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PostPosted: 19 Feb 2014, 10:10 
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BTY test this technology with pro players and get the proper feedback. In all honesty I don't think the pros would use these they got enough power in their shots so why do they need more? It seems to me BTY found a way of giving a bigger sweetspot without forfeiting touch or control, I highly doubt that. A bigger sweetspot and still high control, it's unlikely and the claims BTY for their products usually are untruthful. This blade is more expensive than Rafa Nadal's top Babolat racket and is going to the extreme prices of golf clubs. Butterfly only like to pair there blades with tenergy and are limited to any other type of sheet of rubber. I will repeat myself if you're not playing at top division in the province or states' pennant or league don't buy it. I am interested from what a top 1800 player or higher has to say about it. Other wise Butterfly have stagnated the market.

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PostPosted: 19 Feb 2014, 17:08 
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Multispoke wrote:
On the youtube it's easy to spot who's playing with the SZLC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xId6NU_31PI



It's easy to see who consistently doesn't toss the ball high enough when serving

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PostPosted: 20 Feb 2014, 14:19 
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I just happen to have these lying around the house..........

Image

All the same weight 86-87g. I don't own them and haven't played with them, but I can give some first impressions of what I can tell by bouncing a ball on the bare blade.

The ZJ ALC feels just like a TBS (as it should, same construction), the only difference is the handle which is larger and has an oval shaped cross section. The Zhang Jike range flared handle is very comfortable. It is slightly higher in pitch than the Maze blade which I used for most of last year and has a slightly sharper feel. By balancing the blades on the edge of a table I can tell that the ZJ ALC has the balance point slightly more towards the handle than what the Maze does (only by 3-5mm). Below is a close up of the ZJ ALC (top) and Michael Maze (bottom).

Image

The ZJ ZLC feels slightly harder than the ALC and is slightly higher in pitch and bounce. When hitting a ball hard into the air it has a more pronounced kick than the ALC.

In the top photo you can see a leaf-like motif around the centre of the blade face, this actually accurately corresponds to the sweet spot on these blades for the ALC and ZLC. The SZLC shows a much larger motif which I assume is supposed to signify the larger sweet spot, which is apparently the main gain of this new denser fibre. So is it really?

Yes, the sweet spot is significantly larger. It is obvious when bouncing the ball on the blade. The rebound is very consistent in a large area - not as big as the motif in orange/yellow would suggest (a bit ambitous me thinks). But it does extend to half way between the two motifs drawn on the blades, also the rate at which the rebound deteriorates beyond the sweet spot is less in the SZLC than the ZLC and ALC which falls away quite quickly. The pitch is slightly higher than the ZLC as is the rebound. I also noticed that the kick of the fibre is greater at lower impacts than the ZLC - feels more lively and responsive. Although the SZLC and ZLC blades are the same weight, the SZLC has a much more solid feel on impact than the slightly metalic/tinny feel of ZLC and the more muted feel of the ALC.

This photo shows the size difference in the weave between SZLC and ZLC. Top ALC, middle ZLC, bottom SZLC. You can see that the SZLC weave looks about twice as dense than the ZLC and ALC.

Image


They all feel equally balanced and are flawlessly made. That's about all I can tell for now, I would have to put rubbers on and take them for a test run to be more definative but my wallet isn't full enough for that.


Last edited by strongpong on 21 Feb 2014, 08:08, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: 20 Feb 2014, 15:20 
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Nice pictures. How many more BTY blades do you own?

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PostPosted: 20 Feb 2014, 16:25 
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Thanks Bob! I thought I'd try out the macro mode on my mobile phone, the photo quality surprised me.

I don't own these, will return them to Butterfly when i've finished checking them out (unless I sell them to any interested club members).

I own 1 butterfly blade, Michael Maze ALC, which I intend to sell soon. I have played with butterfly blades most of the time - Mizutani Jun was my favourite for a long time, if only the handle was bigger!. Then I moved to TBS briefly and then to Maze for the larger handle.

The Zhang Jike blades are up my alley as I really like the playing characteristics of ZLC and they have a larger more comfortable handle. The way the Maze square-ish handle sits in the palm doesn't match my grip positions-never feels right.

