[Update on 13th October 2023] The values of ‘Rosewood NCT V’ have been adjusted.
1. Overview – Stiga ‘Nostalgic’ series
Lately the fiber blade range of Stiga has been greatly reinforced by the introduction of ‘Carbonado’ series. The next step after the completion of fiber blade range is new family of special pure wood blades whose name is ‘Nostalgic’ series that has just been announced (in early 2018).
The most important feature of ‘Nostalgic’ series is the wood for its top layer. The name of the wood for the top layer of ‘Nostalgic’ series is ‘Wenge’. ‘Wenge’ is hard wood like ‘Rosewood’, ‘Ebony’ and ‘Walnut’ those have been applied for the top layers of ‘Rosewood’ series, ‘Ebenholz’ series and ‘Intensity’ series. (‘Walnut’ is also the top layer of ‘Emerald VPS V’.) Therefore we may think that ‘Nostalgic’ series is a new version of ‘Hardwood’ series. Concerning Stiga ‘Hardwood’ series please refer to existing article : Stiga Hardwood series – Comparison.
‘Nostalgic’ series includes three models – ‘Nostalgic Allround’, ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ and ‘Nostalgic VII’. All three models are pure wood blades. ‘Nostalgic Allround’ and ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ are 5-ply wood blades, and ‘Nostalgic VII’ is a 7-ply wood blade.
‘Nostalgic Allround’ is the slowest version of ‘Nostalgic’ series. Stiga is explaining that ‘Nostalgic Allround’ is based on legendary ‘Allround Classic’.
Fig.05 shows the plywood construction of ‘Nostalgic Allround’. It is similar to the plywood construction of ‘Allround Classic’ except for the wood of top layer. Instead of ‘Limba’ of ‘Allround Classic’, ‘Wenge’ is used for the top layer of ‘Nostalgic Allround’. The middle layer and the center layer of ‘Nostalgic Allround’ is identical to those of ‘Allround Classic’, i.e. ‘Ayous’. Overall construction of ‘Nostalgic Allround’ looks similar to that of ‘Allround Classic’ except for top layer at a glance. But, the thickness of ‘Nostalgic Allround’ is 5.7~5.8mm while that of ‘Allround Classic’ is just 5.3~5.5mm. Thickened construction with more elastic top layer will greatly increase the speed of blade. It is expected that ‘Nostalgic Allround’ will be much faster than ‘Allround Classic’.
‘Nostalgic Offensive’ is a faster 5-ply wood version of ‘Nostalgic’ series. Stiga is explaining that ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ is based on legendary ‘Offensive Classic’.
Fig.07 shows the plywood construction of ‘Nostalgic Offensive’. It is similar to the plywood construction of ‘Offensive Classic’ except for the wood of top layer. Instead of ‘Dyed Limba’ of ‘Offensive Classic’, ‘Wenge’ is used for the top layer of ‘Nostalgic Offensive’. The middle layer of ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ is ‘Tanne’. It is identical to the middle layer of ‘Offensive Classic’. The center layer of ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ is ‘Ayous’. And, it is also identical to the center layer of ‘Offensive Classic’. Overall construction of ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ looks similar to that of ‘Offensive Classic’ except for top layer at a glance. However, the thickness of ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ is about 6.0mm while that of ‘Offensive Classic’ is just 5.3~5.5mm. Thickened construction with more elastic top layer will greatly increase the speed of blade. It is expected that ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ will be much faster than ‘Offensive Classic’.
‘Nostalgic VII’ is 7-ply wood version of ‘Nostalgic’ series. Stiga is explaining that ‘Nostalgic VII’ is based on legendary ‘Clipper’.
Fig.09 shows the plywood construction of ‘Nostalgic VII’. Three thick ‘Ayous’ layers at the center of plywood reminds us the construction of ‘Clipper’. But, that is the only one similarity between ‘Nostalgic VII’ and ‘Clipper’. The middle layer, i.e. the second layer of ‘Nostalgic VII’ is ‘Tanne’ while the middle layer of ‘Clipper’ is ‘Ayous’. Of course ‘Limba’ at the top layer of ‘Clipper’ is replaced with ‘Wenge’ for ‘Nostalgic VII’. Not only the top layer but also the second layer of ‘Nostalgic VII’ are different from those of ‘Clipper’. The overall thickness of the plywood of ‘Nostalgic VII’ is 6.3~6.4mm while that of ‘Clipper’ is about 7.0mm. Except for three thick ‘Ayous’ layers at the center of blade, everything of ‘Nostalgic VII’ is different from that of ‘Clipper’. We can predict that it will be very difficult to find the similarity between the characteristics of ‘Nostalgic VII’ and that of ‘Clipper’.
The printing on the forehand side of ‘Nostalgic’ series is very simple. Just the logo of ‘Nostalgic’ series and the type of handle (‘Master’ in the picture) are printed at the place close to handle. And, the name of blade (‘Nostalgic Allround’ in the picture) is printed at the wing around handle. In Fig.10, ‘Nostalgic’ is printed at left wing, and ‘Allround’ is printed at right wing.
