Stiga Rosewood NCT VII

I’m fed up with this as it is weighty! and not fast as marketing words.

I have been using this blade for three years. It is not an off+ blade but falls in the middle of the off range at most. It is slower than the Kenta ALC (86 grams), for example. I have two samples weighing 87 and 88 grams, and they play the same. It pairs well with medium-hard, high-tension rubbers. However, it does not perform as well with rubbers softer than 45 degrees. This, of course, is a personal preference.

The blade produces a long trajectory and a medium throw angle. Depending on the rubber used, it can work well from all distances. However, I find it performs best one step behind the table. It has a distinct hollow feeling, which is fantastic and inspires confidence for all types of shots. It is stiff and hardly flexes even during high-power shots. The surface veneer is medium-hard.

I am an amateur veteran who has been playing table tennis for 30 years. I am an (old-school) forehand-dominant offensive player. I play an all-out attack when I’m not tired and a more all-around style nowadays. This blade supports both these strategies well.

Rosewood can vary a lot in weight, which also determines how it plays. This review is for the SRW NCT7 blade with a weight of 87g and a thickness of 6.1mm with a straight handle. This is a great blade with a really good feel and high control. It excels in topspin, loops, and counter-looping. In fact, it’s above average for all other types of play. The overall feeling is not so hard, and it has a great flex when needed.

The throw is beautiful, I would say medium to high, and the ball trajectory is perfect, just landing on the last 20% of the table all the time. The blade is slightly head-heavy with max rubber on, a bit like the Timo Boll Spirit, but this actually packs power to your shot, especially topspin, which becomes more aggressive due to that weight. Overall, this is one of the best 7-ply all-wood blades I have played with.

However, I never liked the heavy ones over 95g, which are too stiff and have too much power and not good enough control.

The best there is. And a real beauty too.

This is a very powerful blade if the player has the strength and power to control it. Dwell time is very short unless hitting with extreme power and correct stroke. In the era of the big plastic ball, this blade can loop and provide decent support.

I have been using this blade for two years now with Fastarcs Airoc Astro and finally the Gewo hype xt pro. It is a very balanced off/off+ blade. Mid-stiffness and hardness, great speed, great control, and very nice feeling (the vibration everyone is talking about).

You can play a very spiny short game and easily topspin the first ball available. When the rally is on, you can place the ball extremely well while maintaining a good pace. Looping is relatively easy, blocking is as easy as it can get for a 7-ply, and a smash can be pretty fast but not exactly deadly.

Combined with harder rubbers, it will give you the hitting power, but placement should become more difficult. It is a forgiving blade if you consider its speed, but I wouldn’t say it has a huge sweet spot, neither a tiny one.

All in all, a great all-wood blade for an offensive player who usually is on the attack, but can also score some points with smart placement during the game.

This blade is very classical and fast. I tried it for one week with both sides using Tenergy 25. The speed and control are amazing. This is a very good blade for close and mid-close to the table play.

Reviewing the penhold version. The blade is of very premium quality. However, it has a lot of vibration when hitting the ball. The handle is very big, which players with large hands might prefer. The ball trajectory during a loop is low. The blade is on the heavier side, with mine weighing 98 grams. Adjustments might be needed for a more optimal setup.

Using this blade for 3 months, I found that it pairs well with Prasidha Tokyo and Tenergy 80 for backhand, and Tibhar 1Q Sound for forehand.

I love the vibration when using this blade, especially when hitting the ball.

It is great for looping the ball and is suitable for both close and middle play.

Speed and control are good sensations.

I used it with Mark V (max) on both sides. It has such powerful speed and nice control far from the table. The loop and spin are nice too. Blocking is difficult because I didn’t use the proper rubber for it. Overall, it is an amazing blade, especially considering I only got it for $95 US from pingis.se when it was on discount at that time. It sounds like a carbon blade. Some cheaper blades have more spin than this, such as the DHS PG-7. Anyway, I love it so much!

Very nice blade! Awesome in balance of speed and control. Good in every aspect, well balanced.

Well, it’s the best blade I have ever had. It provides excellent control and speed. Not only can I loop easily, but I can also increase the power of my spin when looping. The blade is well-suited for the modern game, allowing for effective topspin against topspin play. I am very grateful to Stiga for creating this excellent blade.

Tremendous speed and good control excel away from the table with high precision. Countering is not at its best, but loops much better than any composite Butterfly blade. Amazing if you want to play table tennis with enjoyment.