Butterfly Lin Gaoyuan ALC vs Stiga Clipper Wood: Which Should You Buy?
| Butterfly Lin Gaoyuan ALC | Stiga Clipper Wood | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 8.7/10 | 8.4/10 |
| feel | Soft — flexible ALC gives a more wood-like feel than other carbon blades; high dwell time | solid, medium-stiff, hard fast all-wood with a big sweetspot |
| handle | Shakehand (FL, AN, ST options); shorter anatomic handle than Viscaria | FL/ST/AN/PEN |
| plies | 5 wood + 2 arylate-carbon (ALC) — 7-ply construction with koto outer layers and inner arylate-carbon fiber | 7W (all wood) - limba outer plies over an ayous core, no carbon or synthetic layers |
| speed | OFF (Butterfly rates Reaction 118, mid-fast; equivalent to OFF/OFF+ class) | OFF |
| thickness_mm | 5.7mm | 6.3 |
| weight_g | 84-87g typical (Butterfly spec approx 87g) | 90 |
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The Lin Gaoyuan (8.7) is a soft-ALC blade optimized for dwell and spin, with a large sweet spot and OFF speed. The Clipper Wood (8.4) is a classic 7-ply all-wood design: solid, big-sweetspot, rock-solid blocking, and excellent touch—but real-world speed is OFF, not the OFF+ reputation suggests.
Choose Lin Gaoyuan if you want modern carbon performance, maximum dwell for looping, and don’t mind a shorter anatomic handle. Choose Clipper Wood if you value a large, confidence-building sweet spot, solid all-round blocking, and excellent short-game touch—and pair it with fast rubbers to unlock its true power.
FAQ
Why does Clipper feel slow?
Despite its reputation, Clipper Wood plays closer to OFF in the real world. It asks you to supply power with fast rubbers. Lin Gaoyuan is inherently faster.
Which has the bigger sweet spot?
Clipper Wood’s big, forgiving sweet spot is superior for confidence. Lin Gaoyuan’s large sweet spot is still more forgiving than most carbons.
How different is the weight?
Clipper Wood runs heavy around 90g and can cause fatigue. Lin Gaoyuan is lighter at 84-87g, easier to maneuver.
Which blocks better?
Clipper Wood excels at blocking with rock-solid feel. Lin Gaoyuan blocks well but Clipper’s all-wood construction is more stable.