Retrospective Review: Stiga Super Carbon WRB

I first joined the forum in my high school days about 8 years ago in 2009 where I played inter-school competitions. I eventually stopped playing and returned to the game in August 2016 after rediscovering the game through a table tennis table and community at a previous job. I've searched for a new blade since my current blade of choice has been discontinued and I'd like to find a suitable back-up blade since it is quite hard to replace. That and the EJ bug of course.  After testing two other Stiga blades (the Eternity and Clipper Wood), I've gone back to this dear blade and have never felt better.

When I first returned, I initially found the blade hard to control with several shots going off the table so I thought All Wood would be suitable for better control and relearning the strokes.  I found All Wood awkward to loop with at first and did not like the lack of power.  I didn't like how they played so once I got back into the swing of things and returned to my trusted blade, even for a fleeting moment, I felt as if I was playing as well as I did all those years ago.  I really like the trajectory of the SC since there's always enough lift and subsequent rebound for the shot to clear the net nicely. I would say the SC loops well as it has sufficient lift/dwell to get the ball nicely over the net and sufficient power to finish the point (I have a big arm swing). 

A trait many carbon blades share is their ability to drive and block exceptionally well, given the rebound effect carbon produces. This blade is no exception and drives and blocks far more consistently than the other two blades I tried.  It feels very sturdy and I am able to successfully block most shots. It also plays well mid distance from the table regardless of the shot but will require a bit more effort when playing further away.  Also, blocking feels much better than punching.

Flicking is another strong point of many carbon blades due to the presumably harder surface.  I don't think this blade particularly excelled in this department as it didn't flick (whether forehand or backhand) nearly as well as my friend's YEO or Viscaria (probably due to the comparatively softer outermost ply).  It did however outperform my other two blades here which I was quite pleased with.  Flicking is an aspect of my game that still requires a lot of work so I figure if the blade gets me halfway there the rest is up to me.

Since returning to the game, pushing has been the department that perplexed me the most.  Initially I'd push the ball too high with my SC and would drop too many net balls with the All Woods.  After a brief adjustment period, my pushes improved and am able to produce low pushes.  I'm not 100% consistent at it since it's another major of my game that still needs work but I do find this blade to be more user-friendly than many other composites I've played with. 

To me, service has always been a matter of technique on how the ball is contacted as I have always been able to serve well (or poorly) regardless of the blade.  SC doesn't have anything special about its service but is still able to capture great spin given the right contact.  Short serves didn't take much time to get used to. 

Control is here nor there.  Placement feels riskier than with All Wood blades but that is to be expected.  I'm still able to redirect blocks and pushes as needed.  The feeling in this blade is great.  I wouldn't say it has a massive sweetspot like some other Carbon blades out there but it does have one.  I can instantly feel when I've made great contact with the ball and vice versa.  This sentiment has probably been done to death across hundreds of reviews but I do believe the feeling is outstanding for a Carbon blade.  The weight distribution is slightly leaning towards head heavy, likely due to the WRB handle, but I actually prefer this.  I'd just keep the weight of each cut rubber under 48g.

My blade weighs 87g and I use Hurricane 3 Neo (38deg) on forehand and Tenergy 64 on the backhand.  I found 80 too hard and 80FX too soft for this particular blade.  So far, 64 plays better but I will be trying out Rozena at some point.  I used to play it with the old Hurricane 3 on forehand and Sriver EL (subsequently Sriver G3) on backhand.

Perhaps it's the culmination of a mini-journey but I do feel that experimenting with other blades has resulted in a newfound appreciation for the SC.  The blade does certain things remarkably and others adequately but it's a Carbon blade that's easier to tame than most and will more than deliver if you meet it halfway. 

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