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Spin and more spin.
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Spin and more spin.
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Shoo...nothing to see here. - zeio
True to the originals, for the most part.
https://www.butterfly.co.jp/product/dignics/combination.html
05
--
Hadraw VR
Spin-based power play, for players looking for the feel of all-wood
80
--
ZJK SZLC
For higher quality attacks with no blind spots
MJ ZLC
For technical play in a wide area
TB CAF
For beginners who want to supplement the power of the shot
64
--
ZJK ZLC
For players who want to hit mostly[Isn't this for 25? Here, the Japanese term ミート(meet) is actually borrowed from baseball]
SK7 Classic
For power and stability in the rallies
https://www.butterfly.co.jp/product/dignics/combination.html
05
--
Hadraw VR
Spin-based power play, for players looking for the feel of all-wood
80
--
ZJK SZLC
For higher quality attacks with no blind spots
MJ ZLC
For technical play in a wide area
TB CAF
For beginners who want to supplement the power of the shot
64
--
ZJK ZLC
For players who want to hit mostly[Isn't this for 25? Here, the Japanese term ミート(meet) is actually borrowed from baseball]
SK7 Classic
For power and stability in the rallies
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Wow. A rubber blade combination that improves your vision? Only Butterfly could imagine that. I should remind readers of Rule 27.
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Doesn't ZJK ZLC and Mizu ZLC have exactly the same composition? How can their description be so different?
Also Hadraw VR seems like a very stiff blade yet it is in the same category as inner carbon blades and Viscaria to be used with T05?
Also Hadraw VR seems like a very stiff blade yet it is in the same category as inner carbon blades and Viscaria to be used with T05?
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Not the same combination. Mizutani blades have Limba top ply which causes them to feel and play very differently.
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It is where I met mine too, but I was still subjected to s -1 rather than n + 1.
But then I took up road cycling. And my TT expenditures seemed so small in comparison that i was back to n + 1 baby!!!!
Rule 20!!!! Obey!!!!
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Rule 20f...
When discussing BTY and the expenditure of moneys, one must embed Greg Letts excellent vid on BTY and pricing.
When discussing BTY and the expenditure of moneys, one must embed Greg Letts excellent vid on BTY and pricing.
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I wasn't able to find ZJK SZLC on stervinou.net.
I know Mizu is Limba ZLC Limba. What's the composition of ZJK SZLC?
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That's my excuse. Even after spending $$ on equipment, this sport is still cheaper relative to some other sports my friends are into, like cycling.
I do have to admit coaching isn't exactly cheap though, and cost me $2.5k a year...
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I believe it goes like this:
TB Spirit, TB ALC, Viscaria and a few other blades are all: Koto-ALC-Limba-Kiri-Limba-ALC-Koto
TB ZLC and ZJK ZLC are: Koto-ZLC-Limba-Kiri-Limba-ZLC-Koto
Mizutani is: Limba-ZLC-Limba-Kiri-Limba-ZLC-Limba
Just to add one more for a fuller picture:
M. Maze: Limba-ALC-Limba-Ayous-Limba-ALC-Limba (I think the Marcos Frietas blade is the same composition but it feels stiffer and harder than the Maze blade).
It is interesting to feel how different the Mizutani feels from the TB and ZJK ZLC and ALC blades and how different it feels compared to the old Maze blade.
Each change, even though seemingly small, has a big impact on speed and feel.
That being said TB Spirit, TB ALC and Viscaria feel very very close to the same. Main differences are really the handle and shape of the blade face.
TB ZLC and ZJK ZLC also are very close to the same. The differences are the same as for the ALC versions: handle and shape.
Butterfly knows how popular those blades are, so having 5 or 6 blades that are functionally identical but look different has been effective marketing for them.
With SZLC versions of blades, the only thing that changes is the ZLC weave. In the SZLC there is more Zylon. Otherwise no difference. So if you add S before ZLC to any of the ZLC blades above, that would be the composition of the SZLC version of those blades.
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For SZLC, when you add more Zylon to it, is it safe to say that it becomes stiffer and thus reduces dwell time?
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It should actually be the opposite I think. Zylon is a semi-soft plasic-like supstance not that different from Kevlar. It is harder than Arylate but softer than wood or carbon. So it should add dwell and rebound to the blade.
The softness of the Arylate or Zylon, added to the hardness of the carbon, I think is why ALC blades are so popular. It does not detract from the speed, because of the rebound of the softer material. But it adds dwell time and a little give to the top ply which allows you to increase the spin. So it actually makes the blade have some of the properties of a more flexible blade without the added flex or the slower speed.
