Primorac Off- Club

Who out there loves their Primorac? It doesn't matter what your level or playing style just want to stir the pot for this great BTY blade. What is it about this blade that makes it a great one...here is my observations:

As safe of a decision it is, there are quite a few near identical playing blades for a lot cheaper than 68 dollars. If not for the butterfly price raises, I'm with you. It's a great blade. But as for now- it's over priced in my opinion for what it is.

The handle WAS bigger.

Edited by racquetsforsale - 10/11/2011 at 2:58pm

my second blade, good 5 ply blade with lots of dwell time and control, good for looping but a little expensive though IMHO

jonyer1980 wrote: Old logo version with metal tag was far away than the current one that sucks (the one with the plastic tag with new logo). Quality  and feeling was much better.

The one with metal tag was made in Japan and the one with plastic tag was made in one of the Eastern European country.

Currently with the new regulation, you can't get the Japanese version.  I heard that the Japanese version is a lot better.  Mine is also European version and it is certainly as thick as my Japanese Korbel (around 5.9 mm).  However, I read the Japanese catalog and it is written that Japanese Primorac is only 5.5 mm in thickness.

I like mine also, but I found one equivalent, that is Donic Waldner Senso V1 (yellow handle, all wood).

I don't say that Donic Waldner V1 has exactly the same feel with Primorac Off-, but function wise, it is as versatile as Primorac Off-.



Edited by doraemon - 10/11/2011 at 8:40pm

The silver square logo is the new logo.  They are for Japanese made blades.  So yours is made in Japan. 

The plastic logo is for European market.  If I am not wrong, they are made in Hungary.  Not sure though.

Edited by doraemon - 10/11/2011 at 11:07pm

Did Zoran actually use this blade a few years ago or is it BTY mythology and marketing? Some here think it is a slow blade but paired with Tenergy, Bryce or Bryce speed it has mucho speed. Agree compared to many BTY blades the price isn't right but it's not crazy either.

Well....well,

I have the pleasure of using the Primorac (OFF-) for sometime now and it is a great blade.

Paired it up with Flextra rubbers and I think it is a very good combination for a Beginner player.

My blade has Made in Japan written on the handle along with the rest of the details.

@frogger rightly summarized!


Edited by ttennis1 - 10/12/2011 at 2:42am

The price to Primorac jump about 20% last year, but so is other BTY blades.  At $68, I think it's still affordable, and for me if the an equipment is affordable, and if it helps my game (or that I like it), it's a go .   You can save $20-$30 getting a similar blade from Yinhe, 729, Palio, etc...  but at the eod, you still don't have the Primorac, and the saving is not that significant imo.

Edited by mhnh007 - 10/12/2011 at 9:57am

I wouldn't especially choose one over a Yasaka or Stiga 5 ply blade but I would drop the extra money over anything Yinhe, 729 or Pailo make just for the extra consistency and knowing what you are going to get. Specifically because of the more random handles from those makes, a handle different than you expected is a total deal breaker for me and worse than a blade weight that's out of spec. I will add that 729's handles are always the same, only problem is they are always a weird shape

Edited by bluebucket - 10/12/2011 at 9:41am

bluebucket wrote: The overall lower quality of the average club player since the change can be blamed entirely on faster blades and thicker rubber or indirectly the ball change itself

Ha ha, ho ho, he he. Was guilty of this myself from 2002-2008 (OFF blade, made smashes, kills, drives less returnable, made unforced errors more and more obvious).

beeray1 wrote: sure it's a great blade, but there are plenty of other great and arguably better 5-plys for a lot cheaper. Again- it's just a simple 5-ply blade that's been around forever, and it's not worth 68 dollars when I can buy an Extra for basically half the price.

