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2018 Stiga Blades Review

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    Posted: 06/25/2018 at 12:24pm

2018 STIGA BLADES


 

​Stiga Nostalgic Blades - ALL, Offensive and VII

 

The Nostalgic blades are the latest offering from Stiga. This is the first time Stiga has used the Wenge wood as outer ply materials for their 3 new blades. I had a long talk with Stiga Executive Ola Werner about this development with Stiga and he said that Stiga has been trying to also change their concept of blades for the ABS ball era. He said that they have been also increasing the quality of their blades in the production level where the quality finish is much better. Wenge is an African hardwood that has common usage for furniture because of its beautiful, dark appearance. In table tennis, there has been a demand for hard outer plies when the polyball got introduced. Faster and more powerful blades are needed and for the skilled players either they will go with carbon blades or choose all wood blades that have hard outer plies like Ebony, Rosewood, Walnut or in this case Wenge wood. Wenge has a hardness rating lower than that of Ebony wood and Rosewood but basing on the past hardwood blades I have tried, the ones with Wenge seem to be heavier and feel harder.

 

The quality of the Nostalgic blade series are better than previous blades. The handles have smoother texture and they are very comfortable. The feel when holding the Nostalgic blades are much different compared to the Rosewood and Ebenholz blades. You still need to sand the wing part of the blades as with other Stiga blades but it feels smoother. I think Stiga has been hearing some players' suggestions to make the blades smoother. Also, the Nostalgic blades adopted a small square metal lens which in contrast to the Carbonado which has a bigger metal tags. I, personally feel the smaller logos are much better in the handle because it is rough and it feels weird when my pinky finger is feeling the metals lens when holding the handle. This is a minor issue as I usually just use the part with no metal tag as my forehand side. I do wish Stiga will adopt the square metal tags for all their blades. This is not just coming from me but a lot of players who have tried both Nostalgic and Carbonado blades find the square metal tags better.

 

Nostalgic VII

Weight: 93 grams

Thickness: 6.39mm

Plies: 7 ply (wenge-spruce-ayous-ayous-ayous-spruce-wenge)

Speed: OFF+

Hardness: Very Hard and Stiff




 

This is the hardest hitting blade in the series and also the one with the hardest feel. This has a stiff feel intended to have a fast rebound effect when hitting the ball. Stiga is saying they have patterned this to have a clipper like construction but instead of an ayous wood as second layer, they used spruce instead ayous in the 2nd and 6th layers. The blade feels a little heavy. It is lighter compared to the Clipper Rosewood which could reach up to 95 grams and above. At least the handle of the VII will not make it as head heavy as the Clipper Rosewood. It is almost as stiff as the Rosewood 7 but having tried the Rosewood VII and Ebenholz VII, N VII is almost as stiff and hard. They differ on the surface of the blade head also because the eb7 and rw7 both have a thin nct coating.

 

Speedwise, the blade is one great whacking blade. I paired it with Mantra H and Calibra LT Sound to reduce the weight. Speed is almost as fast as the Rosewood 7 if not greater. If you compare it to other blades, N VII is faster than Clipper CC and more or less the same speed with Nexy Higgs. The blade has plenty of power in which even at far distance with both the Mantra H and Calibra LT Sound, the N VII could easily clear the table. If I compare it to composite blades, I would rate it as faster than a Carbonado 90 but a step lower in speed than Carbonado 145/190. If I compare it to common blades from other brands, it is a step lower than TB ALC and Viscaria in terms of speed but there are times when you are hitting the ball flat with Nostalgic VII that you can feel it has more power than both mentioned blades. 

