Stiga Stellen Bengsston Offensive Classic

Review:Stiga Stellen Bengsston Offensive Classic 

Rubbers:Stiga/Yasaka Cobra and Yasaka Mark V.

Blade Characteristics:
Speed:OFF
No of Plies:5
Stiffness:slightly stiff.
Hardness:medium
Weight:slightly heavy(>90g)
Handle:straight

The quality of this blade is unique,even though it is an old classic.It has a lovely sound to it,with a comfortable amount of vibration.Even though this blade is slightly stiff,the ball feel is amazing.The straight handle is not too large and not too small that it feels uncomfortable.

Serves and Receives:
Using the Mark V:it was very easy to land the ball exactly where I wanted it,as well as vary the spin.The outstanding control characteristic of this rubber combined with this classic produced a setup with the perfect placement and spin weapon on serves.When receiving,the combination allowed me to lift underspin easily,as well as flick the ball with ease.
Stiga/Yasaka Cobra:it was quite similar to the Mark V,except that it had a harder sponge,and therefore the dwell decreased a bit,creating a little less spin.However,I was still able to receive serves easily as well as flick underspin serves.

Short game:this setup was able to achieve a good short game performance,as both rubbers are second to none in the control/offensive department.

Blocking: For passive
blocking, the Mark V rubber with this blade is very good while at punch blocks the Cobra rubber is
much better. For placement blocking the Mark V has very good control.

Topspin to topspin:
Close to table:this setup was able to achieve a good topspin game close to the table.However,I felt that this setup would be suited for play a little away from the tabld to achieve maximum benefit.
Away from table:this is where the blade really shined.Using its stiff outer ply as a driving force,it provided the rubbers the ability to get the ball across the net with large amounts of spin. I was also able to place the ball where I wanted it with excellent control.

In conclusion,I believe that this is the perfect conbination for the mid-distance looper.However,with the arrival of the plastic ball,I believe this setup wont be so effective.