Stiga Genesis S

Tested Genesis S 2.0mm on Stiga Infinity and Stiga Celero for 6 sessions of 2-2,5 hr.

Some reviewers mention the slight tackiness , but to be honest, I didn't notice this at all. This rubber is promoted as a CHN/EUR rubber, but it didn't feel that way to me. I even prefer prefer soft rubbers, the Genesis S didn't feel too hard for me. According to Stiga's catalog, the Genesis S should be a fairly fast rubber, however it's actually not. The 2 key major pro's are the control and spin which this rubber can generate. The S is not very sensitive for incoming spin and you block without much effort. Especially aggressive blocks where fun to do.

The Celero blade is an OFF- all wood blade and offers a lot of control. Putting Genesis S on the Celero, gives you a perfect blade for pushing and blocking. But the lack of speed is a major concern for me. I had to put a lot of effort in my strokes to generate speed. So much even, that after the first session, my arm/elbow hurt. Playing for more than 25 years , this was a first for me.

Genesis S on the Infinity felt more comfortable to me. Although the Infinity is not a speed-monster, it's faster than the Celero for sure. Like with the Celero, pushes and blocks where easy to do. The most issue I have, is playing topspin. It still feels like I'm missing speed and have to force my arm movement to generate enough speed. Smashing however is not a problem at all. After some time , I came to the conclusion it's not the speed I'missing, but the catapult. The Genesis S is not bouncy at all and has no catapult effect. Coming from Acuda Blue P2 , it's a big difference.

At this point not sure if I will continue using the Genesis S. Honestly, I want to use it as I really like the control of this rubber. Especially the ease of playing topspin over topspin is amazing. The lack of catapult, which I am used to, is the only thing making me doubt.

Normally I don't like Stiga rubbers and found the airoc to be disappointing however it finally looks like stiga have come up with a very good offensive rubber. It's not as fast as tenergy 05/64 and just a tad less spinny but I find it to have more control. I really like blocking with this rubber as it soaks incoming spin up well. I'd definitely recommend it for players that find tenergy slightly too fast and want a bit more control without compromising on spin any great deal. Overall a great product from stiga I just hope they continue producing rubbers like this instead of the pretty poor airoc and Calibra tour series.

STIGA Genesis S Rubber
Weight: 66 grams uncut, 42.5 grams uncut
Sponge Hardness: 45°
Hardness: Medium
Speed: Medium
Spin: High
Blade used: STIGA Carbonado 90 and STIGA Infinity blade (Dan), STIGA Hybrid NCT Wood blade (Tom)


Written Review

Read the full written review of the Genesis here.

We found the soft version was slightly better when taking the ball late, helping pick up low balls with lots of rotation. The flight path of the ball that this rubber creates stays low, allowing for control even when going for maximum power. This helps in situations under pressure when you need to active block.

The soft version produces a loud clicky sound which me and tom both liked. It gives you confidence in your strokes and you can feel the ball sink into the sponge.

Having used Chinese DHS Hurricane Neo 3 (Provincial ) on my forehand i have experimented with lots of euro rubbers on my backhand-usually Stiga rubbers such as Calibra and Airoc types to varying successes. However in search of my perfect combo and yes i will admit to being an equipment junkie i was intrigues to see a Chinese/Euro rubber on the market that i wanted to try.

The attraction i thought was to try a top sheet that i could boost with Haifu oil i had been using on my DHS Husrricane 3 Neo -blue sponge to great effect.Euro rubbers don't work well with Haifu so i have been boosting with Pang vulcanized rubber glue on the euro ones i mention above which is fine but short lived as the con of such treatment. I couldnt find any info online from anyone trying the Haifu on this new rubber so i thought id share my experience with you on here.

Firstly i bought the 2,2mm red S version as i prefer to play with a softer rubber on my backhand for spin and blocking but i have yearned for mre power when punching/smashing from my backhand side-a holy grail to have all these traits i hear you say.

The top sheet was definately Chinese on inspection of its characteristics. The protective film on the sheet is similar to DHS one- the feel although not super tacky has a similar feel and it has a firmness that is unmistakably Chinese in its production. The euro / Jap rubbers especially Butterfly last in my opinion/experience about 3-4 months if practising and playing regularly every week- far too short in my opinion for a £50 a sheet item. My DHS by comparison has not chipped or split over the last 4 months after putting 3 layers of oil on the sponge and playing 4-5 times per week, so durability is a consideration to me.

Now i had a choice, do i use the safer 'vulcanized' rubber glue as a short speed glue effect or go for the same Haifu oil treatment i give my DHS Hurricane Neo 3 Rubbers. My brain said go for it!

A layer of white copydex, dried then a thin layer of Haifu followed. 6 hours drying later no doming occurred- not unusual in itself i reassured myself.

Another thin layer of Haifu later and doming occurred- about 3 inches or so. Great i thought its reacting like a Chinese rubber should

Another layer applied and 24 hours later blade meets rubber- great

I couldnt get to the training venue quick enough- i was like a kid on Xmas eve.