 

Spin? Well it depends on the rubber you are using. If you are just a flat hitter or mostly do loop drives then the Nostalgic VII is more than good enough for that particular type of style. If for example you glue the Mantra H, Calibra LT Plus then you have one hell of a counter driving and hitting set up. If you like to spin then the caveat is to use slower or softer rubbers. With the slower rubber, I also used the Calibra LT Spin for the N VII because I thought it would be a good combination. With the Calibra Spin as a forehand rubber, the Nostalgic VII can offer a good amount of spin. If you choose to use a Chinese rubber, I would recommend the Genesis S version at it is softer. When I used my Hurricane 3 on it, you have to make sure it is boosted and softened. If you use medium hard rubbers, you would need to carefully select the rubber for it and also your brushing skills should be good. With soft rubbers like Calibra LT Sound, the ball hits the sponge deeply so spinning is not a challenge but with harder rubbers you need to brush up a little bit aside from adjusting to the bounciness of the combo. I do appreciate the Mantra H’s ability to spin very well when you know how to brush the rubber only that the challenge is that it is very bouncy on a hard blade like Nostalgic VII.  Also, by using soft rubbers like Calibra Sound, you would also save weight as this blade is on the 90’s scale.

 

I would definitely recommend this to people who have at least intermediate level of skills as this blade is for advanced level players. Offensive short pip players would love this blade as it attacks very well with short pips due to its hard and stiff characteristics. Smashers and blockers would also love this since this is more of a hitting blade rather than a spinner’s blade. If you are a slow looping kind of a player the Nostalgic Offensive/ALL are the ones for you and not this. Overall, I am quite surprised with the quality and offensive properties of this blade.

 

  Nostalgic Offensive

Weight: 88 grams

Thickness: 5.9mm

Plies: 5 (wenge-spruce-ayous-spruce-wenge)

Speed: OFF to OFF+

 



 

The Nostalgic Offensive (N-O) is a 5 ply offensive blade in the Nostalgic series. Think of it as an Infinity blade but with outer wenge plies. Remove the semi roughness of the Infinity and think of a smoother and more comfortable handle and that is the Nostalgic Offensive for you. You can also think of it as exactly as a Rosewood V or Ebenholz V but with a different outer plies. The N-O is a pretty straight forward blade wherein it offers raw offensive power and at the same time some softness during impacts. All of the Nostalgic blades have a stiff and hard feel outright but the moment you started hitting drives or topspins the Offensive have some flex to it and the All Around version have some softness and flex to it also. If you are hitting with the 3 blades – Rw V, Eb V and N-O V, you will not feel much difference in speed of the ball. The Eb V is still the fastest of the 3 blades but the Rw and N-O blades are only 1-2 notches slower than the Eb V. The N-O is good because it does not feel too hard on ball impact. With hard blades, you can feel the distinct hard impact even on soft strokes. The hard feel is reduced a little but in the Nostalgic Offensive and that is a good thing if you like medium hard or hard rubbers. I have used hard rubbers like Mantra H and Hurricane 3 on the blade but did not need any adjustments on the hardness and stiffness of the blade. I would say the hardness is not overwhelming despite having wenge outer plies rather there is still some good hard feel with some flex when you are hitting with it. If compared to other blades of other brands (5 ply blades), I would rate it as faster than the Status powerwood and more or less equal to or faster than the Mazunov blade. The thing with the Nostalgic offensive is that it is not just an off level speed blade but it is closely bordering to off+ and so I will not rate it as a true off balde since it is between off to off+ in speed. There are times when you are loop driving with it that the rebound effect is that of an off+ blade.

