Released in 2023, the Butterfly Glayzer 09c is the latest addition to Butterflyâ€s rubber range.
Priced at roughly USD $50, the Glayzer 09c is among the more affordable options you can choose if youâ€re looking for an offensive Butterfly rubber.
Butterflyâ€s reputation when it comes to rubbers is just unparalleled. They have been on top of their game for more than half a century, starting with the Sriver, then Bryce, Tenergy, and Dignics. All of these rubbers were, and continue to be best sellers around the world.
Thatâ€s why the new Glayzer line-up became the center of attention in the months after its release but does the Glayzer 09c live up to the hype? We thoroughly tested it for hours to find out.
BUTTERFLY GLAYZER 09c REVIEW SUMMARY
The Butterfly Glayzer 09c is Butterflyâ€s more affordable hybrid rubber. The Glayzer 09c features the same medium tacky topsheet as the one present on the Dignics 09c. Its Spring Sponge X is medium-hard and relatively lively, but it is very toned down by the tacky topsheet, hence, the Glayzer 09c isnâ€t a particularly fast rubber. Its main advantages are a safe high arc, tons of control, lots of dwell time, and an unparalleled level of grip. Its main disadvantage is that you might find it a bit too slow depending on your level, your style, or your choice of blade. The Glayzer 09c is a very balanced rubber that caters to rally players more than 3rd ball attackers. It is the ideal rubber if you like to control and spin the ball while enjoying a great margin of safety over the net. It is also a great rubber for serving and receiving, two of the most important parts of table tennis. The Glayzer 09c is a good offering for the All-Rounder and the Controller playstyles.Â
Perfect for:Beginner and intermediate level attackers on either side of the racket, all-rounders of all levels, and defenders.
Benefits
Immense control.
Great safety over the net.
Easy to use.
Good choice for either side of the racket.
Very confidence-inducing.
Ball slippage is non-existent.
Good for serving and superb for receiving.
Relatively low weight.
Drawbacks
Not the best rubber for hitting outright winners.
Lacking in speed for all-out attacks.
About the Reviewer
Alvaro brings 7+ years of playing experience. He’s tested 20+ rubbers for Racket Insight and his style is The Controller.
About the Review
Blade Used: Stratus Power Wood
Rubber Thickness: MAX
Hours Tested: 10+
Recommended Playstyles
We recommend the Butterfly Glayzer 09c to players who want to control the game with spin and placement.
Page Contents (Quick Links)
Design of the Butterfly Glayzer 09c
The Butterfly Glayzer 09c comes in a high-quality sealed package. Hereâ€s the Glayzer 09câ€s package next to its siblingâ€s, the regular Glayzer.
Upon opening the package, we find the rubber. The version we ordered is a black 2.1mm sheet of Butterfly Glayzer 09c.
The topsheet of the Butterfly Glayzer 09c is very grippy and medium tacky. It can pick up the ball 5-15cm every time, but the ball quickly falls off the rubber.
Because of its tackiness, the Glayzer 09c comes with a sticky protective film, something Iâ€d never seen before on a Butterfly rubber.
It is noticeably tackier than your typical European rubber but not as tacky as Chinese rubbers such as the Hurricane 3 NEO, the Yinhe Big Dipper, the 729 Super FX, or the Yinhe Mercury 2.
Its tackiness level is slightly lower than that present on the Yasaka Rakza Z.
Its hardness should be very, very hard. According to Butterfly, the hardness of the Glayzer 09c is 42 degrees, which would put it at more than 53 degrees ESN. We have written a complete guide on rubber hardness if you want to learn more about the topic.
Even though this rubber should be hard as a brick, it really isnâ€t, or at least it doesnâ€t play like it is.
Upon pressing the rubber, we feel that itâ€s towards the harder side, but, for example, the Hurricane 3 NEO we tested was much, much harder, and that rubber was 39 degrees.
I would estimate the Glayzerâ€s true hardness anywhere between 47.5 and 50 degrees ESN.
The Butterfly Glayzer 09c isnâ€t difficult to play with, as most hard rubbers tend to be. On the contrary, the Glayzer 09c was developed with beginners and intermediate-level players in mind.
The Glayzer 09c is, essentially, a slower, softer, more controllable version of the Dignics 09c.
When comparing the Glayzer 09c to the Dignics 09c, Butterfly states:
“It is easier to use for players who are not confident in their swing speed, and it is also easier to maximize the potential performance of the rubber.â€
As for its weight, the Glayzer 09c is quite light, especially considering its hardness range, as it weighs in at just 47 grams when cut.
Specifications
- Weight (Cut):47g
- Speed: Medium
- Spin: High
- Control:High
- Tackiness:Medium Tacky
- Hardness: Medium-Hard
- ITTF Approved:Yes
- Sponge Thickness:1.9mm or 2.1mm
Summary:Take control of open rallies with this high-throwing hybrid offering.
