Stiga Offensive CR WRB

This is a great blade: fast, very flexible, and very hard with great touch.

The flexibility gives it catapult and gears; the hardness makes it fast (and relatively lower throw).

Speed: it is fast (almost off+), but with a LOT more flex. If you have a tensor rubber, you will not need to smash; you can finish the point with a loop.

Compared to the Stiga Offensive Classic, this blade is noticeably faster, has a lower throw, and is less spinny in opening loops. Safe spinny loops are much more difficult. This blade is mostly for mid-distance looping, whereas the Offensive Classic is for close-to-table looping (with tensor rubbers).

Wang Liqin used to play with this blade when he was number 1. (but he changed the handle to make it look like a DHS blade)

Mine weighs about 89 grams, not little, which is puzzling since the blade is very thin (5.4 mm).

It has more flex than a Galaxy W6 and is easily the best looping blade I have. However, the high flex messes up my timing for hard smashes when the ball is low. Of course, you have to swing a bit slower for the flex to catch up, but you still don’t generate the speed that you do from a stiffer blade.

Control and feel for the ball are good, even very good. Blocks and chops are unbelievable with this blade. If you loop from both wings, this is a great blade to try. I have the FL handle (masters), which is only 79 grams. The FL legend handle is larger and should add some weight. If you like to flat hit and mix up the attack a bit, consider the Galaxy W1. It’s faster and a bit stiffer, but can still generate a powerful loop.

Since my earlier entry, I’ve learned how to get the most out of the flex and now smashes are plenty fast.