are butterfly blades worth your money?

If you are an U-2000 player TB ZLC will be of course not worth your money. This is the other side of the coin.

People are so quick to talk about butterfly's price range, but Stiga keeps making their blades more and more expensive. An old clipper you could but for maybe 30-40 euros, the new clipper is probably going to be well over 100. The fact of the matter is that its not just butterfly who is getting more expensive. 

People are talking about Butterfly because it is one of the most popular brands in TT. 

Edited by player87 - 04/25/2011 at 1:14am

How about so many players in transition. Their level is growing so they need another blade with higher characteristics. Another class of players are like me, I don't have a possibility to check another blades unless I buy it because most of the players in my city use M. Maze and TB (different versions) with eurotensors but I am going to play with Chinese sticky rubbers. 

It is also a generally established fact that there are under-$20 non-BTY blades which are better than many over-$200 BTY blades. This common fact prevents us from continous expressing our deep gratitude to BTY.

I would say yes at the old price and no at the current prices. The blades are high quality, and a lot more comfortable for me that all the other blades that I've had. Once you find one you like, you don't really need to change it. 

BMonkey wrote: roar wrote: I think anyone who's reasonable would agree on a normative statement which somewhat counters your view:  If there is one blade which is statistically superior to all others, thus granting a person who is wielding it a demonstrably better chance of beating their opponent, then all players should have equal access to it. Is a Bugatti Veyron not a better performing car than a Honda Civic? Obviously not in terms of money (fuel cost, parts and labor, insurance expense, initial cost of the car) but rather in terms of capability (Braking distance, acceleration, top speed, cornering g's, quality of materials used, quality of women the car can attract Big smile ) If not a Bugatti, what about Maserati, Mercedes, Ferrari, Porsche, Pagani, Bentley, etc etc? Point is there are lots of cars that are statistically superior cars to other cars when economic considerations are removed, YET most of us cannot afford them. Same with houses, if money was no object who would live in a shanty town when they could live in a mansion? Everyone has access to these things, that is the ability to purchase them (contrary to what you stated) but not everyone can afford them, and it's naive to think everyone should be able to afford them.

I'm almost embarrassed to even acknowledge this point as it's so awful and irrelevant.  We're not talking about buying an item just to have something that someone else doesn't - this is a discussion about a sport and about equipment advantages in that sport.  That said, since you're using cars as your example: if this were a racing forum, my same point would be just as valid.  An equipment advantage would be grossly unfair in the racing world.  Jeff Gordon driving a 1960 VW Beetle would never beat me if I were driving a 2011 Ferrari - one car is so far above the other that the race has been won before it began.

On the other hand, Jan Ove Waldner would kick my ass with any racket you put in his hands regardless of what you put in mine.  An equipment advantage exists on a minor level but it's not going to let you beat someone who is way out of your league.

BMonkey wrote: roar wrote: Now as it happens there's no empirical data on any particular blade being that much better - and the highest priced ones are actually not used by professionals which may actually be considered a counter to that in itself. Cute contradiction here. "There's no empirical data on any particular blade being that much better" but you have empirical data on what all professionals are using? Yea right. There's plenty of speculation, it's the internet, but hard data is few and far between. Not to mention that blade feel is highly subjective so many opinions will always exist.

I don't see a contradiction there - nice try though.  I have two points to make here:  First, read my prior point on J.O. Waldner beating me with anything (demonstrating there's no blade that's going to win a match for you on its own.)  And second, As far as I know (feel free to prove me wrong as I would thoroughly enjoy seeing such a thing) there have been no comprehensive lists definitively demonstrating exactly what each top professional player has been using over the course of a number of years.  This type of analysis would be the only way of accurately determining if a single or a small number of blades were consistently preferred by world class players (from which we can infer a slight equipment advantage).  

