Butterfly NA (wondering if they have a clue)

says ok, I will go back and make sure you have access. Be...
says ok, I will go back and make sure you have access. Be...
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So of late, I have been wondering if I might do better with a ST handle. So to do the experiment right, I decided I should get a blade as much like my currents ones as possible. I use a Viscaria, so there are two obvious choices -- TBS which comes in ST, and ZJK-ALC. I like the ZJK-ALC a lot in FL, it is actually closer to old Viscarias than new Viscarias, I think mainly because they have the right weight that I like, 88-92g (newer Viscaria blades tend to be lighter than my preference. Also, if as usual I find that ST handles don't help me at all, I figure it will be very easy to sell a nearly new ZJK-ALC. And I can afford it, so even if it ends up in a dresser drawer, the world won't end.

So I go to Butterfly NA website, and of course they only have them in FL (as with many other popular blades they sell). But they have a place on their website where you can supposedly special order things (click on Contact Us and a Special Orders tab appears). There it says this:

CAN’T FIND THE BTY PRODUCT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR?

Look no further! Whether you need a hard to find rubber thickness, an obscure handle style, or a blade you can’t even pronounce…..if Butterfly still makes it, we can get it! Simply fill out the form below providing us with a short product description and where you saw the Butterfly item. We will contact you with a quote and an approximate delivery date.



So I say to myself, cool, hope springs eternal. So I write them if they can get me a ZJK-ALC in ST. I know they make them in Japan. And ST is not really obscure.


So you can imagine my amazement when they write back to say


Sorry but we only have the FL handle available.
Best regards,



What is the point of having a special order page if you are only going to write and tell me that you don't have them in stock? I wrote back to say, yes, I could see that on the website, but perhaps you could ORDER one for me???

They reply,
"We will check and see if it is available for special order."

Next day I get this:


We can order the Zhang Jike ALC ST handle for you at the normal cost of $188.99 if you did not want a specific weight.


It will take an estimated 2 to 4 weeks to receive at our US warehouse.
The cost of the special ordered blade for the weight you requested will be $269.99
Also there is no lens or printing on the blade or handle for special ordered blades.
It will take an estimated 8 to 12 weeks to receive at our US warehouse.

Best regards,

Notice here what they don't do. They don't bother to ask what weight range I might want (which would be 88-92 g, a 4 gram range).
Chances are for this blade, most of the ones they may have on the shelf in Japan are in that range. Note also the large price jump if you want one at a precise weight. But, again, I am not that picky.

More to the point, how hard would it be to offer to convey that message
, and maybe even tell me whether or not there is one like that available in Japan sitting on a shelf? One within a 4 gram range? Maybe one or two emails?

It is really like they don't want to sell me a Butterfly blade, even though I have been buying them for decades. And of course Bty's policy of only one approved vendor per territory means that there is not other way to get the damned thing.

The fact that they stock essentially zero ST blades in most of their popular models is also odd, but I suppose if they don't sell them I could see it, but is the ST handle that hard to sell? I have not used it in the past, it is an experiment for me here.

 
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says Spin and more spin.
says Spin and more spin.
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Dec 2010
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Here's an idea Baal: try contacting Double Day and see if they will make you a custom blade. They used to make the Viscaria. They should be able to make it however you want. If they say they can make a custom blade, my money says it will be like the old black tag ones you like better and cost less.


Sent from Godric'sHollow using the ResurrectionStone
 
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says ok, I will go back and make sure you have access. Be...
says ok, I will go back and make sure you have access. Be...
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I did however attempt to contact Double Day to see if they can make me a custom blade.
 
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says ok, I will go back and make sure you have access. Be...
says ok, I will go back and make sure you have access. Be...
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Will do. I very much hope then can do it.
 
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