Mizutani ZLC underrated Fantastic blade

[mvibritannia]

Hi everyone,

I've been gifted a Mizutani ZLC at christmas.

In comparison to more popular blades (Viscaria, Boll ALC, Harimoto...), the amount of reviews is very limited.
It's hard to have an idea of how this blade actually plays before you try it.

As I have not found a lot of information on this blade on the forum, I thought it would be interesting to make a review of it.
As well as discussing rubbers possible combinations.

Profile: French player with equivalent ranking of around 2200 USATT.
Previous Material: Harimoto SALC, FH: Dignics 09C, BH: Dignics 05.

For this test I paired it with 2 Tenergy 05 (rubbers I know very well and played for years).

First Impressions:

The blade is way softer than I expected (limba). Yet you have a really crisp feeling due to the ZLC fiber providing a lot of feedback.
I played with an Harimoto ALC in the past which was also soft but you felt the vibration way less.

The blade is very stiff. So it's never slow and never really fast.
When you don't engage much it's not that slow (maybe Tenergy plays a role here), you still get a slight catapult effect.
When you hit hard, the speed is not fast. You still get some speed but far from Boll ALC or HSALC.

This provides a level of control I've never played with before. The ball literally goes at the exact spot you aimed for, just not that fast.
You are never surprised by the angle or the arc.

This was very surprising to me as I really though this blade would be hard and fast. it's quite the opposite.

The paddle is 150*157, with weight handle heavy which was a game changer for me coming from a 152*158 HSALC.
The level of manoeuvrability is higher and transition from FH to BH way easier.

Now let's talk about the golden point of this blade: mid distance
I've never had this amount of fun playing table tennis in a long time. There is something about this blade at mid distance that is magical.
You won't overpower your opponent, but unless you don't touch the ball you won't miss the table, it's just automatic.

Of course no blade is perfect, let's talk now about it's limitations.
The Mizutani ZLC is made to brush the ball, it really falls short hitting flat, passive blocking is good but it's really not made to hit flat with force.
The level of spin you can generate is relatively high (serves, topspin..) but lower than over blades (Harimoto ALC, ML5...).

Basically you won't get the feeling of overpowering your opponent, but in exchange you will make less mistakes, less frustration from missing shots.
The rallies will be longer and you will outflank your opponent with placement more than speed.

Rubbers discussion: While I think it paired really well with Tenergy 05. I believe two things could be improved with different rubbers.
It's lacking a bit of grip --> Considering Dignics 09C and Zyre 03 on the forehand.
It's a bit to spin sensitive --> Considering Dignics 80 on the backhand.

I would be really happy to answer any questions people considering this blade may have.
For those playing with it, what rubbers are you using and why?

Kind Regards

 

[rbtitco]

Mizutani played it with D80 both sides, i believe. I think D 80 is an awesome bh rubber, too, could be worth a shot

 

[NextLevel]

Mizutani played it with D80 both sides, i believe. I think D 80 is an awesome bh rubber, too, could be worth a shot

I really should try this lol. Maybe this coming Christmas...

 

[mvibritannia]

Mizutani played it with D80 both sides, i believe. I think D 80 is an awesome bh rubber, too, could be worth a shot

Almost anyone who played with Dignics 80 says the same thing.
It's ordered can't wait to try it now, I will update my review after the test.

 

[kindof99]

To me, JM zlc is good for smashing as well. A blade is good for flat hitting as long as it is not too flexible like Long 5.

 

[mvibritannia]

I really should try this lol. Maybe this coming Christmas...

The only issue of this blade is the price, it's really expensive to test...

I've looked at it for years, but never pulled the trigger because I thought It would not match my playing style.

I believe it's one of the most beautiful butterfly blades, and wanted to have one even if I don't play with it.

Could not resist trying it, and well what a surprise!

At the same time I can see why it could be underwhelming for someone looking for power.