More info: a blade with just Arylate or Zylon and no carbon would be faster than a blade with just wood of a similar composition. An ALC or ZLC would be faster than the AL or ZLF versions of the same blade (ZLF = Zylon but no carbon). So a TB ZLF is slower than a TB ALC which is slower than a TB ZLC. I don't think the SZLC's speed would really be that different than the regular ZLC. Just harder to control for a lower level player because of the give in the blade from the extra Zylon. But a higher level player would know what to do with that.
I have not tried an SZLC blade in years. But when the ZJK SZLC came out, I was not too impressed. And my memory is that what I felt was in line with the information above. I also notice, I don't think there are too many top players who use the SZLC blades. Are there? I have not paid much attention to that stuff in a while. So it could have changed. But when I did, none of the top pros were using the SZLC versions.
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You're correct. I don't think many pros use SZLC blades (I think LYJ uses ZJK SZLC), although I don't think this means non-pros can't use it. Pros have the technique to deliver powerful shot without using the fastest blades available out there. I guess this could also be argued that non-pros don't have the technique to control a blade faster than what pros use.
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It is interesting how many different conclusions can be drawn from the fact that not many pros use a certain kind of blade like the SZLC blades. I look at it this way. The pros often can play with whatever they want. They have access to trying blades that most people would not have access to. But so many pros use blades in the speed category of the Viscaria.
The Viscaria is fast enough. But not crazy fast. Why do so many pros use a blade that is approximately equivalent in speed and control to a Viscaria? I think it is because the tradeoffs between speed, spin and control are sort of optimal. The blade is pretty decently fast, but not so fast it is hard to control. Not so fast that you can't get very high levels of spin. And not so fast that you would have to cut down your stroke to gain the control needed to keep the ball on the table over and over in long loop to loop rallies.
Also, enough control and precision for the touch game, the short game, the serve and receive game.
The idea that a blade might be faster than a pro would want to use, well, that doesn't mean a non pro couldn't or shouldn't use it since pros don't. But, pros may be able to feel better what works for them and may have access to try enough different things to know what works best for them. Whereas, often, amateurs sometimes just use what they have with no real idea of what would be closest to ideal for them to use.
And, in my experience, it is much more common that amateurs use blades that are faster than would be ideal for them rather than the opposite. But Butterfly is excellent at marketing for this kind of amateur with blades that are quite fast and very expensive. For those who think, if it costs only $200.00 and this one costs $400.00, the $400.00 blade must be better.
There are marketing research studies that show, if you have two products that are exactly the same, and one costs more, a good number of people will buy the more expensive one simply because they think, "it must be better because it is more expensive." Yeah, there are other types who would buy the less expensive one because it is less expensive. But there are actually more of the first type of people. And there are some of the first type who eventually buy the more expensive version at a future date.
The Viscaria is fast enough. But not crazy fast. Why do so many pros use a blade that is approximately equivalent in speed and control to a Viscaria? I think it is because the tradeoffs between speed, spin and control are sort of optimal. The blade is pretty decently fast, but not so fast it is hard to control. Not so fast that you can't get very high levels of spin. And not so fast that you would have to cut down your stroke to gain the control needed to keep the ball on the table over and over in long loop to loop rallies.
Also, enough control and precision for the touch game, the short game, the serve and receive game.
The idea that a blade might be faster than a pro would want to use, well, that doesn't mean a non pro couldn't or shouldn't use it since pros don't. But, pros may be able to feel better what works for them and may have access to try enough different things to know what works best for them. Whereas, often, amateurs sometimes just use what they have with no real idea of what would be closest to ideal for them to use.
And, in my experience, it is much more common that amateurs use blades that are faster than would be ideal for them rather than the opposite. But Butterfly is excellent at marketing for this kind of amateur with blades that are quite fast and very expensive. For those who think, if it costs only $200.00 and this one costs $400.00, the $400.00 blade must be better.
There are marketing research studies that show, if you have two products that are exactly the same, and one costs more, a good number of people will buy the more expensive one simply because they think, "it must be better because it is more expensive." Yeah, there are other types who would buy the less expensive one because it is less expensive. But there are actually more of the first type of people. And there are some of the first type who eventually buy the more expensive version at a future date.
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Ya, I think you hit the nail on the head on this one. I think that is the case as well.
"I think it is because the tradeoffs between speed, spin and control are sort of optimal. The blade is pretty decently fast, but not so fast it is hard to control. Not so fast that you can't get very high levels of spin. And not so fast that you would have to cut down your stroke to gain the control needed to keep the ball on the table over and over in long loop to loop rallies."
"I think it is because the tradeoffs between speed, spin and control are sort of optimal. The blade is pretty decently fast, but not so fast it is hard to control. Not so fast that you can't get very high levels of spin. And not so fast that you would have to cut down your stroke to gain the control needed to keep the ball on the table over and over in long loop to loop rallies."
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