Ilius— A long pimpled rubber that relies on both its top sheet and sponge

Ilius has a relatively hard top sheet that creates a well-balanced long pimpled-effect, and “Absorber Sponge Heavy/Drop” that absorbs the power of the opponents’ returns. Ilius, which creates both a long pimpled-effect and stability, is now available.

Ilius B

Long pimpled rubber for variation and ease in attacking

Ilius B is the first long pimpled rubber with Absorber Sponge Drop developed by Butterfly. The top sheet is rather hard with pimples whose aspect ratio is at the highest limit permitted to extract the features of the rubber. The combination of the top sheet and Absorber Sponge Drop provides a high performance when playing a short stroke over the table, such as chop block. In addition, innovative attacking and defensive play are both possible, thus making best use of the characteristics of the long pimples, such as a low penetrating backhand with minimal spin.

Long pimpled rubber [Absorber Sponge Drop]
Speed：6.75　Spin：4　Sponge Hardness：48
Released on November 1, 2021

* This chart illustrates the evaluation by the Butterfly Research and Development Department. Use it as a guide to select the right Ilius.
* This chart evaluates “Stability” and “Long Pimpled-Effect” (Probability of unexpected spin/shot) in each technnique on a 10-point scale. The results are simply a guide and do not guarantee the performance of each rubber.
* “Total” is the average value of evaluation in each technique.
* Results are similar, regardless of the thickness of the sponge.

The pimple shape and the compounds used enhance the long pimpled effect

The top sheet is the most important element of long pimpled rubbers, and the same top sheet has been adopted for both the Ilius S and the Ilius B. To bring out the characteristics of these long pimpled rubbers, the pimple shape was designed to be as thin and high as rules allow.

In addition, the durability of the top sheet has more than doubled* compared to the Feint Long III, which has a similar pimple shape, this is due to the compounds used to achieve durability whilst maintaining the performance of the rubber.

* Discovered via the unique tests of rubber strength by the Butterfly Research and Development Department.

Focus not only on the top sheet but also on the sponge

Butterfly has developed sponges such as Spring Sponge that have contributed to the evolution of the offensive game. Using knowledge gained through those experiences, during the development of the Ilius series we not only focused on developing new top sheets which are often seen as the important element of long pimpled rubbers, but also focused on the development of new sponges that add to the effects of long pimples.
As a result, the British green Absorber Sponge Heavy used in Ilius S and the Turquoise green Absorber Sponge Drop used in Ilius B were developed.

The two sponges are hard; the hardness of “Heavy” is 45, and the hardness of “Drop” is 48. If the sponge is hard, the pimples will bend more, thus greater effects will be obtained. Generally, the harder the sponge, the more difficult it is to control as the speed of the ball off the racket gets faster. However, Absorber Sponge Heavy/Drop absorbs the energy of the opponent’s ball well even during hard impact, so you can have high stability while taking advantage of the long pimpled effect.

Absorber Sponge Drop: When combined with a stiffer sponge, the pimples are more likely to bend, resulting in a long pimpled effect. The Ilius B equipped with this sponge demonstrates its qualities and capabilities best when you want to handle an opponent’s ball close to the table during shots such as blocks or drop shots.

* The above two figures are visualized based on the tests conducted by the Butterfly Research and Development department.
* This test assumes a situation when blocking against a ball with high speed.

Recommended combinations of Ilius

Ilius B