Butterfly Timo Boll CAF

Very nice blade. It has great control, especially forhand loops which are very consistent. It also provides excellent control in the passive game, making it very easy to block with. The speed is alright; it’s definitely not a slow blade by any means, but it’s not the fastest either. It generates very good spin. While it feels a bit hard on the short touches, it has an awesome dwell time when looping.

I started training three times a week a year ago, so I’m not that advanced, but I look to improve as fast as I can. I think it’s the right blade for that purpose, which is why my coach said I should buy it. Fun fact: during my first training session with the blade, I won against a player a league above me that I had never won against before. So all in all, it’s a great blade for intermediate offensive players.

By the way, I use Joola Rhyzen CMD rubbers on both sides.

This blade is unique, excelling when paired with rubbers that provide sufficient dwell time. Constructed with a 3W+2 °C ply composition (rather than the typical 5W+2 °C), it features a thicker central ply compared to blades of similar thickness. This construction results in a relatively stiff blade with higher catapult, shorter dwell time, and a low throw angle. Despite having a speed comparable to other Butterfly ALC blades, the CAF differs in these specific characteristics, leading to polarized opinions among players.

When combined with Tenergy 80FX (backhand) and Rakza Z (forehand), the blade performs exceptionally well. However, it struggled when paired with Dignics 05 and Tenergy 80 due to insufficient dwell time. The blade offers excellent touch and minimal vibration during table play, while providing sufficient power (accompanied by some vibration) for aggressive looping. It excels in executing hard, spinny forehand loops down the line thanks to its combination with hybrid rubber, generating shots that are both fast and low. The blade provides good control and speed for close-to-the-table attacking. It requires compact strokes and timely hitting, making it less suitable for players who prefer mid-distance or long-distance play.

The blade displays significant inconsistencies in characteristics. Despite glowing reviews and initial skepticism towards negative ones, I found the blade to be unforgiving despite Boll’s claim that it offers “the best control in the market.”

My TB CAF blade lacks dwell, a large sweet spot, and adequate vibration damping. It falls between all-wood and composite blades, but in my opinion, it combines their worst qualities rather than their best.

Butterfly seems to have aimed to produce a blade with lower manufacturing costs than their ALC models, but it is still priced over $100. The Garaydia ZLC, purchased simultaneously at more than double the price, provides superior control and ease of play. Its exceptional quality justifies the expense despite being a BTY blade, known for its high price relative to market value.

This is a fantastic blade with awesome control, strong spin, decent speed, and lightweight. It provides exceptional playability at all distances and aspects of the game. I paired it with Dignics 09c on both sides after previously using a setup of Japan Primorac and Rakza Z. The Timo Boll CAF offers enhanced control, speed, spin, and shot quality, which was evident from my first training session with my coach. Blocking is effortless with this blade.

Considering the price and quality, I would rate this blade 10 out of 10. It’s an ideal option for those transitioning from all-wood to a more modern style. It’s somewhat surprising that this excellent blade has such a low rating on RevSpin.

Forget it. Don’t waste your money. This blade has no power and no spin. If you’re just starting to play table tennis, it may be suitable for you. However, there are many better blades out there for a cheaper price.

I bought this blade accidentally because the shop where I live didn’t have the blade I had intended to purchase. Initially, I was disappointed. It’s soft, the speed is very slow, and it makes no sound when hitting the ball. As a result, I lost many points.

However, after two weeks, I discovered the strengths of this blade and made adjustments to my playing style. This blade excels in looping, spin play, and control. It’s particularly effective for short games. Last week, I defeated an opponent I had previously lost to.

Pairing it with a RakzaZ on the forehand and a Rakza7 on the backhand has proven to be the best combination for me. Despite its low cost, it’s a great blade.

Paired the blade with Tenergy 25-FX (2.1). The weight of the blade when combining the rubber and side tape is 189 grams.

It gives you the speed you need with good control, and the blocking is exceptional. Ball placement comes easily with nice touch and feel. When hitting hard, the wood fiber kicks in.

It’s a very nice blade with its own character (it’s kind of special) and fun to play with. The handle fits very nicely in the hand. It’s a very nice-looking blade, and I would highly recommend it.

THE WORST BUTTERFLY BLADE. I’ve tried the Viscaria and recently the Lin Gao Yuan ALC, both of which are high-quality blades possessing speed and control. The Timo Boll CAF has vibrations and has a grain wood-like feel on the handle. Furthermore, the blade has little to no feeling when brushing the ball. STAY AWAY.

This is honestly the worst blade I have ever touched in my life. It vibrates so much, making it annoying to play with. It is extremely light, and the head as well as wings are extremely small, allowing a small sweet spot.

I highly recommend buying the Butterfly Viscaria blade or the Lin Gaoyuan ALC. Even though they are a bit more expensive, the Timo Boll CAF is nothing compared to these two blades.