Instead of plastic lens, Aluminum nameplate is placed at the forehand side of handle. The color is gold for ‘Nostalgic VII’, and bronze for ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ and ‘Nostalgic Allround’. One good news is that the nameplate is very small, and its placement is also very good. Although the surface of nameplate is still uneven due to embossment, nameplate doesn’t disturb player’s finger any more. It will make us happy if Stiga will apply this small nameplate also for other models such as ‘Carbonado’ series.
Another Aluminum plate is placed at the end of handle of ‘Nostalgic’ series. From ‘Carbonado’ series this new Aluminum nameplate has replaced old paper sticker at the end of the handle of Stiga blades. It makes new Stiga blades look luxurious.
Then let’s check the ‘Performance Indices’ of new ‘Nostalgic’ series, and compare three new models with some existing blades. Concerning the detail of four performance indices, please refer to following articles in ‘Background’ section :
- Performance indices : the way to evaluate blade by measurement
- The example of comparison by performance indices
For the comparison six 5-ply wood blades and three 7-ply wood blades have been selected. Among six 5-ply wood blades, five are Stiga blades. The other one is Butterfly ‘Korbel’. The list of blades to be compared is as follows :
5-ply wood blades are
- Stiga ‘Allround Classic’ (avg.weight = 84.3g): the base of ‘Nostalgic Allround’
- Stiga ‘Offensive Classic’ (avg.weight = 79.9g): the base of ‘Nostalgic Offensive’
- Stiga ‘Intensity NCT’ (avg.weight = 87.0g): hardwood top layer – Walnut
- Stiga ‘Rosewood NCT V’ (avg.weight = 90.8g): hardwood top layer – Rosewood
- Butterfly ‘Korbel’ (avg.weight = 88.7g): the representative of offensive 5-ply wood blade
- Stiga ‘Emerald VPS V’ (avg.weight = 91.1g) – very fast 5-ply wood blade
7-ply wood blades are
- Stiga ‘Clipper CR’ Heavy version (avg.weight = 96.8g): CR version of ‘Clipper’
- Stiga ‘Rosewood NCT VII’ (avg.weight = 93.7g)
- Stiga ‘Ebenholz NCT VII’ (avg.weight = 101.6g)
2. Lab Test (Comparison by Performance Indices)
Fig.14 Comparison by Elasticity Indices
Fig.14 shows the comparison graph of Elasticity Indices of three new blades of ‘Nostalgic’ series and nine existing blades.
Ep (Primary Elasticity Index) is directly concerned with the rebound speed of blade. Ec (Central Elasticity Index) is concerned with additional ‘kick’ when player hits ball very hard.
First, let’s examine the Elasticity Indices of two 5-ply wood blades of ‘Nostalgic’ series.
The Ep of ‘Nostalgic Allround’ is 1.59. It means that the primary elasticity of ‘Nostalgic Allround’ is 59% higher than that of ‘Allround Classic’ whose Ep is 1.00. Although ‘Allround’ is included in the name of ‘Nostalgic Allround’, it is much faster than ‘Allround Classic’. And, it is even faster than all 5-ply wood blades except for ‘Emerald VPS V’ in this comparison. It is faster than ‘Intensity NCT’ or ‘Korbel’, and a bit slower than ‘Rosewood NCT V’ . The Ec of ‘Nostalgic Allround’ is 1.26, and it is close to the Ec’s of ‘Intensity NCT’ and ‘Korbel’.
The Ep of ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ is 1.94. This is very high value as the primary elasticity of a 5-ply wood blade. It is about two times higher than the Ep of ‘Offensive Classic’. It is just a bit lower than the Ep of very fast ‘Emerald VPS V’ (= 2.03). About 2.00 is the Ep of many fiber blades such as ‘Timo Ball ALC’. (Ep of ‘Timo Boll ALC’ is 2.14.) We can consider that ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ is one of the fastest 5-ply wood blades, at least we think about Ep. Compared with very high value of Ep, the Ec of ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ (= 1.43) is somewhat low. It is of course higher than the Ec’s of most 5-ply wood blades in this comparison. But, the difference of Ec is not as dramatic as the difference of Ep. Therefore players may feel that the center of ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ is very soft. Differently speaking, player will feel that ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ holds ball very deep when player hits ball very strongly.
(Note : ‘Ebenholz NCT V’ is excluded in this comparison. Its Ep = 1.43, and its Ec = 1.41. You may be able to compare it with ‘Nostalgic’ series by yourself.)
Then let’s examine the Elasticity Indices of 7-ply blades.
The Ep of ‘Nostalgic VII’ is 2.20. It is lower than Ep of ‘Clipper CR’ (= 2.42) whose very thick construction makes the speed of blade very high. And, it is similar to the Ep of ‘Ebenholz NCT VII’ (= 2.19). ‘Rosewood NCT VII’ (Ep = 1.91) is the slowest 7-ply wood blade in this comparison. Compared with very high Ep, the Ec of ‘Nostalgic VII’ is dramatically low. The Ec of ‘Nostalgic VII’ is just 1.54 while the Ec’s of the other 7-ply wood blades in this comparison are 1.70 ~ 2.21. Players may feel that the center of ‘Nostalgic VII’ is very soft. Differently speaking, player will feel that ‘Nostalgic VII’ holds ball very deep when player hits ball very strongly.
