slower than the other two, but in a blind test I doubt I’d be able to differentiate. I had previously owned and played with a TB ALC and would say that whilst the FZD is clearly from the same stable, the Boll is slightly harder feeling and slightly faster (I also had a straight handle Boll that I didn’t really get on with)

So, for anyone looking for a Butterfly outer blade I would certainly recommend the FZD. Ultimately I sold mine and went back to my trusty Viscaria’s as I just enjoyed the feel of these a little more, but I could have kept any of them and been happy.

Hey guys! In this video we’re joined with the European Team Champion and World Number 40 Joao Geraldo who loves to test equipment!

So the World Number 1 and 2022 World Champion Fan Zhendong has his own signature ALC blade out now with Butterfly. We tested the blade to see how it stacks up to other blades we have tested including the Viscaria which this blade is based on. I used Tenergy 05 on my forehand and Dignics 05 on my backhand, Joao used the Dignics 05 on both his forehand and and backhand.