In the new ball era, boards that combine aromatic and carbon fibers have definitely become the most popular choice. Because they have both high support and high bounce. At the same time, the combination of “aromatic and carbon fiber” creates a feeling of both rigidity and flexibility: a good rigidity to ensure the speed of the ball, and at the same time, a feeling of instant stopping to eat the ball. Thus, the aramid carbon board became popular.
Among the aramid baseboards, there are two main types of aramid: the 5+2 structure of built-in aramid and external aramid. Players often wonder whether they have to choose built-in or external, this article will help you compare them one by one.
The core value of built-in aromatic carbon: ball holding ability, fuller active power
When Butterfly launched the Innerforce series 10 years ago, it emphasized a concept: ball grip. After the fibers are buried deep (the aramid layer is attached to both sides of the core), the ball is actually held like pure wood under small and medium power, and the deep fiber power will be triggered only when a strong force is applied. So the feel shows: very catchy ball, they have a longer time to eat the ball to create arc. Generally there is a higher rate and stability on the table. Therefore, when the Innerforce series was launched in the early days, there were actually a lot of fans. Ishikawa Yoshinori’s Innerforce Layer ALC, the national women’s team Chen Ke, Gu Yuting, Zhu Yuling and Liu Shiwen all used Innerforce series baseboards one after another. And the big name of the big devil Zhang Yining’s handboard – Zhang Yining ZLC, although not aromatic carbon fiber, but in fact is also built-in structure.
For those who like the feel of pure wood, the built-in aromatic carbon will be easier to use. The ball holding time is long and well adjusted.
For those who want to play a “violent ball” through their own initiative, a built-in carbon board is a very suitable choice.
Here is a brief introduction to some of the most popular built-in aromatic carbon baseboards.
Wild Breeze Dragon 5 (W968):
The handboard of Captain Malone of the Grand Slam. Built-in yellow aromatic carbon, hand feeling extended, strong power storage effect. The forehand has a strong pull and punch. The forehand with sticky rubber (such as Biao 3) is the best, but it can also be used on both sides. It is also used by female team players, such as Wang Yidi.
Breeze 301 (N301)
different from the Dragon 5, Breeze 301 with a kou head surface material, the backhand position will be more crisp, pop-up or control of small balls in the table will be easier. Straight players have always preferred boards with a slightly harder surface, so the national team, such as Xue Fei, Xu Xin, Zheng Peifeng have also used.
Innerforce Layer ALC
This board has been used by many domestic and foreign female players in the early days. The most famous foreign player should be Yoshinori Ishikawa. For male players, violent players like Lee Sang-soo also used the Innerforce Layer ALC, which has a long hold time and allows plenty of power and space. It is different from the yellow carbon used in Red Double Happiness’ built-in baseboards (such as Breeze Dragon 5 and Breeze 301), but the butterfly uses blue carbon. The yellow carbon is soft and flexible, with a longer power storage time; the blue carbon is brittle, with better explosive power.
Zhang Benji and ALC
because Zhang Benji and itself in use, so this piece is also quite popular. Before Chen Xingtong and Canada’s Zhang Mo are also using it. It’s a good example of how to use the Innerforce Layer ALC, but it’s not as powerful as the Innerforce Layer ALC. We will find that some built-in aromatic carbon boards actually have a bit of external aromatic carbon flavor. One of them is Jiwa Jang Ben ALC.
In addition to the above, Yassaka’s Competitor Power, and the cost-effective Galaxy 970XX KLC also have quite a few fans.
The core value of external aramid: near-station speed and easier lending defense
Putting the aramid layer directly under the top material will obviously improve the rebound speed and rigid feel. So at the beginning, the immediate effect of this stiff feel is an increase in near-desk speed. And this dry and crisp rebound actually improves the defensive ability. If, you are looking for stiffness and speed enough, then, external aramid carbon is definitely your priority.
One example we saw was the original use of ZX-Gear In (built-in) Pitchford, later switched to ZX-Gear Out (external), just to be faster and more explosive. In general, the external aromatic carbon, compared to the built-in aromatic carbon, will be faster off the board. Because it is often paired with a transparent tung wood core, there is less vibration and quicker recovery from deformation.
Here are some of the most popular external carbon baseboards.
Viscaria
Everyone is familiar with this one. One of the earliest external carbon plates. It can be said to be able to pull and play, attack and defend. The adaptability of the rubber is also relatively wide. There are also two sides of Tenergy or Dignics, such as Liang Jing Kun and Wang Chu Qin, or like some foreign butterfly signings. The same structure of Ball ALC, Butterfly will also launch the 70th anniversary special edition in the near future.
Lin Gaoyuan ALC
With the Olympic simulation this year, Lin Gaoyuan ALC has a high exposure rate. Lin Gaoyuan, Liu Dingshuo, Zhou Qihao, Zheng Peifeng and Wang Manyu all juggled this board. If you are originally used to a structure like Vis and want more of a holding feel, then the Lin Gao Yuan ALC should not be overlooked. The full natural arc feel is a great feature of this board. Soft bouncy hold, you can’t expect it to have more power than Vis, but it’s definitely steady as an old dog.
Ice Cream AZX
This is an external fiber structure, but not considered pure aromatic carbon anymore. One side is ZLC, the other side is yellow aromatic carbon, ZLC high elasticity, yellow aromatic carbon is relatively soft, hold the ball longer. It’s a heterogeneous fiber base plate. You can choose yellow carbon or ZLC for the forehand and backhand according to your technical characteristics, such as hitting more, you can ZLC; the side with more friction, you can yellow carbon.
The newest version is the 506X, which has an external blue carbon, and is stronger than the Vis in terms of speed and flexibility. Yinhe’s Pro-01 is also quite cost-effective. The absolute power is not as big as Vis, but it will hold the ball more. Although it is named as “Pro-01”, it is also suitable for amateur players.
In general, the core of the built-in carbon is still “longer hold time for players to adjust the arc and active power”, while the external carbon is “better near-desk speed and easier blocking”. Of course, the speed can be improved by matching the astringent jacket, and the spin can be enhanced by matching the sticky jacket, which is another consideration.