Site Products
Shahin Akhlaghpasand

Ask The Experts: Shahin Akhlaghpasand, No. 390

Posted on

Butterfly Table Tennis Question and Answer

Question:

Hi. I’m struggling to choose a butterfly blade.
My playing style is simple, i stand close to mid distance from the table and like playing aggressive topspin shots. My physical strength is great and i can generate quite a lot of power. I would prefer a blade that grasp the ball well and at the same time providing high resilience and adds a lot of power on the ball, and emphasizes on shot quality.
I have played some butterfly blades before. I don’t prefer the feeling of viscaria blade, it was quite stiff but it doesn’t give me a great feeling. I like the feeling of zhang jike super zlc, it’s perfect at small to medium power but the ball bounce off too fast at large power, and it doesn’t impart lot of spin on the ball.
The Boll ALC has a good feeling, the shot quality was enough, but i want to have another blade as boll alc is a bit out-dated.
My friends suggested some butterfly blades, the Lin gaoyuan alc, harimoto alc, mizutani zlc, harimoto super zlc and the dimitrij ovtcharov alc(they’re not sure as this blade wasn’t released yet).
I did tried borrowed harimoto alc from my friend once and played for awhile. I love its feeling, it has perfect control, dwell, spin and forgiveness but i’m not sure whether the shot quality is enough. I’m sure the Lin gaoyuan alc and mizutani zlc have good feeling but i’m not sure about their shot quality and whether their ability to add power to the ball is enough. I have no idea about dimitrij ovtcharov alc as it is not released.
Can i be advised on the choice of the butterfly blade that suits me the most? Which of the blade from the above suggestions from my friend may work best for me? Or are there other blades that work even better? Please help, thanks!

Answer:

image005

Your Ask the Experts question was answered by Shahin Akhlaghpasand. Coach Akhlaghpasand is an ITTF Level 1 Coach and a Coach at the Austin Table Tennis Club and his response is as follows:

Hi Kevin,

 Your description of the woods you tested was complete.

 I think the Mizutani ZLC blade is more suitable for you according to what you expected from the woods. Of course, you can get a good and similar feeling from Timo Boll ZLC wood, which is also one of my favorite woods, which was not on your list. They are designed for play near and middle of the table.

 Depending on your body physique, these two can keep you satisfied.

 Regards,

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.

Latest News

Angel Naranjo – Two Backhands, One or Two Forehands

October 29, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Bowmar Sports Master Class, Angel Naranjo is giving all the details to execute… Read More

Cellulose Nanofiber: Carbon Speed With An All-Wood Feel

October 28, 2026
(by Logan Rietz) The first CNF blade hit the market at the strangest time possible.  As a result, I… Read More

CITTA Hosts Its Third USATT-Sanctioned Tournament of 2026 with Butterfly Fall Championship

October 28, 2026
(by Coach Di Yu) Apex, North Carolina. Carolina International Table Tennis Academy hosted the 2026 Butterfly CITTA Fall… Read More

Hong Lin – Backhand Loop Underspin to Topspin Transition

October 28, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In the Butterfly Training Tips, Hong Lin is executing a Backhand Loop from underspin, followed… Read More

Super ZLC Blades: Power With Maximum Consistency And Stability

October 27, 2026
(by Logan Rietz) Super ZLC blades are known for being fast and crisp, but their biggest claim to… Read More

Shashin Shodhan Amicus Training Series – Falkenberg

October 27, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Amicus Training Series, Shashin Shodhan is demonstrating the Falkenberg Drill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvWoZKfBdlI Stay “In The… Read More

Importance of Serve Variety

October 26, 2026
(By Larry Hodges, Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame) Many players develop a small but effective… Read More

MLTT Week 4 Preview: The Pros Head to Houston

October 25, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo MLTT) Major League Table Tennis moves to the ULH Event Center in Houston, Texas,… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.