Examining Ec/Ep is also a easier way to understand the tendency of elasticity of blades. Fig.15 shows the relationship between Ec/Ep and Ep.
Fig.15 Ec/Ep vs. Ep
Ec/Ep expresses the ‘tendency’ of the elasticity of blade. By examining Ec/Ep and Ep at the same time, we can easily understand the behavior of blades.
On the graph, all blade except for ‘Allround Classic’ which is a reference blade whose indices are fixed to 1.0 are in ‘Hold’ range (Ec/Ep <1.00). Further, most of blades are in ‘Deep Hold’ range (Ec/Ep < 0.90). Although those are not shown in this article, ‘Carbonado’ series are also in ‘Deep Hold’ range. ‘Arctic Wood’ and ‘Celero Wood’ are also in ‘Deep Hold’ range. It will be all right that we regard ‘Deep Hold’ as an important feature of Stiga blades. It is even apparent in new ‘Nostalgic’ series. All three models of ‘Nostalgic’ series are in ‘Deep Hold’ range, and those are even placed at the bottom of comparison graph. The blades in ‘Deep Hold’ range are suitable for aggressive topspin at close-to-table area, but in general not suitable for smash.
‘Nostalgic Allround’ is very close to ‘Korbel’ on the graph. Some players will be able to directly replace ‘ Korbel’ with ‘Nostalgic Allround’ if they can be accustomed to the difference of the feeling of top layer. And, the hold of ‘Nostalgic Allround’ is deeper than that of ‘Rosewood NCT V’ or ‘Intensity NCT’. If player think that the hold of Rosewood NCT V’ or ‘Intensity NCT’ is not sufficient for his/her playing style, ‘Nostalgic Allround’ may be the solution.
‘Nostalgic Offensive’ whose Ep is 1.94 is much faster than most of 5-ply wood blades whose Ep are under 1.6. On the graph, ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ is very close to ‘Emerald VPS V’ which is also a very fast 5-ply wood blade. The Ep of ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ is similar to that of ‘Rosewood NCT VII’ which is 7-ply wood blade. However, ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ is placed much lower place than ‘Rosewood NCT VII’ on the graph. The character of ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ can be summarized as ‘High Speed and Deep Hold’.
‘Nostalgic VII’ shows even more extreme tendency of deep hold. Its Ec/Ep is about 0.70. It is surprisingly low value for a 7-ply wood blade. The other three 7-ply blades in this comparison are placed much higher on the graph. We can consider that ‘Nostalgic VII’ is much more suitable for aggressive topspin at close-to-table area than the other 7-py wood blades. But, ‘Nostalgic VII’ is not suitable for smash although it is a very fast blade because it holds ball too deep when player hits ball very strongly.
Then successively, let’s examine Vibration Indices. Fig. 16 shows the comparison graph of Vibration Indices.
Fig.16 Comparison by Vibration Indices
Vibration Indices are concerned with feeling. Vp indicates primary feeling which is transferred to player’s palm. And, Vl is the feeling at the wing of a blade. It is felt by player’s index finger or middle finger.
The Vp of ‘Nostalgic Allround’ is 1.06. It is a bit higher than the Vp of ‘Allround Classic’. It means that ‘Nostalgic Allround’ is a very soft blade. Although it is faster than ‘Intensity NCT’ and ‘Rosewood NCT V’ when we examined Elasticity Indices, it is softer than those two blades. ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ is also quite soft. Its Ep is 1.09. It is a bit lower than those of ‘Intensity NCT’ and ‘Rosewood NCT V’. Vl’s of ‘Nostalgic Allround’ and ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ are 1.20 and 1.27 respectively. Those values are in the range of Vl of ordinary offensive 5-ply wood blades in this comparison (about 1.20 < Ec < about 1.30).
(The Vp and Vl of ‘Ebenholz NCT V’ are 1.20 and 1.39 respectively. You will be able to compare the values of ‘Ebenholz NCT V’ by yourself if it is needed.)
The Vp of ‘Nostalgic VII’ is just 1.12. It is just a bit higher than the Vp of ‘Nostalgic Offensive’, and is noticeably lower then the Vp’s of 7-ply wood blades in this comparison. It means that ‘Nostalgic VII’ is exceptionally soft as a very fast 7-ply wood blade. The Vl of ‘Nostalgic VII’ is 1.32. It is similar to the Vl’s of ‘Rosewood NCT VII’ and ‘Ebenholz NCt VII’.
Examining Vl/Vp is easier way for the comparison of the tendency of feeling. Fig.17 shows the relationship between Vl/Vp and Vp for easier comparison.