If you are a looper, the N-O is not hard to use. I have used the Hurricane 3 on this and the spin and “feel of the dwell” is there that even if it is a fast blade, you can still loop with it easily. The Calibra LT Spin was a good looping rubber on this blade since it has medium hardness and the ball sunk on to the rubber while looping with it. The Mantra H was a little fast for me at first since I had to adjust with the bounciness in the forehand but with the Mantra H you can still spin very good though with the blade’s hardness, you have to hit through the sponge to produce heavy spin. I think the good amount of speed compensates for the spin when using this as hitting or loop driving with the N-O produces powerful shots. The Nostalgic Offensive has good amount of power until middle distance. With powerful rubbers like Calibra LT Plus or Mantra H can make the N-O good enough far from the table but power seem to be better at

middle distance. I love the Mantra H on the backhand instead because I seem to handle it easier as a backhand rubber and I could spin with it very well even being a very fast rubber. For the forehand, the Calibra Spin was awesome because it was a bit softer and easier to do loops. Of the 3 blades, this is the most balanced in terms of performance and control while not being too hard on its feel. This is recommended for almost all types of players except for choppers. Counter-hitters, blockers using inverted and pips out rubbers are gonna love the Nostalgic Offensive. Short pips players either forehand or backhand will also appreciate its power and control. I would simply put that even intermediate players can use this blade effectively provided they would pair it with a well chosen rubber.

 

 

 

 Nostalgic All Around

Weight: 78 grams

Thickness: 5.65mm

Plies: 5 (wenge-ayous-ayous-ayous-wenge)

Speed: OFF- to OFF

 



This is the lightest blade in the series and also my personal favorite. Please take note that I am a little biased on the blade because I just love the way it feels and plays. For me it is a perfectly balanced blade in terms of weight, power, spin generation and control.

Please take note even if it is labeled as All Around, the Nostalgic All Around (N-A) is far from being an all around speed blade. It can be an all around style blade because it can almost do all types of strokes. I tested this for 2 weeks and I have used the following rubbers- Mantra H, Calibra LT Sound, Calibra Spin and Hurricane 3 provincial rubbers. This is the lightest blade in the Nostalgic Series. Weighing at 78 grams, having a wenge outer ply blade is surprisingly light. This is almost identical to the Nostalgia Offensive except that the 2nd and 4 layers are made of ayous and not spruce.What sets the N-A

from the other Nostalgic blades is that it has both the flex and hardness that makes a blade an excellent looping weapon and at the same time it can give more than enough speed for your power shots.

Speaking of speed, the Nostalgia All Around is not an all around speed blade it is closer to OFF. Personally, I would rate it as between OFF- to OFF. When I was using a Hurricane rubber with it, it never felt as slow as a typical all around blade like Stiga All Around Classic or All Around Evolution. I think the both all around blades mentioned are good measures of having an all around speed and also a good basis when comparing speed blades. I think aside from the Offensive Classic, the blades I have mentioned are good benchmarks of blade speed comparisons. I would compare this as faster than the Offensive classic and probably than the Infinity blade. This is probably because of the hard wenge outer plies that give extra kick and rebound for the ball the harder you hit with it. It is almost on par with the Stiga Intensity in terms of speed, the difference is that the N-A has a more rigid feel compared to the Intensity.

As mentioned earlier, the Nostalgic All Around is an excellent looping blade because it offers some feel of softness despite having hard outer plies. The difference with the Nostalgia Offensive is that the 2nd layer of spruce adds more rigidity to the blade while the ayous layers in the N-A makes it a bit softer on impacts. It is therefore easier to loop while maintaining enough speed. Of the 3 Nostalgic blades, the Nostalgic All Around is easiest to handle and with the best feel. Also, the advantage of the Nostalgia is that it is not choosy with the rubbers it is being paired with. Even with tensor rubbers, the N-A can still be used effectively. One thing I have noticed about the N-A is that it pairs well with sticky rubbers in the forehand. Although, Mantra H and Calibra Spin performed great, using Chinese rubbers with it particularly the Hurricane 3 gives you high arc loops with strong spin and speed. I have also observed this with using other Chinese brands aside from using the Stiga rubbers as test rubbers. I even used a rubber that has a euro scale of 54 degrees and it does not feel to hard with the N-A but was a bit hard for the Offensive and VII versions. Mantra H was very fast and packed quite a lot of punch when I used it on the N-A. Maximum distance even with using very fast rubbers for the N-A would only be middle distance but it is the best when it is used close to the table.

