2018 Stiga Blades Review
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Topic: 2018 Stiga Blades Review
Posted By: yogi_bear
Subject: 2018 Stiga Blades Review
Date 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
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach
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Replies:
Posted By: yogi_bear
Date Posted: 06/25/2018 at 12:25pm
i will add the blades after I finish the review for each including the Azalea blades
------------- Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach
|
Posted By: Hans Regenkurt
Date 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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Posted By: DLC1325
Date 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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Posted By: jonyer1980
Date 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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Posted By: ssmilk
Date Posted: 06/26/2018 at 6:27am
Posted By: yogi_bear
Date Posted: 06/26/2018 at 1:05pm
Thanks. Ill update the review tomorrow with the offensive version.
------------- Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach
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Posted By: yogi_bear
Date 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.
------------- Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach
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Posted By: yogi_bear
Date 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
------------- Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach
|
Posted By: DLC1325
Date Posted: 06/26/2018 at 2:24pm
Awesome. Thank you, Yogi. That's almost identical to my Donic Zhou Yu Two Cpen.
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Posted By: pitigoi
Date Posted: 06/26/2018 at 5:03pm
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.
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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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Posted By: Hans Regenkurt
Date 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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Posted By: piligrim
Date Posted: 06/27/2018 at 9:57am
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.
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TT11 has clipper and celero with any handle
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Posted By: Hans Regenkurt
Date 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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Posted By: yogi_bear
Date 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
------------- Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach
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Posted By: JediJesseS
Date Posted: 07/05/2018 at 12:53pm
Any thoughts on the Nostalgic Allround?
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Posted By: yogi_bear
Date 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
------------- Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach
|
Posted By: yogi_bear
Date Posted: 07/08/2018 at 8:28am
updated with review for Nostalgia All Around
------------- Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach
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Posted By: yogi_bear
Date Posted: 07/17/2018 at 12:02pm
added review for Azalea Offensive
------------- Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach
|
Posted By: pitigoi
Date Posted: 07/18/2018 at 12:21am
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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Posted By: polbotinka
Date 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?
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Posted By: yogi_bear
Date 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.
------------- Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach
|
Posted By: Simas
Date 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.
------------- Stiga Offensive Classic Legend DHS Hurricane Neo3 Donic Bluefire JP01 Turbo
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Posted By: stancuzi
Date Posted: 07/19/2018 at 5:16pm
Why not try Azalea Offensive instead, sounds much more intriguing to me. 😆😆😆
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Posted By: shinshiro
Date 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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Posted By: lineup32
Date 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?
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Posted By: yogi_bear
Date 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.
------------- Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach
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Posted By: kindof99
Date Posted: 08/06/2018 at 4:24pm
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.
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Agree. Stiga is addicted with 5-layer wood blades, which is very unlikely suited to the new TT trend.
------------- /forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=65174&title=feedback-for-kindof99" rel="nofollow - My Feedback | /forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=77924" rel="nofollow - Sale
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Posted By: king_pong
Date Posted: 08/06/2018 at 6:17pm
kindof99 wrote:
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>
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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.
------------- Stiga Infinity VPS (Master): fh/bh - Nittaku Hammond CR max
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Posted By: Snakefish
Date Posted: 08/07/2018 at 1:58am
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.
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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, ........
------------- Andro Treiber Z - fl FH: Tibhar MX-D max BH: Tibhar Quantum ProX-blue,max
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Posted By: yogi_bear
Date Posted: 08/09/2018 at 1:00pm
updated with review for Azalea All Around
------------- Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach
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Posted By: shinshiro
Date Posted: 08/09/2018 at 6:19pm
Posted By: piligrim
Date Posted: 08/09/2018 at 7:09pm
I wish Azalea had different color :(
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Posted By: yogi_bear
Date Posted: 08/10/2018 at 1:29pm
well, pink does make some players double think about getting the Azaleas
------------- Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach
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Posted By: Believer
Date Posted: 08/13/2018 at 3:45pm
Yogi_bear,
Between Nostalgic Allround and Azalea Offensive, how are they different in speed/spin/feel? I used to play with Energy Wood and if you can get one that is heavy like 90+ g, it feels really good. But I would like to have one lighter than that and still have the same feel and speed.
So I will be interested to hear your comment on the two comparison. Both sounds very interesting. Thanks for a great review as usual.
