It is okay to try, to test out and to buy something like that. Butterfly put some interesting and complex marketing into that product. It is worth seeing how the blade really stacks up to they hype.
That being said, most of the top players don't use stuff like that. And what a top player should use and what a decent level amateur should use are often not quite the same thing even if they are sometimes close.
One of the things that is good about the SZLC blades is, the extra Zylon which got Butterfly to use the word "Super" in the Super ZLC, makes it so the ball stays on the racket a bit longer and that allows you to get more spin and more control than the regular ZLC blades. Interestingly, the ZJK SZLC is not quite as fast as the ZJK ZLC. If I remember correctly, it is about the same speed as the ZJK Dragon and ZJK ALC. But under the top ply it is softer. What the extra Zylon in the SZLC may do is cause the blade to be slower and less stable when you step further away from the table. When you step away from the table the Viscaria, the TBS, TB ALC, the IF ZLC and even the TB ZLF should outperform the ZJK SZLC. If you don't play far away from the table much, it should be a great blade for you. If you can get used to how it plays away from the table that might not be a big issue. To me the big thing to note is that it seems to get outperformed in many areas by the less expensive but more popular ALC blades.
BTW: the Innerforce ZLC is probably the best ZLC blade because of the two plies of wood that are over the ZLC weave and that seems to work well with ZLC.
What am I saying with all of this? Too much.
Most of the top pros these days are using blades very similar to the Viscaria and TB ALC. They are a good speed. Fast enough. Not super fast. Not super slow. In 2007 that technology was newer. Now it is not. But the newer technology stuff does not seem to be quite as effective as the simpler ALC technology.
It is also really worth noting that before 2010 there was only one Men's Singles WTTC Champion who used a carbon blade. All the rest were all wood. In 2005 8 of 10 top 10 players were using all wood. Now 8 of 10 are using composite. Technology is getting better. But it also means that, for most people, a solid, all wood blade would probably be more than good enough. In other words you may not need the technology. But, still, if you want and like it, there is nothing wrong with that.
There are a few players like Werner Schlager who had so much touch and feel for the ball that he could play at the level he did with an extremely fast blade. There is nothing wrong with this, especially if it really works for your game. But it is not as usual as one might think when something noticeably faster than a Viscaria is the best thing for a particular person's game. And a Viscaria is a great balance of speed, spin, control, dwell and touch. For a composite blade that and the TB Spirit are pretty great.
But, a lot of the time in TT, equipment that is really expensive is not really better than stuff that costs less.
Still, all that being said, the ZJK SZLC is a pretty nice blade for a lot of people. And it is pretty cool to have something as snazzy as that blade.
Sent from Godric'sHollow using the ResurrectionStone
