November 24, 2015

Wood with Soul: Hadraw Blade Series
Courtesy of ButterflyMag

When one thinks of Butterfly blades, they drop many of todays wooden series like “Zhang Jike” or “Timo Boll”. So timbers with special innovative material combinations, for example, plastic fibers such Arylate-Carbon or ZL-Carbon; with extroverted design of the handles and large printed area wood surfaces.

Meanwhile, a time of rethinking and change is at Butterfly occurred, which deals with the global launch of the new butterfly logo so intoxicating announced for the World Cup last year – and the innovation of new HADRAW series based on pure natural woods yet another milestone happened.

The design of HADRAW – “simply natural and beautiful”

Butterfly Art Director Tsuyoshi YAMAZAKI comments on the philosophy that has led to the development of HADRAW series, as follows:

“For the past 67 years, enthusiastic Butterfly customers with quality products from our own production. As simple as it is said, so important it is.”

Because simplicity is consistent with the core of this transformation. The same applies to HADRAW, to a certain extent the new “flagship series” for Butterfly blades of simple, pure natural woods. Woods that were in their design as simple and natural as in their material. This would apply not only for the product, but to speak for the packaging design too. A design, as you would outside of Japan rarely could find – “made in Japan” precisely. Laughing remembers Yamazaki:

“But the development of the package design also extends to one year back. That says a lot.”

An accent in all simplicity of the handle, its phosphorescent hologram lens, depending on the model, is held in magenta and green. A small but strong identity jewelry element.

HADRAW – designed for highest ambitions

“Ultimately certainly directed everything from on creating timbers that support top players is to be victorious. But this claim does not exclude beginners and advanced kids. Of course Butterfly is not a brand that manufactures toys for children. The decisive factor as to whether a butterfly wood is the right thing but is less whether one child, teen or adult is still even, but only as ambitious and with which you will to win operates the table tennis sport.”

Uniqueness must be protected. As a matter of course, therefore, will receive both the timber as well as their packaging have an identical serial number.

(Note: Those who want to go a little safer when buying a wood outside official stores or Butterfly online stores, to buy no imitation can proceed as follows: 1. Compare if the serial number of the packaging and the wood are identical. 2. Contact us with a message with the serial number and a request for review of validity.)

HADRAW – with the power of wenge wood

The Wenge wood is very hard, yet very elastic and has an enormous recoil force as unrivaled among pure natural woods. In the club face HADRAW models “SR” and “VR” it is used for the thin outer veneers.

Kazuma KANAI from the Butterfly R & D team is very confident of natural woods in general and from wenge material in particular.

“After a long search and testing phase was chosen not only because of the playability benefits of the wenge wood. Even in its color and in its haptic it gives players the impression that they have something noble in his hand. “

Kanai continued to handle wood:

“Because handle such clubface of HADRAW models bears solely consist of natural wood, they form a unity, a bond that can be felt unconsciously – even if the handle timber does not exert any direct influence on the performance of the racket timber.

Also for the development of the wood handle, so basic and simple, it works, great efforts have been made. Particular attention we have paid to the feel. The wood material used in the handle is purer than natural wood than any before. It attacks very well and is very good in the hand.”

HADRAW – what mean name and model names?

Course of Butterfly always other models, which are made of pure wood materials, such as the “Korbel” or the “SK7”; and enjoy the world with many large and even growing in popularity – with professionals like amateurs alike. Reason for the growing popularity may be the saturation of the market by the above-described timber from combined materials not last.

The offensive blade series HADRAW  to a certain extent represents pure natural woods for the new Butterfly generation. Your name is a combination of words. On the one hand from the syllable, HAD “- the, head ‘concerns, the Haddo in Japanese,’ to the English word is pronounced. Secondly, from the syllable, RAW ‘which the English word, raw’ (German:, raw ‘) says. It makes it that only the highest quality material head of the tree is used for timber series – and that the wood is just as it is used in its pure form.

The R ‘in the individual model designations such as “VR” or “SR” stands for, R (evolution)’. For the first time ever used herein the Butterfly Species Wenge in a table tennis wood.

“S” stands for the first letter of the English word 7 and thus for the 7 veneers.

“V” stands for the Roman numeral “5” – and thus for the models with 5 veneers.

“K” stands for “Korbel-related characteristics”.