It's really not a blade made to serve hard and then blast a rocket on the first attack. Which can be thrilling or very frustrating depending on you daily form and success rate.

It's a blade made for longer rallies, long term strategy placements, and finesse.

Probably Love it or Hate it type of blade.

 

[NextLevel]

The only issue of this blade is the price, it's really expensive to test...

I've looked at it for years, but never pulled the trigger because I thought It would not match my playing style.

I believe it's one of the most beautiful butterfly blades, and wanted to have one even if I don't play with it.

Could not resist trying it, and well what a surprise!

At the same time I can see why it could be underwhelming for someone looking for power.

It's really not a blade made to serve hard and then blast a rocket on the first attack. Which can be thrilling or very frustrating depending on you daily form and success rate.

It's a blade made for longer rallies, long term strategy placements, and finesse.

Probably Love it or Hate it type of blade.

The people I know who use it actually hit fairly hard, the blade just doesn't do it for them lol. It's just a control monster, I have always wondered whether it would be too stiff for me, but the fact that the master of control used it should allay such worries lol.

 

[mvibritannia]

To me, JM zlc is good for smashing as well. A blade is good for flat hitting as long as it is not too flexible like Long 5.

Well I don't think it's bad for smashing, and you are right the stiffness is playing a role in this.

You can still hit hard with the proper technique, and it will be relatively fast.

But having played with a Boll ALC and Harimoto SALC, the ball quality on this type of shots is clearly lower.

The rotation will be lower and you will need even more power to reach the same level of speed.

I'm attaching the "Table Tennis Gan" chart as I believe it summarises this pretty well.

 

[Charlesmorris]

I tried mizutani zlc recently and actually prefer over viscaria. The blade lacks heavily in power, it did not match well with D09c as you really needed to swing for finishers but the control is next level with this blade. Where you imagine the ball to go, it lands. Zyre 03 is more ideal for me, you can do light spinny brushes and the ball will clear the net. Plus Zyre 03 provides power that the set up needs.

 

[mvibritannia]

I tried mizutani zlc recently and actually prefer over viscaria. The blade lacks heavily in power, it did not match well with D09c as you really needed to swing for finishers but the control is next level with this blade. Where you imagine the ball to go, it lands. Zyre 03 is more ideal for me, you can do light spinny brushes and the ball will clear the net. Plus Zyre 03 provides power that the set up needs.

This is what scares me about Dignics 09c, maybe boosting it could solve the issue.
The slight "tackiness" of Dignics 09c is hard to replace.

Do you still get good control with Zyre 03 on this blade, especially for the short game?

 

[Charlesmorris]

This is what scares me about Dignics 09c, maybe boosting it could solve the issue.
The slight "tackiness" of Dignics 09c is hard to replace.

Do you still get good control with Zyre 03 on this blade, especially for the short game?

I’ve found boosting doesn’t really do much for d09c. It won’t quite work as good control wise as d09c on soft shots but the hardness and grip give it much more control vs dignics 05. I would say Zyre 03 is closer to Neo 3 boundary, it can be a dead rubber if you don’t activate it. Recently I tried fan zhendong super zlc with Zyre 03 and it’s not so bouncy when I had dignics 05 on it. I think they’ll always be an adjustment period but d09c on mizutani zlc is still a fantastic set up, will just be more physical vs a Zyre 03 set up, but you’ll have more control.

 

[mvibritannia]

Thanks a lot for the input.
I really fell in love with the blade, so I'll probably try all the combinations of rubbers.

 

[mvibritannia]

I’ve found boosting doesn’t really do much for d09c. It won’t quite work as good control wise as d09c on soft shots but the hardness and grip give it much more control vs dignics 05. I would say Zyre 03 is closer to Neo 3 boundary, it can be a dead rubber if you don’t activate it. Recently I tried fan zhendong super zlc with Zyre 03 and it’s not so bouncy when I had dignics 05 on it. I think they’ll always be an adjustment period but d09c on mizutani zlc is still a fantastic set up, will just be more physical vs a Zyre 03 set up, but you’ll have more control.