I'm impressed by the SZLC, it definately is an advance in blade technology. But, as stated by others, the price is prohibitive.


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PostPosted: 21 Feb 2014, 03:35 
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Blade: Zhang Jike SZLC
FH: Tenergy 05 2.1 Blk
BH: Tenergy 05 2.1 Red
Bobs_Your_Uncle wrote:
... I will repeat myself if you're not playing at top division in the province or states' pennant or league don't buy it. I am interested from what a top 1800 player or higher has to say about it. Other wise Butterfly have stagnated the market.


I'm not a top 1800 player but I'm hoping that the bigger sweet spot would be of some benefit for me. I'm currently struggling to win games in Division 2 and it is of a standard that would most likely be much lower in other countries.

I do accept the point that paying silly money doesn't give better results and would advocate that anyone buying TT equipment buy sensibly. Clearly remember a local supplier saying that a young guy came in with his mother and wanted to buy a Ebenholz VII blade with fast rubbers against his advice. He thought that he was going to be the next FAN Zhendong and was back within a month looking for his money back. :?:

Looking at the Xiom Zetra Quad the carbon used in that blade is very similar to ZLC that was a 1/3 of the price of the IF ZLC.

Can we not expect the SZLC technology to appear in other brands at a fraction of the current BTY price & isn't that an advance ?


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PostPosted: 21 Feb 2014, 03:55 
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Blade: Zhang Jike SZLC
FH: Tenergy 05 2.1 Blk
BH: Tenergy 05 2.1 Red
EXCUSE THE OFF TOPIC
carbonman wrote:
My op cleaned things up a bit and did help but I have bad arthritis in the shoulder which is only going to get worse. In order to adapt to this I am working to improve my blocking and am changing my game from a fast FH dominated attacking style to a more control based 2 winged approach. A faster blade wouldn't help because in order to get sufficient topspin with the decreased dwell-time I would actually have to swing faster- and this would put more strain on the shoulder. Also, I would lose ball-control with a faster blade.


From an MRI scan that was done on my back I got the same scare story about arthritis and I'm not going to think about it. :)
Got a text back from a guy who represented us at the 6 Nations and he uses the following for his shoulder
"Shoulder I use atlantic aromatics sports aches and pains blend also for joints glucosamine plus chondroitin gel" A quick google gives all the info you need. It's bound to be better that the Voltarol that I'm using occasionally. My Dr Brother in law gave me a little wrap on the knuckles for self medicating.
The guy who gave the recommendation plays 'old school' and does not seem to have any intention of letting up. Love playing against his solid FH style but he might end up taking a leaf out of your book. ;)


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PostPosted: 21 Feb 2014, 05:35 
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Hi guys,
go for Re-Impact blades if you have joint problems, and yo'll see greet difference while playing! :D


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PostPosted: 22 Feb 2014, 10:04 
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Blade: Zhang Jike SZLC
FH: Tenergy 05 2.1 Blk
BH: Tenergy 05 2.1 Red
Learned at the club night that a mate who plays in Division 5 ordered a SZLC.
Currently using a Donic Appelgren Dotec Control so he took a leap of faith and ordered it off ebay. :o
He rang me today saying that he had it and just finished putting his old rubbers on. My ex T80 and a FX-P.
Flew up to the club this evening for a very quick knock to get a go off it and played against the 'main man'.
Felt slightly heavy but balanced particularly with the FLared handle. Guess it was around 185-188 grams with the max rubbers.
Used the T80 on the FH and the Evolution FX-P on the BH.
Blade did not feel as rubber sensitive as the IF ZLC.
What I've said about the T80 should be deleted since it felt like a different animal on the SZLC. :oops:
Flared handle felt very nice and from Strongpong's post it does feel comfortable and slightly wider than the TB ALC or even the TBS.
When playing my BH it definitely better - getting greater consistency on the returns than on the IF ZLC with the T05 1.9. Main man I was playing against confirmed this.
Initially did not fare too well on the FH given the lower throw of the T80 and the new blade but then after some adjustment started to land them consistently.
More effortless power than the IF ZLC and overall very responsive.
When blocking on the BH they felt great, going back beautifully. 8)
It's fast - tempted to put it in the offensive + category but with control.
Easy to loop with. Didn't feel in anyway stiff like the Hayabusa ZXi :whew:
Aside from the speed of the ball (notch up from the IF ZLC) - the returns were much snapper and I caught the main man out quite a bit.
I think I was smiling for most of the knock up. :D
I came away thinking - what a blade - it's amazing. :party:
Club was taken aback at the price of the blade and were speechless but knew that something special was happening with the ball play.
Can't wait to get mine so that I can give it a proper test. :rock: :rock: :rock:


