Authentic Stiga Blade from China?

[Ella Christina Fong]

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the forum but have been reading and browsing some of the many articles on this site. I'm loving it!
I'm fairly new to table tennis and a friend of mine recently just bought me a stiga blade with 2 sides of rubber. Paid a good amount for this.
Based on this forum's expertise, is does this look like the real deal? It has the laser sticker on the back of the handle.
The wrapper and the box is gone for luggage space..

Side serial code is 9992190740780412.
I play penhold - as I've played like this since small Thanks~~
Ella

 

[zeio]

Try peeling the rubber off and if you get the following, then you're good.

 

[Ella Christina Fong]

Ouch. So much for ruining your blade.
Next time try lacquering. Also peel from left to right?

 

[lasta]

I don't remember seeing a serial or a sticker like that on my OC or Clipper...but I haven't bought a Stiga blade in a few years.

Looks well made enough, should play fine. Why give yourself something extra to worry about?

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Ouch. So much for ruining your blade.
Next time try lacquering. Also peel from left to right?

You probably missed some comments that were on different brands and when Stiga came up, there were comments about how Stiga quality can sometimes be a little, well, poor.

Here is one post from Zeio. Those are not his blades. Stiga is known for blades that delaminate and have problems like the ones he is showing. There are other photos in other posts as well.

People in China have come to consider the following as mild and proof of a genuine product from Stiga since knockoffs have trouble copying that. This has gained them the nickname 拉絲卡(brushed card) since it rhymes with 斯帝卡(Stiga).

https://tieba.baidu.com/p/6364090800?red_tag=0635168147

Moderate

Severe

For whatever reason, the casualty is especially high for Dynasty Carbon. Many in China have bought it brand new from Japan and claim the top ply is thin like paper.

https://tieba.baidu.com/p/6362617763?red_tag=1477484377

Brand new, untouched.
https://tieba.baidu.com/p/6255950652?red_tag=2946068672

And folks in China use the slang term 浪(wave) to describe XX's game...
https://tieba.baidu.com/p/6408050643?red_tag=3211197172

The Japanese distributor is nice enough to slip in a leaflet advising the owner to seal it and the poster humored the "request", only for this to happen during application...
https://tieba.baidu.com/p/6286241212?red_tag=3510339083

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Read this thread:

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/showthread.php?22867-Best-Brand-Over-all

Starting around page 3 some of us start showing photos of how Stiga equipment sometimes falls apart or the plies delaminate.

Not always. But sometimes. And it is not something that happens with other brands and even with counterfeits.

So, I would say, play the blade. If it feels good to you, don't think about it any more.

 

[darucla]

What blade is it supposed to be, apart from CR.

 

[ttarc]

Read this thread:

// can't post links //

Starting around page 3 some of us start showing photos of how Stiga equipment sometimes falls apart or the plies delaminate.

Not always. But sometimes. And it is not something that happens with other brands and even with counterfeits.

So, I would say, play the blade. If it feels good to you, don't think about it any more.

Little bit OT but might be helpful:
Since this happened to one of my blades too I simply switched back to what I used/did in the good old speedglue era: Sanding the blades with P400 sandpaper and using normal, non-water based (speed-)glue on the blade and WBG on the rubbers (if I don't want the speedglue effect ). Never had any problems again.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Little bit OT but might be helpful:
Since this happened to one of my blades too I simply switched back to what I used/did in the good old speedglue era: Sanding the blades with P400 sandpaper and using normal, non-water based (speed-)glue on the blade and WBG on the rubbers (if I don't want the speedglue effect ). Never had any problems again.

Do you really think that would have any beneficial effect on that wave blade Zeio showed:

And folks in China use the slang term 浪(wave) to describe XX's game...
https://tieba.baidu.com/p/6408050643?red_tag=3211197172

Or, how about this fresh out of the box?

[/QU

 

[Ella Christina Fong]

Thanks for all the informative pics and comments. Guess with stiga blades, lacquering would be the way to go.
I feel like this has kinda went off a tangent from if the blade I'm presenting is authentic to stiga blade defects. The only reason I ask again is because I paid a hefty price for this and I am not able to verify it if it's real or not. I know there are a lot of fakes especially with the new rosewood and butterfly blades. (carbonade /viscaria /zhangjike)

My friend said when he bought the blade it was air tight sealed in a wrap and displayed in the store. The boxes were at the back and the store and the blade was just kinda put into it like a present box. Any China / Asia table tennis experts here that can verify this?

