Weight
87g
Thickness
5.7mm
Plies
7-ply
Head Size
157x150
Handles
FL
Material
Hybrid
Head Shape
Standard
Balance
Balanced
Chuan Chih Yuan Gold Medalist Limited Edition
Butterfly Chuan Chih Yuan Gold Medalist Limited Edition is a premium, collectible blade celebrating Taiwanese star Chuang Chih-Yuan's 2013 World Championships gold. Designed for offensive players, it merges high-speed capability with remarkable control through a hybrid Arylate-Carbon and wood construction. This limited edition offers a distinct playing feel, balancing power for aggressive attacks with the finesse needed for spin and placement, making it a prized piece for serious players and collectors alike.
This 7-ply construction uses 5 wood layers and 2 Arylate-Carbon layers arranged symmetrically from outer to inner. The placement aims to balance power with flexibility and vibration dampening, offering a larger sweet spot and enhanced dwell time compared to all-wood blades for modern offensive play.
TT Sensei Ratings
✦Our expert analysis of this blade's performance characteristics
Designed for offensive play, this blade generates significant power for fast attacks, smashes, and aggressive drives. The Arylate-Carbon composition contributes to its high-speed potential, allowing players to produce substantial pace on their shots with ease.
Despite its high speed, the blade maintains commendable control, which is crucial for offensive players executing precise shots, engaging in looping rallies, and placing the ball accurately. The blend of wood and composite materials supports this balanced, controlled performance.
Players report a soft impact and a comfortable feel in the hand with excellent sensitivity for spin. This indicates a blade that isn't overly stiff, providing good ball feedback and a satisfying sensation when brushing the ball for spin-oriented shots.
The combination of materials and construction suggests a medium-high throw angle, ideal for offensive players relying on powerful loops and drives with a significant arc. This angle helps clear the net comfortably while maintaining attacking pressure.
The Arylate-Carbon layers combined with wood plies enhance dwell time, allowing the ball to sink into the blade more during impact. This facilitates better spin generation and a more controlled feel, especially beneficial for looping and topspin shots.
The construction balancing wood with composite layers suggests a medium to medium-flexible characteristic. This flexibility allows for good flex during powerful strokes, aiding in spin generation and providing a satisfying catapult effect for offensive shots.
While Arylate-Carbon can increase vibration, the overall construction with wood plies moderates this effect, resulting in a medium vibration level. Players will feel the ball's impact clearly without experiencing excessive harshness.
As a limited edition from Butterfly, known for high manufacturing standards, the quality is excellent. The use of premium materials and precise construction ensures superior build quality, durability, and attention to detail, meeting the expectations of discerning players.
Technology
Butterfly Chuan Chih Yuan Gold Medalist Limited Edition features a hybrid construction combining multiple wood layers with two strategically placed Arylate-Carbon layers. This technology optimizes the blade by blending the natural feel and dwell time of wood with the increased speed, larger sweet spot, and moderated vibration associated with carbon composites. The proprietary placement of these materials is engineered to enhance performance for aggressive yet controlled play, supporting powerful attacks and precise spin generation.
Pro Players Using This Blade
Chuang Chih-Yuan
Chuang Chih-Yuan is the player commemorated by this blade, celebrating his 2013 World Championships Men's Doubles Gold medal. A highly accomplished Taiwanese professional known for his offensive and spin-oriented game, this limited edition is understood to be a modified version of the Butterfly Viscaria tailored to his preferences. It supports his style with a blend of speed, control, and feel, enabling powerful attacks and precise placements.
Similar Blades
Butterfly Viscaria
Butterfly Chuan Chih Yuan Gold Medalist Limited Edition is described as a modified Viscaria, making the Viscaria a direct alternative. Both blades share a similar construction philosophy with Arylate-Carbon technology and wood plies, aiming for a balance of speed, control, and feel suitable for offensive play. The Viscaria is more widely available and represents the base design from which this limited edition was developed.