First off, some background, so you the review it with a pinch of salt if you disagree:
I’m an amateur player with a soft and bouncy balsa 5-ply blade with Mark V max sponge on both sides. My game is heavily spin-oriented with equal emphasis on backhand and forehand.
I tested the rubber when my coach recently got it pasted on his stiff Yasaka carbon blade. I made the following observations.
Spin:
The rubber is insanely spinny. As in, very, very spinny. The spin I could impart on my serves was arguably greater than what I’d managed when testing an Andro Rasant, and by a noticeable margin. The rubber surface doesn’t have any tack, and is instead quite grippy.
However, it also seemed to be very insensitive to incoming spin. This made passive blocking a bit of a chore for me, since I come from the more spin sensitive Mark V, where I keep a more closed bat angle to block topspins. On the other hand, receiving spinny serves was like a dream in comparison, even when compared to the controlled Skyline 3-60 or the Andro Rasant. With some bat angle changes and a bit more activity while blocking, it became extremely easy and consistent. I almost couldn’t tell the difference with each passing topsin from a short-pips rubber.
The spin when topspinning was incredible. In this department, I felt the Andro Rasant had an edge, but not by much. When brushing the ball, the Mantra produced a much higher amount of spin, but slightly less so when compressing the sponge. However, it was still a significant step-up from the amount I could produce with a soft blade + Mark V setup, so I guess that says something.
Speed:
The rubber is very fast, and the ball flew off the bat like a bullet. I don’t think I need to say much here. The M version was about as fast as the Andro Rasant, perhaps slightly slower. The Rasant performed far better when smashing, however. On low loop-drives, the speed of the rubber was greater than a Skyline 3-60 with a full-body stroke. But despite this, the most surprising aspect was the huge amount of control I had playing with the rubber, due to the lack of a pronounced catapult that is present in the few ESN rubbers that I’ve tried.
Control:
As mentioned, the rubber shone here. Not only were my serves and pushes much, much, much more controlled than with any other of the mentioned rubbers that I’ve tried, the rubber was also extraordinarily accurate. The low flight arc of the ball was quite disturbing at the start, but this didn’t adversely affect the gameplay for anyone but my opponents, who were shocked to see the ball dip low and flat almost as if it were a very fast floater. Oftentimes, I thought that I was going to overshoot the table, used to the greater arc of my own setup, especially on higher power shots, but despite coming from a much slower set-up, my shot accuracy was actually far greater.
Conclusion:
An extremely spinny, quick but simultaneously controlled rubber from Stiga, with a low ball arc and admittedly very pleasant aesthetics. The latter was what sold me on ceasing my research into a rubber upgrade for when I purchase my next setup. The rubber topsheet is firm - but easily breakable and nowhere half as sturdy as a Mark V or Rasant - with a creamy and smooth texture, and appealing logo and branding text.
Overall, a definite must-try. Also, my coach says that the rubber lasts him 6 months if he doesn’t bang it anywhere, and this is with coaching, tournaments, etc. I suppose the high proportion of natural rubber in the topsheet means the grip lasts a long time, though the creamy aesthetics, unfortunately, don’t.
I’m an amateur player with a soft and bouncy balsa 5-ply blade with Mark V max sponge on both sides. My game is heavily spin-oriented with equal emphasis on backhand and forehand.
I tested the rubber when my coach recently got it pasted on his stiff Yasaka carbon blade. I made the following observations.
Spin:
The rubber is insanely spinny. As in, very, very spinny. The spin I could impart on my serves was arguably greater than what I’d managed when testing an Andro Rasant, and by a noticeable margin. The rubber surface doesn’t have any tack, and is instead quite grippy.
However, it also seemed to be very insensitive to incoming spin. This made passive blocking a bit of a chore for me, since I come from the more spin sensitive Mark V, where I keep a more closed bat angle to block topspins. On the other hand, receiving spinny serves was like a dream in comparison, even when compared to the controlled Skyline 3-60 or the Andro Rasant. With some bat angle changes and a bit more activity while blocking, it became extremely easy and consistent. I almost couldn’t tell the difference with each passing topsin from a short-pips rubber.
The spin when topspinning was incredible. In this department, I felt the Andro Rasant had an edge, but not by much. When brushing the ball, the Mantra produced a much higher amount of spin, but slightly less so when compressing the sponge. However, it was still a significant step-up from the amount I could produce with a soft blade + Mark V setup, so I guess that says something.
Speed:
The rubber is very fast, and the ball flew off the bat like a bullet. I don’t think I need to say much here. The M version was about as fast as the Andro Rasant, perhaps slightly slower. The Rasant performed far better when smashing, however. On low loop-drives, the speed of the rubber was greater than a Skyline 3-60 with a full-body stroke. But despite this, the most surprising aspect was the huge amount of control I had playing with the rubber, due to the lack of a pronounced catapult that is present in the few ESN rubbers that I’ve tried.
Control:
As mentioned, the rubber shone here. Not only were my serves and pushes much, much, much more controlled than with any other of the mentioned rubbers that I’ve tried, the rubber was also extraordinarily accurate. The low flight arc of the ball was quite disturbing at the start, but this didn’t adversely affect the gameplay for anyone but my opponents, who were shocked to see the ball dip low and flat almost as if it were a very fast floater. Oftentimes, I thought that I was going to overshoot the table, used to the greater arc of my own setup, especially on higher power shots, but despite coming from a much slower set-up, my shot accuracy was actually far greater.
Conclusion:
An extremely spinny, quick but simultaneously controlled rubber from Stiga, with a low ball arc and admittedly very pleasant aesthetics. The latter was what sold me on ceasing my research into a rubber upgrade for when I purchase my next setup. The rubber topsheet is firm - but easily breakable and nowhere half as sturdy as a Mark V or Rasant - with a creamy and smooth texture, and appealing logo and branding text.
Overall, a definite must-try. Also, my coach says that the rubber lasts him 6 months if he doesn’t bang it anywhere, and this is with coaching, tournaments, etc. I suppose the high proportion of natural rubber in the topsheet means the grip lasts a long time, though the creamy aesthetics, unfortunately, don’t.
