Innerforce ZLC Review - Updated after 20 Sessions

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   yeah i got the Innerforce ZLC today, played with with it. 

Set-up

Innerforce ZLC

FH: New Tenergy 05

BH: New Xiom Vega Europe

I will use this post to patiently and responsibly describe the blade (rather setup), as it grows on me. First day is very deceptive... i can only talk about a few striking things. 

Luckily 2 of my club-mates bought a ZLF and ALC also. So i can prolly compare these 3 blades.

For day 1:

Zhang Yining betrayed me. I never thought Pros use fast blades like this. This is definitely faster than i expected. Yes it is very controlled for its speed...but quite fast. 

Short game is not that great for day one... one reason could be timing. 

The major difference in newer butterfly fast blades from older fast blades is thickness. Timo Boll ZLC and Innerforce ZLC are barely 5.6-5.8mm, compared to older fast blades like schlagers or amultarts or even mizutanis, all of which are 7mm. Which means their flex is different... and good chance of error for someone using thicker blades earlier. That's me. 

While Tenergy on FH felt like i can't miss a ball... on BH the new xiom Vega Europe prolly needs to be broken in or broken down. Because the fresh out of packet speed of this ESN rubber coupled with speed bounciness of ZLC makes it very difficult to block loops. 

On FH Tenergy 05 gained some speed, which it badly needed, and the trajectory flattened out a bit... towards T64, allowing me more flat contact (than grazing) with racket and hence more confidence.  

It doesn't have the feel of Photino... good or bad, photino feel is there in the Innerforce ZLF which i borrowed from my club mate and played. And he didn't like ZLC when he played with it. He was looking for that softish feel... while i went for ZLC and not ZLF for the harder ball contact  = feedback.

At 86 grams, i cant called ZLC heavy. So the balance was perfect and hands didn't tire after 3 hours. 

Will update this post when i play again with this set-up. 

Day 3 Update: After todays session in club... i think i will have to put some serious consideration to my initial impression. Today i beat one 1900 level guy, whom i had never beaten ever. But what's surprising is it's 3-0 win.. and this guy was not out of form or testing new set-up or anything like that. On the first match of the day an 1800 guy beat me...only to be beaten back on next match.. and finally beating me again on 5th game 9-11. My BH seems to be the game changer now. the openings are so good that it is getting me into complete control of the point... whether serve return or opening loop/flick. Thanks to the short game flex. Also i am making lesser mistakes... and picking up balls which earlier i wouldn't have tried. Control on serves is much better now (i was having major problem initially). But best is i think out of position shot like when the ball is next to your chest or way out on your BH side. with short movement i could generate decent speed and still control. Something surely is working.... i was kinda disappointed on day 1... because this blade being quite different from my earlier blades, i couldn't adjust to the game well. Let's see how it goes.

 Day 20+ 

After about 20 more days of play with Innerforce ZLC, this is the most awesome thing that happened in my 22 years of table tennis carrier of which about 5 years EJing. 

With every passing day i discover some new strength and new capability. 

i still had equipment malfunction in a recent tourney, but that is completely due to my ex-BH rubber Xiom Vega europe, which behaved erratically after being spinmaxed. the blade still helped to at least beat a 1749 rated guy in spite of that  problem.

Contrary to my original belief that pricey blades are just equivalent to non-pricey blades from galaxy or 729 or yasaka; this blade is expensive and still worth it. 

It no longer feels fast.. the touch game over the table is great now, you can place the ball where you want to. 

[B}and Smashing is soo easy even for low balls which i used to loop and loop and loop earlier. 

Here's an example... i read Long Pip pretty well. So earlier i used to loop LP returns remembering what spin i had given in previous shot. 

but yesterday while playing an LP i intentionally kept my mind blank... didn't recall original spin on the ball.. and just smashed. to my pleasant surprise whether its an under spin or topspin; i could smash with surprising ease and accuracy. 

Coaches here always told to refrain from trying to finish the ball early, but to be in the game and to wait for right opportunity.  I couldnt ever do that, not because i didn't want to; but with the stiff paddles like amultart or even photino; i was afraid that if i don't finish early; i will miss the ball while in the rally or against opponent's aggressive stroke ahead of me.

With innerforce ZLC, (and tenergies) i am not afraid of a  hard loop/drive or smash coming in odd spot, while i am still close to table... because it blocks with amazing control.

Now that confidence is now helping me to open up slowly at times, instead of going for the big shot on first or second stroke. Defense is helping me being "patiently offensive". 

I played briefly with ZLF and ALC also, and after ZLC i didn't like any of them beyond a few close-to table shots. it's like i gain 5% in close to table, but lose out 30% in mid distance or overall passing power. 

[ZLF has a slightly vague ball feedback, while ALC has a crisp feedback, on faster loops it doesn't retain directional accuracy.>

That brings me to another good point. Sudden acceleration of the game. Innerforce ZLC really helps in those 'over the table' slaps you see in big ticket games; where there is virtually no swing and at the last moment a spurt of energy with great power. Yesterday someone mentioned that i have a great short slap stroke and difficult to read the speed. this is awesome..!!! i am flattered,  because all these days i heard i have a big swing game in FH, and once i swing big (close to table), a returning fast block from opponent makes me vulnerable.

What is so special about Innerforce ZLC structurally? this is how i explain from a material science engineer's perspective:

5 elements:

- the thin crossection: allows the blade to flex in slow shots like much much slower blades.

- the closer zylon carbon layers,as they are pushed deeper due to 2 surface wood layers : helps in the flex till the shear strain reaches a level where the zylon fibres are stretched and starts giving resistance

- the high tensile strength of zylon: now when it is stretched it becomes stiff as the zylon fibres refuse to strain more, thanks to high youngs modulus. So in power shots the blade stiffens up and allows impressive power delivery. this is where the other flexy blades give out.. and end up flexing more sacrificing velocity and rebound direction.

- the 2 surface wood layers on top: in slower shots it muffles the carbon feel with wood feel, and allows some surface deformation (like extreme example would be balsa blades)

- the good feedback of carbon:at high speed loops drives etc.. i kinda like the hard feel of carbon at it gives good feedback of the moment ball strikes, than soft feel of zylon. ZLC definitely retains that feel compared to ZLF.

what remains unexplained to me is however why 2 surface wood layers and not 1 thicker wood layer. Hope i will figure out some day.

Nevrtheless: a very good blade from butterfly... good that after constant focus on space age materials... there is finally some focus in blade construction, which made that exotic fiber properties actually useful; than just stuffing zylon.