World Top 30 Men's Equipment Setups, April 2026

Originally published 2026-04-09 · Translated & republished with permission

Updated monthly. Beyond the current world top 30, I also add a few notable players when appropriate, and try to include photos of more players’ bats. (For the freak blades here, I tend not to comment.) Any discrepancies are purely discrepancies.

The London Worlds team event begins on the 28th this month. The Chinese association just announced the men’s lineup: Wang Chuqin, Lin Shidong, Zhou Qihao, Xiang Peng, Liang Jingkun. Fan Zhendong not joining this team event is expected — maybe it was all settled when he withdrew from the world ranking. But regardless, we can keep watching the Bundesliga and Champions League, and embrace a different Xiaopang — quite nice too. Although ordinary folks’ wish is for the best players to compete for the national team at world majors, things can hardly go as one wishes; let us just enjoy table tennis.

Fan Zhendong: Fan Zhendong ALC custom, NEO blue national Hurricane, D09c. First, taking the chance, I want to buy a Butterfly 2024 custom, best a Fan A structure. I have played many Vis customs; I want to see how far the Fan A custom differs from retail. This better helps understand Fan Zhendong, Sora Matsushima and Shunsuke Togami’s matches and rubber pairings.

1. Wang Chuqin: Q968, NEO blue national Hurricane, Hurricane 8-20 special. Currently the Q968’s price is clearly below the W968, sharply divided from the situation in the first half-year after launch. My view: buy whichever is cheaper — about the same. Maybe the recipe is identical, just picking softness.

2. Moregard: Cybershape 6 CWT (gold label), HELIX Platinum XH, HELIX Platinum XH. This World Cup, Mo used XH-hardness HELIX Platinum on both sides. Compared with the DNA Platinum, the HELIX’s friction and spin value are stronger.

3. Hugo Calderano: Joola Hugo ARY-C, Trinity Charged on both sides. Hugo’s blade, an inner structure, is said to launch on July 21.

4. Tomokazu Harimoto: Harimoto SALC, ZYRE-03, ZYRE-03. Last October, Tomokazu Harimoto went back to Z03 on both sides. Sora Matsushima had just switched his backhand to Z03 then. And Shunsuke Togami used Z03 on both sides over the past year, with improved overall play. So it seems the Japanese men’s mains all got the Z03’s help, hence the fast progress.

5. Lin Shidong: outer ALC custom, NEO blue national Hurricane, D09c.

6. Felix Lebrun: Tibhar Felix gold label, K3 Pro, K3 Pro. Tibhar-signed players’ K3 Pro is harder and tougher — after all, the retail support is too mediocre.

7. Sora Matsushima: Fan Zhendong ALC custom, D09c, ZYRE-03. People now wonder how long Sora Matsushima’s domineering state will last.

8. Lin Yun-Ju: Super Viscaria, Z03, D05. Some players already hope for a Lin Yun-Ju SUPER ALC, which is simply premature. First, Lin Yun-Ju has used the Super Vis only a few months, without winning any top major. Second, releasing a Lin Yun-Ju SALC now would indirectly hurt the Super Lin Yun-Ju, since many still do not know Lin Yun-Ju uses the Super Vis. Besides, with the Super Vis to sell, why must they release a Lin Yun-Ju SALC? Thankless.

9. Jang Woojin: W968, NEO blue national Hurricane, K3 Pro. Earlier intel told me Jang Woojin’s W968 is only the official numbered-edition level. The problem is, many players report the official numbered level has dropped now, not as good as before.

10. Qiu Dang: Viscaria custom, D09c, D09c. Now he uses a no-nameplate custom Vis. Better wrapping, higher energy-storage quality.

11. Alexis Lebrun: Tibhar Alexis gold label, K3 Pro, K3 Pro. You can see green-aramid carbon is Tibhar’s current focus, both outer and inner.

12. Duda: Duda AFC, V>15 Sticky on both sides. V15s is D09c’s budget substitute — not brutal, but really steady. He no longer plays V22.

13. Darko Jorgic: Tibhar Darko Carbon (English name Infinity Carbon, heterogeneous structure), K2, MX-P Infinity. Said to ship in early May. But it will probably hit Japan first; if it reaches us, it will likely drag a few more months.

14. Wen Ruibo: Luma hybrid carbon, NEO blue national Hurricane, DNA Hybrid 55. Also a Korean-made outer green-aramid carbon. If the backhand just wants a steady-enough slightly-tacky tensor, I think amateurs gluing a V>15 Sticky, or m-hardness DNA Hybrid, is enough.

15. Liang Jingkun: Liang Jingkun ADC custom, NEO blue national Hurricane, NEO orange national Hurricane. Dual Hurricane has quite strong stability; to play it less strenuously, you must boost.

16. Lind: Donic Lind Carbon, Bluegrip C2 special, Bluegrip C2 special. The Harimoto SALC, Lind Carbon and Miao are all similar structures, focused on easy control, easy arc-making, high error-tolerance, easy use of any technique.

17. Xiang Peng: W968, NEO blue national Hurricane, Jinghai C55.0. At last month’s Chongqing Champions event, Xiang Peng’s backhand went from Hurricane back to the Jinghai C55.0.

18. Shunsuke Togami: Fan Zhendong ALC custom, ZYRE-03, ZYRE-03. Togami says this blade is very stable in topspin rallies.

