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Last updated: August 13, 2023

Butterfly Timo Boll ALC Review – The Ideal Blade for Professional Players

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By
Reviewed by
Reviewed by
Last updated: August 13, 2023
PingPongAcademy is reader-supported. We may earn a commission through products purchased using links on this page. Learn more about our process here
Ideal for:
  • Begginers or advanced players
  • Attack playing style
  • Someone that wants a quality tennis ball blade at a fair price
Highlights:
  • ITTF Approved
  • Arylate-carbon plies
  • 5 ply wooden blade
Editor's Rating
9.6
out of 10
  • Speed 9.6
  • Consistency 9.8
  • Control 9.5
  • Hardness 9.4
  • Overall 9.6
Users’ Rating
4
out of 5
  • 59 Users’ Ratings rating rating rating rating rating
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    4
    out of
    5
    59 Users’ Ratings
    • 5 stars
      41%
    • 4 stars
      25%
    • 3 stars
      25%
    • 2 stars
      8%
    • 1 stars
      0%
  • Add your rating:
PingPongAcademy is reader-supported. We may earn a commission through products purchased using links on this page. Learn more about our process here

A tennis ballplayer who wishes to upgrade his game to an advanced level must find out more about this blade before buying it. The blade has numerous positive feedbacks from tennis ballplayers who have used it when playing. Most players refer to it as a giant sweet spot since it is a highly-priced blade and has garnered massive fame in the tennis industry.

Players thinking of purchasing this unique blade should consider whether it is the best choice before purchasing it. This Butterfly Timo Boll ALC review provides several facts about the blade that help you make the right choice.

Specifications

Class
OFF
Style
Attack
Piles
5W+2ALC
ITTF Approved
Yes
Materials
Arylate Carbon, Koto, Limba, Kiri
Blade Size
157 x 150mm (6.18 x 5.9 in.)
Blade Thickness
5.8mm (0.23 in.)
Weight
3.03 oz.
Made in
Japan

Butterfly Timo Boll ALC Review

Table tennis is one of the several sports played in the Olympic competition since the year 1988. Chinese being the most active table tennis players, they have taken home more than 28 gold medals out of the total 32 gold medals. Over the past three decades, the sport has continued to gain more reputation, and other countries are now participating in the sport.

A recent study Trusted Source Table Tennis Participation Report 2019 | SFIA Generated from over 20,000 nationwide participants using online surveys, SFIA’s Single Sport Participation Reports include the most updated research on today’s sports and fitness participants. www.sfia.org by the Sports And Fitness Industry Association established that the US has more than 16 million people playing table tennis. However, most of them are still playing it as a recreation game and not a career.

Timo Boll ALC is one of the best blades in the market used by advanced professional players. It has existed in the market for over ten years and is still tops as the best blade.

Butterfly Company adopted the design from Timo Boll, who wanted a lighter and faster blade compared to the Timo Boll Spirit. After the development, the player stopped using the Viscaria blade and adopted the Timo Boll ALC, which saw him win several titles.

Unlike other offensive blades, Timo Boll ALC has a softer touch making it have fewer vibrations and providing a better dwell time. These features help it to perform various game tricks, such as the topspin technique. It also makes it easy for players to switch from attack to counterattack and allows players to perform excellent defense tactics, and it is best for medium and short play styles.

Construction

Butterfly Timo Boll ALC Review – The Ideal Blade for Professional Players

The construction of Butterfly Timo Boll ALC paddle.

Timo Boll ALC consists of 7 piles, including two piles of Koto, two layers of arylate carbon, one layer of Kiri, and two plies of Limba. The inclusion of arylate carbon makes it lighter, and the wood layers provide a soft touch and fewer vibrations.

Speed

Timo Boll ALC offers a relatively decent power which is better than most offensive blades. It is still not the fastest blade compared to the Butterfly Schlager and Amultart. However, it provides better controllability, and its speed and power are similar to the Butterfly Jun Mitsutani. You may require exerting more pressure to provide a killer shot.

Control

Butterfly Timo Boll offers excellent controllability with fewer vibrations. It provides sharp and accurate shots which allow you to switch to counterattacks perfectly. In addition, it provides several gears that allow the generation of numerous topspin powers from heavy to medium loops.

