A soft white carbon boule with three engraved arms, that KTK sold for the milieu until the brand stopped making boules in December 2020. Henri Lacroix and Dylan Rocher both played KTK, which is why players still ask about it.
No longer made
KTK stopped making boules in December 2020, though product pages survive on some French retail sites and at least one marks the model unavailable. There is no warranty, no spares and no way to match a replacement boule, so nothing here recommends buying a set.
You cannot buy this new, and a used set carries a real risk of cracking with nobody left to replace it.
5.0
/10
Fair
Playing performance
8.0
Build quality and finish
5.5
Size and weight range
6.5
Warranty and support
1.0
Value for money
4.0
  1. Specifications
  2. Who it is for
  3. How it plays
  4. Pros and cons
  5. How this review scores it
  6. How it compares
  7. Buying advice
  8. Common questions

The numbers

Specifications

The specifications match the boule KTK last sold in 2020. Nothing here can be bought new, and the figures are given so owners can identify what they have.
Specifications
Specification
Detail
Material
Detail
White carbon steel, two welded half-shells
Diameters
Detail
71 to 75 mm
Weights
Detail
680 to 700 g, in 10 g steps
FIPJP approved
Detail
Yes. KTK labels were still on the federation’s approved list in May 2024
Warranty
Detail
None now, the maker has closed
Made in
Detail
France from 2013, per the business press
KTK was based at Carcès in the Var and sold from Monaco in 2020, not from Saint-Bonnet-le-Château, which is Obut’s town and a common mix-up. In 2013 the business press reported production moving to French subcontractors.

Why it stopped

The brand launched in 2008. In early 2013 the business press reported KTK moving production to French subcontractors.

Manufacturing ended in December 2020, according to the most common account in the French trade. The maker never published a reason.

The Orezza sat in the middle of the range

KTK described its three carbon models differently. The Aventure was very soft and meant for shooters, the Grand Soleil was semi-soft with 16 arms for pointers, while the Orezza was soft and meant for the milieu.

KTK published no hardness figure for any of them. French retail listings mostly listed the Orezza at 115 kg/mm2, which fits the soft class the maker named.

Pétanque, once a month

New reviews, price changes, club spotlights and events across the US, Canada and Mexico.

Free. One click to leave.

Suitability

Who it is for

KTK stopped making boules in December 2020, so this page is for an owner or for somebody looking at a second-hand listing.

Suits you if

  • You already own a set and want to know what you have
  • Somebody has offered you one second-hand
  • You saw the name in old match footage and wondered
  • You are working out what replaced it

Look elsewhere if

  • You are shopping for a set to play with
  • You need three matching boules to still match in five years
  • You want somebody to answer if one fails
  • Owning orphaned equipment would bother you

In the hand

How it plays

The Orezza, a soft boule KTK sold for the milieu, had one good idea and one poor record.

The three arms

Three engraved arms ran out from the KTK logo across the boule. KTK said the pattern broke the shock wave of an impact, so the boule rebounded less and held better on rough ground.

KTK also said the Orezza’s pattern was barely felt in the hand. It was more a signature than a grip aid.

On the ground

KTK pitched it between the shooter and the pointer, carrying reasonably when pointed and absorbing reasonably when it was hit.

It never had a specialist strength. That was fine at the price.

Buying a used set

A used set has no maker behind it, and nothing on a boule shows when it was made.

Check each boule for cracks and flat spots before paying. Any KTK set is an unknown quantity.

Owning a set now

KTK’s labels were still on the federation’s list of approved labels in its May 2024 update. The company closing did not remove them.

What you lose is replacement. If one boule of three cracks, you have a pair and no way to match the third.