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Posted By: Ray
Date Posted: 10/07/2018 at 6:32am
This article regarding Nostalgic blades may be of help:
https://ttgearlab.com/2018/05/29/stiga-nostalgic-series-overview-lab-test/" rel="nofollow - https://ttgearlab.com/2018/05/29/stiga-nostalgic-series-overview-lab-test/
------------- Life is too short for defensive play.
https://twitter.com/spinnier_com" rel="nofollow - https://twitter.com/spinnier_com https://fb.me/spinnier" rel="nofollow - fb.me/spinnier
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Posted By: piligrim
Date Posted: 10/07/2018 at 11:36am
chinese clone
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Posted By: yogi_bear
Date Posted: 10/07/2018 at 1:33pm
Believer wrote:
Yogi_bear,
Between Nostalgic Allround and Azalea Offensive, how are they different in speed/spin/feel? I used to play with Energy Wood and if you can get one that is heavy like 90+ g, it feels really good. But I would like to have one lighter than that and still have the same feel and speed.
So I will be interested to hear your comment on the two comparison. Both sounds very interesting. Thanks for a great review as usual.
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all around is like off- and it is faster than all around blades. azalea offensive is like a bouncy infinity with a higher throw. all around is stiff
------------- Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach
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Posted By: thirawato
Date Posted: 10/08/2018 at 3:32am
Yogi_bear,
I'm using Alser Allround5. I'm looking for a blade which has little more flex and crisp. Can the Nostalgic Allround give me that? Additionally both blades have the structure in the other way around(NO has outer hardwood and AA5 has inner hardwood), what is the differences between them in term of feeling during soft touch and hard hit?
Thank you,
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Posted By: yogi_bear
Date Posted: 10/08/2018 at 7:15am
Flex, go with Azalea Offensive.
------------- Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS
ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach
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Posted By: king_pong
Date Posted: 10/08/2018 at 11:29pm
Ray wrote:
This article regarding Nostalgic blades may be of help:
https://ttgearlab.com/2018/05/29/stiga-nostalgic-series-overview-lab-test/" rel="nofollow - https://ttgearlab.com/2018/05/29/stiga-nostalgic-series-overview-lab-test/
| Thank you. TTGearlab always delivers deep & insightful reviews on equipment.
------------- Stiga Infinity VPS (Master): fh/bh - Nittaku Hammond CR max
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Posted By: mykonos96
Date Posted: 10/08/2018 at 11:35pm
king_pong wrote:
Ray wrote:
This article regarding Nostalgic blades may be of help:
https://ttgearlab.com/2018/05/29/stiga-nostalgic-series-overview-lab-test/" rel="nofollow - https://ttgearlab.com/2018/05/29/stiga-nostalgic-series-overview-lab-test/
| Thank you. TTGearlab always delivers deep & insightful reviews on equipment. |
I find hard to believe that clipper CR is faster than rosewood7 like ttgearlab claims
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Posted By: Stavros
Date Posted: 10/10/2018 at 2:53am
mykonos96 wrote:
king_pong wrote:
Ray wrote:
This article regarding Nostalgic blades may be of help:
https://ttgearlab.com/2018/05/29/stiga-nostalgic-series-overview-lab-test/" rel="nofollow - https://ttgearlab.com/2018/05/29/stiga-nostalgic-series-overview-lab-test/
| Thank you. TTGearlab always delivers deep & insightful reviews on equipment. |
I find hard to believe that clipper CR is faster than rosewood7 like ttgearlab claims |
Clipper CR WRB and Rosewood 7 have same speed. Though ,the quality control of Clipper CR WRB is awful and it is very dificult to find 2 Clipper CR WRBs with the same speed!