Despite the hard outer plies, I never had any problems with the N-A for short strokes like drop shots or flicks. Blocking also was superb even with the Mantra H, the control was more than you can ask. I just cannot say anything bad about it because it is absolutely balanced for its characteristics. It is possible some people may not like it because of the hard surface but it is all in preference and adjustment. You can adjust to it in a short while and will not regret using it. The vibration is also less compared to Rosewood and Ebenholz series if people will ask.





 

 

Azalea Offensive

Weight: 87 grams

Thickness: 5.86 mm

Plies: 5 (Limba-spruce-ayous-spruce-Limba

Speed: OFF- to OFF

 

The Azalea Offensive is a bit deceptive on its performance as a blade. It was designed with the help of Japanese Women’s Team members but it is a blade that should not be labeled as a lady’s blade because it has pink stripes or named after a flower. The Azalea Offensive is one amazing blade even for today’s ABS balls. I would boldly say that the Azalea Offensive is the new face of Offensive Classic blades. I mean to say that even if you phase out the Offensive Classic and Offensive Classic CR blades, the Azalea Offensive can replace both mentioned blades in the market. Whoever can use the Azalea Offensive blade will not look back to its predecessor blades because it is one complete blade and offers a little bit more good playing abilities. The Azalea blades are designed with simplicity but also designed elegantly. Both the Offensive and All Around blades look simple yet beautiful. The handles of both blades are also very comfortable and I feel they are smoother compared to past blade of the same composition. If I compare the quality finish of the Azalea blades, I think it has way better finish and smoothness than the Infinity blade. I tested the blades with several Stiga rubbers including

Mantra H, Calibra Spin and a Chinese rubber - Hurricane 3 rubber. A friend of mine whom I gave it to used some fast new generation Euro rubbers and absolutely loved it. Blade balance is still towards the head but it does not feel as heady heavy as other Stiga blades because the handle seem to have a good amount of weight on it to counter balance the head heaviness.

 

The speed is not a true OFF- nor it is a true OFF blade. I can truly say it is faster than the Offensive Classic or Classic CR versions but not faster than the Infinity. The Infinity can still come out faster by one or two notches but the Azalea Offensive is NOT a slow blade. Imagine an Infinity blade but feels softer. Basically they have the same composition of Limba-Spruce –ayous but the Infinity has more stiffness, crispness and hardness you can feel on every ball impact, The Azalea Offensive on the other hand feels softer, has a lot of flex

and you can feel the softness on every hit with it. It has softness but it does not have the mushy feeling that even if you put a soft rubber like Calibra LT Sound on it, it does not feel too soft.

 

I think the Azalea will excel in looping and looping is its primary strength. I was using both Hurricane 3 and Calibra to spin with it and it was an amazing looping blade. The blade does not vibrate much and every loop you make with it feels good giving you more feel with the ball when brushing against it in order to do topspin. If people love the Offensive Classic as a looping blade then I can gladly say that the Azalea can loop in the same level but with more speed, less vibrations and better feel. With the test rubbers used, the Azalea produced a medium to medium high arc when looping.

 

The blade is a can do all blade. It has everything you can have as an attacking, blocking or an all around type player. It may not be as fast compared to other fast 5 ply limba blades in the market but with the right rubbers, speed is not much as an issue. When I used the Mantra H on the Azalea Offensive, it became a very bouncy and lively blade up until middle distance from the table but overall the blade is best suited for close to the table plays. Control is on the Azalea’s side and it is easy to use on controlled shots especially drop shots and flicks but at the same time it gives you confidence to use on attacking shots especially if you need placements.