Quick update as I have been able to test Dignics 09C on the Mizutani ZLC:
Completely different feeling. I personally did not like it at all.

The +:
- Short game is clearly easier thanks to the tackyness and hard sponge
- More control when hitting hard

The -:
- With Dignics 09C you have to engage physically on every ball because of the hardness of the sponge.
Which means even on slow open ups, you arm swing speed needs to be higher. This reduces the precision of your stroke and increases your mistakes rate.

With Tenergy 05 the combination was extremely easy to use, you would get decent quality of ball even without much engagement. Open ups were really easy because of this.

- The higher arc of 09C felt weird on this set up, less natural to me.

This made the overall combination far less easy to play although I'm really used to Dignics 09C (playing with it for more than a year)

You can probably get better quality of shots when everything line up with 09C: Timing, physical placement and technique.
However when you are missing any of those you lose the "main purpose" of this blade which is it's consistency and ease of use.

I ordered a Dignics 80 and a Zyre 03, hopefully I can test them next week and give an update.

 

[Stywok]

I am going to buy Mizutani ZLC or Harimoto Super ALC. Could you Compare these two Blades please ?
I am currently playing Hurricane King AcB with Zyre 03 FH and Dignics 05 BH. I am having massive problems playing against over 50 year Olds that have been playing table tennis for over 40 years with a slow safe racket and no proper technique at all, giving me weird or No spin balls while being extremely safe.... I feel like my setup works totally fine against players with fast rackets and proper technique but I have no Control against those weird players I am not sure which Blade might help me out better. I am also looking for rubbers that give me more Control than Tenergy but are still Fast.

 

[NextLevel]

I am going to buy Mizutani ZLC or Harimoto Super ALC. Could you Compare these two Blades please ?
I am currently playing Hurricane King AcB with Zyre 03 FH and Dignics 05 BH. I am having massive problems playing against over 50 year Olds that have been playing table tennis for over 40 years with a slow safe racket and no proper technique at all, giving me weird or No spin balls while being extremely safe.... I feel like my setup works totally fine against players with fast rackets and proper technique but I have no Control against those weird players I am not sure which Blade might help me out better. I am also looking for rubbers that give me more Control than Tenergy but are still Fast.

If you get a Harimoto SALC, make sure it is over 85g. It's a head heavy blade and it foesnt get the ball moving, so it arguably needs some heft to feel good. Both are good blades though, you can"t go wrong with either. I really like the SALC composite but prefer it in an outer force blade (used the Viscaria SALc).

 

[mvibritannia]

I am going to buy Mizutani ZLC or Harimoto Super ALC. Could you Compare these two Blades please ?
I am currently playing Hurricane King AcB with Zyre 03 FH and Dignics 05 BH. I am having massive problems playing against over 50 year Olds that have been playing table tennis for over 40 years with a slow safe racket and no proper technique at all, giving me weird or No spin balls while being extremely safe.... I feel like my setup works totally fine against players with fast rackets and proper technique but I have no Control against those weird players I am not sure which Blade might help me out better. I am also looking for rubbers that give me more Control than Tenergy but are still Fast.

Those two blades are really good but also very different.

Their size are different: 158x152 HSALC vs 157x150 JMZLC.
The weight distribution is different, HSALC is head heavy while JMZLC is handle heavy.

The HSAL has more stability in block and counter loop, but has more inertia.

Switching to JMZLC my timing is better, transitioning between FH and BH is easier.

The potential of spin is greater with HSAL but is harder to reach.
In terms of speed and control:

Both blades feel relatively soft, HSALC is innerforce but the SALC carbon feels harder.
While JMZLC is outerforce but the limba ply and the ZLC are soft.

You will feel a little more vibration with the HSALC, but both blades have good feedback.

