REVIEW: Stiga Celero wood VS DHS Hurricane Hao2

[SFF_lib]

Hi I am a penholder. I play RPB usually from mid distance. So far my main blades are Darker Speed 90 and DHS Hurricane Hao 2 (HH2).

Just recently I bought the new Stiga Celero Wood (CW) after reading some reviews written by Chinese players. They said CW as a 5-ply wooden blade plays very well in the plastic ball era. I thought might compare it to HH2 as both are 5-ply wooden blades.

The set up for CW is:

1. FH Neo DHS hurricane 3 provinicial 40 degree (boosted with 3 layers of Haifu Seamoon oil)
2. BH Xiom Vega Europe

I played with 4 club members last night over 2 hrs.

My initial thoughts comparing CW against HH2:
Serve and return - two words - spinny and short.That was what I expect from a 5-ply blade. Probably slightly less spinny than HH2 but still shines. I have won many points out of my serve. Short game is effortless.

FH flat hitting - faster than HH2 but very controllable. At 5.8mm CW gives you a little bit of vibration (less than HH2) and very nice feedback feel. I am very pleased with that as I prefer some vibration but not too much like HH2.

Smashing and over the net FH flick seem fast enough to kill a point.

FH loop - although harder than HH2, CW still retains some flexibility. The downside is a bit less spin. CW is more consistent than HH2 to my feeling. The speed is greater. Arc is lower than HH2. Placement of shot is easy.

Blocking - as mentioned above it's harder than HH2 therefore blocking is very consistent (both FH and BH). The sweat spot is huge. The bounce goes faster and further than HH2. I found my opponent not prepared for that.

BH loop - I could loop from mid distance and created dangerous shots. Again very controllable. Arc is lower than HH2 which makes it hard for my opponents.

BH over-the-table flick - due to the large sweat spot and harder surface I was more confident (esp with no spin or side spin serve). Speed is great. I was so surprised I could flick so many serves.

Overall I am very pleased with this blade made by Stiga. Not many wooden blades (esp 5-ply) play well in the plastic ball era. This is one of them. A rare gem.

So to sum up my initial comparison:
Speed: CW > HH2
Spin: CW < HH2 (I would say only marginal)
Service spin: CW < HH2
Looping arc: CW < HH2

I will update my review after spending more time playing.

 

[TableTennisNow]

Good review I want to try the Celero wood, looking forward to rest of the review. I have recently reviewed the Mantra rubbers which I like!

 

[Nikiton1x]

Good review! Thank you. We are waiting for more feedback from you about CW.

 

[Rao01]

Hi - Do you have any more update on this blade, now that you must have spent more time playing with it? How good is it for looping and mid distance and far from the table game? Any more thoughts pls?

 

[SFF_lib]

Hi - Do you have any more update on this blade, now that you must have spent more time playing with it? How good is it for looping and mid distance and far from the table game? Any more thoughts pls?

Yes I have recently changed the FH rubber to a TG2 blue sponge (3 layers of oil). After on and off play for the last few months. I have a deeper understanding of the Stiga Celero Wood.

Although TG2 has a lower arc than H3, CW could still flex well when you loop hard even though Stiga says it's a hard-wood blade. I still think it's a well great looping blade.

Just for fun I played CW and Intensity NCT on the same day just to compare.
Speed: Intensity > CW > HH2
Spin: HH2 (I would say only marginal) > CW > Intensity
Service spin: HH2 > CW > Intensity
Looping arc: HH2 > CW > Intensity
Mid distance loop: CW = Intensity > HH2

Overall, my feeling toward CW hasn't changed much. But prolonged play has confirmed my initial thought - well balanced 5-ply blade. Stiga strikes the balance between speed and flexibility. It's light yet powerful enough from far distance. It also has a pretty good price tag.

 

[yogi_bear]

Celero is slower than infinity

 

[fcvyy]

Yes I have recently changed the FH rubber to a TG2 blue sponge (3 layers of oil). After on and off play for the last few months. I have a deeper understanding of the Stiga Celero Wood.

Although TG2 has a lower arc than H3, CW could still flex well when you loop hard even though Stiga says it's a hard-wood blade. I still think it's a well great looping blade.

Just for fun I played CW and Intensity NCT on the same day just to compare.
Speed: Intensity > CW > HH2
Spin: HH2 (I would say only marginal) > CW > Intensity
Service spin: HH2 > CW > Intensity
Looping arc: HH2 > CW > Intensity
Mid distance loop: CW = Intensity > HH2

Overall, my feeling toward CW hasn't changed much. But prolonged play has confirmed my initial thought - well balanced 5-ply blade. Stiga strikes the balance between speed and flexibility. It's light yet powerful enough from far distance. It also has a pretty good price tag.

offtop: can you give a quick review about tg2 BS? cuz i really think what commercial tg2N is a bullshit and cant decide what FH rubber i should get for myself, tenergy or maybe some xiom ... or even go for a mystery blue sponge ^^

 

[SFF_lib]

offtop: can you give a quick review about tg2 BS? cuz i really think what commercial tg2N is a bullshit and cant decide what FH rubber i should get for myself, tenergy or maybe some xiom ... or even go for a mystery blue sponge ^^

I have played H3N, H3P and normal H3. I have also tried TG3 BS.
I can telk you TG2 BS is a different beast from the rest.

The topsheet is less tacky surprisingly. If H3 is 9, TG2 commercial is 10, TG2 BS would be 7. Therefore it is faster than H3N on flat hit. I understand why Ma Lin used TG2 BS. His third ball attack was as fast as a bullet.

The TG2 topsheet is also harder than H3. Therefore i struggled with loop in mid distance. H3 is definitely a better looping rubber for amateur. Ofc Xu Xin has no problem with TG2 due to his excellent looping technique.

Sent from my ONE E1003 using Tapatalk

 

[Ot Ot]

@SFF_LIB,

CW only wins in speed vs HH2?


So to sum up my initial comparison:
Speed: CW > HH2
Spin: CW < HH2 (I would say only marginal)
Service spin: CW < HH2
Looping arc: CW < HH2

 

[fcvyy]

I have played H3N, H3P and normal H3. I have also tried TG3 BS.
I can telk you TG2 BS is a different beast from the rest.

The topsheet is less tacky surprisingly. If H3 is 9, TG2 commercial is 10, TG2 BS would be 7. Therefore it is faster than H3N on flat hit. I understand why Ma Lin used TG2 BS. His third ball attack was as fast as a bullet.

The TG2 topsheet is also harder than H3. Therefore i struggled with loop in mid distance. H3 is definitely a better looping rubber for amateur. Ofc Xu Xin has no problem with TG2 due to his excellent looping technique.

Sent from my ONE E1003 using Tapatalk

thanks a lot!