Not really disagreeing here. And of course there are plenty of other blades that can take you from 800-> 1700. Just wanted to make the point that many players wind up using 5+ blades during their quest to improve, or they jump into something as fast as a TBS, YEO or Clipper and plateau really early. In fact, we have a young guy at the club (early 20's) who abandoned his Primorac at about 1300 after just a year of play. He was a high school tennis star, very athletic, and very good technique. 4 years later, he's still @ 1400 (he went with an OFF+, because it made his loopkill devastating). He regularly beats US1600 players and loses to US1200 players. Although he has much better strokes and footwork and sense of the game and tactics than he did at US1300, his ability to take control of the point just isn't there and people can and often do exploit his equipment (encouraging him to push long, giving him heavy topspin and even helping him create popups during the push/opener). Don't get me wrong, his stellar footwork and very good stroke mechanics means that he can play topspin defense far better than most people at his level; but when your OFF+ is frequently being used to lob from far court, that's often a sign that something has gone horribly wrong.

And ironically, perhaps, the Extra would be my choice for a blade of higher quality (Swedish construction, Japanese attention to QC and finishing) in that speed class. In fact I own one, and it's my backup blade. The increased flex flex makes it pair with Chinese rubbers a bit better as well... But the Primorac, side by side with the Extra, flat hits better (less flex, better control), blocks more stably and has an edge for controlled pushing (again, because of slightly more stiffness). So while I like the Extra more, especially for looping, it's simply not as versatile a blade.

At the level that the Primorac excels, players should be learning all the strokes, and it's good at all of them. Of course, we will always have US800-1100 "3rd ball attackers" and "powerloopers" and "two winged loopers" who choose other equipment like the TBS, YEO, HK, etc. etc. (either because their heros use it, because someone better recommends, or because it makes their attack that much more powerful), but those faster equipment choices inevitably come at a cost to the strokes they have not developed. And I would go so far that argue that the Primorac even rivals some of Stiga's slower blades for controlled and stable service return. Kind of an important part of the game, no?

2.1 Sriver is not suitable for a beginner on the Primorac. 1.9 Flextra is a much better rubber for them.  I use 2.1 Sriver on mine since I have played the game since cavemen where hitting berries back and forth with a fern. Smashes are fast, loops are powerful, flat hits quick, control is great...what else other than good coaching do we need. Primorac is one of those blades that "finds the table" for alot of players and I think that is why it is very popular and a BTY top seller.

assiduous wrote: If anyone knows and equally good or better blade cheaper than Primorac, please name the blade or shut up. I have 7 5-ply blades and I used to like them before I got my first Primorac. Now they all blow hard. One is too stiff, one is flexy but the top ply is too hard. Nothing gives me the same ball feel. It has just the right vibration, the right stiffness, softness, speed. My other blades just feel sterile now, it's like somebody cut out some of the features of a blade.

One of my alltime favs: Donic Persson PowerPlay, also P. Power Allround and the Appelgren Allplay. (depending on your level)

Hey everyone please keep it friendly, this thread is just a fun way to exhalt the legendary Primorac Off-. Some prefer other blades, some like myself have a long time love affair with this blade. All the other blades are perfectly fine blades in their own right, are cheaper in some cases but are not a Primorac. No one blade is perfect for everyone, that's what makes our sport unique.

mhnh007 wrote: dingyibvs wrote: mhnh007 wrote: The price to Primorac jump about 20% last year, but so is other BTY blades.  At $68, I think it's still affordable, and for me if the an equipment is affordable, and if it helps my game (or that O like it), it's a go .   You can save $20-$30 getting a similar blade from Yinhe, 729, Palio, etc...  but at the eod, you still don't have the Primorac, and the saving is not that significant imo.   For me I like the Korbel better, but it you want more control, then you can't go wrong with the Primorac. I think the point is...why would you want a Primorac over a Yinhe, 729, Palio, etc.?  It's like what beeray said, nothing sets it apart except for the Butterfly name, which does nil to help your game. No, I don't think you get the point.  The point is, if you don't like, it, then fine.  But if you do, why try to save a $20-30 to get something similar, but may not be the same?  And if you do know a blade that play exactly the same, then please let us know.