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

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Showtime Table Tennis

May 3, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) Showtime Table Tennis is in Waterloo, Ontario—just off Highway 85 and about an hour west… Read More

MLTT Season 4 Preview

May 3, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo MLTT) The Season 4 Major League Table Tennis (MLTT) Draft is officially in the… Read More

World Team Championships: Men’s & Women’s Knockout Draws

May 3, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) The knockout draws are out.  Sweden has the top spot and they are… Read More

Waning Wall of China? China Faulters but Still Favored at Worlds

May 3, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) The qualifying rounds are finishing and final positions are set as we enter the Knock… Read More

Right Leg More Under the Table

May 1, 2026
Same as 4 but with serve and wait function FETHOMANIA 26: Drill 5 https://youtube.com/shorts/vhgNB3d7i4w All FETHOMANIA drills are… Read More

Shashin Shodhan – Butterfly Learning the Snake

May 1, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Shashin Shodhan is demonstrating how to do the famous snake… Read More

Lucca Lobo – WTT Contender Puerto Rico Highlights

April 30, 2026
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Bowmar Sports Lucca Lobo. is action at the WTT Contender in Puerto Rico… Read More

Record-Breaking Success: 12th Boucherville Open – Butterfly & 2nd International Edition

April 29, 2026
(by Miguel Antonio Ruz Garrido) The 12th edition of the Boucherville Open – Butterfly and 2nd International Edition, held on… 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.