Playtesting the Butterfly Glayzer 09c
Before analyzing the rubber, I must mention that we tested the Butterfly Glayzer 09c on a Tibhar Stratus Power Wood, our usual testing blade.
I felt like the Glayzer 09c didnâ€t have enough “pop†for my playing style and level, especially when I used it on my forehand side. It was veryhard to hit shots past my training partner, a very high-level player.
I like more dynamic rubbers, such as the Butterfly Tenergy 05, Butterfly Dignics 05, and others, much better for my forehand side than the Glayzer 09c.
This rubber provides much more control, dwell time, and safety than all of these rubbers, but if you have many years of training under your belt, you wonâ€t need the extra control of this rubber.
In fact, the extra dwell time you get with the Glayzer 09c made it feel a bit sluggish for me when looping. Time and time again, I felt like I wanted the ball to shoot off of my racket quicker, so I didnâ€t feel this rubber was the right one for me.
However, I can see how this rubber would work wonders for many, many players.
If you think about it, the same dwell time that made the Glayzer 09c feel “sluggish†for me, will help lots of beginners and early intermediates land balls on the table that they wouldnâ€t have with other rubbers.
The most important thing in table tennis is putting the ball on the table, and the Glayzer 09c is the ideal rubber for that.
All of this aside, I would have liked to try the Glayzer 09c on an outer carbon blade.
Composite blades are usually lower-throwing and bouncier than their all-wood counterparts.
Iâ€m sure that I would have liked the Glayzer 09c much better for my style of play if I had tried it on a Viscaria or a similar blade, as it would have made the rubber feel much more responsive and direct.
Combined with the OFF- 5-ply Stratus Power Wood, the Glayzer 09c made for a very balanced, controllable, safe, and spinny all-round/offensive setup. It just wasnâ€t fast enough for me.
Driving and looping
The key word when trying to describe the Glayzer 09c on offensive strokes is “safetyâ€.
It doesnâ€t matter how hard you can hit the ball if you canâ€t get it on the table consistently. Consistency comes first, and power comes after.
If youâ€re still at a point where you canâ€t consistently hit loops while moving, or open up without fear of overshooting the table or dumping it into the net, the Glayzer 09c will help you greatly.
The Glayzer 09c is a very good rubber for driving as it feels neutral on the hand, it isnâ€t all too bouncy and it produces a high arc over the net.
I would have liked a bit more speed and a slightly lower throw for the more direct shots such as driving, punching, or blocking, but the Glayzer 09c is a fine rubber for driving the ball regardless.
In terms of looping, the Glayzer 09c is a superb rubber for the right player.
From the first loop, I felt that I had tons of time with the ball and that the rubber bit the ball superbly.
The grip you have with the ball and the time you have upon contact really does make you feel like youâ€re in total control of the incoming speed and spin.
A feature I liked about the Glayzer 09c is that Itâ€s hard to miss the table left or right.
With bouncy rubbers, you might miss wide if you contact the ball too early or too late. With the Glayzer 09c, this effect isnâ€t as pronounced, as the lower speed level doesnâ€t penalize you as much if you mistime the ball.
With some rubbers like the Tibhar MX-P, as soon as the ball engages with the sponge, it shoots right out. If you make an error, you will not get the ball on the table.
The Glayzer 09c has the opposite effect. It seems to grab the ball for very long (due to its tackiness and lack of bounciness), and then shoot the ball out where you want it to go.
To show how fast and spinny loops are with the Glayzer 09c on an OFF- blade, I decided to shoot footage of myself looping at 100%, 75%, and 50% power.
In the first clip, you can see that you can produce great shot quality if you hit the ball with a lot of acceleration.
However, in a real match setting, itâ€s quite difficult to find chances to loop with 90-100% of your total power. Most times, you will loop anywhere in the 60-80% range.
Once I started hitting softer and softer, my (advanced) training partner noted that my shot quality was lacking and that he could return the ball very easily. The ball had not much speed or quality to it.
A 75% power loop would be outright dangerous with an MX-P or a Tenergy 05. With this rubber, it was a lot harder to miss the table, but my loops didnâ€t pose any threats to my advanced partner.
If youâ€re a beginner or an early intermediate, however, your opponents wonâ€t be very good at blocking and defending, so you can have all the advantages (safety and control), while still being able to hit shots past your opposition.
In terms of open-ups, the Glayzer 09c is quite safe, but it doesnâ€t produce as much quality as top-tier offensive rubbers.
It is hard to miss the table because of its dwell time and its arc, but itâ€s hard to generate speed against backspin balls that are usually slow.
The Glayzer 09c benefits from incoming pace, and thatâ€s why itâ€s spectacular for counterlooping. It is by far one of my favourite rubbers for counterlooping Iâ€ve ever tried.
The main problem I found with the Glayzer 09c is that itâ€s hard to generate pace on the ball.
