Butterfly Timo Boll ALC vs Butterfly Timo Boll Allround: Which Should You Buy?
| Butterfly Timo Boll ALC | Butterfly Timo Boll Allround | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 9.0/10 | 8.3/10 |
| feel | medium | Medium-soft, classic all-wood dwell with good tactile feedback |
| handle | FL/ST/AN | FL/ST/AN/XXS |
| plies | 5W+2 Arylate-Carbon | 5-ply all wood (koto outer) |
| speed | OFF | ALL+ |
| thickness_mm | 5.8 | 5.5 |
| weight_g | 86 | ~85 |
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These represent two fundamentally different player levels and goals. The Timo Boll ALC (9.0) is an elite arylate-carbon blade with exceptional balance of spin, speed, and control, delivering class-leading spin on both wings and a large sweet spot. The Timo Boll Allround (8.3) is an all-wood blade designed for beginners transitioning from pre-made paddles — it prioritizes outstanding control, placement precision, and satisfying tactile feedback to support technique development.
The ALC is genuinely fast and OFF-rated, rewarding active, technically sound strokes but offering little vibration feedback and demanding a developed stroke. The Allround is lightweight, all-wood with koto outer, and delivers safe, predictable control for learners. Speed ceiling is where the gap widens: the ALC is far faster (OFF vs ALL+), making it unsuitable for beginners still developing footwork and stroke mechanics. The Allround’s fragile koto edges and limited feedback for advanced mechanics make it outgrow intermediate players. Build quality and consistency favor both — Butterfly manufacturing is excellent — but the Allround is discontinued, requiring secondary market sourcing. For elite attackers seeking balanced high-spin play, the ALC is unmatched; for beginners building foundation skills, the Allround is ideal. They do not compete — they serve opposite ends of the player journey.
FAQ
Which is faster?
The Timo Boll ALC is OFF speed, much faster and rewarding an active stroke. The Allround is ALL+ speed, suitable for learners before they advance to faster blades.
Which spins more?
The ALC delivers class-leading spin on both wings. The Allround provides good spin relative to its control focus but is not a spin-maximizing blade.
Which is better for beginners?
The Timo Boll Allround is explicitly designed for beginners and lower-intermediate players, with satisfying all-wood dwell and good tactile feedback. The ALC demands developed technique and offers little vibration feedback.
Which lasts longer?
Both are durable Butterfly blades, but the Allround is discontinued, requiring sourcing from secondary market. The ALC is current production.