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Stiga Arctic Wood
Weight: 85 grams (legend flared)
Thickness: 6.04mm
Head Size: 150x157mm
Surface Hardness: Medium Stiff
Speed: OFF
The Arctic wood is the last blade released out of the 7 newest blades by Stiga. The Arctic wood or should I say AW, has a new outer wood ply material that is not used by Stiga compared to the blade designs it had in the past. With Stiga, it is usually walnut and limba outer plies with treatments on the outer plies to make them stiff or any other characteristic for a blade Stiga wants it to be. I was really having a hard time looking for info on what an Arctic wood is. I cannot find any online. The top plies which Stiga calls Arctic wood looks like a white ash wood but it has narrower white lines in it so it is not white ash but probably belonging to the same species or genus.
The AW has a medium stiff feel. When I bounced the ball on the blade, it had a medium-pitched sound. The top plies have a very thin varnish on it but I do advise people to seal the blade lightly. When I removed the rubbers, the varnished part seems to have disappeared. I have not experienced any splintering as of the moment when I changed rubbers during testing. The AW is very light. The legend flared is only 85 grams and it could be lighter by 2-3 grams if it is in master flared handle.
I used the Mantra M, H and Globe 999 rubbers for testing. Even with the Globe 999 on one side, the whole racket is not head heavy and it is still light. Stiga rated this to be slightly faster than the Eternity VPS but it seems to be just a notch slower. The difference in speed between the 2 blades is noticeable but the gap is not the much. If I compare it to other blades, the AW is faster than the Korbel, Primorac off- and Infinity VPS but it is slower than the Stratus Powerwood, Mazunov, Rosewood V and Ebenholz V blades. The AW offers a new feel among 5-ply Stiga blades wherein it feels different and there is this special feel, balance of speed and flex plus the good amount of looping you can get from the blade. It almost felt like a Violin or a Yinhe E-4 blade but it has this softness or flex when you are looping with it that felt good and easy looping. The Infinity VPS is a very good blade but the feel becomes common considering that there are a multitude of blades with the same construction in the market today. It was a good idea that Stiga decided to use a new type of outer ply for its blade. The blade is a looper’s dream blade. Near the table and above the table, loop drives are easy to perform. The blade is good up to mid-distance with a Chinese rubber. With the Mantra H , you can go as far as maybe 8 feet from the table. Blocking is good as the AW is a very stable blade to block with. Drop shots and short pushes are also a walk in the park with the AW since the blade is very easy to control. Smashes are above average but if you want to maximize smashing with the Arctic wood, I suggest you get a medium to medium hard non-Chinese rubber with it. Playability wise, even beginners can use this blade with slower rubbers and will have no problem developing their strokes. The difference between this and the Stratus Powerwood is that the AW offers more control and is more forgiving on shots especially when attacking. The SPW is really not for beginners. I would pick the AW over the SPW since the speed difference is not that big but the former offers better control and better looping against underspin. It is good for all types of styles from all-around players who blocks, do drop shots and attack to pure attackers and loopers.
This blade is the most balanced blade I have tried among Stiga’s blades because it does not feel too stiff yet it has plenty of flex to loop. The speed is already fast at OFF but control is also balanced and the blade is very forgiving. It is also a light blade.
Weight: 85 grams (legend flared)
Thickness: 6.04mm
Head Size: 150x157mm
Surface Hardness: Medium Stiff
Speed: OFF
The Arctic wood is the last blade released out of the 7 newest blades by Stiga. The Arctic wood or should I say AW, has a new outer wood ply material that is not used by Stiga compared to the blade designs it had in the past. With Stiga, it is usually walnut and limba outer plies with treatments on the outer plies to make them stiff or any other characteristic for a blade Stiga wants it to be. I was really having a hard time looking for info on what an Arctic wood is. I cannot find any online. The top plies which Stiga calls Arctic wood looks like a white ash wood but it has narrower white lines in it so it is not white ash but probably belonging to the same species or genus.
The AW has a medium stiff feel. When I bounced the ball on the blade, it had a medium-pitched sound. The top plies have a very thin varnish on it but I do advise people to seal the blade lightly. When I removed the rubbers, the varnished part seems to have disappeared. I have not experienced any splintering as of the moment when I changed rubbers during testing. The AW is very light. The legend flared is only 85 grams and it could be lighter by 2-3 grams if it is in master flared handle.
I used the Mantra M, H and Globe 999 rubbers for testing. Even with the Globe 999 on one side, the whole racket is not head heavy and it is still light. Stiga rated this to be slightly faster than the Eternity VPS but it seems to be just a notch slower. The difference in speed between the 2 blades is noticeable but the gap is not the much. If I compare it to other blades, the AW is faster than the Korbel, Primorac off- and Infinity VPS but it is slower than the Stratus Powerwood, Mazunov, Rosewood V and Ebenholz V blades. The AW offers a new feel among 5-ply Stiga blades wherein it feels different and there is this special feel, balance of speed and flex plus the good amount of looping you can get from the blade. It almost felt like a Violin or a Yinhe E-4 blade but it has this softness or flex when you are looping with it that felt good and easy looping. The Infinity VPS is a very good blade but the feel becomes common considering that there are a multitude of blades with the same construction in the market today. It was a good idea that Stiga decided to use a new type of outer ply for its blade. The blade is a looper’s dream blade. Near the table and above the table, loop drives are easy to perform. The blade is good up to mid-distance with a Chinese rubber. With the Mantra H , you can go as far as maybe 8 feet from the table. Blocking is good as the AW is a very stable blade to block with. Drop shots and short pushes are also a walk in the park with the AW since the blade is very easy to control. Smashes are above average but if you want to maximize smashing with the Arctic wood, I suggest you get a medium to medium hard non-Chinese rubber with it. Playability wise, even beginners can use this blade with slower rubbers and will have no problem developing their strokes. The difference between this and the Stratus Powerwood is that the AW offers more control and is more forgiving on shots especially when attacking. The SPW is really not for beginners. I would pick the AW over the SPW since the speed difference is not that big but the former offers better control and better looping against underspin. It is good for all types of styles from all-around players who blocks, do drop shots and attack to pure attackers and loopers.
This blade is the most balanced blade I have tried among Stiga’s blades because it does not feel too stiff yet it has plenty of flex to loop. The speed is already fast at OFF but control is also balanced and the blade is very forgiving. It is also a light blade.
