Butterfly Boll Allround

This is an “all-round” blade, but it might not suit every all-round player, despite being associated with Timo Boll and classified as such. It’s a stiff blade; I couldn’t bend it with my hands. However, it exhibits a slight arch (or “bolt”) during burst attacks, making it effective for precise placement, such as targeting the left and right corners of the table. Therefore, I believe the technology incorporated into this blade is effective.

The blade leans towards the softer side compared to a Max Soft DEF blade or a stiff offensive hard blade. The feel is reminiscent of a defensive soft blade. While it’s not oversized, nor does it resemble a typical all-round blade, its stiffness becomes apparent when you see that it doesn’t bend during powerful shots. It offers impressive speed on burst attacks and banana flicks, but doesn’t particularly excel in other areas. Control is a strong point, allowing for long, well-placed shots to the sides of the table, owing to the side arch I observed even when testing the bare blade.

I wouldn’t recommend this blade to an all-round player seeking power in smashes, the ability to move an opponent from left to right with short drives, spinny snakes, crazy sidespin or underspin shots, or a super responsive blade with excellent feedback and feel for the game, who is looking to evolve/progress to other ALL, ALL+, or OFF blades. I haven’t tested other blades like Viscaria or Timo Boll ALC yet, but I may update this review later. For me, this blade isn’t the right fit. It’s more like an ALL-, even though it has both speed and control, it doesn’t provide the feedback needed for a comprehensive all-round game.

As an ALL/ALL+ player looking for the specific qualities mentioned above, this blade doesn’t meet my needs. It is lightweight, being my second lightest blade (the lightest being a fiberglass balsa DEF blade), and while this lightness could be advantageous, it lacks the crucial feedback and feeling I require. However, it does offer a good arch.

A very good blade with a lot of control, but it lacks enough speed and power to play away from the table. It’s also worth mentioning its ability to lob.

With Japanese or German rubbers, it works very well, with decent loops and a long dwell time, providing a good feel. Paired with Chinese rubbers, it can be very slow, however, it produces a large amount of spin.

I recommend it to beginners and players with medium experience looking to develop their own game.

Butterfly has made a confusing change to their allround blade by switching the color of the handle from yellow (now on the TB control) to grey (previously on the TB allround+). This allround blade is of exceptional quality and slightly firmer than traditional allround blades due to its koto outer veneer. It is marginally larger than the TB offensive, resulting in slightly more flexibility. It is an ideal choice for beginner and intermediate players as they refine their techniques.

However, excessive rubber changes should be avoided as the top veneer may detach at the edges despite varnishing. This blade boasts the best straight Butterfly handle, making it suitable for larger hands. It pairs well with both Chinese and European rubbers. Despite its fragility, I now believe that a more affordable Chinese alternative from Yinhe or Sanwei would be a wiser choice.