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For the past 70 years, Stiga has been an important leader in the field of table tennis equipment. And Stiga ‘s , along with the changes of the times, has produced many classic blades and achieved many world champions. Today, the author counts the top ten classic boards of Stiga in my mind, and gives a glimpse of the leopard.
Offensive Classic (OC)
Many amateur player spy on the mystery of the arc through OC. Because of the strong overall deformation and sufficient friction time, OC creates a powerful arc ball with energy storage. Therefore, it is also called “circular machine”.
In fact, to this day, OC’s arc killing is still fierce. Even when playing plastic balls, I feel that the bottom strength is better than many bottom boards. The problem is that the backhand is a bit imaginary, the overall is a bit shaken, and the high-speed offense and defense are a bit untimely. But as a beginner’s practice board, it is still more than enough. The first choice for forehand is to match the hard domestic sticky sleeve.
Energy Wood (EG)
Chen Qi’s weapon is also known as the “Killing Divine Pestle”. In the era of plastic balls, EG began to “regenerate” into practice boards. But for beginners, it is really easy to use. Its near-station speed appears to be faster than OC. The time to eat the ball is not as good as the OC, but the rate of taking the stage is unexpectedly high. You can rush and kill at will.
Qin Zhijian and Ding Ning have both used EG. Later, Stiga released two upgraded versions: Celero Wood (CE) and EG V2. The latter enhances the original support and elasticity of the EG, but the penetrating power of the arc becomes weaker. On the contrary, CE can be regarded as an upgraded version of EG. Soft bouncing and eating the ball, you can hit an “accelerated” arc.
Clipper Wood (CL)
This may be the first floor to be recognized as a “sacred board”. It’s so versatile. Whether you are using double-sided reverse glue or granular play (raw rubber, positive rubber or long rubber), it is very compatible. Everything is great and well balanced. The board body of the pure wood seven clamp has sufficient support, speed and rotation are also good, and the strength is still strong.
And its time span is too long. From the small ball 38mm to the big ball 40mm, to the age of 40+ and plastic ball, it has always been the darling of the times. Although the Stiga Carbon series overwhelmed the limelight in the past two years, in 2016, Hirano Miu still relied on CL to win the World Cup women’s singles championship. This year’s National Games, there are still professional players. And so far, it is still the first choice for the “sports school default model”. It is suitable for practice and actual combat.
EBENHOLZ NCT V
Stika in the hardwood era, EBENHOLZ NCT V has achieved the most world championships, especially the Chinese women’s team. The troika Li Xiaoxia, Ding Ning and Guo Yue all used EBENHOLZ NCT V. Although it is pure wood with five layers, it is suitable for pulling and hitting, with balanced offense and defense. While the ability to catch the ball is strong, the swing speed on both sides is also quite stable.
Stika in the hardwood era, EBENHOLZ NCT V has achieved the most world championships, especially the Chinese women’s team. The troika Li Xiaoxia, Ding Ning and Guo Yue all used EBENHOLZ NCT V. Although it is pure wood with five layers, it is suitable for pulling and hitting, with balanced offense and defense. While the ability to catch the ball is strong, the swing speed on both sides is also quite stable.
EBENHOLZ NCT VII
While the EBENHOLZ NCT VII is full of energy, the feeling of eating and vomiting is still obvious. Control is also quite good. So today, grassroots stars such as Wang Yin and national players such as Sun Mingyang are still using it.
EBENHOLZ is a hard surface material, the ball control is more linear and obedient, and the leveraging is quick and fast. At the same time, the spring-like high deformation and energy feel can help you when you want to exert force.
Rosewood 5
The killer Chen Qi and the artist Xu Xin were once powerful weapons. Rosewood surface material is actually slightly harder than ebony, but because of the unique bonding process, it is actually softer than EBENHOLZ NCT V, and the power is strong. There was once a wave of “women playing EBENHOLZ NCT V and men playing Rosewood 5” in the national team.
Stika has also produced the more sophisticated Rosewood XO, which can be regarded as a master of three good students. Everything is balanced. And this year, rosewood carbon was introduced. A rosewood surface material, built-in carbon ball board, is also an all-round super arc circle board.
INTENSITY NCT
Also known as “Walnut 5”. Because it is walnut veneer, five layers of pure wood. The feel is not too hard, but it appears softer than the YEO of the same structure. After retreating, the arc is very full, while the hand feel is delicate, the bottom strength is stronger. It is the motherboard of Xu Xin and Zhu Yuling for a long time. Stika also produced a selection of wood for this purpose and named it “Xu Xin Limited Edition”.
Nowadays, there are still many amateur amateur masters and even professional retired players who use INTENSITY NCT. The in-stage control is very stable, the fault tolerance is high, and the thinner body is also sharp for pen-hold and horizontal beating. For candy bar players, in-stage control and rotation changes are an important part of technique and tactics, so the five-layer pure wood still has an irreplaceable advantage.
CARBO 7.6
Zhang Jike used the board before Viscaria. Use toner technology to harden the board. While eating the ball, the whipping effect is very prominent. It bursts, very powerful, and it is difficult for the opponent to parry.
With the changes of the times, the CARBO 7.6 now on the market has also undergone significant changes. The overall thickness has become thinner. The use of the backhand has also become smoother, and the swing speed is also handy.
CARBONADO 45
After CL, another Stiga ‘s work is recognized as a “god blade”. The clear and delicate ball eating and the ability to adjust the arc at will, because of the addition of stretchable carbon fiber, the backhand is more balanced than the previous Stika soleplate. It is a good board for high-speed arcs on both sides.
CARBONADO 145, which has a higher carbon layer density, has actually achieved some results with Li Xiaoxia. However, in contrast, the CARBONADO 45 feels more purely woody, and it is more friendly to the people. Because of the outstanding sales of CARBONADO 45, Stiga also produced the red label 45 named by Zhu Yuling and the gold label 45 used by Sun Yingsha in the Olympics.
Xu Xin Blue Label
Xu Xin’s handy weapon for the Tokyo Olympics. The power of long range table was good, and the backhand hit the table without any brain. Whether it’s the normal version of Carbon Dynasty or the more advanced Xu Xin Blue Label, there are many fans. In contrast, Carbon Dynasty is more brittle, more linear, and easier to control. The arc of Xu Xin’s blue label is longer, more resilient, and stronger.
The pen Handle Xu Xin’s blue label is of course prosperous. But the horizontal board should not be underestimated. Du Kaiqin is currently in use by the Hong Kong team. She has used Diamond Five VPS for a long time, and has always been nostalgic for the feel and control of pure wood. Now I change to the Xu Xin blue label, which shows that the hand feel and control performance of this board are also excellent.
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