Stiga Cybershape Wood Review

Stiga Cybershape Wood Blade

Weight: 88 grams

Thickness: 5.8mm to 5.9mm

Plies: 5 (limba-ayous combination)

Speed: off- to off

Stiga went back to a trusted all-wood blade design that they have sold a lot in a few decades and is still selling good nowadays. They added modifications and innovations thereby producing an entirely different blade but still with signature Stiga all-wood blade feel. The construction of this 5-ply blade is somewhat changed to the traditional Offensive Classic blade from Stiga wherein the ayous core and inner plies seem to have an almost same thickness. The core is thicker but the 2^nd and 4^th layers of ayous (if these layers are really ayous) have an increased thickness compared to the original Offensive classic blade that has a thin 2^nd layer of about 0.4mm, the Stiga Cybershape wood have at least 2mm thick inner layers. The core thickness was reduced as a result of this design, but I felt this is faster than the Offensive Classic or Offensive Classic CR blade. The blade head surface has a thin sealant, but I gave another coating of a wood varnish just to make sure. The overall quality is topnotch and is expected just to be on par with the Cybershape Carbon blade. Stiga has again applied the Cybershape design to this all-wood blade because the shape enlarges the hitting area of the blade which is the upper 1/3 part of the blade. By enlarging the upper part, Stiga also says the sweet spot is also increased.

THE Stiga CWT Innovation

The Stiga CWT or Custom Weight Technology is an innovation from Stiga added to the newer version of the Stiga Cybershape Carbon and the Cybershape Wood blades. This is not a new idea but the concept of using magnets to apply varied weights to the blade is a new one at least commercially. In the past 20 years, the prominent brand that have done this is a Chinese company but the way they applied the balance changing device is by using a weight that is adjustable using a screw inside the handle. The blade balance changes when turn the screw moving the weight towards the neck of the blade or towards the base of the handle depending on the person's preference where the weight is. Stiga opted to apply this concept using magnets and varied weights of 3, 6 and 9 grams depending on the heaviness of the rubbers used. Why is Stiga doing this? In my opinion, the newer rubbers in the market starting 2019 tend to be very heavy. Before I could only see a few heavy rubbers in the market with mostly Chinese rubbers but nowadays both European and Japanese rubbers have a heavy weight trend. This is due to the increased sponge hardness and density which also increases the weight automatically. Having tried a lot of European and Japanese rubbers from 2019 up to the present, the average weight of 50-degree rubbers is in the 70-gram range with the hardest European rubber I have tried at 57 or 58 degrees at 75 grams and a Japanese rubber with an equivalent hardness of about 60 degrees to ESN hardness scale at about 78 grams on their uncut weights. Having used both DNA Platinum Hard version rubbers on both sides and also a hard Chinese rubber alternately on one side plus another beginner’s Chinese rubber, the racket was heady heavy. In my opinion, the 6-gram weight worked well for me as my preference as the 9-gram weight would be ideal for players who have heavy racket setups especially the ones who have big arms and large swings for hard hitting strokes but other than that the 3-gram and 6-gram weight variants will do for most people. The 3 weight variants come as an essential part of the blade and with the choices of these 3 weights, a player can customize the balance of the weight in their own rackets. The weight of the blade for the 2 Cybershape blades by Stiga tends towards the tip of the blade head so by adding the 3 or 6-gram weight to the base of the handle, the balance shifts lower and lessening the head-heaviness of the blade with today’s heavy rubbers. As for the magnet itself, when you attach it to the base of the handle, there is a metallic clicking sound upon securing the Stiga CWT. I think magnet attaches itself firmly and does not show any signs of loosening. Just make sure that the magnet itself and the hole it is attached to are both clean and dust-free. Why magnets? I asked Stiga about this and they stated that having a screw-type of weight or balancing device will make the setup clunky. The Chinese-made blade with a screw-type weight device I had in the past had a tendency of loosening and it tends to be annoying in the past. At least, the magnet has no moving parts when it is attached firmly to the handle. The Stiga CWT also comes with the magnet remover for convenience.

Blade Speed

The blade speed of the Cybershape Wood is definitely above that of the Offensive Classic and Offensive Classic CR. It is slower than the Rosewood V, Ebenholz V or Intensity Wood but more or less on par with the Arctic wood. If I compare this to other blades like Stratus Power Wood, it has more or less equal speed but with the Petr Korbel, it is slightly slower. Does this blade still offer speed? Yes, granting the right combination of rubbers, the Cybershape Wood is still fast. The DNA Platinum H version is one fast rubber, it is one of the fastest rubbers in the market with regards to its hardness. When I combined it with the Cybershape Wood, it was like already using a carbon blade. I have been saying this again and again in my newer reviews – the newer rubbers nowadays are enough to give you the speed that you would want that you do not need blades that are too stiff or too fast. I can describe the combo as like having an almost off+ setup that retain the feel and control that most players want in a fast setup. With Chinese rubbers, the Cybershape is not really slow especially with a Hurricane 3 neo 37 degrees rubber. Either the H3 37-degree rubber or the DNA Platinum H will give you the balance of speed and spin that you want.

The Looping Game

It is an understatement to say that the Cybershape Wood is a good looping blade not because it is slow but having glued a very fast and bouncy rubber to it was still good enough to brush loop the ball. Even with other regular 5-ply blades, it is easier to loop with a slower rubber or with the semi-tacky Euro rubber that we have now in the market like the Stiga DNA Dragon Grip. With the Cybershape Wood, I was still able to effectively loop underspin balls above the table on-the-rise. This is easier to do with a tacky rubber but with a grippy rubber, it takes more skill. I felt that the combination of the Cybershape Wood and DNA Platinum H could go as far as 6 feet away from the table without a feeling of reduction in speed or power when looping or counter loops, but I think that is the limit without too much exerting a lot of effort.

All Other Aspects

The Cybershape is a control blade. Basically, all the short strokes such short pushes, flicks or drop shots are expected to be easily done for each of the stroke mentioned. Blocking is excellent as the blade has flex and control and can easily block strong topspins. I believe the Cybershape Wood can both be a passive player’s blade in which he can just block and push chop to win points or attack aggressively with it while still maintain a good amount of control. The Cybershape Wood is a multi-dimensional blade that is great for all types of playing styles whether it is for attacking or an all-around type of playing style.