Materials and Design

Butterfly Timo Boll ALC Review – The Ideal Blade for Professional Players

The materials used in Butterfly Timo Boll ALC blade: arylate carbon, Koto, Limba, and Kiri.

Timo Boll himself designed the blade. The materials used give it some of the best qualities, such as being lightweight, easy control, and fewer vibrations due to the soft touch. Its design makes it the best for both beginners and professional players.

Spin Ability

Timo Boll ALC is best for topspin play since it offers a high throw angle and excellent dwell time. Players using the blade can effortlessly lift a heavy backspin ball when fitted with a Tenergy 05 rubber support.

Its spin power is relatively higher compared to other blades. Not only does it give a powerful spin, but it also generates these spins without much effort and produces decent loops even with inconsistent playing techniques.

Hardness

Hardness and stiffness are two different matters that one should not confuse. Stiffness involves the blade’s capability to minimize vibrations, while hardness is the authentic feel of the construction material. Timo Boll ALC has an average hardness rating. This feature allows it to provide a better spin by increasing the ball’s momentum. It allows for more dwelling time, and the player can engage a spin on the ball after hitting it.

Consistency

Consistency is a major issue, especially for more precise games such as table tennis. However, the Butterfly Timo Boll ALC is one of the best brands approved by the ITTF. It has a standard design that meets international standards, and its manufacturing is done under close monitoring.

Size and Weight

Butterfly Timo Boll ALC Review – The Ideal Blade for Professional Players

The small sizes and light weight of the Timo Boll ALC paddle allow players to operate it efficiently.

Timo Boll ALC is an ultra-lightweight and small-sized blade made with five different materials such as carbon arylate, limba, Kiri, and Koto. Combining these materials provides the best performance providing an ideal balance between speed, hardness, stiffness, and control.

It comes with:

  • Head size of 157 x 150mm (6.2 x 5.9 in.)
  • Handle size of 100 x 24mm (3.9 x 0.95 in.)
  • Flared handle size of 100 x 24mm (3.9 x 0.95 in.)
  • Straight handle size of 100 x 22mm (3.9 x 0.86 in.)

Price Tag

Without any doubt, the Timo Boll ALC is much expensive compared to other butterfly blades since it is the best brand. You are likely to spend more to acquire this unique and special blade from Butterfly. It costs an average of $185 that comes with free shipping.

Pros and Cons

Timo Boll ALC is one of the top blades produced by Butterfly. It has several advantages making it the most preferred blade used by most players. However, it still has some disadvantages. Below is a list of Timo Boll ALC pros and cons.

Pros Cons
It is light in weight with a soft touch and a unique design. Even though it is considered to be quick, it is not the fastest attacking carbon blade.
It has a sweet spot that gives players an ideal dwell time, providing spectacular backhand and forehand speed. Making flat hits and block shots is difficult and requires accuracy to create a good touch when using the blade.
It is one of the top carbon blades from Butterfly and offers high-quality spin and sheer of the ball. It is not suitable for beginners since it does not offer the best responsiveness.
It has numerous gears that enable you to control speed and make accurate spins during topspin games. The cost of purchasing is high for a blade.
It is highly flexible and allows players to slow down shots, give a heavy spin and provide the ideal speed for a shot.
It has good controllability, and players using TBALC can easily direct the ball where they want it to go.
It provides a good level of feeling; hence the blocking and serving are very comfortable.

About Brand

The Butterfly was established more than 50 years ago by a great tennis ballplayer known as Hikosuke Tamasu. It is one of the major brands in the tennis ball industry, although not the number one in the industry. The development of the industry relied on the idea that players were flowers and the company was the Butterfly. Its main goal was to meet the needs of table tennis players and help them develop their profession to maximum potential. Butterfly Company has been making blades for over 60 years and has transformed the science process. They incorporate the latest technologies such as ALC, ZLC, and ZLF. It uses great combinations of materials to provide an ideal blade for players.

Conclusion

From the Butterfly Timo Boll ALC review, the blade is among the carbon blades in the tennis industry. It is highly flexible, making it the best option for both intermediate and advanced players. As a player who wants to advance tennis, it is best to consider the Butterfly Timo Bol ALC.

References

1.
Table Tennis Participation Report 2019 | SFIA
Generated from over 20,000 nationwide participants using online surveys, SFIA’s Single Sport Participation Reports include the most updated research on today’s sports and fitness participants.
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