If our opponent gives us a bit of speed to work with, this rubber is one of the best table tennis rubbers you can choose. Counterloops with the Glayzer 09c are more than fast enough because we can use the speed of our opponent against them.
We benefit from a safe high arc, tons of grip, tons of dwell time, a tacky topsheet that ‘catches†the ball, and a hard sponge that stabilizes the counterloop.
When countering away from the table, this rubber is also very good, but it suffers a bit from its relatively slow base speed.
Counterloops more than 2 metres away from the table lack power when compared to most modern offensive rubbers but itâ€s easy to get the ball on the table.
We also tried the Glayzer 09c on the backhand side. The Glayzer 09c was at least as good on the backhand side, if not better.
I really liked how you can brush on top of the ball and you can benefit from the Glayzerâ€s grip and high arc.
Topspinning with the Glayzer 09c on the backhand side felt great as itâ€s hard to miss the table and you can generate very good spin with it.
If your backhand relies on looping with spin and control, the Glayzer 09c is a superb option.
You may lack some acceleration, but if youâ€re not the type of player who powerloops on the backhand side (letâ€s face it, most of us arenâ€t!), this is a very good rubber to choose, especially if youâ€re a beginner or an intermediate level player.
Serve and receive
Serving and receiving are very good with the Glayzer 09c.
In terms of serving, it is great. Serves carry good amounts of spin, about the same as with most modern offensive rubbers.
One thing I really enjoyed about the Glayzer 09c is that the ball stays in the rubber for longer and it doesnâ€t shoot right out, so itâ€s very easy to control the depth and placements of your serves.
In terms of receiving serves, the Glayzer 09c is phenomenal. Itâ€s very good for both active and passive serve receives.
With a passive serve receive, the Glayzer 09c is excellent because of its tackiness and its sponge hardness. It was very easy to touch short, and it was also easy to place my pushes wherever I wanted. The control when pushing was superb.
For receiving serves actively, the Glayzer 09c worked best when performing backhand flicks. Backhand flicks are made easy with the Glayzer 09c because it isnâ€t too fast, it has tons of grip, and, most importantly, it produces a high arc.
Blocking and chopping
Blocking with the Glayzer 09c is one of the rubberâ€s core strengths.
As weâ€ve mentioned, the rubber is hard, stable, and not overly bouncy. In addition, the medium tackiness makes it easy to absorb the incoming speed of the opponentâ€s shots.
Hereâ€s a video of me blocking my opponentâ€s attacks. Even though heâ€s powerlooping with a lot of speed, I was able to block his attacks very comfortably.
In fact, I felt like the rubber was capable of handling even more power. If I had to block a professional playerâ€s attacks, the Glayzer 09c would be the rubber Iâ€d choose to do so.
In terms of chopping, the Glayzer 09c fared very well.
The Glayzer 09c is a great chopping rubber because it’s hard, medium tacky and it isn’t that fast.
It wasn’t hard for me to control my chops because of the Glayzer’s ability to neutralize speed.
The ball stayed longer on the rubber than with most other offensive rubbers, and it really made a difference when it came to chopping.
However, the relatively high throw also made it so that I had to take a bit of care not to leave the ball too high, or otherwise, my opponent would be able to smash it.
I think the Glayzer 09c has the potential to be a great chopping rubber if you practice with it and get used to its throw angle.
Alternatives to the Butterfly Glayzer 09c
Overall reflections on the Butterfly Glayzer 09c
If youâ€re looking for a fast, dynamic, bouncy rubber, this is not it.
However, if youâ€re looking for more control, dwell time, safety, and spin, the Glayzer 09c could be a very good choice.
This rubber proves that you donâ€t always need the fastest and spinniest gear available, especially if you arenâ€t an advanced player.
The Glayzer 09c is much better than most ultra-offensive rubbers in many categories other than all-out attacks.
This is a superb rubber for controlling the ball when looping, blocking, and opening up. As a result, you will feel like itâ€s very hard to miss the table.
If you are a beginner or an intermediate-level player who wants to improve their consistency, this is a very good option.
Also, if you’re an all-rounder who enjoys controllable, safe, high-throwing rubbers, the Glayzer 09c is just perfect.
I wouldn’t recommend this rubber for advanced attackers nor for powerloopers, as it lacks the explosiveness needed to hit shots past strong opposition. If you’re any style other than this, you could consider the Glayzer 09c, as its high grip, high arc, and high dwell time make it a very good rubber for a wide array of playing styles and levels.
Alvaroâ€s a qualified ITTF Level 1 Coach who’s been playing Table Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked within the top 50 in his native Argentina. He loves to compete in provincial tournaments and is always looking for ways to improve. Alvaro made his favorite memories with a racket in hand, and he joined the RacketInsight team to share his passion with other players!
Blade: Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC | Forehand: Butterfly Dignics 09c | Backhand: Butterfly Tenergy 19
Playstyle: The Controller