Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC vs Butterfly Garaydia ALC: Which Should You Buy?
| Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC | Butterfly Garaydia ALC | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 8.8/10 | 8.5/10 |
| control | — | — |
| feel | Crisp and direct with noticeable dwell on contact; slightly softer arc than Viscaria Super ALC | Crisp, hard and stiff with a direct, low-vibration touch and a notably low throw arc |
| handle | Flared (FL), Straight (ST), Anatomic (AN) — notably thicker grip than Viscaria | FL |
| plies | 5 wood plus 2 arylate-carbon (ALC) — Koto / ALC / Limba / Kiri / Limba / ALC / Koto | 5-ply total: 3 wood + 2 Arylate-Carbon (ALC) layers, with an outer carbon construction under a Japanese hinoki surface ply |
| speed | OFF | OFF |
| spin | — | — |
| thickness_mm | approx 5.7mm | 6.9 |
| type | — | OFF |
| weight_g | 87-92g typical | 83 |
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Quick verdict
Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC (rating 8.8) and Butterfly Garaydia ALC (rating 8.5) sit close on paper — control actually favors Garaydia ALC by 0.2, and consistency and speed favor Fan Zhendong ALC by only 0.2 each. The number that actually separates these blades is hardness: a 2.6-point gap, the largest in this pairing, with Fan Zhendong ALC rated 6.1 against Garaydia ALC’s 3.5. Add to that one practical fact the ratings cannot show at all — Garaydia ALC is discontinued, and new copies are hard to source — and the decision here is less about which blade plays better and more about which one you can actually buy.
The hardness gap explains the feel difference
Fan Zhendong ALC’s own pros describe “outstanding dwell time” that “grabs the ball and releases power for heavy spin,” a crisp-but-forgiving feel consistent with its 6.1 hardness score. Garaydia ALC sits at the opposite end at 3.5, and its own pros describe it as “so damped that you feel little ball feedback” — a trait some players specifically dislike, per its own con list. Stiffness tells a related but smaller story: Fan Zhendong ALC rates 1.0 point stiffer (5.2 versus 4.2), consistent with Garaydia ALC’s description as having a “crisp, stiff, almost vibration-free direct feel” that is nonetheless softer in outright hardness than Fan Zhendong ALC.
Where Garaydia ALC actually wins
Control favors Garaydia ALC by 0.2 (9.2 versus 9.0) — a small but real edge, and its own pros back it with specifics: “outstanding stability and control near the table, often compared to Viscaria,” plus a “very low throw arc that excels at blocking, flicking and counter-topspins.” That low-throw, high-control profile is a genuinely different tool from Fan Zhendong ALC’s higher-dwell, more forgiving-at-full-power design.
Rubber compatibility is not the same for both
This is where the practical gap widens beyond the axis numbers. Fan Zhendong ALC’s own pros state it is “compatible with a wide range of rubbers, from tacky Chinese to high-tension European” — a genuinely flexible platform. Garaydia ALC’s own cons say the opposite: it is “poorly matched to tacky hard Chinese rubbers because of the low throw,” and pairs best specifically with Tenergy 05 and other medium-hard tensor rubbers. If you like to experiment with rubber setups, Fan Zhendong ALC gives you more room to do that without fighting the blade.
The availability problem
Garaydia ALC’s own con list states plainly that it is “discontinued, so new copies are hard to source.” That is not a performance knock, but it changes the practical calculus of this comparison: even where Garaydia ALC’s low-throw, high-control profile is genuinely the better fit for a player’s game, sourcing a new one may not be realistic, pushing many buyers toward Fan Zhendong ALC by default rather than by preference.
Switching from one to the other
If you already own and like Garaydia ALC, there is little reason to switch to Fan Zhendong ALC on performance grounds alone — you would gain a small amount of speed and consistency but lose some control and take on a stiffer, harder, less-damped feel. If you are shopping new, Garaydia ALC’s sourcing problem may settle the question before the axis numbers even come into play, and Fan Zhendong ALC’s broader rubber compatibility and thicker stock handle (specifically built to be more comfortable than Viscaria’s for larger hands) make it the more accessible all-around choice.
Who each is actually for
Fan Zhendong ALC suits intermediate-to-advanced shakehand players who play an aggressive, topspin-heavy loop game and want a controllable outer-ALC blade with proven Viscaria-class performance, especially those with larger hands who found the Viscaria handle too thin. Garaydia ALC suits advanced and upper-intermediate topspin attackers who play close to or at mid distance, rely on blocking, flicking and counter-topspin, and want a stiff, low-throw blade with high control rather than a springy power blade — provided they can find one to buy.
Frequently asked questions
Which blade is easier to actually buy?
Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC. Garaydia ALC's own listed cons state it is discontinued and new copies are hard to source, which in practice matters as much as any performance difference.
Which pairs better with tacky Chinese rubbers?
Fan Zhendong ALC, by a clear margin. Its own pros describe compatibility with a wide range of rubbers from tacky Chinese to high-tension European, while Garaydia ALC's own cons specifically flag a poor match with tacky hard Chinese rubbers due to its low throw.
What does the 2.6-point hardness gap actually feel like?
Fan Zhendong ALC (hardness 6.1) plays crisper and more direct with noticeable dwell; Garaydia ALC (hardness 3.5) is described by its own reviewers as so damped that ball feedback is minimal, a trait some players dislike and others prefer for its control.
Which is better for blocking and counter-topspin near the table?
Garaydia ALC, on the numbers — it leads control by 0.2 and its own pros specifically highlight a very low throw arc that excels at blocking, flicking and counter-topspins, plus stability often compared to Viscaria.
What handle options does each come in?
Fan Zhendong ALC is available in Flared, Straight and Anatomic, with a notably thicker grip than the Viscaria it is often compared to. Garaydia ALC is listed only in Flared.