Hi everyone it's been a while since I posted a review. Lately I started experimenting with the two Matsushita blades from Butterfly and would like to share my amateurish opinion about them.
Firstly, I'm a modern defender rated A grade. My blade of choice is usually the Joo Se Hyuk, with T64 2.1mm (red) and TSP P1-R 1mm (black). I've played with it for almost 2 years now. I've also experimented with other blades, and amongst the "chopping" blades I've tried (and owned) are Defence II, Korbel, Vioncello, Joola CWX etc.
For this review, let's imagine that Korbel is "medium" in hardness and flex. Hardness and flex are 2 qualities that set the 2 Matsushita blades apart. These 2 blades have similar size, and my rubbers cut for the Joo easily fit both. I used T64 and TSP P1-R to test them because that's the same setup as my Joo. Both blades are around 90g with ST handles. They don't feel head heavy (like my Joo), maybe because of the ST handles.
First, the Matsushita Pro Special ("MPS"). It has willow top ply with arylate carbon underneath it. The softness of the willow is tempered by the relative hardness of the arylate carbon. This dichotomy manifests itself in the play test. Due to the softness of the top ply, flex is easily discerned at the handle. This flex is however well controlled i.e. limited by the carbon, producing a predictable flex response. I'd say the flex is about the same as the Korbel. I usually don't like flex in a chopping blade, as that's another variable to worry about. In this blade, the flex is really helping for looping, which I've enjoyed doing with this blade. However, the flex can be detrimental to chops, as the ball can sail long when the flex "kicks" in. I find the feel of this blade to be just above medium in hardness. It's not the best chopping blade because of the limited dwell, though this can be mitigated somewhat by using the blade's flex, which is user-dependent and beyond my skills. I should also mention that I had considerable difficulties trying to pop my chops up - the balls seemed to prefer to sail low over the net. My TT playing partners don't regard the spin on the chops as anything remarkable, though it can be unpredictable due to the flex. Other than that, it does everything well - a true jack of all trade blade. I especially enjoy blocking and smashing with the LP. If you're an all rounder, this is the blade for you.
The Matsushita Pro ("MP") is an all-wood blade. The immediate impression I get is that it's stiff. It's as stiff as the Joo or Defence II. However, the feel of the blade is between soft and medium, with considerable dwell time despite the lack of flex. Actually, there's some amount of flex, but not at the handle, but across the playing surface - I can feel it when I take the ball near the tip of the blade. I'm assuming that the material is soft enough to flex that way. The blade only comes with short ST handle which fits me perfectly. Some reviewers consider the blade to be slow. To me that depends on the type of shots I make. It's not an OFF blade by any means, but it's not DEF in speed either. The stiffness can allow the user to impart speed. Chopping-wise, it's the best blade I've ever tried. This blade has the tendency to "suck in" the ball (presumably due to the material), manifesting in lovely dwell time, taking the speed off, and returning the ball on the other side of the table. In that regard, it can feel somewhat slow at times (definitely slower than the MPS), but as I discovered, this is great for changing the pace of the game. With the MP, I feel like I could execute a wide range of chops. Interestingly, fattchoy reported seeing LP effects from the P1-R which he hasn't experienced in my other blades. Also, my FH chops are so much more consistent now, with loads of underspin. It's not as good as the MPS for attacking with the pips though as it lacks a harder surface. Because of the many gears that are possible with the MP, this blade is now my weapon of choice. I reckon that this is THE defensive blade all choppers should try, and I regret not having tried this blade until now. I don't understand why this blade is being discontinues - I'll be buying another one (I don't even have a backup blade for my Joo!).
Summary: the main differences between the MPS and the MP can be condensed to three variables: speed (MPS>MP), flex (MPS>MP), and hardness (MPS>MP). The arylate carbon, along with the flex and softness of the willow top ply, render the MPS a nice blade for all round play. I felt comfortable doing everything with it except LP chop, which is a huge part of my game. The MP is a totally different blade although it has the same namesake. The MP seemingly has more focus in what it does functionally - it's clearly designed for the defensive game. While speed (or lack of) is one of the defining features of a defensive blade, the MP is no slouch. It does everything well except LP attacks, but that's probably because of my lack of skills.
I apologise for my terrible writing, but I hope that you find it useful anyway.
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