New Stiga blades: Luma and i1

[rbtitco]

All these reviewers in China used special blades by WRB for reviews and I don't think the commercial version will be similar. Is Stiga waiting for WRB to become world champion to release the blade (three years from now?)

Thats what the online commentators always claim about Stigas, but they can never really prove it.

 

[defrettyy]

Anyone tried the i1 yet? I am leaning towards upgrading to it from my pure.

 

[wingman]

Anyone tried the i1 yet? I am leaning towards upgrading to it from my pure.

I'm thinking of getting it as a replacement for my Carbonado 190 with Tenergy 05. I think the blade might be a bit slower but since I am considering putting Zyre 03 on it, overall the setup may be an improvement.

 

[muhammad]

Does anyone know the composition or thickness? Stiga only mentioned the top layer.

Weight is 85 grams which is less than most blades with ayous core, which may indicate that it has a kiri core, but no confirmation. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

 

[defrettyy]

I went to the stiga store, test played it and picked one up. My initial impression is that it is way faster than advertised/specced. Clipper CR while not carbon but decently fast, feels slow in comparison. However I like the sound it makes, very clicky and it has just the right amount of vibration I feel. Mine weighed in at 87g (the lowest they had in the store).

 

[Scarfed Garchomp]

I went to the stiga store, test played it and picked one up. My initial impression is that it is way faster than advertised/specced. Clipper CR while not carbon but decently fast, feels slow in comparison. However I like the sound it makes, very clicky and it has just the right amount of vibration I feel. Mine weighed in at 87g (the lowest they had in the store).

Any comparison to conventional outer blades like Viscaria? Stigas graph rates it on speed scale under Aura and Cybershape Carbon which are both inner, but above Carbonado 45 and Destiny

 

[kindof99]

Anyone tried the cybershape I1? Tempting to get one.

 

[defrettyy]

Any comparison to conventional outer blades like Viscaria? Stigas graph rates it on speed scale under Aura and Cybershape Carbon which are both inner, but above Carbonado 45 and Destiny

I only have a FZD ALC to compare with, not Viscaria.
Testing them with same rubbers (D05) I have a hard time telling which of them is faster actually. They feel massively different in that the FZD is way more ”solid” while the I1 feels crisp at immediate impact but then it dampens and feels ”hollow”, I don’t know yet if I dig that or not. I also have a Harimoto ALC and feel that the top end in say loop to loop exchanges I have to get way more physical with H ALC but FZD and I1 pretty same.
I am torn between going back to my FZD or stay with the I1 cause i feel they both have pros and cons and right now the handle shape is what tips the scale for the I1 for me (really like the master concave).

 

[defrettyy]

Okay so now I have played everyday with the I1 for six days and compared it between sessions and some alterations during sessions to FZD/Viscaria and now also Boll ALC (got one the other day from a friend). The I1 in my opinion is very uneven and unpredictable when and how much carbon kick you will get compared to ALC. Going back to ALC again.

 

[Scarfed Garchomp]

Okay so now I have played everyday with the I1 for six days and compared it between sessions and some alterations during sessions to FZD/Viscaria and now also Boll ALC (got one the other day from a friend). The I1 in my opinion is very uneven and unpredictable when and how much carbon kick you will get compared to ALC. Going back to ALC again.

Have you tried the Destiny Carbon by chance? I felt it was a very predictable blade with outer fiber behavior, like a tempered Dynasty. Slower than Viscaria type blades imo but not by too much, it might be a good option if you like the Master flared style

 

[shinshiro]

Have you tried the Destiny Carbon by chance? I felt it was a very predictable blade with outer fiber behavior, like a tempered Dynasty. Slower than Viscaria type blades imo but not by too much, it might be a good option if you like the Master flared style

Sorry to deviate the thread a bit, but can you tell how is the feeling of Destiny Carbon? I mean, the ball feedback.
Is it easier to feel the ball than the typical outer carbons like Viscaria?

The first thing that I noticed when I first tried a carbon blade (Ovtcharov True Carbon), was the lack of feeling, since I had played only with 5 plies back then. So an outer blade with good feeling is something that I'm kind of looking for

 

[Scarfed Garchomp]

Sorry to deviate the thread a bit, but can you tell how is the feeling of Destiny Carbon? I mean, the ball feedback.
Is it easier to feel the ball than the typical outer carbons like Viscaria?