Fig.17 Vl/Vp vs. Vp
On the graph of Vl/Vp, most of blades in this comparison are in the range that Vl/Vp > 1.0 that is ‘relatively sharper at index finger than at palm’ range. And, eight among ten blades in that range are even at higher range that Vl/Vp > 1.1. At that range, the feeling at index finger is noticeably sharper than that at palm. Also with very low Ec/Ep, very high Vl/Vp can be considered as the important feature of Stiga blades. The exceptions are ‘Allround Classic’ which is a reference blade whose index is fixed to 1.0 and three existing 7-ply wood blades.
All three models of ‘Nostalgic’ series are in the range that Vl/Vp > 1.1. That is the typical characteristics of Stiga blades.
On the graph, ‘Nostalgic Allround’ is close to ‘Butterfly Korbel’, as we see also in the graph of Ec/Ep vs. Ep. It is expected that ‘Nostalgic Allround’ can be good replacement of ‘Butterfly Korbel’ in case player prefer hardwood top layer to normal ‘Limba’ top layer of ‘Korbel’.
‘Nostalgic Offensive’ are very close to ‘Intensity NCT’ and ‘Rosewood NCT V’ on the graph. It may be the optimum position of the feeling of offensive 5-ply wood blade for Stiga. Interestingly ‘Nostalgic VII’ is placed close to that position. The position of ‘Nostalgic VII’ is far from those of the other fast 7-ply wood blade in this comparison. Especially it is placed at completely opposite position to ‘Clipper CR’ although ‘Nostalgic VII’ is being explained that it is based on ‘Clipper’. ‘Clipper CR’ is very hard and relatively harder at palm than at index finger. But, ‘Nostalgic VII’ is very soft and relatively sharper at index finger than at palm.
High Ep (= fast), low Ec/Ep (= very deep hold), low Vp (= very soft) and high Vl/Vp (= sharp at index finger) are common characteristics of ‘Nostalgic’ series. It means that all three models are for aggressive topspin at close-to-table area. Three models share these common characteristics, and are distinguished just by speed level :
- ‘Nostalgic Allround’ : Moderately fast blade for aggressive topspin
- ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ : Fast blade for aggressive topspin
- ‘Nostalgic VII’ : Very fast blade for aggressive topspin
3. Summary
Stiga ‘Nostalgic’ series is a brand-new blade family which consists of three pure wood blades whose top layer is Wenge. ‘Nostalgic Allround’ and ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ are 5-ply wood blades, and ‘Nostalgic VII’ is a 7-ply wood blade. The characteristics of ‘Nostalgic’ series can be summarized as follows :
- High speed, very deep hold, very soft overall feeling and relatively sharp feeling at index finger are common features of ‘Nostalgic’ series. Three models are distinguished only by speed level.
- Overall characteristics of ‘Nostalgic’ series are suitable for aggressive topspin at close-to-table area. Players will be able to enjoy great adaptability when they try aggressive topspin. However, those are not suitable for smash.
- ‘Nostalgic Allround’ is much faster than its base – ‘Allround Classic’. On the graphs of Performance Indices, it is very close to Butterfly ‘Korbel’ although its top layer is apparently different from that of ‘Korbel’.
- ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ gives similar feeling as that of some existing representative 5-ply wood offensive blades in Stiga range (i.e. ‘Rosewood NCT V’ and ‘Intensity NCT’). But, ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ is much faster than the blades with similar feeling. It is just a bit slower than ‘Emerald VPS V’ which is an extremely fast 5-ply wood blade. ‘Nostalgic Offensive’ will be able to compete with many fiber blades in the market.
- ‘Nostalgic VII’ is a very fast 7-ply wood blade. But, it is much softer and holds ball noticeably deeper than most of existing fast 7-ply wood blades. Its feeling can be compared with many typical 5-ply wood offensive blades.
‘Nostalgic’ series is a solution of Stiga for poly ball. It is expected that the high speed and the soft feeling of ‘Nostalgic’ series will sufficiently compensate for the low of power due to poly ball. It will be welcomed by the players who want to increase the speed of ball but don’t like the feeling of fiber blades.
TTGearLab 
Great review! I’d expect all 3 blades to be good for looping, bouncy and not good for short game and smash. Could you compare 7 ply Solo and 5 ply Diva as both are very good blades and inexpensive?
LikeLike
Thank you for comment! By the way, I’m sorry that I don’t have the measured data for Solo and Diva. But, I think that Solo is slower than Nostalgic Offensive, and Diva is also slower than Nostalgic Allround. And, those two are expected to be neutral – no hold and no additional kick. The concept of those two are different from that of Nostalgic series.
LikeLike
Oh i see, well really i was looking for something similar to Samsonov CB. At a guess, Would you estimate Diva/Solo vibration indices to be similar to Tibhar Samsonov CB? Thanks in advance!
LikeLike
Ok, I’ve done some research and Solo seems to be closer to Samsonov Force pro black edition. Would you agree? Please ansaw before I buy
LikeLike
Testing OSP blades (stiga blade inspired craftmanship) using your protocol would be an pure awesome thing 🙂 ! Have you ever considered it ?