 

In my opinion, the Azalea will be the new face of 5 ply limba all wood blades that will replace the Offensive Classic. People can just say that it is just a recycled idea, putting a new name and label to it then sell it but I beg to differ because the blade is that just good and it is not a clone of the OCR or vanilla Offensive Classic. It plays and feels different from the mentioned blades. I will recommend this blade to all levels of players. This blade is so good that it warrants praise and recommendation even for higher level of players provided they use faster rubbers. Beginners and intermediate level of players can use this for years and still will appreciate this blade for its balanced amount of control, spin and speed.

 

 Stiga Azalea All Around








Weight: 87 grams

Thickness: 5.86mm

Plies: 5 (limba-ayous-ayous-ayous-limba)

 

 

The Azalea All Around is a surprisingly excellent blade despite the notion it is made for female table tennis players. It is rated as ALL+ but it feels like an OFF- sometimes because it feels faster than an ALL+ when you are hitting with it. It is a enough speed to produce above average power shots. This was designed as a feel good blade but at the same time not as slow as the All Around Classic blade or the Evolution All Around blade. When you combine the 2 blades, make it a notch or 2 faster then you would get the Azalea All Around. The difference between this and the Offensive versioon is that it has ayous as second and 4th layers instead of having spruce making the blade a bit softer and slower than the Azalea Offensive.
The Azalea All is a blade you can start to develop your skills on but also, the blade will not disappoint you in terms of performance as I will be explaining more. If the Azalea Offensive blade can totally replace the Offensive Classic and Offensive Classic CR versions, then the Azalea All Around can replace the Evolution all around and the All Around Classic. The 2 Azalea blades are more than you can ask for i.e., that is to replace the blades they are representing on their specific class.

The best feature of Azalea All Around is the feel or ball to blade feedback. It produces a medium soft feeling with minimal vibrations. I can say it does not vibrate much compared to the All Around Classic. It does not feel hard but feels medium to medium soft when hitting or driving the ball. Another good point is that the Azalea All Around is one great looping machine. This loops better than any off- down to the all around blades in Stiga. The Azalea Offensive is already an awesome looping blade but the All Around version is even better if it is just slow looping where your focus is more on brushing the ball that produces a slow but very spinny ball. I used a Hurricane 3 and Mantra H for the test and even with the Mantra H being a very fast rubber, you can still brush the ball properly and gives you enough "dwell" when you are looping the ball. This is the blade you can grow your skills especially with spinny the ball at late point of contact. Of all the blades Stiga has produced this is the best blade they have right now for spinny loops and also seem to have the best feel (arguably). It has a medium to high arc when looping, I think the Azalea Offensive version has somewhat a higher throw than the All Around version but the All Around version also has a profound arc when you are spinning the ball that is essential in clearing the net especially with players learning how to brush the ball properly and looping the ball against underspin or backspin. 

Smashing and driving are all above average and it is quite understandable since this blade is not made for speed but more on control and development of skills. Blocking is excellent as the great amount of control makes you feel more confident on your defensive shots. If you use long pips, this blade is good enough to learn the use of long pips or even as an advanced type of player you can either attack with long pips or even chop with it. It is good enough to chop using long pips but needs to have an OX version for a chopping LP for better control.

Overall, the Azalea All Around is a great blade to start with if you are a beginner and an excellent blade to use even if you are on an advanced level if you use faster rubbers like Mantra H or Calibra LT Plus. This seems to be one of the best all around blades in the market right now with good quality and feel.

 

 

 

 

 

Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote yogi_bear Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/25/2018 at 12:25pm
i will add the blades after I finish the review for each including the Azalea blades
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote Hans Regenkurt Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/25/2018 at 4:33pm
I had the opportunity to hold a Nostalgic Allround and an Azalea Offensive in my hand. The quality and craftmanship is really good and the Nostalgic seems to have a very good feel. My only problem is that the Master handle is very uncomfortable, they have made it even thinner than the classical Master. To give something to compare it to, the FL Master on these blades is almost the same as on DHS blades. If you find those too thin, you will find Stiga's too.

