Equipment - Stiga Ebenholz NCT V review.

Specs:
88g
Five-ply blade. Inner plies: ??? Outer ply: Ebony wood
Legend handle (FL)
Stiga speed rating: OFF

This blade has been my primary setup for over a month now, mated with hard, tacky Chinese rubbers on my FH (Haifu Whale II or Neo H3) and Donic Coppa Platin on my BH. I purchased this blade from paddlepalace.com.

I ordered three blades from Paddle Palace, one of which was the EbV, and all three were the precise weight I asked for. Their service was and is usually great, and I�d recommend their store to anyone.

Regarding Stiga and the EbV: At first, I was totally disappointed with Stiga. The blade came out of the box very, very raw. The handle gave me a splinter and there was frayed wood along the edges of the blade�s head. It was as if no effort was put into finishing this blade at all. Normally it wouldn�t matter with a less expensive blade, but for $130 I want near perfection.

However, once touched-up and glued-up with some Hurricane and Platin, my disappointment vanished. This is a visually stunning blade that plays as nicely as it looks, IMO. This may come as a surprise to some, as the EbV�s older brother, the Ebenholz NCT VII, has not received a lot of positive reviews. However, I can say that I�ve played with both. Although I won�t go into the EbVII�s attributes here, I will say that the EbV definitely deserves to be evaluated separately from its controversial bigger brother.

The Stiga speed rating is incorrect, IMO. Perhaps it�s close, but I would put this blade on the upper end of OFF-, rather than a firm OFF. Certainly, it is fast enough. But even with me, one who has marginally decent technique, I found the EbV to be very controllable, both in the short game and off the table. In fact, that�s what immediately attracted me.

Yes, this blade has a hollow handle. This is a curious issue, for when asked, Stiga denies that the EbV has a WRB handle. Apparently, the hole in the handle of a blade requires specific parameters to be considered WRB. This hole was put there allegedly to adjust the balance, as suggested by the Chinese National Team (as claimed by Stiga). So, even though the handle is hollow, this is not a WRB blade. I guess it doesn�t really matter because, personally, I can�t tell the difference between the EbV�s feel and the feel of a blade with a solid handle. But others may be more discriminating. For the haters of hollow handles, be aware.

This blade is a little thicker than other five-plies I�ve used. The slightly increased thickness worked to decrease head vibrations and give the blade a more stable feel, which I very much prefer. However, the increased thickness did not impair my control in the short game. In fact, transitioning to this blade from my previous setup took no time at all. Indeed, I played better with this blade almost immediately. Outside of its aesthetic value, I�d say this blade�s most appealing qualities are its feel and control� and the speed is definitely there when you need it. Considering the hardness of Ebony, the EbV still has very nice dwell--not too much for it to be �slow�, but just enough. This is probably due to the thinness of the Ebony ply. In terms of speed and control, I�d say the EbV is excellent for those who want to graduate from a five-ply blade but who are still too intimidated by the seven-ply blades.

However, in spite of its visually and tactilely appealing attributes, I cannot say that I think this blade is worth $130. It is a great, great five-ply blade. Very, very impressive. But it is obscenely overpriced. Indeed, I think that its price tag is a huge hindrance to people learning just how nice of a blade this is. This is an $80 blade with a �Stiga ego� markup of $50. I�m finding most blades--from any company--that cost much over $100 share the same embedded insult to the consumer. It may be that there is some factor involved in its production that justifies the expense, but I�m doubtful. I truly love this blade, but I won�t be purchasing another one unless they drop the price significantly. I speculate that if Stiga had focused on long-term gains over short-term gains, this blade would become a classic--solely on the merits of its playability. However, I fear it is doomed to the stature of novelty--solely on the merits of its price tag.