What's in a name?

You don't have to be an old timer to know the Edsel is the epitome of failuredom. If you are old enough the auto model "Gremlin" probably brings a knowing smile to your face. Crocs and Viagra is popular but just hearing about either is annoying. Ditto anything Burger King.

When Smart Parts (SP) turned out its first Shocker (the "Shoe Box") the paintball world new something big had happened but no one was sure what exactly. The gun turned out to be clunky and awkward and a maintenance nightmare. Years later, when SP revived the Shocker name, I was pretty sure they had doomed the gun from the start. I guess adding SFT and NXT was the key to bringing life back to the tired Shocker brand name.

When the Impulse was announced we were all sure that it was going to be the real deal. And when the Impulse hit the streets? It was clunky and awkward and a maintenance nightmare. Now it is rumored the Impulse brand is coming back.

Seems SP loves taking chances. The Max Flo Reg was a maintenance nightmare but they hung on to that name and now that it's a real reg the name Max Flo is not as scary as it once was.

SP seems to always land on their feet. Poor PR, products rushed to market, product promises that failed to materialize. It should be fun to see how the new Impulse fairs.