Based on the shape and the layers, idk, your experience, does this look right? The handle pattern seems to be a bit off?

I've also come upon a Stiga China authenticating system. Shame that I don't have the scratch and win sticker label.


Many thanks!

 

[Ella Christina Fong]

Stiga Offensive CR Penhold

 

[lasta]

Sorry to break it to you.

Just searched your serial on stigasports.cn (http://business.yesno.com.cn/Customer/Fac9053/DigitCodeQuery.html)

"The serial you have searched does not exist. Beware of counterfeits. You can try again at a later time, or call the service hotline 021-26095599".

That being said, the composition looks correct (limba-Spruce-ayous) and worksmanship is actually better than most Stiga blades. Why worry?

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

The only reason I ask again is because I paid a hefty price for this and I am not able to verify it if it's real or not.

Why would you have paid a hefty price. That is a fairly inexpensive blade. Isn't it? Stiga Offensive CR.

How long have you had it. How did the writing on the wings wear off. It is not all that easy for that writing to fade from just play.

Any chance you can take the rubbers off and show the blade face on both sides and some of the edge on the blade face?

 

[zeio]

Thanks for all the informative pics and comments. Guess with stiga blades, lacquering would be the way to go.
I feel like this has kinda went off a tangent from if the blade I'm presenting is authentic to stiga blade defects. The only reason I ask again is because I paid a hefty price for this and I am not able to verify it if it's real or not. I know there are a lot of fakes especially with the new rosewood and butterfly blades. (carbonade /viscaria /zhangjike)

My friend said when he bought the blade it was air tight sealed in a wrap and displayed in the store. The boxes were at the back and the store and the blade was just kinda put into it like a present box. Any China / Asia table tennis experts here that can verify this?

Based on the shape and the layers, idk, your experience, does this look right? The handle pattern seems to be a bit off?

I've also come upon a Stiga China authenticating system. Shame that I don't have the scratch and win sticker label.


Many thanks!

To be sure, you need that scratch sticker on top of the plastic wrap, as that serial code is different from the one on the blade that is used for internal tracking.

Judging from how the handle is asymmetrical(oops), it looks genuine. If your friend got it at the store on that protective sheet, it should be fine.

You could try calling them in China at 010-59359727 and see if they could look it up with the number on the blade.

 

[Ella Christina Fong]

Thanks for the input! I was just kinda irked about the asymmetry of the handle and just the amount of fakes.
I just might give the China number a call.
The blade itself was sanded down by me myself as I was getting blisters from not sanding. Silly me.
As for the price, the fh rubber is H3 Provincial and the backhand is Butterfly 05.
Apparently Butterfly stuff in China is pricey. The 05 based on what she said was the same price as the blade itself!

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Thanks for the input! I was just kinda irked about the asymmetry of the handle and just the amount of fakes.
I just might give the China number a call.
The blade itself was sanded down by me myself as I was getting blisters from not sanding. Silly me.
As for the price, the fh rubber is H3 Provincial and the backhand is Butterfly 05.
Apparently Butterfly stuff in China is pricey. The 05 based on what she said was the same price as the blade itself!

If you are counting the price of the rubbers with the blade, then, it should be the rubbers and whether they are real or counterfeit that you should be worried about. The rubbers should cost more than the blade.

On TT11, right now, they have the Stiga Offensive CR on sale for 25 Euro (27.27 USD); original price 37.42 Euro (40.81 USD). At Paddle Palace they sell the WRB version of the Stiga Offensive CR (penhold) for 60.95 USD (55.89 Euro).

So, the blade should not be expensive. But both rubbers are somewhat expensive.

But the real issue is, if it plays well, feels good and you like it, then that is what really matters.

 

[zeio]

Speak of the devil. There's a new thread on Tieba asking for help to verify a fake OC that's being passed off as the European retail version. This one is easy to tell. The handle is symmetrical and the finishing is too smooth to be truecool...

https://tieba.baidu.com/p/6515260919

 

[lasta]

Speak of the devil. There's a new thread on Tieba asking for help to verify a fake OC that's being passed off as the European retail version. This one is easy to tell. The handle is symmetrical and the finishing is too smooth to be truecool...

https://tieba.baidu.com/p/6515260919

Honestly, that looks much better made. I would rather have that than the original.

 

[Ella Christina Fong]

I guess it's good to have some craftsmanship flaws for stiga then. As when it comes to wood and woodcraft, being too perfect raises a red flag! I'm looking at the baidu site posted and what a smooth blade it is. The veneer patterns look real though.