At slow pace, I would say HSALC is slower. However at higher swing speed it's much faster.
The SALC carbon is really powerful when you engage it. You will get a lot more speed but less control than with the JMZLC.

I tried HSALC with Tenergy 05, at slow pace it was great. But when engaging, with the catapult effect of Tenergy 05 and SALC fiber I could not control it properly (this is why I was using Dignics 09c on it).

If you want to play with fast rubbers on it, you will need to play a lot with it to truly understand its gears.
I think it's an extremely powerful blade but not that easy to play.

It has more flex and the carbon fiber is more powerful at high engagement.
On the other hand JMZLC is easier to play, got better control at high speed.
It's stiffness makes it way more stable at mid distance.

The arc is different too, JMZLC feels lower.

I would say it really depends on your style:

If you like to attack with a lot of power, or essentially counter/block closer to table. And you think you got proper technique to handle it go for the HSACL.

If you like consistency over speed and play more with placement go for the JMZLC.

I will update my review after testing Dignics 80 and Zyre 03 on the JMZLC.

 

[exotick]

Thanks for the detailed comparison. Anyone has experience with the Harimoto Super ZLC? Similar feedback would be much appreciated. Is it also head heavy?

 

[NextLevel]

Thanks for the detailed comparison. Anyone has experience with the Harimoto Super ZLC? Similar feedback would be much appreciated. Is it also head heavy?

I got one last week. I am still trying to understand it but it has so far provided whar I wanted though i have to play within certain speed limits (not sure whetherthe blade ornthe rubber is imposing them). My preferred style is heavy spin through brush looping. However, it was struggling massively to fo this with Zyre on my preferred Viscaria SALC. I tried a Harimoto SALC but at my preferred blade weight (85g roughly) it felt too slow. So I decided to try the Harimoto SZLC. It is head heavy like all the Harimoto blades, more so because the composite ply is heavy in the head as well.

The innerforce makes it feel like a massive pillow. It is the fastest blade i have played with that has all wood feeling pn serve return. The initial rebound is very muted relatively high vibration and even woih a fast rubber like Zyre, i don't get the ping on serve unless I hit hard. So you get a lot more spin that expected for a blade so fast on soft shots. Blocking is a breeze. In fact, some people i played with complained that with the blade, I don't move much and I don't look rushed. Yet the ball has more pace than the motion I use deserves.

The problem as with most innerforce blades is the non linearity. On close to the table loop drives, it seems to make sense. You brush slightly harder when you have line of sight for a drive and get a good fast ball through the table. But when you are away from the table, finding the balance between activating the carbon and letting it be, we'll for me that is a work in progress. I try to counter quality spin away from the table and I am often hitting the ball long. Or hitting it nowhere. Especially against higher level opposition.

Therefore I play most of my shots with brush spin within a speed limit relatively close to the table. I haven't decided whether it is me or the setup. That said, the place and spin even within these limits is very imprressive. My main point though is that if you want to play kill shots, this might not be the blade for you because the feeling when the ball enters the carbon is just different. But if you want to play with consistent quality across a variety of shots but not have a super high uncontrollable top end or a consistent fast counter, this might be for you. Because for a blade that can be very fast, the control is the dominant feature. I think whoever designs the blades that Harimoto puts his names on is risk adverse, the prioritize control and touch and feeling over everything else.

 

[Master_of_loops]

I play with Mizutani ZLC for 15 years.
I played Serbian First league with this blade and for me this is my Mad Max V8 Interceptor in table tennis 🙂
Top 3 rubbers for this blade:
1. Dignics 80;
2. Tenergy 05;
3. Victas V15 extra.

 

[mvibritannia]

I play with Mizutani ZLC for 15 years.
I played Serbian First league with this blade and for me this is my Mad Max V8 Interceptor in table tennis 🙂
Top 3 rubbers for this blade:
1. Dignics 80;
2. Tenergy 05;
3. Victas V15 extra.

Thanks for the input!
Have you tried Zyre 03 on it yet?