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PostPosted: 22 Feb 2014, 10:43 
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It sounds like magic multi. I wish I could have such an experience! :) Just be careful though, such blades always feel good at the beginning because of the way the ball pings off so effortlessly. The true test of them however is in the nitty-gritty areas - short-pushing, touch, looping difficult balls, blocking spinny loops, over-all control etc. Unless you are an elite player, at the end of the day and no matter what blade you use, you more likely to lose more points through unforced errors than you will win points from fast attacks. This should be factored in to any assessment. I look forward to the next installment! :)


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PostPosted: 22 Feb 2014, 13:08 
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All I have gathered from what Multispoke said is that the shots feel more crisper. That's always been the case with Tenergy and carbon blades, they do give a crisp feel off the bounce. It could be the illusion of feel? (wait it is) Anyways charging over 300 $ for getting more crispness off of tenergy and a bigger sweetspot and this is called a advance in technology from BTY?

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PostPosted: 27 Feb 2014, 03:40 
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Blade: Zhang Jike SZLC
FH: Tenergy 05 2.1 Blk
BH: Tenergy 05 2.1 Red
After the quick knock up with my club mate's SZLC I was still on a high the following morning. Braced myself for the responses from the last post and conscious that the SZLC could be a flash in the pan.

Club mate's setup weighted 182 grams so it was lighter than I expected. Got to play against my club mate with him using the SZLC and his blocking was much improved. Rest of his game will take time to re-adjust after his last setup weighing 162 gram but so far he seems happy enough and he's hitting a more solid ball.

My blade arrived this morning at 6.50am after a loud wake up call from the courier. Noticed that a little poetic licence was used on the value of the blade so didn't get caught for any taxes. :up: Quickly opened the package and inside was the fancy gold plated cardboard box containing the SZLC. Finish seems great with a serial no. on the blade - probably to deter the fakes. Signature from Zhang Jike ;) inscribed on the blade. Handle was a piece of work. Weighed 88 grams so it's inside the requested 88-90 gram weight. Anatomic handle felt good in the hand. My long suffering partner after discovering that the early delivery was for TABLE TENNIS asked later on in the day if I had made love to the blade. :o Have to admit to caressing the gold paint a little on the handle with my finger. :)

Wouldn't get a chance to give it a proper going over until next week. Did find that the trail run with my club mate's SZLC initially affected my tournament game the following day. I'm of 2 minds if I should chance it at the matches I've lined up this week.


Last edited by Multispoke on 27 Feb 2014, 19:49, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: 27 Feb 2014, 12:01 
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I look forward to the review and of course expect an immediate improvement in your results! :)

btw - is it that much faster than the blade you already use?


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PostPosted: 28 Feb 2014, 11:26 
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Blade: Zhang Jike SZLC
FH: Tenergy 05 2.1 Blk
BH: Tenergy 05 2.1 Red
Decided to give the Super ZLC a Baptism of Fire tonight :devil: and played it in a League match against 3 players that I played before.
This was against the advice from a coach and a tournament team mate from a former club,. He said that I should 'play with the blade a few times before using it in an official match'.
Lost all 3 matches tonight but took a set in each except the first that was lost at 14-16 in the 3rd set. Felt on more than one occasion that I had a fighting chance to take the match particularly in 2 out of 3 of them.
Thankfully the team held onto a draw winning the play off in the doubles. :|
Still managed to get a lift home after the match :whew: despite using the league match as a testing ground for the SZLC !

