Today the Super Dark Horse Blade Goes on Sale
Back in March last year, the Yinhe Dark Horse Custom KLC went on sale. That was the first blade Yinhe’s Blue-Gold Workshop made specifically for me — an inner-carbon construction, similar in concept to the W968 and the Yinhe North Korea special edition 520X. The repurchase rate has been surprisingly high, with many players won over by its rare combination of backhand explosiveness and overall speed for an inner carbon blade.
Because of that blade, quite a few players bought a Yinhe Blue-Gold Workshop product for the first time and became fans of Yinhe’s custom line.
In July we followed up with the Dark Horse Custom ALC, and at the end of December, the Dark Horse Custom PLC. Each time, I had my own thinking and specific requirements. But some players have asked: “Aren’t you just copying the ‘Holy Trinity’ — W968, Viscaria, Mizutani ZLC?!”
Honestly, it’s coincidence. You tell me — doesn’t the KLC have better backhand pop than the 968? Doesn’t the ALC feel more comfortable in dwell than the Vis? Isn’t the PLC more solid and punchy than the Mizutani?
Even though I’d already covered the inner carbon side with the KLC, something still felt missing. When using a tacky rubber on the forehand, the spin wasn’t quite extreme enough — that feeling of gripping the ball and then driving it onto the table just didn’t reach my standard.
And how do you get something that’s different from the 968’s penetrating power but also has the support feel of a super fiber?
Two blades kept coming to mind: Yoshimura Maharu Limited Edition and the special player-edition blade Liu Shiwen used to win the 2019 World Championships (set up with NEO blue Hurricane forehand and D05 backhand). I’ve hit with both, and loved both. Both are inner ZLC, but with slightly different layer thicknesses. Strictly speaking, Liu Shiwen’s player-edition fiber is closer to SUPER ZLC in character.
I felt that simply releasing an inner ZLC blade — even through Yinhe’s Blue-Gold Workshop — might not satisfy my demands for support and clarity. So in late November, during talks with Yinhe, I put forward the concept: build an inner SUPER ZLC blade, but not with the paulownia core used in Harimoto Tomokazu SZLC — instead, use an Ayous core, and take the power all the way. Beyond that, the emphasis was on “maximum spin and maximum softness,” with the blade body thickness set at around 5.8mm. Yinhe kept saying that achieving this with ZLC-series construction would be challenging.
Now, having played this main blade for nearly three months — an inner SZLC with Ayous core, thin construction — I can report that Yinhe pulls it off. In their own terminology, this isn’t called SUPER ZLC; it’s MAX ZFC.
It’s called the “Yinhe Dark Horse Custom MAX ZFC.” The handle and face follow the same style as the rest of the Custom series. Thickness is around 5.8mm. The Yinhe Blue-Gold Workshop really delivered — this blade achieves the crisp bite feel, fast power loading, and deeper kick I was looking for. Getting there with an inner construction was no small feat. The super fiber and Yinhe’s proprietary craftsmanship both play a part.
Plenty of blades on the market casually claim SZLC construction, but it seems only Butterfly’s SZLC line is truly remembered. The Dark Horse Custom MAX ZFC from Yinhe’s Blue-Gold Workshop — SZLC plus Ayous core — is a combination that has never appeared in Butterfly’s retail lineup. It has appeared in player-edition Butterfly blades, which I’ve hit. Knowing their character, I brought those requirements to Yinhe’s Blue-Gold Workshop.
The one downside: Yinhe Blue-Gold Workshop blades have never been cheap, and a MAX ZFC (SUPER ZLC) runs even higher. After extended negotiations with the brand — they said anything below 1,000 RMB would be unreasonable given the SZLC construction — the final price landed at 899 RMB.