Table Tennis COMPARISON
Butterfly Viscaria vs Timo Boll ALC: published specifications
A source-checked comparison of Butterfly’s current published construction, dimensions, handle fields, reaction, and vibration information for the Viscaria and Timo Boll ALC table tennis blades.
The Butterfly Viscaria and Butterfly Timo Boll ALC are separate shakehand-blade listings, but Butterfly currently publishes many matching catalogue fields for them. Both pages identify an Attack style, OFF class, 5W+2AC plies, Arylate-Carbon material, an approximate 86 g weight, 5.7 mm thickness, 157 × 150 mm blade size, and the same reaction (11.8) and vibration (10.3) figures. The clear published difference in the listed fields is the FL handle measurement: 100 × 25 mm for Viscaria and 100 × 24 mm for Timo Boll ALC. Butterfly’s Timo Boll ALC page also lists an ST handle option at 100 × 22 mm; the Viscaria page reviewed lists only an FL handle size.
This is a comparison of current manufacturer catalogue fields, not a play test, laboratory evaluation, or claim about speed, spin, control, feel, dwell time, durability, or suitability. Butterfly’s reaction and vibration values are included because the manufacturer publishes them on both product pages. They are not independent measurements made by RacketGearScout, and this article does not turn the matching figures into a claim that two completed rackets will perform alike.
Published specifications at a glance
| Published field | Viscaria | Timo Boll ALC |
|---|---|---|
| Product-page type | Blade | Blade |
| Style | Attack | Attack |
| Class | OFF | OFF |
| Plies | 5W+2AC | 5W+2AC |
| Material | Arylate-Carbon | Arylate-Carbon |
| Weight | ~86 g | ~86 g |
| Blade thickness | 5.7 mm | 5.7 mm |
| Blade size | 157 × 150 mm | 157 × 150 mm |
| Reaction | 11.8 | 11.8 |
| Vibration | 10.3 | 10.3 |
| FL handle size | 100 × 25 mm | 100 × 24 mm |
| ST handle size listed | Not listed on the reviewed page | 100 × 22 mm |
| Manufacturing country | Japan | Japan |
What the matching fields do—and do not—establish
The two pages use the same published ply shorthand, 5W+2AC, and the same Arylate-Carbon material label. They also present matching nominal weight, blade dimensions, thickness, reaction, and vibration fields. Those matches are useful for a basic listing check: a shopper can confirm that an offer is describing one of these particular Butterfly blade configurations rather than a preassembled racket or another member of a similarly named product line.
They do not establish interchangeability in use. A table-tennis racket is assembled from a blade, selected rubbers, adhesive, and the player’s own setup choices. The source pages do not provide a shared independent test protocol for finished rackets, and this directory has not tested either model. Identical catalogue fields should therefore remain catalogue fields—not evidence of identical outcomes.
Handle configuration is the practical field to check first
The published FL handle dimensions differ by one millimetre in the second measurement: Butterfly lists 100 × 25 mm for Viscaria and 100 × 24 mm for Timo Boll ALC. The Timo Boll ALC page additionally provides an ST handle size of 100 × 22 mm. The Viscaria product page reviewed provides an FL handle size but does not list an ST measurement.
That does not mean an unavailable configuration cannot exist in another market, at another time, or through a seller. It means the current North American manufacturer pages contain different stated option information. Before ordering, verify the precise handle code and dimensions on the specific listing rather than assuming an FL or ST label refers to the same configuration across models or regions.
Reading reaction and vibration responsibly
Butterfly gives both blades the same published 11.8 reaction and 10.3 vibration values. These figures can help identify and compare records inside Butterfly’s own catalogue. They should not be treated as a cross-brand standard, a laboratory score, or a prediction of what an individual player will feel.
The pages also use promotional and descriptive language around each model. That language is not a substitute for a disclosed comparative methodology, so this comparison does not use it to award one blade an advantage. A buyer seeking evidence beyond the manufacturer catalogue would need independently measured information with a stated method; none is asserted here.
A buyer-relevant verification sequence
- Confirm that the listing is for the bare Viscaria Blade or Timo Boll ALC Blade, not a Pro-Line assembled racket using the same blade name.
- Match the published construction label (5W+2AC) and dimensions to the manufacturer page for the exact model.
- Check the handle designation and stated measurement. The reviewed pages list different FL dimensions, and only the Timo Boll ALC page lists an ST measurement.
- Treat the approximate 86 g field as nominal rather than a weighed guarantee for every individual blade.
- Revisit the manufacturer pages before purchase, since product specifications, configurations, and regional availability can change.
For the individual source-linked records, see Butterfly Viscaria Blade and Butterfly Timo Boll ALC Blade. You can also browse table tennis blades or review other source-checked comparisons.