Harimoto InnerForce ALC Review

OK, so I’ve had a bit of a hit with it now.


Disclaimer - I pretty much went straight into the cup final (weird points system/handicap type cup), in an unfamiliar venue with terrible tables (everyone considered the tables poor).


I’ll be having a couple of proper practice sessions at the usual venue next week, so that’ll give me a better idea of where the Harimoto sits.


But….. Initial feedback. I’ll be comparing this in part to the VS Unlimited, which is what I’ve been using exclusively since September, with T05 Hard on the FH and T05 on the back hand.


Speed:


Definitely a Jekyll and Hyde bat here. One of the reasons I went for an Innerforce bat was because I don’t have problem generating power and speed myself, and wanted to really hone the short game and control aspect of the attacking game.


On blocks near the table, the Harimoto is beautiful - Very easy, very controllable and you can comfortably put a bit more of a punch if you need to.


If you are passive blocking, you may end up just putting the ball up for your opponent to kill - It’s really not that fast, and has a nice woody feel.


If aggressive blocking, you’ll love it.


Looping was quite typical of your Butterfly ALC type blades to be honest - You lost the woody feel and it felt like a typical ALC blade - Perhaps a little less sharp, which the ALC can sometimes give you - But very good on both wings.


Serve and return were very good for me, as the slower blade allowed my serves to be shorter and spinnier.


Returns were comfortable, although if you aren’t a fan of the heavier blades, you might not enjoy this.


Feel of the bat:


Subjective, of course, but having played with the VS Unlimited for the past 8 months, the handle felt a little smaller than I’d like - I’m not sure there is much difference between them, but even the Garydia (which is supposed to have the same handle), felt a little chunkier.


I don’t have massive hands (despite my height/size), although I imagine my hands are still bigger than average.


If you have large hands, you may want an over grip - I don’t like them, so I’m going to carry on with it bare for the time being.


The bat also felt quite head heavy, with the over sized head and the heavy Tenergy rubbers (plus the feeling of a slightly thinner handle).


So, initial impressions are a little muted at this point - In part because it wasn’t a fair comparison (given the match circumstances), but also because there are a few things that I’ll have to learn to love about the blade - Although from memory, I felt exactly the same about the VS Unlimited when it arrived (the handle actually felt too big at the time).


This definitely isn’t a bat for passive play - You need to be aggressive and stay aggressive to make the most of it (something I’ll need to improve on).


Lastly - The person I played tonight was Colin Wilson, who runs a dedicated Table Tennis centre in Corby (Corby Smash).


We ended up 2-2 on the night (you only play 4 sets as it’s a handicap cup), and I started 1-0 up. Pretty pleased with some of the points, and the blade shone at times.


Will report back after a practice on Saturday (although that’s not a proper practice either), and then again next week!

langel said:

What was Colin playing with - a hardbat?

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He doesn’t play hard bat as far as I’m aware lol.

He was using Tenergy on an all wood blade.

Managed to get a cheeky Easter Saturday coaching session in (for my son), and got a few minutes of practice with my poor old Dad who I dragged out of the English sun!


Apologies for the terrible playing/lighting conditions of the little village hall we were in - Good luck spotting the ball against the white background!


Some more feedback on the Harimoto Innerforce ALC. Again, I’ll be comparing on the whole with my VS Unlimited, which plays a little similar to a fast ALC type blade (think TB ALC).


It’s not really missing anything from the top end speed - Both backhand and forehand are quick when you put a full swing in.


I do find you can get a lot more spin on the slower shots, and the lack of pace from the blade allows you to put more power in on the short shots, without worrying about it sailing long.


It’ll still take some getting used to on the passive shots, as my blocks would sometimes hit the top of the net, so I need to account for that, but it should mean I can be more positive (which was the whole point).

I also put the ball into the net on some loops (especially the backhand), as I'm so used to the ball absolutely flying off the bat.

With the Harimoto ALC, you can play a much safer game, whilst still being aggressive.


You can see the extra spin I can generate from the backhand flicks in the video - The ball absolutely explodes of the other persons bat (he normally blocks those back fairly comfortably).


Overall, I’m much more positive about it than I was on Thursday.


It feels like it’s going to give me far more options in the short game, without losing anything in the long/fast game.


As always, any questions, let me know.

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91grams for the blade, and 190 with the rubbers glued on

dkyy said:

Hi NDH, which rubbers did you put on the Harimoto’s?



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Hi dkyy,

I used T05 Hard on the FH and T05 on the BH.

I noticed Adriana Diaz is now using the Harimoto ALC.

I wonder if it's just the handle or the actual blade...... And if Butterfly are hoping to exploit a the US/South American market with it?

jammmail said:

@NDH – now you have played with it a bit how do you rank it against the Tees Sport ratings of 7.5 control 9.5 speed?

Have you played with any other Butterfly blades much?

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If there's one thing I've learned, it's that Tees Sport have NO idea about the "ratings" - Heck - They gave it a 7.5 for control, despite never having even held it, and all of this, despite giving the Innerforce ALC a control rating of 9! haha.

I like Tees Sport, but I find they rate things on price, rather than actually using the stuff (the higher rated equipment is suspiciously the most expensive..... coincidence?)

As for the blade itself, I used it again last night in the last league match of the year.

The speed in attack is very similar to your typical ALC type attacking blades - It really doesn't suffer from being "inner fibre" and packs as much punch as you want.

The control element is where it shines for me - At the table, blocks, passive strokes are so easy.

It is like playing with an all wood blade, and you just have more room to do things you wouldn't normally do.

I previously struggle to perform a good forehand flick, because you have to time it well, and with a fast blade, it just pinged off.

With this, you can manoeuvre the ball where you want it, and that extended dwell time, with a less bouncy surface really help.

There is a slight learning curve when playing semi attacking shots, and that's when the carbon kicks in.

You can play one shot at 70%, which feels like it's all wood (and acts like all wood, so it's a bit slower), and then you can play one shot at 100% which engages the carbon and really shoots off the bat more.

I suppose the lesson is to play that 70% shot with more spin, but at 100% (which is what I'm trying to do more).

Overall - Really liking it, and it's improved my control game no end.

I also won all 3 (2-0 down in my last match), so the blade will finish the season unbeaten haha!

Heathrow said:

Mine is 183g with T05’s FYI. Exactly the same as my Innerforce ALC.S.


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05 Hard is around 7 grams heavier, so that would make sense.

Do you know what your blade is on it’s own?