Butterfly Zyre-03 – The Successor to Tenergy 05 and Dignics 09C?
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Hello again! I’m back with another review for Megaspin. This time, I’m taking a close look at one of the most anticipated rubbers of 2025: the Butterfly Zyre-03 (Z03).
As most of you know, Butterfly Tenergy 05 (T05) was the gold standard for non-tacky rubbers for more than a decade after its 2008 release. Following the introduction of the 40+ ball – especially the second and third generations – players began to demand harder-sponge rubbers. This led to the development of Butterfly Dignics 09C (D09C), which quickly became the new benchmark for non-tacky performance rubbers.
Overview and Manufacturer Description
According to Butterfly, the Z03 features a new “Ricosheet” topsheet – a thin, abrasion-resistant surface with dense, low-profile pips. This topsheet is paired with an extremely thick and hard Spring Sponge X. Together, they are said to “draw out power with spin” and provide an enhanced ball-holding sensation. Butterfly claims that the Z03 enables deep, penetrating shots with a “dramatic arced trajectory,” recommending it for players who dominate rallies with powerful, spin-heavy strokes. That description sounds like music to my ears.
Butterfly rates the Z03’s Speed/Spin/Arc at 88/100/96. For comparison:
- Tenergy 05 (T05): 83 / 76 / 79
- Dignics 09C (D09C): 79 / 96 / 96
- Dignics 05 (D05): 86 / 85 / 88
Thus, the Z03 promises to be faster, spinnier, and producing a higher arc than any of these reference rubbers. Its sponge hardness is listed as 44° on Butterfly’s internal scale – much harder than T05 (36°) or D05 (40°), and equivalent to D09C.
Packaging and Physical Impressions
Like other Butterfly rubbers, the Z03 comes in a shiny black cardboard sleeve featuring a central holographic Butterfly logo surrounded by white, red, dark red, mint green, and yellow concentric circles. Technical specifications appear on the back in several languages. Surprisingly, the Z03 is not covered by a protective plastic film.
The sparkly topsheet feels very grippy but is completely non-tacky. The pimples are not visible through the topsheet, which, as Butterfly notes, is quite thin. The short pips have a wide base connecting to the sponge and a narrower top connecting to the topsheet. The thick, wine-red sponge has a high density of medium-sized pores and feels medium-hard to hard. The sheet has a pleasant, sweet scent and weighs 71 g uncut (black, 2.7 mm, 179×167 mm) and 49 g when cut for my Viscaria test blade (158×150 mm). That’s 2 grams heavier than T05 and one gram lighter than D09C.
Testing Protocol
I tested a brand-new Z03 (black, 2.7 mm) on a Butterfly Viscaria blade, paired with an anti-spin rubber on the backhand. I used two layers of Revolution 3 normal-viscosity glue and tested the setup over three sessions, combining regular and match-like drills against my regular high-level practice partner (a two-winged looper). All tests were conducted using 40+ ABS training balls.
Playing Impressions
Driving
From the very first FH drives, it was clear that the Z03 is unlike any rubber I’ve tested before. The topsheet feels exceptionally taut, and that sensation is reinforced by the firm sponge. Together, they create a very pronounced catapult effect – the ball seems to spring sharply off the blade.
The throw angle is extremely high, and coupled with the strong catapult effect, my FH drives easily cleared the net but often went long. Closing the racket angle improved consistency and produced very fast, direct shots with a distinct “click” sound. The Z03 is unquestionably an OFF to OFF+ rubber that demands precision and respect.
Looping
FH warm-up loops were easy to execute thanks to the high throw angle and grippy topsheet. However, the explosive rebound made it easy to overshoot the table. Interestingly, my loops didn’t seem particularly spinny as my practice partner had little difficulty blocking them. Once again, the contact felt very sharp, likely due to the taut topsheet.
