Butterfly Primorac Japan

This blade is good for beginners, with good control but the speed is too slow. It has a long dwell time for looping the ball.

Excelente para jugadores iniciales.

This is an affordable and beautiful Made in Japan blade with fine craftsmanship. I used DHS H3 Neo & H3 Neo provincial for this blade, and the result is good performance for both forehand and backhand shots. I just thought that the rubbers I used might be holding back this blade in the speed and power departments, but if you can get the right technique like a wider arm swing and the right amount of power for your stroke, this can produce some impressive results in your game. I’m thinking of replacing the rubbers with T05 or MX-P 50 and see if I can juice out some more power and speed from this beautiful blade.

So, so good blade!

This is a review of Butterfly Primorac Japan (FL) [with Dignics09c(FH) & Tenergy05(BH)].

Firstly, thanks to Table Tennis 11; great and reliable service for table tennis enthusiasts around the world. :) Even though it wasn’t express delivery to zone 3, it arrived in just under 3 weeks, in great packaging and sensibly packed to avoid any damages en route. Cheers to TT11!!

Physical dimensions:
To begin with, the blade comes in standard dimensions (157 × 150 mm) and the handle comes in at 25 ×100 mm, which is slightly larger than most Butterfly blade handles that are 24 × 100 mm. This adds to the comfort and feel of the blade, making it easier to hold onto for people with larger hands. Upon bouncing a ball on the blade without rubbers, a low-sounding pitch was produced leading one to assume a slower blade. The blade is composed of limba-limba-ayous-limba-limba plies, which give it a soft and responsive feeling, great for all players, be they beginner or advanced players.

Playing characteristics:
The blade has a soft feel and provides clear sensory feedback, allowing one to accurately feel where the ball is contacting the blade. This soft feeling combined with high flexibility enables it to have a high arc and easy clearance of the net, thereby providing safety in aggressive strokes like loops against underspin and topspins. The flexibility of the blade allows one to grasp and bite into the ball like no other, generating unexpected levels of spin. The flex of the blade also provides a sort of ‘trampoline effect,’ which, when hit right, helps propel the ball forward at great speeds, unexpectedly from a thin and soft 5-ply such as the Primorac. This effect can be experienced while looping and while smashing too. Very few blades possess this effect of flexibility which boosts speed and spin. Service is an aspect of the game that this blade excels at as the spin generated is unprecedented. The softer composition also allows for longer dwell time.

These very characteristics, however, can present a challenge while using this blade as the soft composition, high arc, and prolonged dwell time increase the duration of interaction of the ball and its spin with the blade, thereby increasing its intensity and effect which can make it harder to block incoming loops and topspins, causing the ball to fly too high and off the edge of the table if mishandled. Good blocking technique, however, nullifies the aforementioned problem and allows one to block aptly.

The soft touch of the blade enables one to have good control during the short game. Pushes may need some adjustments initially as the blade’s characteristics may pop the ball higher but once adjusted, it’s easy to keep the ball short with pushes due to the soft plies and feeling of the blade, while also making it equally easy to throw in a long push with an unexpected level of backspin due to the long dwell time of the blade.

The high arc, ‘spring/trampoline effect,’ and long dwell time while good in most of the game, can come back to haunt the user during service receive as the ball stays on the blade for a long time, necessitating that the receiver gauges the spin and its orientation correctly lest the ball flies high up into the air or off the end of the table. That said, the softer touch of the blade can help one drop the ball short if played right. Service receive and blocking are problem areas of the blade, demanding the user to cover up these gaps with his/her skill.

TL;DR:
Pros:

• Soft feeling
• Very flexible
• High arc / throw angle (will vary with rubbers, but the arc is higher than most blades, nonetheless, which has its pros and cons)
• Good feedback/vibration for beginners or for those who want to develop their technique
• Can produce a competitive level of speed if hit right (not a speed monster though, look elsewhere for that)
• Can generate tremendous spin due to the flex, feel, and dwell.

Cons:

• Blocking is good but will require adjustments due to the prolonged dwell time causing increased interaction of opponents spin with the user’s blade
• Pushing is good but will require time and adjustments to adapt
• Service receive requires astute judgment from the player as the long dwell time may turn into a detriment here.

Places the ball where it is wanted. Good blade for beginners. Can consider upgrading after a while.

Fantastic racket for me and a big upgrade from the Euro version. It is a lot more solid and better suited to my style.

In combination with MX-D rubbers, this blade works great for me.

In combination with MX-D rubbers, it works great for me.

It is faster, more powerful, and better than the non-Japanese Primorac. I bought it for a friend who is very happy.

It is an excellent blade that provides excellent control. I am not a professional, but I really liked this blade.