Off ++ blade inspiration

UpSideDownCarl said:

The real secret to the Photino, the Primorac Carbon and the Schlager Carbon is the top ply.

Butterfly Photino: hinoki-zylon-kiri-zylon-hinoki

Butterfly Primorac Carbon: cypress - carbon laminate - kiri - carbon laminate - cypress

Butterfly Schlager Carbon: cypress - carbon laminate - balsa - carbon laminate - cypress

Cypress and Hinoki are very close. They are very light. They grab the ball amazingly well and help you generate a ton of spin but they are still very fast: ESPECIALLY if you are using SPIN contact. So these blades are impressively fast. But they actually have pretty decent control for how fast they are.

I know I like slower blades but I have no trouble controlling these blades and I can feel part of the reason is the unique qualities of the Cypress and/or Hinoki top plies.

I am not sure what these would play like if the core was Hinoki or Cypress too. But my guess is that the Photino and the Primorac Carbon (the two with Kiri cores would be lighter and faster. But they may not feel as solid.

You can also look at the Gergly blades as well:

Butterfly Gergely Alpha: cypress - carbon laminate - kiri - carbon laminate - cypress

Butterfly Gergely Tamca 5000:cypress-carbon laminate-balsa-carbon laminate-cypress 7.0mm

The Butterfly Sardius also uses this same basic ply construction. I think the Sardius is like the Schlager and Gergely T5000 using a Balsa core.

But since your player doesn't want Balsa, and I agree with that, you could try Kiri, Ayous and Cypress (or Hinoki) as the core to test.

Butterfly Garaydia ZLC: Thick Hinoki Outer Ply, ZL Carbon, Thick Balsa Center Ply, ZL Carbon, Thick Hinoki Outer Ply

The Garaydia series is the update of the above blades most of which Butterfly no longer makes.

If I was you I would make a few experimental blades to try and see what the player likes best.

I am not sure if you would have access to Hinoki and I am not sure it plays that differently than Cypress. So, I would try things like this:

1) Cypress-ZLC-Kiri-ZLC-Cypress

2) Cypress-ALC-Kiri-ALC-Cypress

3) Cypress-Carbon Laminate-Kiri-Carbon Laminate-Cypress

You can also try any of the above combinations with an Ayous core or a Cypress core. Use your judgement as a blade maker which composite layer to try first and which core you are most interested in testing.

Your blades look awesome and you know what you are doing. So hopefully that gives you enough info to help.






Sent from The Subterranean Workshop by Telepathy

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SilentRain said:

You can look into the Hurricane Long 5. It is categorized as OFF ++.

What makes this blade amazing is the control. On slow and soft contacts, the blade behaves more like an OFF- with tons of control and relatively slow speed (for a carbon blade). On large and more powerful swings, the power and speed of your shots can match that of JM ZLC while still retaining the same level of control. The only real Con is that you require more effort and energy to match shots made by JM ZLC and TB ALC but the level of control you possess is worth it. Since you are designing one for a top level player, I doubt he will have any problems. I personally believe this is possible due to the amount of energy transfered when making shots. Unlike most carbon blades by Butterfly, you can transfer a lot of energy before the ball leaves the blade (even on fast and hard contacts).

Other fast blades to consider
JM SLZC
JM SLZ
Hurricane long 3

PS from an EX EJ.
Kiri is a really excellent core for composite blades. Its solid, stable and with all round characteristics while not being too hard. Ayous is my fav core especially on an all wood blade. However after trying out other carbon blades with ayous core, i still think Kiri is a better choice for carbon blade. When the ball contacts the blade, you can feel it penetrate all the way to the carbon layer which is usually harder than the wood layer, when the vibrations reach the core, ayous is just too soft to absorb and provide adequate support for the vibrations, making the blade more unstable. Thus in a composite blade with kiri core, i usually can perform more powerful shots (Assuming all other things being equal)


Flies away before trolls arrive with their singular mindset, unable to accept other people's opinion.

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SilentRain said:

Good luck and all the best! Remember to share lots of pictures including those which was rejected by the customer. As always your blades are a work of art

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