And Stiga will not be producing these in Legend and anatomic which I find very deplorable.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DLC1325 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/25/2018 at 11:31pm
Oh hardwoods, how I love thee...

Yogi, do you know if the Nostalgic handles are solid versus the hollowed Ebenholz/Rosewood handles?  That has always steered me from Stiga hardwood blades.

Also, does anyone know if the Cpen handle is thinner than previous models as well?  Stiga's Cpen handles are very wide.  I much prefer the narrower.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jonyer1980 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/26/2018 at 1:33am
Thanks for the detailed review Yogi. It's always a please to read your comments& inputs.
Rosewood V FL

Nittaku Fastarc G1-FH

Stiga DNA Pro-S MAX BH


Avoid any Butterfly stuff... at abusive prices. Raw power without control means nothing
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beautiful blades
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote yogi_bear Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/26/2018 at 1:05pm
Thanks. Ill update the review tomorrow with the offensive version.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote yogi_bear Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/26/2018 at 1:06pm
Dlc i have the penhold version but i cannot compare it to old models but i can measure them for you.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote yogi_bear Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/26/2018 at 1:37pm
added the Nostalgic Offensive blade review

DLC, here are the dimensions of the cpen blade handle plus some pics:

23mm thickness x 33mm width x 83mm length






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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DLC1325 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/26/2018 at 2:24pm
Awesome.  Thank you, Yogi. Beer That's almost identical to my Donic Zhou Yu Two Cpen. 

Edited by DLC1325 - 06/26/2018 at 2:33pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pitigoi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/26/2018 at 5:03pm
Originally posted by Hans Regenkurt Hans Regenkurt wrote:

I had the opportunity to hold a Nostalgic Allround and an Azalea Offensive in my hand. The quality and craftmanship is really good and the Nostalgic seems to have a very good feel. My only problem is that the Master handle is very uncomfortable, they have made it even thinner than the classical Master. To give something to compare it to, the FL Master on these blades is almost the same as on DHS blades. If you find those too thin, you will find Stiga's too.

And Stiga will not be producing these in Legend and anatomic which I find very deplorable.


What about the older model Stiga blades, are they still being produced in anatomic (AN, winner)? I already hoarded another two (for a total of five), just in case.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hans Regenkurt Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/27/2018 at 9:49am
A hope they will be producing the classical handles for their older blades. However, the official dealer here told me they were not able to order Clippers and Celeros in Legend from Stiga HQ as the HQ did not have any.
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Originally posted by Hans Regenkurt Hans Regenkurt wrote:

A hope they will be producing the classical handles for their older blades. However, the official dealer here told me they were not able to order Clippers and Celeros in Legend from Stiga HQ as the HQ did not have any.



TT11 has clipper and celero with any handle
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hans Regenkurt Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/27/2018 at 10:16am
I believe that but we do not know if they can get some more if they sell their current stock.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote yogi_bear Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/27/2018 at 2:09pm
I think if a distributor can get enough order from the factory they can still order the handles they want
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JediJesseS Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07/05/2018 at 12:53pm
Any thoughts on the Nostalgic Allround?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote yogi_bear Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07/05/2018 at 3:12pm
It is the blade i love of all the 3 nostalgias. I will be posting my review for it probably saturday
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote yogi_bear Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07/08/2018 at 8:28am
updated with review for Nostalgia All Around
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote yogi_bear Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07/17/2018 at 12:02pm
added review for Azalea Offensive
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pitigoi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07/18/2018 at 12:21am
Originally posted by yogi_bear yogi_bear wrote:

I think if a distributor can get enough order from the factory they can still order the handles they want


Maybe. Paddle palace here in the USA believe no more Stiga anatomic blades will be produced. I hoarded 4, just in case.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote polbotinka Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07/18/2018 at 9:37am
Hi Yogi, thanks for the review.

How would you compare Nostalgic Allround to Yasaka Sweden Extra if you played one?

