Butterfly Innerforce Layer ALC vs Yasaka Ma Lin Soft Carbon: Which Should You Buy?
| Butterfly Innerforce Layer ALC | Yasaka Ma Lin Soft Carbon | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 8.8/10 | 8.1/10 |
| feel | medium, high feel/dwell | medium-soft and flexible for a carbon blade, with clear feedback and a large sweet spot |
| handle | FL/ST/AN | FL/ST/AN |
| plies | 5W+2 Inner Arylate-Carbon | 7-ply (5 wood plus 2 very thin carbon layers) — same outer veneer as the Yasaka Extra |
| speed | OFF | OFF- |
| thickness_mm | 5.9 | 5.8 |
| weight_g | 86 | 87 |
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The Innerforce Layer ALC blends all-wood feel and dwell up close with a carbon kick on hard swings, giving excellent control across all distances, a large sweet spot and plenty of dwell for heavy spin. It is a true OFF blade that is slightly bouncy at first and rewards a developed stroke.
The Ma Lin Soft Carbon is a medium-soft, flexible 7-ply carbon blade built around control. It has an outstanding short game on pushes, touches and serves, linear predictable looping with no uncontrollable kicks, excellent blocking and unusually clear ball feel for carbon, plus a large sweet spot and strong value. Its short dwell makes generating heavy spin harder without good technique, it vibrates when you miss the sweet spot, and far-table attackers may want more raw speed.
Choose the Innerforce Layer ALC for more all-round speed, dwell and spin with an all-wood feel. Choose the Ma Lin Soft Carbon if you are a control-oriented player moving up from a premade bat who wants a soft, forgiving carbon blade with an excellent short game and strong blocking.
FAQ
Which blade is faster?
The Innerforce Layer ALC is rated OFF with a carbon kick on hard swings, so it has more top-end speed. The Ma Lin Soft Carbon is OFF- and aimed more at control than raw far-table power.
Which is easier to generate spin with?
The Innerforce Layer ALC has plenty of dwell and flex to produce heavy spin on loops and serves. The Ma Lin Soft Carbon has a shorter dwell, so generating heavy spin is harder without good technique.
Which is the better upgrade from a premade bat?
The Ma Lin Soft Carbon is a natural, controllable upgrade from premade bats, with a soft, forgiving feel and a strong short game. The Innerforce is a premium OFF blade that rewards a more developed stroke.