The only thing we do have now is speculation and pictures of blades professionals are using at various times - which actually serves to prove my current position quite well.  I said the highest priced ones are not used by professionals so let's just use the most obvious example: the Timo Boll ZLC.  This is typically the most expensive blade you find throughout online stores and thus far, we have not seen any top male professional using it.  Although it is known that players can change out their handles and use other blades instead, close ups of the layers of blades have not demonstrated any player is using it either.  Instead we see players using blades which are less expensive (such as the Viscaria or TBS) more frequently, but we are still only speculating at best.



Edited by roar - 04/25/2011 at 10:48pm

BMonkey wrote: Looks like Sid has returned... or at least another know it all troll.

When someone beats you in an argument, you can either submit a counter-argument or you can just admit that they are correct.  You're never going to be right on everything - but calling someone a troll because they're better at debating than you just makes you look like a fool.

roar wrote: BMonkey wrote: Looks like Sid has returned... or at least another know it all troll. When someone beats you in an argument, you can either submit a counter-argument or you can just admit that they are correct.  You're never going to be right on everything - but calling someone a troll because they're better at debating than you just makes you look like a fool.

This is not a forum for flame wars. I'm glad you feel you beat me. I am sure everyone thinks you are smarter than me now too. Congratulations!

lilactime031 wrote: Timo Boll Spirit is very good for the slow and heavy European players because he lift the backspin easily with short movements. Some problems with service return but you can't have everything.

slow and heavy European players like Ma Long?

i don't talk about pros...always the same wrong from too many members...nobody knows with which blade Timo play, i had seen Primorac blade specialy made for Kreanga and Tenergy rubbers inside a plastic bag full of boosters and tuners straight from the factory... 100% different from what you can buy from the shops... the pros are another thing don't be confused...

In general the European players are toll they have heavy bodies and don't have the speed of the Asian players + footwork... the big advantage of the Asian players is that when they attack the first top spin after opponent's push or chop they can reach the ball in the upper part of the arc...so their first top spin is very fast...most of the european are slow, Boll too that's why the most of Boll's first attacks are slow high arced top spin which don't cause too much problems to the good Chinese who immediately   play top spin to top spin near to the table...this is very common to all European players, Kreanga is an exception but he lacks too much in other parts of the game ( service, service return, psychology...)  

As i wrote before the European players have problems to reach fast the ball from the first attack but blades like Spirit can lift the back spin ball easily with only movement of arm and wrist action...that's why i think that Spirit is a necessary tool for too many players ... you can be fat or you are far awy from good shape and physical strength but with this blade the first top spin is easy...

and let me tell you something more... there are too many good blades from too many diferent factories...but if anyone wants to play top spin attack from both sides (like the most of the pros) he must choose good looping blade... a blade which has arc in the top spin and is helpful  for lifting the ball... if a blade do not has high trajectory then isn't very good for looping game...it would be very good for hitting for blocking for chopping but without arc the one who use it will loose points...

 

Topic: are butterfly blades worth your money?
    Posted: 04/24/2011 at 3:45pm

No.

No, 150+ is nuts.

AcudaDave wrote: I have always preferred Stiga blades. Started out playing with a Stiga blade, and just like the feel, handle size, and playing characteristics of their blades.  Butterfly blades usually had handles that were a little on the small side so didn't like playing with them.  I recently bought a slightly used BTY Milerga blade for me son from someone at the club and it said "made in China" so the quality doesn't appear to be as good as some of their other blades made in Japan, but it still played pretty well overall.  I also bought a Joola blade last year, and I gotta say the quality was very impressive, but the speed/control didn't feel quite as good as my Stiga Blades did.  I think BTY blades are good, but I won't pay more than $100 for a blade. I'd be too worried about hitting it on the table, or misplacing it somewhere.

just played with my ishlion for the first time in probably half a year or more of using other blades - oh dam how good it feels - I love it

DO NOT SELL YOUR BUTTERFLY BLADE AS SOON AS YOU PLAY BADLY WITH THE SET UP.  hold on to it unless u are strapped for cash.  I almost sold mine for no reason and once again it is still waiting faithfully playing the same.  they last a life time