Edited by polbotinka - 07/18/2018 at 9:37am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote yogi_bear Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07/19/2018 at 1:03am
Sweden extra is softer by a mile also extra is slower. Tried only extra a few times. It is a good blade but feels way different from the all around nostalgia.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Simas Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07/19/2018 at 4:38pm
I am playing an offensive, somewhat closer to the table game with a good ball placement and varying pace. For some time I am using my good old Stiga OC which suits well my with somewhat harder H3Neo on my FH and Donic Bluefire JP Turbo on my BH. I like my OC a lot (great all wood feel, sensitive touch and plenty of spin). The disadvantage, naturally, is that if you are caught further from the table you really have to add a lot of umph and extra effort with a proper swing, full body rotation and weight shift to match your opponents in speed. 

As I am contemplating :) to backing up a bit further from the table, I think I should change my OC to something faster, but still with a great ball feel and not too heavy (I like lighter setups). So I think I will stick with 5 plies all wood again. I was advised to look into new Nostalgic series (I think it was actually yogi_bear...). Unfortunately, no one at my club uses them at the moment. After reading the reviews I think Stiga Nostalgic sounds right, just didn't make up my mind if to go with ALL, or OFF. I am leaning towards OFF. Any advice?

Anyways, when I (if I..) make up my mind, I'll post my impressions too. 
Thanks, yogi_bear for great reviews.


Edited by Simas - 07/19/2018 at 4:44pm
Stiga Offensive Classic Legend
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote stancuzi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07/19/2018 at 5:16pm
Why not try Azalea Offensive instead, sounds much more intriguing to me. 😆😆😆

Edited by stancuzi - 07/19/2018 at 5:17pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote shinshiro Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08/04/2018 at 11:52pm
Thanks for the reviews yogi
Have you had the opportunity to play with Azalea Allround? If so, can you compare it to Allround Classic in terms of speed and if the feeling is any different?

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lineup32 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08/05/2018 at 12:21am
what is the head size of the Azalea OFF, HANDLE LENGTH FL

I did read somewhere that the head size is 151 x159 can you confirm?

Edited by lineup32 - 08/05/2018 at 10:54am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote yogi_bear Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08/05/2018 at 10:51am
sorry forgot to measure but it has the same size as other blades like rosewood only that it is only in master flared and no legend flared. other handles are cpen and ST i think.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kindof99 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08/06/2018 at 4:24pm
Originally posted by jonnywalter jonnywalter wrote:

Old wines in new bottle. They haven't come up with anything new since forever. Stiga has been losing sales in China over the past few years. The company is losing touch with the market. They need to come up with something better.

Agree. Stiga is addicted with 5-layer wood blades, which is very unlikely suited to the new TT trend. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote king_pong Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08/06/2018 at 6:17pm
Originally posted by kindof99 kindof99 wrote:

Originally posted by jonnywalter jonnywalter wrote:

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Old wines in new bottle. They haven't come up with anything new since forever. Stiga has been losing sales in China over the past few years. The company is losing touch with the market. They need to come up with something better.</span>


Agree. Stiga is addicted with 5-layer wood blades, which is very unlikely suited to the new TT trend. 

I'm sure at least 1 of these blades is good enough to suit your needs. Besides, "trends" don't necessarily correlate to true advances in technology in a particular area of sports equipment. I'm sure Stiga doesn't just employ monkeys for their R&D, nor are they simply slapping pretty looking woods plies together.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Snakefish Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08/07/2018 at 1:58am
Originally posted by jonnywalter jonnywalter wrote:

Old wines in new bottle. They haven't come up with anything new since forever. Stiga has been losing sales in China over the past few years. The company is losing touch with the market. They need to come up with something better.


Wasn't the Carbonado series their most innovative blades in like forever ?

I agree.  Stiga has beeen practically living on their Offensive Classic technology since forever.

They don't do hinoki, arylate, zylon, ........
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