Butterfly Maze Advance vs Yasaka Ma Lin Soft Carbon: Which Should You Buy?
| Butterfly Maze Advance | Yasaka Ma Lin Soft Carbon | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 8.2/10 | 8.1/10 |
| feel | soft, controlled, slightly stiff for an all-wood blade | medium-soft and flexible for a carbon blade, with clear feedback and a large sweet spot |
| handle | FL | FL/ST/AN |
| plies | 5W (all wood) | 7-ply (5 wood plus 2 very thin carbon layers) — same outer veneer as the Yasaka Extra |
| speed | ALL+ | OFF- |
| thickness_mm | 6.7 | 5.8 |
| weight_g | 85 | 87 |
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The Maze Advance is a lightweight all-wood blade with low vibration and clean touch, coach-recommended as a first proper blade for developing players. The Ma Lin Soft Carbon is a 7-ply blade with two thin carbon layers that stays medium-soft and flexible, with an outstanding short game, linear predictable power and excellent blocking.
Choose the Maze Advance if you want a calm, controllable all-wood feel for an all-around offence and defence style on a budget. Choose the Ma Lin Soft Carbon if you are an improver moving up from a premade bat who wants forgiving carbon with a strong short game and reliable blocking.
The Maze is thicker at 6.7mm and plays ALL+, while the thinner 5.8mm Yasaka is OFF- and slightly heavier at 87g. The Yasaka’s shorter dwell makes heavy spin harder without good technique, whereas both prioritize control over raw far-table speed.
FAQ
Which blade has a better short game?
The Ma Lin Soft Carbon is noted for an outstanding short game with decent control on pushes, touches and serves, while the Maze offers clean touch for short play and blocking.
Is the carbon Yasaka harder to use than the all-wood Maze?
Not really. The Ma Lin Soft Carbon stays medium-soft, flexible and forgiving, though its shorter dwell makes generating heavy spin a little harder.
Which is better for an all-around offence and defence style?
The Maze Advance is built for that all-around style, while the Yasaka leans toward control-oriented offensive play with strong blocking.