2 hours of practice with a very good looper as my sparring partner and these are my findings-

Spin- Very Very Spinny- serving looping and applying backspin was so easy with this rubber. You have to brush contact well to get the best out of this......
If opening on my backhand from 3/4 length underspin i found backhand looping really good as the arc was nice and low and i could apply some pace to the ball knowing the topspin would land it where i wanted at the other end.

Speed- Fast i mean as fast as Tenergy 05 - which i have used before. My partner on the other side stated without prompting that he noticed a difference in my power and speed of my backhand smashes or punch blocks. Great i thought.

Blocking- I love nothing more than to block on my backhand whether as a defensive block or my preferred weapon to block in an attacking way using the pace of the opponent against them
This rubber was better than my Airoc Astro S or Calibra Tour S for this technique in my opinion. Consistently my opponent looped with pace at my backhand and i would with some control move the ball around the table at will and with some pace to win points.

I use an OSP Ultimate 3CRW blade which has a large sweet spot and with these rubbers in my opinion i have found my perfect combination of blade/rubbers/my offensive style.

Any questions please PM me.
Mark

After reading some reviews about this rubber I decided to try out the 2.2mm Genesis S to replace my Tenergy 80FX (BH)
My initial feeling on this rubber sheet is not great. This rubber is very very slow and with a hard surface even tough I went for the soft version!
There's almost "no spring" into it and the speed and power are really not there. On the other hand this rubber feels OK (control wise) and its surface produces good spin.

Some people were saying this could be Tenergy "alternative" but reality it couldn't be further out from the truth...

I don't recommend this rubber for any decent skilled offensive player.

Stiga Genesis S
Weight: 63 grams
Thickness: 2.0mm
Speed: Off

Firstly I just want to compare the Gensis S rubber against the Genesis M or similar rubbers which have the same rubber characteristics to the Genesis series. Both rubbers are lightly tacky and not ridiculously tacky like other tacky rubbers out there. The topsheet could pass as a euro topsheet on first look although it is a Chinese topsheet. I have seen a lot of Chinese rubber topsheets however the Genesis has the best quality Chinese topsheet I have seen on the market. It is even better quality than rubbers such as the Haifu which I have tested before. Someone has commented already that these rubbers have been made by DHS and are similar to the Tin Arc series by DHS. However it seems to me the Genesis rubber is a few notches higher in quality and performance because I have tried the Tin Arc previously and it definitely feels more responsive. The marks where the sponge is cut is a giveaway on who made and produced the rubbers. The sponge are more porous than the DHS Hurricane rubbers. The pores on the Genesis are larger. Between the two sponges the Genesis S is 45 degrees and the Genesis M rubber is 47 degrees. The topsheet on both of the Genesis are medium to soft and not as hard as the DHS Hurricane rubbers.

Speed

The Genesis S 2.0 is fast. The M version is fast and bouncy and feels similar to a Euro rubber instead of a Chinese rubber. In comparison to other Stiga rubbers the Genesis seems as fast as a Calibra LT Sound but with a harder feeling. The M version of the Genesis series is definitely faster than Calibra Spin. Comparing the Genesis against other brands the Genesis S and M are both faster than the DHS Tin Arc rubbers and I would put the speed on similar levels to the Donic Acuda S2. I think the Genesis is faster than the Acuda S2 but slower than the Airoc Astro or Tibhar Evolution MX-P for example.

Spin

Out of all the modern rubbers by Stiga this is the spiniest I have ever tried. The S version has a low arc when spinning and the M version has a higher arc. Both produce a long trajectory. Comparing the spin produced on the Genesis to other brands I would say the Genesis M is a bit lower in spin to a Hurricane 3 or Tenergy 05 however it is as spinny as MX-P or Joola rubbers like the Rhyzm. I have played with the Tin Arc rubbers and the M version and to some extent the S version are a notch higher in spin. The top sheets on the Genesis feel more 'grippy' than 'tacky'. The S version can be spinny but requires more dig and bite into the sponge to produce high levels of spin. The M version requires minimal brush and will produce a great amount of spin. The Genesis series have a lesser sensitivity to spin in comparison to other Chinese and Euro rubbers.

Overall performance

Overall, I think it is a good move by Stiga to produce fantastic rubbers like the Genesis. Both the S and M version are good for smashing but the S does seem more suited for hard carbon blades. The S version I was a bit picky on what to use it with, it works very well close to the table. Whilst many people like having Chinese type rubbers on the forehand I prefer the S version on my backhand because it makes blocking and punch blocks with ease. The Genesis S is very controllable and great for touch and drop shots as expected with the Chinese based rubber.

I will try to review the 2.1 version in the near future because I would like to feel the rubbers speed at is fullest. I would also be interested if Stiga would try using the sponge from Airoc and the topsheet of the Genesis, this would be one complete rubber for attacking and spinning. The airoc sponge itself is a super sponge that is very fast but light at the same time.

If we compare the Genesis rubber to the Butterfly Tenergy 05 I would say, it's still a few notches below but the m version is already fast at 2.0mm. Spin is greater than some ESN rubbers but lower than T05.

Pictures from the Review: