10 Table Tennis Products I'm Hoping to See in 2026
1. Hugo Calderano
Why does this one go first? Because it’s the most likely to actually happen. A prototype already exists. Based on earlier observations, this is a Korean-made blade with inner green aramid carbon fiber. Hugo’s new partnership — or possibly his own brand — should be announced within the next few days.
Korean manufacturer ADK is developing into something like ESN for the blade world, with numerous brands outsourcing production there. A fellow player recently asked whether the green fiber used in Korean-made blades also comes from Japan. It does — from Japan’s Kuraray. That includes the green fiber in Yinhe’s blades (such as my own “fishing” blade). Not all green fiber is Japanese, though — DuPont’s American-made version also exists, and I suspect there are some that are just… dyed.
2. Stiga LUMA Hybrid Carbon
This is Stiga’s 2026 new blade, also Korean-made, with rising Chinese star Wen Ruibo as its ambassador. The structure is simple — similar to the Viscaria, but with green aramid carbon. I’ve written before that Korean-made outer green aramid carbon blades tend to go in at least two directions. One style is stiffer and crisper, like the Stiga Inspire Hybrid Carbon and Tibhar Alex; the other is softer and holds the ball more, like the Double Fish Zhou Qihao Project Z. But even the stiffer ones have decent dwell time.
I’m not sure which direction the LUMA Hybrid Carbon will go, but by adjusting how the fiber is cured, manufacturers can easily tune stiffness.
3. Fan Zhendong Limited Edition
This one still looks uncertain. But it seems unavoidable to bring it up, especially since the chance of Fan Zhendong rejoining the national team appears to be fading. Should Butterfly seize the moment and cash in now? Well, Butterfly’s commercial philosophy is clearly more nuanced than that — otherwise the tokuchu workshop wouldn’t have opened and closed. (On that note — if anyone has a new Butterfly tokuchu available at a reasonable price, please reach out. I’d love to compare old and new.)
Let’s just say: hoping for a new Butterfly limited-edition blade in the coming year, ideally more interesting than the Omar limited edition this year.
4. Lin Shidong ALC
This also seems uncertain. If Fan Zhendong ALC is still selling well, there’s no real incentive to push a Lin Shidong ALC. Let’s just hope Butterfly releases an interesting new blade.
5. ZEED 03
Back in July 2024, I predicted in an article that the Z03 would be Butterfly’s next-generation flagship. I got the model right — but it turned out to be the ZYRE-03, not the ZEED 03. The legendary rubber that was supposed to surpass boosted Hurricane 3 — if it didn’t arrive in 2025, we’ll keep hoping for 2026.
But honestly, in 2019 Boll used Tenergy 09c and Harimoto tested Lemuria, and neither has been released to the public yet. Who’s to say ZEED 03 is definitely coming next year?
At a minimum, we can hope for some new Butterfly rubber in 2026, whether high-end or mid-range.
6. Heiima Yazuki Max ZFC
This one is real. Look at the photo below.
Inner construction. The fiber is similar to Butterfly’s SZLC — imported material. From early test play, it seems somewhat softer. But it won’t launch anytime soon; there’s still tuning to be done. Same story as the Heiima Yazuki PLC (Blue-Gold Workshop special edition) — I released test photos and spy shots back in August, but it didn’t officially launch until late December.
7. PRO-01 G
Another bit of news from Yinhe is that they’ll be releasing a green aramid carbon blade. The naming convention makes it obvious this is a budget-friendly outer green aramid carbon option. Budget or not, it’s still worth getting excited about. The more competitive brands are, the more consumers benefit.
Back in January 2023 I wrote that “the era of green aramid carbon has arrived.” Now it’s in full bloom.
8. Stiga I1
Stiga has a new blade using their lightest and hardest Inera Carbon fiber — still carrying that Swedish-made sensibility. I have to say, the Destiny Carbon gave me a bright, vibrant feel. I trust the I1 won’t disappoint either. In an era when carbon fiber blades have momentum, can the I1 change things up?
9. Double Fish ESN Rubber
The Korean-made Project Z raised Double Fish’s blade quality to a new level. Not everyone will like every version, and Double Fish’s brand presence in the blade market still isn’t as strong as others. But there’s no denying that Project Z is a quality product.
10. New JOOLA China
On December 29th, JOOLA China released a statement, and we saw JOOLA (Shenzhen) officially relaunch. The last of my ten most-anticipated new products of 2026 has to include something from the new JOOLA. More details to come.
On top of all that, Sanwei is also planning a premium version of the National Standard 3, which is worth looking forward to.