------------- InfinityVPS - D80 - D05
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Posted By: mykonos96
Date Posted: 10/10/2018 at 10:04am
Stavros wrote:
mykonos96 wrote:
king_pong wrote:
Ray wrote:
This article regarding Nostalgic blades may be of help:
https://ttgearlab.com/2018/05/29/stiga-nostalgic-series-overview-lab-test/" rel="nofollow - https://ttgearlab.com/2018/05/29/stiga-nostalgic-series-overview-lab-test/
| Thank you. TTGearlab always delivers deep & insightful reviews on equipment. |
I find hard to believe that clipper CR is faster than rosewood7 like ttgearlab claims |
Clipper CR WRB and Rosewood 7 have same speed. Though ,the quality control of Clipper CR WRB is awful and it is very dificult to find 2 Clipper CR WRBs with the same speed! |
Are you sure about rosewood7? I feel RW7 is faster
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Posted By: Tommy16
Date Posted: 10/10/2018 at 1:38pm
mykonos96 wrote:
Stavros wrote:
mykonos96 wrote:
king_pong wrote:
Ray wrote:
This article regarding Nostalgic blades may be of help:
https://ttgearlab.com/2018/05/29/stiga-nostalgic-series-overview-lab-test/" rel="nofollow - https://ttgearlab.com/2018/05/29/stiga-nostalgic-series-overview-lab-test/
| Thank you. TTGearlab always delivers deep & insightful reviews on equipment. |
I find hard to believe that clipper CR is faster than rosewood7 like ttgearlab claims |
Clipper CR WRB and Rosewood 7 have same speed. Though ,the quality control of Clipper CR WRB is awful and it is very dificult to find 2 Clipper CR WRBs with the same speed! |
Are you sure about rosewood7? I feel RW7 is faster |
RW7 is definitely faster. And wood is wood you know. It´s very hard to find 2 identical blade no matter which brand or blade we are talking about.
------------- What is the point of playing safe shots when you can miss with style
My feedback: http://www.mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=67171&KW=&PID=811763&title=tommy16-feedback#811763
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Posted By: BarryB
Date Posted: 05/19/2019 at 4:45pm
How does the azalea offensive compare to 'competitors' like the bty korbel, tibhar stratus powerwood, arctic wood and offensive nct?
In terms of plies and thickness it's almost the same as the onct but i didn't like the onct. Found it too bouncy, maybe because of the nct. Strange enough stiga rates the stiga offensive nct as medium elasticity (power) and the azalea offensive as stiff which is strange since they are pretty similar.
So I'm considering azalea off, korbel (japan) and arctic. It should be a little harder than the powerwood and a little more flex, less bouncy than the onct. Any suggestions?
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Posted By: aerial
Date Posted: 05/19/2019 at 7:36pm
Simas wrote:
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.
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similar situation to myself, swapping out my offensive classic for an offensive classic carbon after numerous folks mentioning my shots lacking power despite my stroke looking good -shrug- damn EJ bug!
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Posted By: Simas
Date Posted: 05/20/2019 at 12:12am
aerial wrote:
Simas wrote:
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.
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similar situation to myself, swapping out my offensive classic for an offensive classic carbon after numerous folks mentioning my shots lacking power despite my stroke looking good -shrug- damn EJ bug! |
Post how you like your OFF carbon when you buy it! Because I am still playing with good old OFF classic and trying to suppress my EJ and convince that it's all in technique :)
------------- Stiga Offensive Classic Legend DHS Hurricane Neo3 Donic Bluefire JP01 Turbo
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Posted By: aerial
Date Posted: 05/24/2019 at 3:22pm
after playing with the OCC in comparison, to the OC I don't feel much control was sacrificed for extra speed, the carbon definitely does make it shoot off faster, but I still so feel like there is some flex/vibrations, a similar feel to my old OC
overall I'm happy with the purchase
that being said it doesn't make me play better, still have the same problems I had before with my old racket, but I guess the folks pulling me to the dark side of carbon blades no longer have anything to bug me about 😁
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Posted By: Simas
Date Posted: 05/25/2019 at 11:17am
aerial wrote:
after playing with the OCC in comparison, to the OC I don't feel much control was sacrificed for extra speed, the carbon definitely does make it shoot off faster, but I still so feel like there is some flex/vibrations, a similar feel to my old OC
overall I'm happy with the purchase
that being said it doesn't make me play better, still have the same problems I had before with my old racket, but I guess the folks pulling me to the dark side of carbon blades no longer have anything to bug me about 😁 |
your curiosity is satisfied
------------- Stiga Offensive Classic Legend DHS Hurricane Neo3 Donic Bluefire JP01 Turbo
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Posted By: Silver Server
Date Posted: 08/28/2019 at 7:31pm
Does Azalea Off play similar to Latika? Sounds like they have the same composition, but the Stiga may be softer.
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