Butterfly NA and ST blades

http://www.tabletennismaster.com/profiles/blogs/the-shakehand-technique-topic

Having held a Viscaria ST and a Boll ST, though not a ZJK ST, the old straight handles were markedly rounder and thicker than the new ones. I preferred the Viscaria handle by far. If the custom ones are old style handles, there might still be some added value.

Edited by Bran - 10/22/2015 at 3:56am

Baal...I think the special options my friend selected were more than just weight, but overall the blade is still a Viscaria blade and he hasn't noticed that big of a difference.  I would be willing to try some of the Butterfly blades but unfortunately most of their handles are just too small for me. One of their blades I would be interested in is the Hadraw VR and SR all wood blade, but I read someone said the handle was on the small side.

I would never pay that much for a Viscaria just for the weight, that's for sure.  Handle shape is different since they have not made that blade in ST for many years.  Probably the smarter move on my part would be to just buy a TBS ST, or ust play a little more with the ZJK-ALC ST I have.  It is actually not a bad blade, just a little deader than the Viscarias I have been used to.  But a fool and his money...

Last time I spoke to a Korean club owner who is also a butterfly dealer he said he couldn't get it anymore. I'm sure shops in Korea still have it but to pay the shipping plus all the fees would be too much for the blade. Soon enough the stock will run out since I don't see it on the Japanese website. And the custom "korbel" that many Korean pros use is just too much for what it's worth.

Tonky, did you order from Korea or bought it while visiting Korea? Also how much in USD did you pay for it?

Edited by DreiZ - 10/21/2015 at 8:26am

tonky777,

DreiZ wrote: Only the European version which I read is crap. JTTA is no longer made, and the ones that are sold here on forums are severely overpriced.

Hmm, I'm a bit on the fence whether to keep mine.

DreiZ wrote: Still wish they would bring back Korbel ST version. That blade was my favorite ST handle 5ply wood.

I believe it is still made, no?

Edited by the_theologian - 10/19/2015 at 10:41pm

As soon as they get back to me with the price, I will PM you.

I am actually enjoying it more now that the blade I have is a little more familiar.  Of this continues I may have to have a giant clearance sale on very good Viscaria blades (and have a couple of ST Viscarias custom made).  This particular ZJK-ALC I got is not one of the best of its breed I have to say, but it is certainly good enough for me to see the potential of ST.

It took me about 15 min to get over this strange feeling that the blade was going to fly out of my hand.  Once I did, everything opened up in interesting ways.  I hope the blade itself (outside of the handle) feels better today, though.  I am hoping it's strange feel yesterday was because I glued on rubber an hour before I played with it.  Sadly, I don't think that's it.  But today I will see.

I have never really noticed a difference. It always seems to be more a matter of the particular blade than the handle. I go back and forth with no problem and no conscious adjustment.

Well Baal, as your mantra goes "... you have to try it for yourself."

I've always felt that ST blades provide the world of freedom in my hand and I can't get along with FL handled at all...

I think I've got about 5 different grips (including serves), with the freedom and comfort of ST handle...

Welcome to the world of ST...

Tried the straight ZJK-ALC today that I bought from a member here.  The blade itself was a bit slower and felt hollow and light compared to my Viscarias and my other ZJK-ALC blades and it seemed to throw quite low.  (Is that the blade or a fresh glue job?).

But the effect of using that handle was very interesting indeed.  My wrist was suddenly liberated.  I was ripping some backhands that I couldn't believe, my practice partner was just shaking his head.  Also it felt great in short game and serving.  It seems really easy to get really good control of the grip after serving and very fast transitions from FH to BH were so fluid..  I felt a bit lost at time on some forehands, not quite sure how to hold it, but I think that was as much the different feel of this particular blade as the handle.  (It really felt odd for an ALC blade and that was definitely not the handle).

I have to say, after 1 session, I liked it a lot.  Time will tell.  One thing that was interesting is that after 2 hours with the ST, I got my Viscaria out and was suddenly very conscious of this big lump in my palm that immediately made my distal forearm tense up.

This experiment will definitely continue.