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Review: BUTTERFLY Jun Mizutani Super ZLC

Author: Karel Malík

We bring you a review of the blade used by Jun Mizutani.

Mizutani1

Hello to all fans of "ping-pong gear talk." It’s been a while since anything new appeared on the blog, so I thought I’d try to fix that.

For today’s review, I’ve chosen a less frequently discussed blade. I’ll start slowly and let you guess which Butterfly blade it is. It hit the market on July 21, 2014. This year, it celebrates ten years since production began, and it is still being manufactured and—according to my info—selling successfully. The blade was used for a time by one of the most elegant left-handed topspinners of the last decade. He is a ten-time national champion, a 2016 Rio Olympic singles bronze medalist, and—the final hint that will surely give it away—the 2020 Olympic Mixed Doubles gold medalist.

By now, everyone knows that today’s topic is: Jun Mizutani Super ZLC (Super Zylon Carbon)

The Super ZLC material is quite often overlooked, not only by pros but also by competitive club players. I understand the pros—for today’s standards, the blade is very fast and designed for a long-distance topspin game (which is somewhat out of fashion now). I also understand the club players, for whom the blade is, frankly, quite expensive.

However, all that might change soon. If you followed the Asian Championships in Astana, you surely noticed a young man named Benyamin Faraji (born 2009) defeating the reigning world number one, Wang Chuqin! For our review, it’s noteworthy that this youngster uses the Jun Mizutani SZLC. Could a player or a blade ask for better PR? By the way, that match is definitely worth looking up on YouTube.

Jun Mizutani Super ZLC – Technical Specs:

According to these specs, it is the fastest and stiffest of all Butterfly SZLC blades. Others (Zhang Jike SZLC, Lin Yun-Ju SZLC, Harimoto IF SZLC) are rated as slower and less stiff. For comparison, the well-known Viscaria / Boll ALC / Fan Zhendong ALC series has a speed of 11.8 and a vibration of 10.3.

I think these ratings are spot on. The Jun Mizutani SZLC is noticeably faster and stiffer than the aforementioned ALC blades.

The Comparison

The biggest challenge was choosing a comparison blade. Other SZLC models (Zhang Jike or Harimoto) are not widely used by the hobby/club sphere. Nor is its more technical sibling, the Jun Mizutani ZLC (though I will compare them briefly). In the end, I chose the classic Viscaria, which everyone knows. So, let’s get to it.

Setup: Tenergy 05 (2.1 and 1.9 mm). Glued with Free Chack Pro II. Also tested with Dignics 09C and Tenergy 80. Tested for about three weeks with players (ELO 1700–1950). As always, I played both with and against the blade.

Speed

A very fast blade—the specs don’t lie. To me, it’s the lower boundary of OFF+. It’s not as fast as a Primorac Carbon, but definitely faster than both Mizutani ZLC and Viscaria.

Accuracy (Control)

Very precise for its speed. However, I find the Mizutani ZLC and Viscaria to be slightly more accurate.

Stiffness

Stiff. Period. Noticeably more so than Viscaria or Mizutani ZLC. It doesn’t reach Primorac Carbon levels, but if you love stiff blades, you’ll feel right at home.

Dwell Time

Solid and sufficiently long, though it feels shorter than Viscaria or Mizutani ZLC.

Feel

The player receives a sharp response with clear feedback upon impact. Personally, I’m used to the "mega soft feel" of my Moonbeam, which I consider the best topspin blade I've ever played. Yet, the Mizutani SZLC absolutely blew me away with how precisely it doses that "click" during a topspin. You feel the "bite" and subsequent "pull" incredibly well. For a blade this fast, that is unique. It’s a masterpiece—if you are a pure topspin player, take note. It’s less noticeable on flat hits or blocks, but on topspin, it’s phenomenal.

Arc (Flight Path)

Higher than the Zhang Jike SZLC, but lower compared to Viscaria or Mizutani ZLC.

Balance

Centered, or perhaps slightly head-heavy.

Final Summary

I won’t dissect every single stroke; that would take too long. Pure-bred topspinners—especially those playing from a distance—should consider treating themselves (maybe for Christmas). The blade has incredible potential and reach far behind the table. It’s no wonder Jun Mizutani himself played with it; his domain was the game from the barriers, raining down one topspin after another.

The blade was phenomenal with all tested rubbers. With Tenergy 05 and 80, it’s a "topspin fairy tale" both close to and away from the table. With Dignics 09C, it becomes a topspin monster (though hobbyists like me often struggle to fully activate that rubber).

Who is it for? The ideal candidate is a younger, mobile, well-trained player who wants to win through a fun topspin game, often playing from mid-distance and needing more punch than a Viscaria provides. I know, playing this way is considered "old-fashioned" and even "ineffective" today, but just watch Benyamin Faraji vs. Wang Chuqin. Enjoy the movement and the spin, and then you’re only three clicks away from ordering the Mizutani SZLC...

Thanks to all for table tennis.eu for allowing me to publish this short review, and thank you all for reading to the end.

Take it easy and keep on playing! Karel Malík