Pros:
- Incredible backhand
- Consistent and well behaved
- Great feeling
Cons:
- Lackluster forehand
- No kick
Harimoto Super ZLC has the best backhand I've ever used. When paired with D05, I felt like I could do anything on the backhand side. Blocks were fast, drives were consistent and loops were rockets. Forehand is much harder though. The lack of dwell time really made my forehand suffer. D05 was practically unusable. 09c was better but was still quite bouncy. If you are a butterfly fan, 09c is probably your best bet. But my friend did say hurricane is the way to go. Unfortunately, I haven't had time or the rubber to test it. The short game was a bit difficult. While you can still push short, it takes a lot of finesse. 09c definitely helped with its tackiness. But don't expect to be Ma Long on the table. The blade is made for rallies. Survive the third ball and you will win 60-70% of points against equal level players. I would add that even though you can't push short that well, the block was so good that I was confident I could block the third balls back. That being said, the ball quality from this blade is closer to outer carbon blades than inner carbon. There's no noticeable kick to the balls and once your opponent either gets used to your speed or likes to play far back, a big part of the blade's advantage is neutralized. Your playground is one to two steps off the table.
Players this blade is good against:
- Close to the table pips players
- Stable rally players
Players you will go even with:
- Players with strong third ball game (forehand dominant players)
- Aggressive consistent slow spin players
Players you will struggle against:
- Choppers
- Away from the table lobbers/loopers
Who is this blade for?
- players with a good backhand and want it to be great
- players that like to loop drive or smash on the forehand
Who is this blade not for?
- Slow loopers : not enough dwell time to slow loop
- Players with bad forehands : the margin for error on the forehand is much less than other inner carbon blades