Also, do you think it’s possible to reproduce your testing protocol and manage to take same maesurements for any of us (using a “not too much” expensive equipement)
As always, thanks for your always top quality analysis !
LikeLike
Testing OSP blades (stiga blade inspired craftmanship) using your protocol would be an pure awesome thing 🙂 ! Have you ever considered it ?
Also, do you think it’s possible to reproduce your testing protocol and manage to take same maesurements for any of us (using a “not too much” expensive equipement)
As always, thanks for your always top quality analysis !
LikeLike
Fixed : *Have you ever considered testing OSP …
LikeLike
I’m sorry that my reply has been significantly delayed.
Of course I’m interested in OSP blades. But, it is difficult for me to buy all the blades. There are so many blades in the market. Fortunately I have two pieces of OSP blades. I’ll check which models are those two. (But, the appearance of those two are not fresh. I will not take picture. :-))
LikeLike
Hats off to the author at TTGEAR LAB!
The information is simply amazing . In my opinion there is nothing better available worldwide for selecting new blades, especially to cope with the new ABS ball.
Today we find that SANWEI too have a blade with WENGE used for the top surface veneer with a KIRI core.
a) How would the Sanwei DYNAMO compare with STIGA Nostalgic blades? Even without a lab test would you be able to give me a rough idea?
b) I did not find the word DWELL time anywhere. Could you clarify if DWELL time and DEEP HOLD are one and the same?
With best regards
Sidney
LikeLike
Thank you a lot for comment!
a) It isn’t easy for me to get Sanwei blades. Therefore I can’t get the values of DYNAMO. However, it is clear that DYNAMO is not similar to any model of Nostalgic series. It is very thick 5-ply wood blade whose center layer looks like Kiri or lighter wood. Two 5-ply woods of Nostalgic are much thinner than DYNAMO, and center wood is harder than that of DYNAMO. All three models of Nostalgic series are basically for topspin. But it seems that DYNAMO is for fast attack – mainly the combination of smash and block.
b) Dwell time is not concerned with the characteristics of blade. In table tennis, dwell time depends on ball. If ball is same, dwell time doesn’t differ by blade or rubber. What we feel is no more than the residual feeling after ball departed from surface of rubber, and therefore, it doesn’t concerned with dwell time. (The dwell time is about 1/1000 second. It is very short time!!! We can’t even adjust our technic during the impact.)
LikeLike
Hello.
These reviews are great. I am especially interested in the deep hold. You mentioned the Stiga Maple wood to be very special. Will i notice any difference between nostalgic wood and maple wood. As both are in the deep hold cathegory. I have alteady bought nostalgic 7. But i am considering maple V or Nostalgic 5. Thank you for answering.
Can you please come up with the measurement for deep hold for the Maple blades.
Henning
LikeLike
Thank you for comment! I haven’t shown the data of Maplewood V/VII because those had already been discontinued. Both of those two are categorized as ‘Deep Hold’. Ec/Ep of Maplewood V is 0.63(!!!!!!!) and that of Maplewood VII is 0.71. Astonishingly deep. Those two share the overall tendency with Nostalgic series. You may feel that Maplewood shares the characteristics with Nostalgic, if the ‘hold or kick’ is the major characteristic that you feel from blade. However, if you are sensitive to the feeling of top layer, you will feel significant difference between Nostalgic (hard) and Maplewood (soft). Although Maplewood is dealt as a kind of ‘Hardwood’ series in Stiga blade range, its top layer is not hard but soft. On the contrary, although Nostalgic is not dealt as a kind of ‘Hardwood’ series, its top layer is really hard.
LikeLike
Thank you so much for answering. I ordered two Maple nct 7 blades from The US. They where still available with Conic handle. I guess they will work Even better than Nostalgic 7. Because of less speed level and the same same deep hold. Recently Tenergy 05 Hard was released. And this rubber has the same caracteristic feature i guess. The rubber is not bouncy on soft impact strokes. Such as serve return and slow topspin. Maybe Stiga Mantra Hard share this carateristics for a lower price? Many players have thought that pro players used normal Tenergy 05. But i guess this was never the case. The rubber is simply too dificult to control. Amazing work you are doing. I guess you should help out promising players in picking out equipment. Especially when it comes to allwood blades rather than fibre blades. It would ve interesting to read a comparison between 05 Hard v Stiga Mantra Hard. I have also tried out Tibhar MX-S. But i found that rubber to be too dead.
Keep up the amazing work.
Cheers Henning
LikeLike
In fact, I’m also measuring rubbers. Sooner or later I will write some articles with performance indices of rubbers. Still I haven’t measured Tenergy 05 Hard. But, I have data of Mantra H, M and S. I expect that I will be able to compare Mantra H and Tenergy 05 Hard by performance indices.
LikeLike
Exceptional work!Finding scientific measurements of tt equipment really helps furthering the knowledge of the game.Would you please recommend some hard and flexible offensive minus blades?I am a 6foot 2 lefty ,my game centers around 3rd attacks and looping close to table with tacky rubbers(Dhs H2 neo,TG3 neo).