19. Franziska: Franziska ZLC, D05, D09c. Switches rubber like drinking water.

20. An Jaehyun: W968, NEO blue national Hurricane, D09c. The 968 really is okay.

21. Simon Gauzy: Andro Gauzy, NUZN 55, NUZN 55. The named new blade launches this summer.

22. Kedun: Donic Kedun, Bluestar A1, Bluestar A1. He originally played the Donic Nailiwen, but performed well lately, beating Duda and Zhou Qihao at the Singapore Smash. Donic seized the moment to release a named blade.

23. Zhou Qihao: Double Fish PROJECT Z, NEO blue national Hurricane, D09c. Another outer green-aramid carbon.

24. Chen Yuanyu: gold-label Viscaria, NEO blue national Hurricane, K3 Pro.

25. Ovtcharov: Ovtcharov ALC (though the structure should be Vis), D09c, ZYRE-03.

26. Boleite: Andro ZCO, NUZN 55, NUZN 55. Using an outer-ZLC structure is rare now. His game is mostly bread-and-butter balls.

27. Kanak Jha: Boll ALC, ZYRE-03, ZYRE-03. Jha abandoned the Super Vis for the Boll ALC, saying the Boll A’s contact feel is softer than the Super Vis.

28. Yukiya Uda: inner ZLC custom (G-FLESS handle), D09c, ZYRE-03.

29. Puka: Tibhar Alexis, K3 Pro on both sides.

30. Hiroto Shinozuka: Boll ALC custom, D09c, Z03. This Japanese men’s team has gone almost entirely to Z03 on the backhand. Their philosophy clearly differs from ours.

That covers the world top 30. Below are some notable players, in no particular order.

Oh Junsung: Tibhar Oh Junsung, K3 Pro, K3 Pro.

Kallberg: Boll ALC, D09c, D09c. Is the Boll A really that easy to play?

Groth: Boll ALC, D09c, D09c. His game is quite skillful, with good placement awareness. This setup caters to that controlled style and rhythm.

Aruna: GEWO Aruna Hinoki Carbon OFF, Venom 53, Venom 53 green. The Venom 53 has a lot of power, but the Venom 48 is more like T05.

Omar: Butterfly Omar, D09c, D05. Forehand rubber from D05 to D09c. This Omar is a custom, same structure as the Omar Limited.

Lin Gaoyuan: Yuanjian, NEO blue national Hurricane, Zhantian.

Cho Daeseong: W968, NEO blue national Hurricane, NEO orange national Hurricane.

Robles: Tibhar Alexis, K3 Pro special, K3 special.

Yuta Tanaka: Ovtcharov ALC, ZYRE-03, ZYRE-03. From D09c on both sides to Z03 on both sides — this trend is a bit scary.

Mizuki Oikawa: Inspiration hybrid carbon, DNA Golden Dragon 57.5, DNA Platinum XH.

Lim Jonghoon: Butterfly Lim Jonghoon custom, D09c, D09c.

Sonu Song: Yinhe 520L, NEO blue national Hurricane, NEO orange national Hurricane. The Yinhe today, whether outer or inner, has earned national-level approval. The Heima-tuned KLC’s rebuy rate is very high too.

Wong Chun Ting: Zhang Jike ALC custom, D09c, D09c. For balanced players, the same rubber on both sides is no problem.

Pitchford: Zhou Qihao S-ALC 90, Hurricane ZGR, Hurricane ZGR. Injured.

Maharu Yoshimura: outer SALC custom, ZYRE-03 on both sides.

Karlsson: Korbel SK7, D09c, Z03. Another backhand Z03.

Koki Niwa: Koki Niwa ZC, V>22, V>15 Sticky. That is right — the V15s really is steady on the backhand.

Falck: Falck Carbon, Rakza PO short pips, Rakza X.

Yuya Oshima: SYNTELIAC VCI OFF, NUZN 55, Rasanter C53. The inner green-aramid-carbon VCI has become, after the Ligna, the blade used by the most Andro-signed players. My own Moyu is quite good too.

Kenta Matsudaira: MK Carbon, MK Pro, K3 Pro. He is just used to backhand rubber harder than forehand.

Freitas: Freitas ALC, D09c, ZYRE-03.

Alamiyan: Viscaria, D05, D05. The Alamiyan brothers use the same setup. Butterfly’s official site updates a year behind me.

Eduard Ionescu: Tibhar outer green-aramid carbon special, K3, K3.

Yuto Muramatsu: Gangli Nanzi, MK Pro, Speedy Soft.

Huang Youzheng: Fan Zhendong SALC, NEO blue national Hurricane, NEO orange national Hurricane.

Yuan Licen: LOKI Yuan Licen custom, NEO blue national Hurricane, NEO orange national Hurricane.

Xu Yingbin: Carbon 190, NEO blue national Hurricane, DNA Hybrid 55. Backhand from Golden Dragon 57.5 to Hybrid 55.

Geraldo: Tomokazu Harimoto SALC, D05, D09c. This kid is also a gear addict — not long ago a Super Vis with Z03 on both sides. At the recent Tunisia Challenge, he switched to the Harimoto SA with D09c on the backhand.

Jarvis: Cybershape 6 CWT, DNA Hybrid XH on both sides.