Best Table Tennis Blade For Control
In table tennis, the control players have over the ball is just as important as the speed or spin they can produce. Defensive players trade speed for control, allowing them to play more accurately. To do this, they need a blade that gives them the feedback and accuracy they need to aid their play style.
The best table tennis blades for better control are typically softer and more flexible than others. The best table tennis control blades include:
- Butterfly Revoldia CNF
- Stiga Dynasty Carbon
- Butterfly Viscaria
- Nittaku Acoustic
- Butterfly Timo Boll ALC
- XIOM Ice Cream AZXi
Typically, softer and more flexible blades are used for control, while harder and stiffer blades can produce more speed. But which blades provide the best control for players? Our article will help you choose the best control blade for your play style.
1. Butterfly Revoldia CNF
The Butterfly Revoldia CNF has an innovative design that makes it an excellent control blade for table tennis. The materials used to make it are five wood plies along with two CNF layers. CNF is Cellulose NanoFibre made from wood and plant fibers and is extremely strong. This blade is typically used at a professional level, and despite being slightly pricey, it’s worth the money.
This patented design provides excellent control by giving players longer dwell times on balls. Not only does it give players extra control, but it’s also built for speed. Depending on the stroke, it can be great for control or speed, like carbon blades.
Top Features:
- Excellent feel and control
- Long dwell times
- Playstyle versatility
- Provides speed for attacking strokes
- Flared handle for better grip
2. Stiga Dynasty Carbon Xu Xin Edition
The Stiga Dynasty Carbon is a seven-layer blade with a thin carbon layer that provides speed without sacrificing control. The blade is well-balanced and has excellent control due to the Textreme+ technology. Textreme+ consists of a thin carbon layer that increases the strength-to-weight ratio of the blade.
Carbon offers more speed than wood, meaning that this blade couples control and speed without sacrificing either of them. While it may be slower than some pure carbon blades, which are stiffer, its solid feel and balanced weight provide excellent control. The better control is due to the Textreme+ technology making it feel more like a pure wooden blade.
Top Features:
- Textreme+ provides good balance
- Excellent stability around the edges
- Good control with more speed due to the carbon layer
- Suitable for most playstyles and skill levels
3. Butterfly Viscaria
The Butterfly Viscaria is a composite blade with five wood plies and two Arylite carbon layers on the outside that provide extra stiffness. It has a compact head for greater control, and catching the ball in the large sweet spot is easy. It has longer dwell times on balls that give players some extra control.
Due to the carbon layers, the blade is slightly harder, which allows for greater speed when hitting the ball. Despite its increased speed, the longer dwell times give a balanced feel to the blade. It’s an excellent blade for players of any skill level. It’s easy to learn how to use and provides an overall stable feel. It comes in a straight or flared grip depending on players’ preference.
Top Features:
- Carbon layers give a boost to the speed
- Long dwell times despite hardness
- Flexible and shock absorbent
- Great for attacking topspin playstyle
4. Nittaku Acoustic
The Nittaku Acoustic is an all-wood blade with medium hardness and stiffness. Its all-wood composition makes it softer than carbon fiber blades. While it sacrifices a little speed, its flexible and softer feel provides excellent control. It has great feedback without too much vibration, giving players better control.
The Acoustic is a great choice for new players and pros alike! The feedback of this blade is highly accurate, making tricky shots much easier to pull off. It is great for the short game and looping from a distance and provides a great spin. It has a thinner handle that comes in flared or straight styles, so a grip for some extra size might be necessary for some.
Top Features:
- All wood composition provides greater flexibility
- Excellent feedback without being distracting
- Excellent for mid- and short-distance plays
- Great placement and control
5. Butterfly Timo Boll ALC
The Butterfly Timo Boll ALC’s design had much input from Timo Boll himself. It is a seven-ply composite blade of wood and 2 Arylite Carbon layers with a slightly heavier head to provide extra speed. Don’t be fooled, however, because its overall light weight and flexibility allow for some added control. The blade comes with flared, straight, and anatomic handle options.
Despite its carbon layers, this blade has great dwell time and a large sweet spot. It is a faster model than its predecessor but still retains impressive control. It lacks speed compared to some blades but has greater control. It’s an excellent blade for most playstyles, power-looping is a dream, and the speed difference only becomes apparent when smashing.
Top Features:
- Excellent control-to-speed ratio
- More significant dwell times provide better control
- The heavier head produces higher speeds
- Versatility allows for many playstyles and speeds
- Straight, flared, and anatomic handle options
6. XIOM Ice Cream AZXi
The XIOM Ice Cream AZXi isn’t a blade one might associate with control due to its multi-carbon composition, which typically sacrifices control for speed. However, this blade does a good job of combining the two aspects. Its large sweet spot and excellent feedback make it possible to execute all kinds of plays. However, there is a learning curve to mastering this blade.
The lightweight composition doesn’t affect the stability and control players feel when using this blade. Flipping this blade allows players to choose between the Arylite and Zephylium carbons to execute different shots. Spin, speed, and power are all interchangeable depending on the situation, making it an extremely versatile blade. It comes in straight and flared handle styles.
Top Features:
- Dual ALC and ZLC faces for different plays
- High speed while retaining excellent control
- Good stability
- Excellent feedback for extra control
- Flared and straight handle styles
Conclusion
Control blades provide better accuracy due to their flexibility and softer composition. They give players longer dwell times and better feedback to make more accurate shots than harder blades for speed. Hopefully, our list of the best blades for control will help you choose the right one!