LikeLike
Thank you a lot. But, the actual selection in real world is much more complex than the analysis by lab test. 😉
If the condition is hard top layer and OFF- class, I strongly recommend Intensity Carbon (Ep = 1.47) or Intensity NCT (Ep = 1.43). Those two are equipped with hard top layer. But, the elasticity of those two is lower than that of Nostalgic Allround.
LikeLike
Hi! Thank you for your work! Have you done any measurements on Intensity Carbon that you may share in the future?
LikeLike
Thank you a lot for comment. There has already been the data for Intensity Carbon.
Ep = 1.47, Ec = 1.21. (Ec/Ep = 0.82 Deep Hold)
Vp = 1.07, Vl = 1.27 (Vl/Vp = 1.19 Rel.sharp at index finger)
LikeLike
Hmm, are you sure you have posted the data for Intensity Carbon? I have searched the site rather thoroughly, and only found data on Intensity NCT. There are some missing links for this site on google so I’m not 100% sure. I do know that I haven’t found it though.
And also, the data you posted in your reply differs from what you posted two posts above (Ep = 1.41 vs Ep = 1.47) so I don’t know which data to trust… 😀
LikeLike
I’m sorry that there was mistyping. 1.41 is wrong, and 1.47 is right.
I corrected 1.41 to 1.47. Thank you for comment.
LikeLike
Hi there,
First of all very good article. I am using Korbel for more than 2 years and I want a harder feeling in the blade right now. I am searching for a blade with a similar speed to Korbel or a little bit more. What is your opinion about it can you suggest me a blade? Rosewood V, Yasaka Extra Offensive, Nostalgic Off and Ebenholz V are the ones that i am looking for. I look forward to hear your suggestion. Thank you.
LikeLike
Thank you for comment. The most important issue in this case is the feeling of surface layer. Some players don’t care the feeling of surface layer. However the others do care. If you like the Limba top layer of Korbel, none of those will be satisfactory. But, if you want to make the feeling of surface layer harder, I recommend Rosewood NCT V. Extra Offensive and Ebenholz NCT V will be harder than you expect. Nostalgic OFF may be too fast.
Also, some of 7-ply blades may be better choice if you like the Limba top layer. I strongly recommend the newest lightweight version of Clipper CR (with 6.5mm thickness and 157mm x 150mm head). Be careful that it is different from older version that appears on many articles in this home page.
LikeLike
Dude, this site is by far my best internet find this year.
AWESOME!
LikeLike
Thank you a lot for your comment! 😉
LikeLike
What a great website and in-depth reviews! I have been having a hard time making sense of the rating numbers elsewhere, as I try to make my first custom blade! Cross-referencing between your wood blades summary and Stiga Nostalgic articles has given me good perspective on a few of the blades I was considering. Surprisingly looks like several of them were indeed generally in the same ballpark in your charts: ie Nittaku Acoustic, Butterfly Primorac and Stiga Nostalgic Allaround… I’m surprised to see how the Nostalgic Allaround compares to those two, opposite what I expected. Any chance you’ve tested or experienced the Donic Burn OFF- or the Nittaku S-5? I wonder how those two would compare.
LikeLike
Thank you a lot for comment! I think that the measurement can provide us very objective way for us to select table tennis blade.
I’m sorry that I don’t have the samples of Donic Burn series and Nittaku S-5. However, I will memorize the blades you mentioned and will try if possible.
LikeLike
Hello TTGear Lab, great project, thank You very much. Could you make a lab test of Stiga Allround NCT, please? I’m very curious about the difference with Stiga Allround Classic. I’m able to send You the blade for free 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you for comment! I already have the data of Stiga Allround Wood NCT. Following is the data :
Ep = 1.25
Ec = 1.38
(Ec/Ep = 1.10)
Vp = 1.18
Vl = 1.10
(Vl/Vp = 0.93)
LikeLike
Great, thank You very much. Do you have more unpublished results, please? For example some OSP’s blades?
LikeLike
Of course there are many unpublished results. But, not many for recent blades. (I have to get more recent blades.)
Regarding OSP blades, I’m sorry but I don’t have general models of OSP blades. I just have two customized blades those are not being sold.
LikeLike
Hello. I was very impressed with your tests, though I didn’t quite figure it out yet, but I’ll definitely figure it out. I wanted to ask you to tell, Stigа Nostalgic Allround in comparison with Stigа Offensive Classic faster or slower in general terms. I am currently playing Stiga offensive classic and I want to know the difference in speed
LikeLike
Thank you a lot for comment. In fact, Stiga ‘Offensive Classic’ itself isn’t a fast blade. Its speed is similar to that of ‘Allround Classic’. I’m 100% sure because I have had many pieces of ‘Offensive Classic’. (More than 12 pcs. And, currently I have 6 pcs.)
If you feel that it is fast, that is just because ‘Offensive Classic’ makes you more aggressive. From the viewpoint of pure speed (elasticity) of blade, ‘Nostalgic Allround’ is much faster than ‘Offensive Classic’.
