Butterfly Timo Boll Forte

This is the first blade I had ever bought when I started table tennis.
Originally I had this paired up with sriver-fx and due to the really soft feeling of the blade, the rubber practically felt like it had no speed. (spin was good tho)
After that I switched to some 2nd hand tenergy and got coaching, I realised the immense control I had.
At first some people might not be used to the soft touch and the mediocre speed but what you get in return is really good control.
Good consistency but has a smaller sweet spot than carbon blades (didnt really affect me when I played)

This blade is not suited with really slow rubbers and have a softer feel than most blades. I found out after using it for a longer period of time, I found the blade to have sufficient speed and gave me really good control. If you are looking for something cheaper give this blade a try.

Please note that I will review an older version of the Butterfly Timo Boll Forte. Newer versions may differ slightly for the older ones, at least they seem to have better handles.

The Butterfly Timo Boll Forte is my main blade for about a year. I've been using it with Donic Acuda S1/S1 Turbo on FH and Donic Acuda S2 on BH.

Speed

The TBF is not the fastest blade in the world. In my opinion, it is on the slower side of OFF, faster than Donic Waldner Senso Carbon and Butterfly Petr Korbel, staying right between them.

Control

Control is a big plus of this blade. The TBF has very good control on loops and in the short game, but due to its relative softness blocks and flat hits are a little bit harder. It is more controlable than the Korbel, and a tiny bit less controlable than the WSC.

Hardness

Definitely not a hard blade. It has very good dwell time, which helps to apply tons of spin to the ball. A looper's dream.

Handle

Being a man with a pretty large palm, I do pay attention more than many others to the size of the handle. And this is what this blade lacks - a big and comfotable handle. By measuring it at the bottom, you wouldn't say so - it's approx. 34x24mm, so almost identical to the handle of the Galaxy/Yinhe T-2 or Stiga Legend handle. But taking the racket in the hand is a different story. You begin to feel how thin the handle really is.

Durability

The TBF is a durable blade. Mine isn't the last nor the penultimate version of TBF, and it doesn't have any major bumps. Some people were having issues because while taking off the rubbers, there were small chips separating off the blade, but these were blades that were not sealed.

Strategy

This blade is definitely for a looper. It won't work for a blocker/flat hitter as good as for a looper. Some people that lack power may have little problems playing away from the table, because TBF isn't a rocket, but, for me, it works very good.

Conclusion

The Butterfly Timo Boll Forte is an affordable(~40 euros - 45$) blade that is definitely worth more. Its speed is right between the Donic Waldner Senso Carbon and the Butterfly Petr Korbel, and has an impressive amount of control. Its good dwell time makes the blade ideal for a looper, but not so good for a blocker/flat hitter. Sealing is very recommended for preventing future issues. Biggest minus of this blade is the small handle.

Below are some pictures of my blade with Donic Acuda S1 Turbo/S2 rubbers glued on it :

It's a nice blade. Not very fast but the control is good.

This is a good overall blade from Butterfly. The best part with the blade is that it's so cheap; it can be bought for about 30-35 USD from some stores. Fits perfectly for any offensive player. Thanks to its low price you don't either really have to be "scared" (breaking the bat) of taking some risks when hitting half long balls. Breaking a 30 USD bat instead of a 200 USD bat is quite a difference

I've been using this blade probably like 5-7 years and I think it's good combined with Tenergy 05 rubbers. There are definitely better blades out also but this is a good choice for an offensive player who doesn't want to spend a fortune to his racket's bat.