Blade Naming Across Brands: So Little Imagination (Part 1)
1. Butterfly: Named After Players, Because They Know You’ll Buy It
Right now, Butterfly loyalists are dreaming of a Lin A (Lin Shidong ALC) or a Matsu A (Matsushima Sora ALC). Some fans have already mocked up the graphics. Others keep asking when a Lin Yun-Ju SALC is coming. And they know full well that any so-called Lin A or Matsu A or “new Super Lin” is probably just a tweaked formula — a little softer or stiffer, possibly even the exact same composition in a different handle. There will still be buyers. Because you trust the baseline quality: not necessarily great, but never unplayable.
This shows that Butterfly has fully internalized one truth: fans will always pay for their favorite player. WTT knows it. DHS knows it. Anyone running a CP fandom account knows it.
Another eagerly anticipated blade is the Lim Jonghoon Advance. Word has it it should come out this year. But given where the Metz Advance landed price-wise, you probably shouldn’t expect the Lim Jonghoon Advance to be a high-performance powerhouse. After all, Butterfly is telling you right in the name: advance. Step up, that’s all.
How is it that Lim Jonghoon never had a falling-out with Butterfly? Others got a Hurricane Dragon — and you’re telling me he settled for a Fang ALC?
2. DHS: Clear Hierarchy, Easy to Read
DHS is equally straightforward, with a tidy tier system: Jin Ji is entry-level, Tian Ji is mid-range, Hurricane is pro-level, and the numbered blades are the absolute flagship tier.
I’ve lost track of how many Jin Ji versions there are — at least 15 — and there seems to be no end in sight. Tian Ji is solid and dependable, if a little lacking in flair. Hurricane is world-champion territory. Strictly speaking, you need to be a world singles champion just to have a shot at getting your own Hurricane X. If you’re merely a World Championships finalist (Fang Bo — don’t look at me, I’m busy livestreaming my epic battle with Yu He — you get a Fang ALC at best).
For players like Shin Yubin — never mind that she’s already signed with Nike — even if DHS wanted to release a Shin Yubin 968, it wouldn’t make sense. National team players at the level of Chen Xingtong and Wang Yidi don’t have their own signature blade. A Shin Yubin 968? Not a chance. The best she might get is a parenthetical note on a market edition: Hurricane Sae (Shin Yubin).
At the very top, it’s all about numbers: 968, 301, 656, 656-1, and earlier codes like 655, 977, 906 — a whole bucket of them. These are research-lab product codes. Once a code becomes iconic, the market does the rest of the work.
3. Stiga: Just Let Me Play With the Luma
I quietly tested it that afternoon — quietly, because over a hundred readers have messaged me asking about this blade. I didn’t want to get ambushed at the club.
What does “Luma” mean? Apparently they may not bother giving it a Chinese name, because the current naming is already pretty international-sounding. Well, it is a foreign word — luma comes from Latin meaning “light” or “brightness.” My interpretation: this is a hybrid carbon blade that genuinely surprises you. Not just visually, though the looks aren’t bad either. The performance is legitimately interesting. Don’t ask me more yet — give me a few more sessions and I’ll write a full piece next week.
Broadly speaking, Stiga’s naming has been steady. The classics like Rosewood Carbon and Walnut Carbon tell you exactly what you’re getting at a glance. Destiny Carbon — the name “destiny,” something fated — works well. Aside from unpredictable release timing, both the name and the performance deliver.
Recently we’ve had Inspiration Carbon, Inspiration Carbon King, Inspiration Hybrid Carbon, Surge Hybrid Carbon, Ora Hybrid Carbon, and now Luma Hybrid Carbon. Honestly, still playing it too safe in the naming department — neither offensive nor impressive.