More power – especially for the game of rounders

A timber made of pure natural materials is considered by many as the ideal solution when choosing a racket timber. A natural wood also helps to a certain extent revert back on what is important. Yes, “harking back to the what it takes” was in the development to a certain extent a motto, which was followed by the wood Butterfly experts.

While the models “SR” and “VR” with its wenge material of this mindset can be understood as a kind of the “revolutionaries”, it might be the models “SK” and “VK” than the classics, as “keeper of the good old values “, to understand.

To use the SK, albeit in a new design, a similar composition as the Veneer “SK7 Tactic” and the UK as a “Korbel Speed”, both of which have a comparatively new veneer composition today.

The SK is also a 7-ply blade. Compared to the same time harder and more resilient SR it is therefore very low vibration, far more controllable. The “SK7 Tactic”, which was developed with also 7 veneers especially for all-round player, was reborn in a sense in a new design in SK and has thus experienced an appreciation.

In contrast, the 5-layer VK “Korbel Speed” can be found in principle again that both differs from the harsher VR with its characterized stronger rebound and the softer “Korbel” with its pronounced stop feeling.

Not least against the background of the change to plastic ball the demand for something harder woods has become ever greater with reinforced rebound. Therefore the HADRAW VR and the UK are certainly very successfully continue the tradition of natural woods. Here the main models in a short overview:

HADRAW – large model variety

Thanks to a large variety of models, which (in Japan) also includes various penholder versions – and thanks to the new, modern design – wants others to the benefits of natural wood-based timber with 5 or 7 layers of veneer and accessible the HADRAW series a wide layer of players do.

Yusuke Iwase from Butterfly R & D team sums up the claim, which the HADRAW-offensive blade series will suffice, so together:

“In the development of wood, our claim is not exhausted is to have players added products on hand that you like and give a good feel. That’s just the duty. The freestyle is that professionals – like amateurs – determine for themselves that they therefore just in crucial game situations again been able to develop a piece of their game. Only then corresponds to a timber of Butterfly-product philosophy.”

Exact performance values ​​by digital measurement technology

In this year’s Butterfly catalog can be found for the first time in wood ads for 2 new power values: one for those reaction force ‘and once for, vibration intensity’.

This may only like a detail to appear, but it is a significant innovation.

Hitherto, in woods just after, Speed ​​'(with a 5-digit value scale) and after, ball feel’ distinction (with a 3-digit value scale).

If Korbel with its 5 veneers so was for, Speed ​​’the value “medium speed” is displayed and the feeling for the ball, he was classified as “soft”. These values ​​were based on one hand on digital measurement results and other relevant information on Butterfly-top players, which were included as a test player in the development process.

Mitsuru HAYASE, an expert in data-driven basic research, and his colleagues at Butterfly R & D team had about 3 years ago started to go a step further:

“The advancement in digital measurement technology allows for quite some time in product testing figures in much higher density than winning earlier. To what extent and in what way is it possible that we have researched and methodized over 3 years.

As a result, we wanted to – ultimately based on subjective product experience – estimates of Testers for the value of the “ball feeling” supplement to a new value and thereby give Butterfly customers for their decision at a wood a more objective basis. The assumptions have been confirmed and we were able to integrate the new measurement technology and methodology as new standards established in the testing process.”

While for the “reaction value” in the test the speed of the ball is measured during and after the rebound under identical conditions, the number of vibrations generated by the impact is for the value of the “Vibration” measured in hand. The higher the speed of the ball at the rebound, the higher the response value – the more powerful is the rebound received by the ball. On the other hand, the higher the number of vibrations generated while blowing in a player’s hand, the higher the vibration value – and consequently more difficult the control of the ball.

Although one must mention that there are also players that are characterized by a stronger vibration of the wood in their ball control not feel compromised. But just in comparison it should be noted that these two values ​​give most players more safety in choosing the right timber. Therefore, the value of (subjective), ball sense ‘(the Test players) will no longer be listed this year.

But does this innovation far more than that, be HAYASE would:

“The more accurate and reliable methods also increase the effectiveness of our work, both in the research and review of concepts to new wood creations -. As well as in the analysis and the comparison with the success woods of yesteryear.”

(Adaptation from the Japanese and redactional editing by Frank Völler.)