I changed from the Butterfly Balsa Carbo X5 to the New Timo Boll CAF and it feels great. It has very good speed, awesome spin, and much better control.

With Rasanter R42 in FH, it was fast, but with Yasaka Rakza 9, it is faster, with great spin and control. BH with Rozena is very good, but with Tibhar MX-S, it is superb—a lethal weapon. The MX-S is a bit heavier, but it’s worthwhile.

In a word, it’s a terrific blade. You should try it. You’ll love it, and it comes at a fair price.

Absolute best blade. Super control and feeling due to the CAF fiber but with the speed of a fast carbon blade. Amazing looping backspin and countering low balls. Works best with hard rubbers. I use Andro Rasanter R47, and the arc is a nice perfect height to cause problems for an opponent. Good price as well, especially for Butterfly. Worth every penny.

For me, the CAF has better control at the same speed as the Timo Boll ALC.

The straight handle of the CAF is a dream, especially for people with slightly smaller hands. I absolutely love it.

Recommend it to players who want more control and a cheap price for a Butterfly blade, it’s worth the money. Blocking is effortless. Good in spin and loop. Fast in flat balls. Not too crisp on sound because it’s a combination of Carbon and all wood blade.

For me, a harder sponge is best on this.

Initially, it has a more muted feel - a mix between all wood and carbon. It’s like a combination of Mizutani Jun ZLC, Stiga Nostalgic Allround, and a Timo Boll ALC. It provides an awesome feel when looping, very crisp, and with awesome dwell time. When hitting slow, the blade feels more woody, while when looping faster, it feels more like a carbon blade but with more feel than a carbon blade.

This blade has so many gears. The speed on fast loops is awesome and more than fast enough to loop winners and overpower opponents.

Control is excellent. It’s very easy to loop with. Lifting backspin is a breeze, and looping medium and low-height balls is so easy. You can absolutely return everything. It is not very spin-sensitive, which adds greatly to its control. Blocking is almost effortless. The short game is just so good; you can really do what you want with this blade!!

Looping is awesome. This is a dream looping blade. Fast loops are very fast and powerful. It offers lots of touch and great spin variation in looping. Lifting backspin is so easy with this blade.

It’s not very spin-sensitive at all. You can generate lots of spin to use against your opponents, but their spin doesn’t really affect you.

Blocking is effortless on this blade. The arc is very good (but this is based on using T05, of course).

It has excellent deep hold, one of its strongest features. This really helps when looping, especially when top-spinning low balls (and backspin balls).

The sweet spot is really, really good. It feels very large, almost like an ALC blade.

The short game is incredible considering the speed of the blade.

I feel that this blade is a mid-way blade between an all-wood blade and a full-on carbon blade (such as the Timo Boll ALC and Viscaria). It has the looping and attacking strengths of a carbon blade (higher speed, power, spin, large sweet spot) but also has some of the strengths of an all-wood blade (more control, touch, more feel, low spin sensitivity, better short game). I think this blade could be perfect for medium to advanced amateur players who are not pro level.

Overall, this is the best racket I’ve used so far. You may think it’s a big risk to buy this without many reviews; however, if you do decide to take the risk, this blade will definitely make you satisfied. On the other hand, if you play table tennis and you want good sound quality, don’t buy this racket. But overall, I strongly believe that this blade is definitely worth the money.

I’m amazed how different the same blade and rubbers can feel on a good day versus a bad day. I’m also amazed how easy it is to blame the equipment on some of our own flaws in the game. This makes it so hard to actually give an accurate review unless you’ve played for over 15 years and really know yourself. There are too many beginners in here giving conflicting feedback on otherwise good equipment.

This blade is great if you’re an amateur level. Pros wouldn’t use this. It’s too slow. Not aggressive enough. Amateurs are not beginners. They can play hard and fast rallies. This blade can easily do this. Even against carbon blades. Some of my best match wins were with this blade. It can do it all and I feel in control. I can feel the ball. My opponent uses this blade too and I often don’t see the ball coming. It’s that fast. Will I keep the blade? Sure…. but I am also using the Donic original carbon blade. Same price. It’s faster. And I think my technique has evolved enough for me to feel I can control it just as well as this blade…. somewhat. I’m still using this against certain opponents and get better results with it than with the carbon blade as it sometimes goes way too fast for me. Still.

Now I am thinking that its price is the weakest point. There are a lot of good blades out there for this price. I haven’t tried any of them but I spend a lot of time reading these reviews and it seems to me the chances of finding an all-wood blade similar or better than this is a high probability. I bought this not knowing the market very well long ago. I tried my friend’s blades for short periods of time over the years and I’m convinced your money can go a long way for a $100 blade.