The first thing that I noticed when I first tried a carbon blade (Ovtcharov True Carbon), was the lack of feeling, since I had played only with 5 plies back then. So an outer blade with good feeling is something that I'm kind of looking for

Its a little pingy and metallic because it is an outer with thin surface plies but its not numb like ALC blades. The feeling is pretty good for a fiber blade

 

[steve888]

Sorry to deviate the thread a bit, but can you tell how is the feeling of Destiny Carbon? I mean, the ball feedback.
Is it easier to feel the ball than the typical outer carbons like Viscaria?

The first thing that I noticed when I first tried a carbon blade (Ovtcharov True Carbon), was the lack of feeling, since I had played only with 5 plies back then. So an outer blade with good feeling is something that I'm kind of looking for

The other blade for an outer carbon is the Butterfly Marcos Freitas ALC. It has good feeling for a carbon blade (limba outer) it is a little slower than FZD ALC.

 

[defrettyy]

Have you tried the Destiny Carbon by chance? I felt it was a very predictable blade with outer fiber behavior, like a tempered Dynasty. Slower than Viscaria type blades imo but not by too much, it might be a good option if you like the Master flared style

Have not unfortunately… might try it the next time I am close to the stiga store

 

[joshmak10]

Is there any way to buy the Luma?

 

[kindof99]

Okay so now I have played everyday with the I1 for six days and compared it between sessions and some alterations during sessions to FZD/Viscaria and now also Boll ALC (got one the other day from a friend). The I1 in my opinion is very uneven and unpredictable when and how much carbon kick you will get compared to ALC. Going back to ALC again.

sounds quite different from what Stiga advertised. It is supposed to be a blade that is easy to play with. And should be quite linear. I don't see how Stiga is going to sell these blades well by the way they market them. Hire someone that was fired by BTY and they will do a better job in marketing.

 

[Saiph]

Is there any way to buy the Luma?

Is it out already? I'm also waiting for its release

 

[The0rigina1]

Is there any way to buy the Luma?

not out

 

[wingman]

OK. So, I bought the I1 and put Zyre 03 at 2.7mm on both sides. Played with it today for the first time. Here's my impressions after one day of playing and doing drills. Keep in mind that I'm comparing this to my old setup which was the Carbonado 190 with Tenergy 05 and 64. Both blades have Limba outer ply and Textreme fiber, but the I1 adds Innegra to the Textreme. Was expecting not too much difference, but there was. I think the I1 is ever so slightly thinner which makes the stiffer Carbonado feel less flexible and not as capable for topspin. The Carbonado feels solid and is good for smash and hard counters and blocking at the table. First off, the I1 racket feels a little lighter in weight. The I1 supposedly weighs 85 grams and the Carbonado 90. But the Zyre sponge is thicker, so I didn't know what to expect. It feels light and nimble. Then I bounced the ball and the sound was a higher frequency. The rebound felt crisp. The Carbonado feels dull in comparison. The handle feels a little smaller than the Carbonado which seems a little thicker. Wasn't sure I liked that at first, but when playing, I found that I was using my fingers more to grip the blade and relying less on the palm of my hand. Smaller handles allow for easier adjustments to the grip for forehand and backhand, so I was ok with this. This may be due to variations in specific blades, I don't know. The ball came off the racket fast but direct and controllable. The biggest difference I noticed was in my forehand loop. When I fully engaged my swing, it felt like there was a little flex to the blade and it complimented the rubber nicely. I had more confidence in my loop and it seemed like I could loop everything onto the table. Backhand was good, but not as dramatic as the forehand. Probably because the swing is bigger on the forehand. Some people say that Stiga blades seem hollow and I can see that. I don't find that a problem and suspect that it may due the way they flex. Overall, I see this a huge step up from my old setup. Since I changed both blade and rubber, it is hard to say how much is due to the blade and how much the rubber. But when fully engaged, this does seem like a pretty fast and controllable blade. The Carbonado is a fast but stiff blade. This one just feels more dynamic.