Data of ‘Offensive Classic’
Ep = 1.06
Ec = 1.04 (Ec/Ep = 0.98)
Vp = 1.01
Vc = 1.23 (Vc/Vp = 1.22)
Data of ‘Nostalgic Allround’
Ep = 1.59
Ec = 1.26 (Ec/Ep = 0.79)
Vp = 1.06
Vc = 1.20 (Vc/Vp = 1.13)
LikeLike
im interested in nostalgic 7 cpen, do you think it will play good with short pips penhold? is the nostalgic 7 has hard or soft feel?
LikeLike
I don’ think that Nostalgic 7 work well with shops pips. It tends to hold ball very deep, even when you need quick ball separation. You’d better search for the blade whose Ec/Ep is close to or higher than 1.0.
LikeLike
im a 7 ply all wood fan, i just got this nostalgic 7 and played only once, i got mix expectations before i received this 7 ply because it has different reviews from reviewers on the net, ttgearlab has almost opposite reviews from others, but when i first played this nostalgic 7 ttgearlab review is not close, it is exactly what his review is, its true it feels like 5ply blade, ball grabbing is deep, i think this is the most dwelly 7 ply i have played or just my soft sponge, maybe medium hard to hard sponge suits this blade, i trust ttgearlab his review is the best, thanks
LikeLike
Thank you for comment. Nostalgic 7 is a 7 ply wood blade. But, its actual character is very close to many 5 ply wood blades, according to the result of measurement. 🙂
LikeLike
Hi, first off all thank you for the excellent work!Do you have any measurements on Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive?I’m trying to upgrade into something faster.I bet it’s a strong hold blade since it has hard top veneers.
LikeLike
Thank you for comment. The data of MEO is as follows:
Ep = 1.66
Ec = 1.31 (Ec/Ep = 0.79 – Extremely Deep Hold)
Vp = 1.11
Vl = 1.33 (Vl/Vp = 1.10)
Stiga Nostalgic Offensive may be good choice because it is a hardwood blade which is also a deep hold blade and is faster than MEO. But, because of the difference of top layer (Wenge vs. Walnut) you may feel that Nostalgic Offensive is softer than MEO, although it is in fact harder than MEO.
LikeLike
Hi,
Very useful stuff, thanks for that.
On question: could you please describe the differences between nostalgic offensive and arctic wood?
I’m a topspin oriented player using hurricane 3 neo and can’t decide between these two.
Many thanks.
LikeLike
Thank you for comment. Nostalgic Offensive is much faster than Arctic Wood. Arctic Wood is as fast as Korbel. However, Nostalgic Offensive is as fast as Timo Boll ALC. And, the top layer of Nostalgic Offensive is harder than Arctic Wood.
Except for those differences, Nostalgic Offensive and Arctic Wood are quite similar to each other. However, in my personal opinion, the top layer of Arctic Wood will not fit for Chinese sticky rubbers such as Hurricane 3 Neo. I recommend Nostalgic Offensive.
By the way, if you think that Nostalgic Offensive is too fast or the hard top layer doesn’t fit for you, Infinity VPS V may be better solution for you in my opinion.
LikeLike
Hi There,
Can you help with the Handle Differences between Korbel FL and Nostalgic FL?
Thank you and Cheers,
Chris
LikeLike
Nostalgic FL(Master) is narrower and thicker than Korbel FL.
LikeLike
As far as I can tell, Stiga only produce the Nostalgic series with ‘Straight’ and ‘Flared (Narrow)’ handles, and not with ‘Anatomic’ or ‘Flared (Wide)’ handles.
Would you say that the Butterfly Hadraw VR and SR are very similar to the Nostalgic Offensive and the Nostalgic VII? I’m thinking that some people who might want the other handle shapes could try the Hadraw blades if they’re very similar?
LikeLike
Hi! Did you have any Butterfly HADRAW VR to compare with Stiga Nostalgic Offensive?
I try too compare my self with Butterfly matrix chart and ttgearlab test. I discovery you make a test with 7 layers wood blades and SK7 is there. For me HADRAW VR blade is litte close with SK7 but in comparacion with Nostalgic Offensive is diffentent but is the same material wenge wood.
LikeLike
I want to compare Hardraw series with Nostalgic series at once. Still I don’t have samples of Hardraw series. If I can get samples, I will try.
LikeLike
Hi, I am a big fan of your website, it is truly amazing, looking forward to next reviews.
I have a question to ask, recently I have got an Avalox p500 blade, I tried it with two combinations, first one Hurricane 3 commercial to both sides, and the second combination is Xiom Vega Japan/Xiom Omega 7 Tour. With both combinations, I didn’t like the feeling at all, I felt a lack of vibe and control. Is it because of I chose incompatible rubbers to blade’s characteristics or simply I am not used to play with an ultra soft top layer blade? What could be the Ec/Ep values of this blade? (higher or lower than 1.0?)
