Are you looking for a table tennis blade that provides you with great speed and adds extra power to your stroke? If yes, then this is the blade for you.
A few months ago, I decided to switch to a blade that would allow me to play more professionally; that is when I came across this one and decided to buy it. A few months later, I have to say that this blade has improved my gameplay by 100 times.
STIGA is one of the biggest sports brands, and that is why I trust it; they do not fail to deliver. The blade weighs 95 g which is pretty heavy but good as that is what provides us with more powerful strokes.
The plywood has a great authentic feel. Although it does have a fast pace, it also has great control, which is not something you find in most blades.
My friend is a beginner, and they play with me with this blade and have learned most of their basics with it; this shows that it is great for beginners as well.
The plywood and material on this blade is a 9/10, but I would give the craftsmanship a 2/10, it doesn’t look all that great. The dwell time and spin on this blade are amazing. We will talk about more in the article later.
The sound of the blade is very nice; it gives us that authentic CLICK sounds that you hear in table tennis tournaments. I was pleasantly surprised at the price of the blade as STIGA is a pretty well-known brand.
Table of Contents
Characteristics of this blade:
| Speed | 88 |
| Control | 62 |
| Rating | OFF |
| Thickness | 6.6mm |
| Weight | 95 g |
| Construction | 7-ply |
PROS and CONS of the STIGA Clipper Classic:
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| 1, Fast-paced gameplay | 1. Very weak surface |
| 2. Good control | 2. The blade feels almost stiff |
| 3. Great for close to table aggressive gameplay | 3. FL Handle was rough |
| 4. Impressive dwell time | 4. Balance of the weight isn’t as great as modern blades |
| 5. Great for driving | – |
Now, let us take a deep dive into the features, PROS, and CONS of this blade.
Pros of STIGA Clipper Classic –
1. Speed:
The speed of this blade (88) is pretty high compared to most standard blades. This shows that the STIGA Clipper is faster than most blades and has less dwell time which is pretty impressive for an OFF+ blade.
It isn’t the fastest blade I have ever owned, but our gameplay would definitely be sped up with a medium to softer rubber. I would recommend using the Butterfly Tenergy 05 FX or the Butterfly Tenergy 64 FX rubber sheets; it uses a softer sponge spring technology that allows us to improve speed even more.
2. Control:
This blade has good control along with great speed, which is, as I already mentioned above, not something you see in a lot of blades.
Either the speed or the control has to be sacrificed, but I haven’t had that problem with this blade, and I am very happy about that. Now I can deliver powerful strokes that are also precise and put my opponent off.
3. Thickness:
The blades between 6-7mm thick are great for driving, and this blade with a thickness of 6.6mm does just that.
It provides us with more powerful strikes, allows for aggressive gameplay from close to the table, forces our opponent to make mistakes, and puts us in control.
4. Weight:
Most blades that weigh below 85 g are better for control but aren’t that fast. This blade weighs 95 g and has great speed with control.
It is on the heavier side, and therefore, I feel like the weight isn’t that balanced compared to modern blades. I have a way to fix this, which I will talk about later in the review.
5. Shots that it can be used with:
Our blade is better at offensive play, but its defense isn’t that bad. Forehand strokes are amazing and unforgiving with this blade. The blade is great for loopers and blockers.
Controlled loopers like me will love this lde due to its powerful loops to kill. The wood on this blade is soft and therefore, it has a great spin and is better if playing closer to the table.
6. Handles:
You can either choose between a flared handle, anatomic handle and straight handle. If you are new to table tennis and don’t know what these handles do, let me explain.
Flared handle: Flared handles are thicker at the bottom and thinner at the top preventing the blade from slipping out of your hand.
Straight handle: Straight handles can be either rounded, flat, or square. They are better for defensive play and engage your wrist more.
Anatomic handle: These take the shape of your hand; they are relatively thick and allow a firm grip.
I personally find that I do best with a flared handle as they provide me with a better grip without the blade flying out of my hand.
Cons:
We talked about the PROS of this blade; now it’s time to talk about the CONS.
The top surface of this table isn’t as strong, and a little piece breaks off every time I take the rubber off; this is a huge disappointment as STIGA is a very well-known brand.
The second CON is that the blade is pretty stiff, which doesn’t allow for that great of a flex which is good for control but puts a little more pressure on my wrist.
The handle was pretty rough and required sanding, which is a bit of an inconvenience if you wanna start playing immediately. I would recommend you use a lighter rubber on at least one of the sides to balance the weight of the blade as it isn’t as great compared to other modern blades.
FAQs about the STIGA Clipper Classic Blade:
Is this good for European-style table tennis?
This blade is pretty popular in Asia and is used mainly for Chinese-style table tennis, but it works perfectly with European-style table tennis as well.
What kind of blade is the best?
I would recommend using the Flared handle if you are a beginner, but to be honest, all handles are pretty great, and you don’t need to worry too much about it.
Is this blade offensive or defensive?
This is a fast blade and therefore better for offensive and aggressive gameplay closer to the table. But the defensive play on this blade is pretty great too, the blocking is amazing.
Would I recommend the STIGA Clipper Classic?
This is a pretty high-quality blade with great power and speed. It is good for control as well. A blade that is good for both offensive and defensive is like a dream come true, and as it also has great value for money, I would recommend everyone buy it.
Conclusion:
In this article, I reviewed the STIGA Clipper Classic Table Tennis Blade. Writing this review took me a lot of time and money, and therefore I would appreciate it if you could share it with your friends and family. Feel free to comment on any of your doubts and queries down below.
Thank you!