The Z03 performs well in loop-to-loop rallies away from the table - it is fast, bouncy, and with an excellent arc. Yet again, the spin doesn’t seem particularly heavy, as the shots lacked strong kick off the bounce.
Surprisingly, I struggled with third-ball FH attacks against backspin. On the first day, I could barely land a single shot – many either flew long or went straight into the net. Seeing my struggles, my partner suggested I contact the ball earlier, during the rising phase, rather than after the peak (which is my usual timing for maximizing spin). This adjustment improved consistency, though it also reduced spin. The result was fast but less spinny loops – still effective for winning points through placement rather than spin.
Given the Z03’s traits – fast, bouncy, and high-throwing – I suspected it might find use as a BH rubber for advanced players. Despite being rusty with inverted rubbers on my backhand (I’ve used short pips and antispin for nearly a decade), I found the Z03 surprisingly effective. I was able to produce powerful, high-arc BH loops from mid-distance that kicked more aggressively off the bounce.
Flicking
The taut topsheet favors pancake-style flicks over brushing or mini-loop flicks, thus mirroring my FH loop observations. I found it easier to strike the ball flat at its zenith with a closed angle, generating fast, dangerous returns that frequently won points outright.
Blocking
Passive forehand blocking is effortless. The Z03 absorbs and redirects incoming energy efficiently, producing fast, high-arc blocks. However, due to the rubber’s speed and high throw, closing the racket angle is essential – otherwise, the ball sails long. In fact, during more match-like drills, many of my blocks initially careened past the table whenever I was caught the slightest bit off guard. Taking a small step back from the table provided more time to adjust and improved my blocking consistency.
Smashing
The Z03/Viscaria combination excels at smashing and flat hitting. The resulting shots are blisteringly fast and very difficult for opponents to handle.
Pushing
Long pushes require careful touch. The Z03 is fast and lively, so brushing the ball finely works better than striking it squarely, which causes overshooting. Using a near-horizontal racket angle produced the best results. However, push spin levels were still lower than with D09C.
Short pushes against backspin serves were easier to control than expected. The topsheet grips well, and the catapult effect remains dormant on soft contact, allowing for low, flat, difficult-to-attack returns.
Serving
Serving was somewhat disappointing. The Z03 did not produce particularly spinny serves. My short backspin serves were consistent but unremarkable, and even my various tomahawk serves posed little challenge for my partner. Finding the correct length on long pendulum serves was tricky – the taut topsheet and lively sponge made it feel like striking with a snare drum.
Conclusion
The Butterfly Zyre-03 is an extremely demanding FH rubber. It clearly caters to advanced or professional-level players with impeccable timing, refined technique, and a modern, aggressive playing style that prioritizes early contact and speed over spin.
This is not a rubber for beginners or intermediate players. (For reference, I am a 2200 USATT-level player, and I still struggled to land consistent forehand loops against backspin.)
That said, the Z03 could serve a broader range of players as a BH rubber thanks to its high throw, catapult, and ability to produce fast, penetrating topspins and flicks.
See Also
About The Author
Patrick "ThePongProfessor" Hrdlicka is a table tennis enthusiast, who was introduced to the sport by his parents at the age of six. He progressed to play in the top national cadet and junior leagues in his native Denmark. With college looming, Patrick quit the sport for nearly twenty years. During this hiatus, he obtained a Ph.D.-degree in chemistry and moved to the US as he accepted a chemistry professor position. Since his return to the sport in 2015, he has been combining his analytical skills with his passion for table tennis by testing and writing about a wide range of table tennis equipment. He is a ~2200-USATT-rated left-handed doubles specialist who counts his 2017 US Open (O40 doubles) and 2018 Portland Open (open doubles) titles and Top-16 finish at the 2018 World's Veteran Championships (40-44 year doubles) among his fondest memories. He has a controlled offensive playing style and currently uses a 7-ply limba/ayous based all-wood blade and DHS Hurricane 3 and driving-type short pips in his FH and BH, respectively.