On Brands' Blade Naming, So Unimaginative! Part 2
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Tibhar. I am learning from Butterfly. You cannot even call it “learning” — in naming, it is simply “imitation.” So all slightly upscale blades are named after stars: Alexis, Felix, Samsonov, Chen Chien-An, Szocs (all-wood), Shangkun, Li Qian. With a bit more thought (actually still a player name), there is the Steel Super. This is indeed a very convenient approach. On one hand, these stars’ loyalty is relatively high (if not, pay more). On the other, even if they jump ship, at most change a name, or simply discontinue easily — like the Donic Ovtcharov True Carbon became the Original True Carbon. But too much imitation loses your own personality, leaving you below others. For example, this Golden Whirlwind series, joked by players as the “DG series” — I wonder if the designer had pay docked.
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Saviga, first, values “grandeur.” For example the new “Breaking Boundaries · Wenqiong.” Emotionally, this naming is not wrong, like the old “Ten Years One Sword.” But the old name had boldness, fine for its era. Then chaos was unopened, and Saviga’s attainment in fiber blades was fairly leading domestically. Now calling it “Wenqiong” — confident, also fine. Just the naming pattern is too “conventional”; everyone knows your intent, with no freshness at all. Besides, since “Breaking Boundaries · Wenqiong” is the flagship, why, in the same “Breaking Boundaries” series, also make the similar-inlay, cheaper “Breaking Boundaries · Cicada Wing” and “Breaking Boundaries · Seamless”? This discounts it a bit. Really not as low-key as my “Miao.” When I named the “Miao,” it was absolutely not because I heard that Douyin song “act cute before you, ai-yo meow meow meow.” Rather: a friend said this blade, an inner SALC at this price, should make a splash; I said no, stay low-key — just let people notice it is worth the money, so gently “meow.” Besides, Saviga’s Phoenix, Qilin, Baize, Bifang and so on became a divine-beast system, but unless you are a die-hard, they leave no deep impression, seeming similar.
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Yinhe: because the system is huge, it must play by the rules. Now it is about like this. Taking outer blades, the low-to-high numbering is clear at a glance: Pro-01, Pro-01x, Pro-01x Max; the inner 05 is about the same idea. For the Blue-Gold Workshop customs, named imperial-issue, Yazhi-tuned, special-issue — fairly clear. Compared with Saviga’s somewhat cluttered product chain, Yinhe naming this way is understandable. At least the customer does not get confused buying — neither merit nor fault.
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Nittaku. So far, I only admit N’s naming is above mine — really interesting and artful. Before it, my naming counts only as “playful.” Acoustic Guitar, Violin, Glass Bird, Black Glass Bird Feather, Gangli, Xiaoyan — before seeing the blade, you may not know the meaning, but you remember it. Once in hand, you understand why it is named so. I have to say their Chinese translation has some skill. And not only careful but very professional (from “Nitaku” to “Nittaku,” you can tell).