Butterfly Primorac vs Butterfly Timo Boll Allround: Which Should You Buy?
| Butterfly Primorac | Butterfly Timo Boll Allround | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 8.3/10 | 8.3/10 |
| feel | medium, classic all-wood, long dwell and high control | Medium-soft, classic all-wood dwell with good tactile feedback |
| handle | FL/ST | FL/ST/AN/XXS |
| plies | 5W (all wood) — Limba/Limba/Ayous/Limba/Limba | 5-ply all wood (koto outer) |
| speed | OFF- | ALL+ |
| thickness_mm | 6 | 5.5 |
| weight_g | 85 | ~85 |
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The Short Answer
These two blades come from the same Butterfly playbook: soft, control-first, all-wood 5-ply builds meant to teach touch before speed, and Revspin’s aggregated user ratings score them almost identically on the axes that matter most day to day. Speed sits at 7.6 for the Primorac against 7.5 for the Timo Boll Allround, and control is 8.8 against 8.7. Both gaps are 0.1 of a point, which is inside the noise of how differently two players stroke the same wood. If you are picking between these two purely on how fast or how controlled they feel in your hand, you will not notice a difference worth paying for.
Where the Numbers Actually Diverge
The one axis that pulls apart hard is consistency: the Primorac scores 8.4 against the Timo Boll Allround’s 5.0, a 3.4-point gap that is the largest swing on either blade’s radar by a wide margin. It is worth being honest about what that number probably means rather than repeating it uncritically. A gap this size, sitting next to four other axes that track within half a point of each other, looks less like “the Boll Allround is erratic under a real stroke” and more like a smaller, older pool of reviews at Revspin producing a rougher average, especially since the blade has been discontinued and is no longer collecting fresh votes. Nothing in either blade’s pros or cons list describes unpredictable flex or inconsistent bounce, so treat the raw score as a prompt to read individual reviews rather than a verdict on how the blade actually plays.
Stiffness and hardness show smaller, more believable gaps: the Boll Allround is 0.6 stiffer and 0.5 harder. That tracks with its build, a thinner 5.5mm blade against the Primorac’s 6mm, plus a koto outer veneer that Butterfly itself markets as adding “slight crispness without sacrificing safety.” A thinner, marginally harder blade reading as slightly crisper off the sweet spot is exactly what you would expect from those two data points lining up.
Where They’re Functionally Tied
Beyond consistency, this comparison is close enough that most of the deciding factors live outside the radar chart entirely. Both are 5-ply all-wood blades built around Limba veneers, both carry an OFF- to ALL+ speed classification aimed at control-first players, and both pair happily with tensors, pips and tacky Chinese rubbers according to their respective pros lists. Weight is a virtual match at 85 grams for the Primorac and roughly 85 grams for the Boll Allround.
Availability Is the Real Decision
Where this comparison actually earns its keep is supply, not feel. The Timo Boll Allround is discontinued — Butterfly no longer manufactures it, and buying one today means hunting the secondary market, with the pricing uncertainty and unknown wear that implies. The Primorac is a current, actively stocked classic, with owners reporting five-plus years of use per Revspin and Reddit r/tabletennis discussion. If you want the guaranteed ability to buy a fresh blade today, or a replacement blade if yours ever cracks, that alone should settle the question before you get anywhere near feel. The one thing the Boll Allround still offers is a wider handle spread — FL, ST, AN and the smaller XXS — against the Primorac’s FL and ST only, which matters only if you specifically need an anatomic or extra-small grip.
Should You Switch
If you already own a Timo Boll Allround and are wondering whether the Primorac is a meaningful upgrade, the honest answer is no, not on feel. Speed, control, stiffness and hardness are all within half a point of each other, so you would be making a lateral move at best. The one legitimate reason to switch is availability: if your Boll Allround is aging out or a replacement is not sourceable, the Primorac is functionally the same blade with an actual supply chain behind it, and Butterfly’s own bestFor guidance places the Primorac one notch higher, at developing intermediate attackers and control-first all-rounders building a first serious custom setup, versus the Boll Allround’s target of beginners moving off a pre-made paddle.
Bottom Line
This is not really an “A versus B” decision on performance — it is a decision about whether you can actually buy the blade you want. Default to the Primorac unless a secondhand Boll Allround shows up at the right price and handle length for your grip.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Butterfly Primorac faster than the Timo Boll Allround?
Barely. Revspin's aggregated speed ratings put them at 7.6 and 7.5 respectively, a 0.1 gap that is well within normal review noise, not a difference you would feel mid-rally.
Can I still buy the Timo Boll Allround new?
No. It has been discontinued by Butterfly, so a new unit is not available through normal retail, and buyers now have to source one on the secondary market.
Which blade is better for a beginner?
The Timo Boll Allround's own best-for profile targets beginners moving off a pre-made paddle, while the Primorac is aimed one level up at developing intermediate attackers. Both are control-first, but the Boll Allround is the earlier stepping stone.
Why is the consistency score so different between these two blades?
The Primorac scores 8.4 against the Boll Allround's 5.0 on Revspin's aggregated consistency axis. Since every other axis is within half a point, the size of that gap likely reflects the Boll Allround's smaller, older review pool since its discontinuation rather than a real on-table flaw.