SZLC excels as an attacking blade but can be 'slowed down' with more sensible rubbers.
Used a max Tenergy 05 Red 2.1 (around 3 months old) on the FH and a Tenergy 05FX 2.1 (relatively new) on the BH which really suited the blade.
With these rubbers it's definitely an OFF + blade whilst on the IF ZLC is just OFF.
Total weight of the setup was 187-188 grams but it felt OK weight wise and felt balanced. With some fiddling around with taking the old glue of the used rubbers and a bit of shaving could get it down to 184-185 grams which is my preferred max weight.

Lacked the vibration of the IF ZLC but you could still feel the blade.
Super response on the blade giving very quick returns.
Still offering good control even with the speed.
Easy enough to loop with offering greater spin than the IF ZLC.
Not as satisfying initially as the IF ZLC to play with but you get hooked on the quickness of the blade.
Before with the IF ZLC I would engage in rallying against my opponent but with this blade you tended to set the ball up, then put in a decent topspin shot and then go for it.
Had some lightening quick hits and you can hear a ping off the blade :D that I didn't get with the IF ZLC.
Technique critical and less forgiving particularly on the FH than the IF ZLC.
BH with the T05FX was amazing :o and unlikely that I would change that partnership.
My game failed on missing some critical smashes ;( and returning serves too high so exposing myself as a sitting duck. :oops:
IF ZLC was better at defending whilst with the SZLC in my hands was mediocre and it felt more at home as an attack blade.
Chopping - did it very well - but I get bored with chopping.
Blade despite as heavy as the IF ZLC AN setup felt lighter in the hand when playing.
Excels at blocking and larger sweet-spot most noticeable on the BH.
Can give a fast return without moving the bat which can deceive the opponent.
Has plenty of gears. Easy to move from a simple return to a heavy top spin and then a killer finish which in the league match play didn't seem to work consistently but in the knock ups and the in between practice sessions did work.

Passed the bat around the club.
First guy was a top under 21 year old who has taken a sabbatical for a year from TT thought the rubbers were boosted and then realised that it was the blade that made it fast. He thought the blade was something else and said that it must have cost a €100 - he's used to Donic prices. Didn't tell him how much it cost.
Next was a very decent TT wheelchair player who played really well with it and said that the SZLC was probably the blade that he's looking for. He had no idea of the price of the blade.
Team mate who is currently a sub with an on and off back injury thought it was unbelievable and would rock in the right hands. It was too fast for him.

Going to play in the Irish Senior National Championships this Saturday.
Generally I go in as a no hoper to these events and in a ranking tournament end up in the bottom half but finished in the last 16 late last year.
Have nothing to lose and expect to get better with this setup.
Feel that I have more potential with this SZLC blade and rubber combination than with the IF ZLC.
Session on Saturday has a vets section and hope to surprise a few.
No going back now.

Overall for a first session very pleased with the blade and the combinations. Just disappointed with the results tonight. :(


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PostPosted: 04 Mar 2014, 22:45 
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Blade: Zhang Jike SZLC
FH: Tenergy 05 2.1 Blk
BH: Tenergy 05 2.1 Red
A few pictures of the SZLC. Decided to take the old glue of the rubbers and use a fresher but still marked T05. Used the new Donic Blue contact glue which added 4-5 grams of weight. Blade was originally 88 grams but despite taking off any residue it's now 89 grams. Have no discolouration yet on the handle unlike the Innerforce with the SZLC having a more pronounced Anatomic shape. Compared with the IF ZLC this blade takes a lot of concentration with the extra pace. Final bat weight of 184-185 grams with 2 max T05 one being a FX.


Attachments:
File comment: SZLC T05 T05FX
SZLC T05 T05FX.JPG
SZLC T05 T05FX.JPG [ 179.44 KiB | Viewed 4551 times ]
No Glue yet.JPG
No Glue yet.JPG [ 170.17 KiB | Viewed 4551 times ]
File comment: T05FX Max
05FX Max.JPG
05FX Max.JPG [ 123.36 KiB | Viewed 4551 times ]
File comment: T05 Max
T05 Max.JPG
T05 Max.JPG [ 172.66 KiB | Viewed 4551 times ]
File comment: ZHJ SZLC
ZHJ SZLC.JPG
ZHJ SZLC.JPG [ 183.65 KiB | Viewed 4551 times ]
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