The balance

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Three engraved arms that KTK said broke the shock wave and cut rebound
  • KTK called it soft, a middle ground between shooting and pointing
  • KTK labels were still on the federation's approved list in May 2024
  • Pale white carbon finish that is easy to tell apart on the terrain

Cons

  • The company stopped making boules in December 2020
  • The maker never recorded where or when each set was made
  • No warranty, no spares, no way to match a replacement boule
  • Production moved to French subcontractors in 2013, so older and newer sets may not match
  • Any price on a used set is money spent on an orphan product

The score

How this review scores it

How the Orezza Carbon scores
Criterion
Score
Why
Playing performance
Score
8.0
Why
Judged on how it played when new, which was respectable and is now beside the point.
Build quality and finish
Score
5.5
Why
The lowest build score here, and the only one where failures rather than finish set the score.
Size and weight range
Score
6.5
Why
A fair ladder on paper, worth little when the ladder leads nowhere.
Warranty and support
Score
1.0
Why
Nothing left to score. No maker, no claim, no third boule.
Value for money
Score
4.0
Why
Whatever a seller asks is too much for equipment nobody can replace.
Overall 5.0 out of 10, the mean of the five scores above.
What each band means.

Alternatives

How it compares

The MS STRX Inox shares the Orezza’s soft class at 115 kg/mm2.
What to buy instead, matched to what players liked about the Orezza
SpecificationKTK Orezza CarbonObut RCXMS STRX InoxLa Boule Bleue Prestige Inox 110
StatusDiscontinued 2020CurrentCurrentCurrent
MaterialWhite carbon steelStainless steelChrome-nickel stainless steelStainless steel
HardnessSoft, no figure publishedNot published115 kg/mm2110 kg/mm2
SurfaceThree engraved armsSmooth or striatedStriatedSmooth or striated
WarrantyNone now3 years2 years5 years
MaintenanceOiling requiredNo oilingNo oilingNo oiling

Matching it on hardness

The MS STRX Inox is the closest thing on specification: soft at 115 kg/mm2, the class KTK gave the Orezza, striated for grip and stainless, so the oiling goes away. It sells for about $219 in the United States.

Going softer

For a softer boule with a five-year warranty, the La Boule Bleue Prestige Inox 110 is the specialist answer.

Every current boule on the reviews index comes from a maker still in business.

Before you order

Buying advice

If you are looking at a used set

Ask when it was bought, because sets made from 2013 came from French subcontractors and have the better reputation. Sellers rarely know, and the markings the federation requires do not include a production date.

Check every boule for hairline cracks around the engraved arms and along the weld, and weigh them. The federation allows wear of up to 15 g below the marked weight before a boule is out of specification.

What a used set is worth

Less than a working alternative, because there is no warranty and no third boule if one fails. Price it like a spare set rather than competition equipment.

Buying new at around the same money gets a current model with support behind it.

If you already own a set

Play it. KTK’s labels stayed on the federation’s approved list after the company closed, and the equipment page sets out the marking and wear rules that still apply.

Start thinking about a replacement before a boule cracks rather than after, because you will be replacing all three.

Common questions

Questions about the KTK Orezza Carbon

Not new. Manufacturing stopped in December 2020, and while product pages survive on a few French sites, at least one marks the model unavailable.

Any listing you find is old inventory. Whatever you find comes with no warranty and no prospect of matching a replacement boule.

KTK never published a reason.

Production ended in December 2020, according to the most common account in the French trade.

KTK did not say on its product pages. In early 2013 the business press reported production moving to French subcontractors.

The maker never documented where the last sets were made, and nothing on a boule shows its production date.

Yes, according to the federation’s own list. KTK’s carbon and stainless labels were still on the list of approved labels in its May 2024 update.

The usual conditions apply: the markings must stay legible, and the boule must not have worn more than 15 g below its marked weight.

It was different rather than better. KTK called the Aventure very soft and aimed it at shooters, while the Orezza was soft and aimed at the milieu, a compromise between shooting and pointing.

The Orezza cost a little more, and the three engraved arms were part of what you paid for.

On specification, the MS STRX Inox, which shares the soft class, adds striations and is stainless.

For a softer set with a long warranty, the La Boule Bleue Prestige Inox 110 is the other option reviewed here.

How this was verified

Specifications come from the maker and the federation, and prices are the going rate in September 2026, not a quote from any seller. Where a maker and the trade disagree, the review says so rather than picking the tidier number.