Anything better than TB ALC???

Hi guys, gonna order TB ALC from megaspin for $136 and just want to make sure before I go ahead with the order, is there any blade better than this for under $150???


Thanks in advance!

NextLevel wrote: Nothing is better or worse for a beginner - it is skills that make them so....

PM me if you want a 99.9% new Butterfly Viscaria (83g) for $120 shipped to the U.S.

From what I've heard there's a slight difference, TB ALC is harder and slightly faster, while Viscaria is slightly softer, flexier and a little bit slower because of that.


Edited by Argothman - 09/20/2014 at 12:03pm

unstopabl3 wrote: NextLevel wrote: Nothing is better or worse for a beginner - it is skills that make them so.... True, I'm not a beginner though been playing for almost 5 years :P Just want to make sure I'm getting the best bang for the buck so to speak, so your input will be appreciated. Off-topic, I see that you are using 2.1 mm thickness on T05, is there a specific reason for not using 1.9mm ( which should have more control but less speed ) or 2.2mm ( which should have less control but most speed ), I'm planning to order T05 so want to know how the sponge thickness will effect my game. Thanks

Rich215 wrote: Better for what?      Better for saving money? Better for a 2400 level player that loops and blocks? Better fit for LP Better fit for T05 on both sides? Better to make you feel better? Nothing is better......it's only what works well for your level and ability and any specific time.

second that.

+1 its a great blade. I chose it simply because its the newer model of the TBS with better colors. You cant go wrong with it. It will play great with all the tenergies and new tensors out there for all around offensive play. Its a good investment too if you plan on sticking with it for years and not ej around for another blade. You can always EJ with rubbers if you don't like something particular, and like I said before with the ALC, almost all modern rubbers will play great on it.

If you find it too fast - just put slower rubbers on it.
If you think the opposite - put faster rubbers on it.

look at it this way...

The best player in the world played with Timo Boll's blade for almost two years, that should mean something.

Edited by DreiZ - 09/20/2014 at 7:32pm

Tb alc is great blade especially with 05 or 05 fx. For a higher quality blade with more control spin and feel the acoustic carbon is the best out there! Of course with 64 on the forehand to make up the loss in speed compared to tb alc.

in japan acoustic used to be the most popular for men and violin for women. then it became tb alc for men, if zlf for women. now we're seeing a lot of mizutani and if zlc, but if alc and tb alc are still very popular. i'd say tb alc is the most popular men's blade globally. i've played viscaria for several yrs under several coaches' recommendation and i've tried a few tb alc including some pros'. i like it a lot and if not playing vis, i'd be using tb alc

BH-Man wrote: What is better than an ALC?   TWO of them.

Both the TBS and TB ALC are great blades. I preferred the TBS purely because of the feel. Tried both but personally felt they are too fast for me and didn't really suit my allround game.

frogger wrote: Ndragon88 wrote: <span style="line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">Both the TBS and TB ALC are great blades. I preferred the TBS purely because of the feel. Tried both but personally felt they are too fast for me and didn't really suit my allround game.</span><div style="line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">Wouldn't be making a bad choice if you got either one. Just hope it suits your game, coz they are expensive  Put some good "allround" rubber on your TBS like 1.9 Sriver or Mark V 1.8 or even Xiom Musa max and you have a fine solid setup to play allround style.

I switched from TB ALC to Xiom Zetro Quad which I found to be almost the same but a) the handle was much better on the ZQ and b) a tad slower w/more dwell (I think) and thus more control and c) cheaper by far to buy (full disclosure: I'm selling one now over in For Sale for the low, low price of...)

Its a good 5 ply blade. Best 5ply for me. But it plays different from an alc tho.. anyway what blade/rubber were you using before?

unstopabl3 wrote: mikepong wrote: Its a good 5 ply blade. Best 5ply for me. But it plays different from an alc tho.. anyway what blade/rubber were you using before? Yeah I know it's not a carbon one but I thought since it's OFF and has koto outer ply, it should still be an upgrade from my previous blade which was Ma Lin Soft Carbon. Already ordered it alongwith Rakza 9 for FH and Rakza 7 soft for BH from tt11 Should be here in two weeks , can't wait

Edited by NextLevel - 09/22/2014 at 3:26pm

NextLevel wrote: unstopabl3 wrote: mikepong wrote: Its a good 5 ply blade. Best 5ply for me. But it plays different from an alc tho.. anyway what blade/rubber were you using before? Yeah I know it's not a carbon one but I thought since it's OFF and has koto outer ply, it should still be an upgrade from my previous blade which was Ma Lin Soft Carbon. Already ordered it alongwith Rakza 9 for FH and Rakza 7 soft for BH from tt11 Should be here in two weeks , can't wait YEO doesn't have a Koto outer ply unless things have changed. You might like the blade, but I decided that it was a challenging blade for players without mature strokes.  I would have bought the Stratus Powerwood or Force Pro instead.