LikeLike
Thank you for comment. I had once had Avalox P500 but I lost the measured data of it. I will get new samples sooner or later because it is an important model whose data should be provided.
It is expected that its Ec/Ep is around 0.9 or lower. And, basically it is the blade that gives plenty of vibration and feeling. And, it is also very easy to control especially at close-to-table area.
By the way, in my opinion attaching Hurricane 3 on both sides isn’t regular combination. That is because Hurricane 3 requires sufficient back swing before the stroke. For that reason I never use it on backhand side, and attach it only on forehand side. Further, because its sponge is hard, it may hurt the overall feeling of the combination.
I think that Vega Japan is a very good rubber for backhand side. For that reason, I recommend the combination of Hurrincane 3 on forehand side and Vega Japan on backhand side, unless your playing style or preference on combination is very unique.
LikeLike
Hi what are some good blades to use with chinese rubber like hurricane 3 which have an ec higher than ep to generate kick effect when you hit hard? most of the blades you have reviewed have ep higher than ec which is good only with non tacky european rubbers.
LikeLike
No. It is the opposite. If the Ec is too high, the combination with Chinese sticky rubber will make you uncomfortable because it will be too hard. Actually, there are so many blades whose Ec/Ep is quite low and are made for the combination with Chinese sticky rubbers. The example are DHS Hurricane Long 5, Hurricane Hao 3, Hurricane Ning, Stiga Carbonado 45/90/145/190, Stiga Dynasty Carbon and so on.
For most of blades, the Ec is lower than the Ep. But, those blades can be again divided into two groups – the blades with ‘moderately’ low Ec/Ep and the blade with ‘extremely’ low Ec.Ep. The former is good for Chinese sticky rubbers when ordinary players use it, and the latter is good for non-sticky European/Japanse rubbers.
The example of the blades with Ec/Ep higher than 1.0 are Butterfly Amultart, Schlager OFF+, Schlager Light, Nittaku Rutis, Old heavy Stiga Clipper CR, Tibhar Chila OFF, E.Lebesson, IV-S, Fortino Pro, Andro Treiber Q, and so on. All make good combination with non-sticky European/Japanse rubbers, and give discomfort when combined with Chinese sticky rubbers. The combination with Chinese sticky rubbers itself isn’t bad from the viewpoint of performance. And, some skilled players will like those combinations. But, for ordinary players those will be too hard.
I recommend you to search for the blade with extremely low Ec/Ep. Then the combination of those blades and Chinese sticky rubbers will provides optimum balance. If you are highly skilled player, it will be also good to search for the blade whose Ec/Ep is around 1.0. Some thick 7-ply wood blades are good example.
LikeLike
Thank you, what you are said is right. If a person is highly skilled they could use a blade with ec/ep higher than 1. Another thing is simple limba ayous blades are more suitable for chinese rubbers as it allows good short play and also fast shots. for beginners, it is better to use one with low ec/ ep. Many years ago chinese professionals would use blades with ec/ep higher than 1 and they were highly skilled and would loop kill the ball. That’s why the plastic ball was invented to prevent that. But just wondering if there a blade with ec/ep greater than 1.5 and a person is a highly skilled world class player they could win every game.
LikeLike
Nittaku adelie has a ec/ep greater than 1.5. However it has a low ep. Tibhar VS Unlimited can generate a strong kick effect. Hence, it might be the blade that generates the most kick effect compared to any other blade. I would like to try it with hurricane 3. Though I think it would be more suited to tibhar rubbers. would it be suitable with tibhar hybrid k3?
LikeLike
For the combination with Hybrid K3, I strongly recommend you ‘Drinkhall PowerSpin Carbon’ instead of ‘VS Unlimited’. Its Ep is sufficiently high, and Ec/Ep is over 1.0. And, without concerning the Performance Indices, it makes anyway very good combination with Hybrid K3. 🙂
LikeLike
Hello,
thanks for this extensive review, your site is the best source of information on TT blades on the internet!
I have three questions regarding the Nostalgic Allround:
1) You mention that the difference to the Korbel blade is the harder top layer. How does that affect the actual playing characteristics?
2) Would you think the Nostalgic Allround would be good fit for medium hard ESN rubbers like Nittaku Fastarc G1/C1?
3) In your peronal opinion, is the Nostalgic Allround a good blade for an advanced beginner to use and keep along his development for a long time?
Best regards and keep up the good work!
LikeLike
Thank you for comment. 🙂
(1) The contact between the racket and the ball can be felt more clearly. But, the actual effect differs by player. Further, if the sponge is soft, the feeling can be uncomfortable if we hit the ball hard. The bad effect can be reduced by combining the rubbers with hard sponges. Personally I don’t like the blades with hard top layers.
(2) In my opinion, G1 and C1 will be better than S1 for the combination with Nostalgic series. Even harder sponge will be also good. But, the sponge density of G1 and C1 can be the optimum if we consider the purpose and the position of this blade.
(3) In my personal opinion, the blades with softer top layers – Koto or Limba – will be better. But, that is just my personal preference. (I don’t like the blades with hard top layers.)
LikeLike