Stiga Defensive Classic

I tried a second-hand Def Classic for fun. Less than a week later, I bought a brand-new one! This is an excellent defensive blade for modern defense as it has all the qualities I require.

Weight: 80g
Size: 165x155

The straight handle is fantastic because it is full-wood inside, meaning the whole racket is very well balanced (not head-heavy). The size of the handle is perfect because it is just a little bit bigger than average.

This blade has a soft feel, which I appreciate a lot since I don’t like hard blades like Joo, Diode, etc. It is soft but not too flexible; I think the blade, although the feeling is soft not hard, is pretty stiff. That allows pretty good speed, and I never feel that the blade is too slow. To me, the blade is very stable but pretty fast in offensive actions.

For comparison with Stiga Defensive Wood NCT, Def Classic is significantly faster but with a similar soft touch. I tried it and adopted it right away! (BH: Vertical 20 0,5mm / FH: DNA Pro 2,1mm)

EDIT 06.2023
Comparison between Stiga Def Pro (test) and Def Classic (my regular racket), same rubbers on both.

• Speed: Pro < Classic
• Tense trajectories: Pro < Classic
• Absorbing strong topspins: Pro > Classic
• Chops with inverted: Pro > Classic
• Percussion: Pro < Classic

Pro is awesome to face powerful players since it is super stable and absorbs powertopspins like a dream. Chopping with inverted is super satisfying. But trajectories tend to be more bended, less flat, and tense than the Classic version, especially with the pimple side. Pro has less percussion in attack too.

The typical soft touch is similar between Pro and Classic, maybe more extreme on Pro. They both give you much information while contacting the ball, which is super pleasant. Stability is awesome on both, with a bonus for the Pro version. Hard choice, hard choice…

This is the best blade for ox lp chopping. It offers the softest feel I have encountered in a blade. However, there are strong vibrations near the handle, which is more than I prefer. (My Black Balsa 3 has much cleaner vibrations.) This could be due to the weight, which is 70g, which is light for this blade.

With a to5 1.9, the attacks are a little too slow and surprisingly lower throw than I’d expect. A max rubber can improve this.

In my opinion, this is a very good blade for classic defense. However, there are better options for a modern defender. Miuchi switched to Stiga Def Pro after using this, and I can understand why.

• Phil Roberts

Very good quality wood at an acceptable price. The dimensions are 165x156 and weighs 74 g with a flat handle. The cross section of the handles is rectangular with elliptical corners, so the feeling of holding is comfortable.

The handle is full and the focus is shifted to the handle so there is no feeling of heavy head. The feeling is soft and is very convenient for thin rubbers and thin sponges on the backhand side. I use ox long pips on forehand and backside is with 1.3 mm sponge, and this racket is in great balance.

It is quite easy to run defensive chop strikes at the table and at a distance from the table. They have enough power and speed for the counterattacks to hit the target and made no effort to make it clear after a long range of blows.

Over the past two years, I have tried many defensive woods, but this is the best in the general impression of the defensively all-around game.

Very recommended.

My set up: Spinlord Blitzschlag ox, Tibhar Super Defense Soft 1.3 on Stiga Defensive Classic.