OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Just had a look at Stiga's web site - hadn't been by there in years! What's new? Cybershape blades, of course. I had been under the impression that these were all fast carbon blades, turns out that's not the case:

https://www.stigasports.com/category/ta ... nis-blades

They've now got stop-sign versions which are all-wood, including a Clipper and even an Allround Classic. (For considerably more than the round versions, one might add...) Something I missed before was that the center-of-area has moved tip-wise because the side flats aren't parallel but diverge towards the tip. Compare



with



I suppose you could have done this with a rounded blade but it would look weird. Not that the stop-sign shape isn't weird, but I speculate that the "uncanny valley" would make the hex shape more acceptable.

And not all of these are expensive (though most are.. the Cybershape Allround Classic is just under EUR70...).

This one's only EUR20!

https://www.stigasports.com/en/product/ ... hape-hobby



What's missing? The BIG thing that Stiga was pushing not too long ago was their "Carbonado" blades - as far as I could tell, it used very wide weave carbon cloth. And there doesn't seem to be a Stop Sign (er, Cybershape) Carbonado. At least, not yet, and I wonder why.

And then I came across this on Shopee:

https://shopee.com.my/KAYU-Prim-wood-BE ... 4548941321



For real? A Donic blade for USD9?? I'm sure the blade is real, but I doubt it's actually a Donic item. So I thought I'd look around some more. There's a WHOLE BUNCH OF THESE on Shopee. The Donic wasn't even the cheapest one.

https://shopee.com.my/-PerfkMY-Table-Te ... 1681474325



This is from Mainland China. RM16.47 is... USD 3.50? It's all wood, the shape seems to be about right. Maybe I'll get one (haven't bought a blade since... well, I still have 20+ M8s still in the shrink wrap..). And why oh why is it "Unisex"??? I mean, it is.. but who else ever mentions it? (I know who.. Sports Direct.. I'll be having a look at their stuff at some point, and compare it to Decathlon's stuff..)

This one isn't that cheap:

https://shopee.com.my/Lemuria-Special-M ... 4453526935



RM160 is around USD36. Also from Mainland China. Isn't "Lemuria" the name of a Butterfly blade? Or is this supposed to be a riff on the Viscaria? Who knows... This is supposed to be an arylate carbon blade. Bad first review, though...

https://shopee.com.my/KAYU-Spin-Win-HXG ... 2394029721



This one ships from Indonesia. Might even be made there. Sort of moderately priced (~USD16).

Yes, you can actually get the real Stiga item on Shopee, too:

https://shopee.com.my/Stiga-Cybershape- ... 1224498711



But good god... Look at the price. That's what you'd pay for an air conditioner. Or a monthly car payment. Ah well...

Iskandar

"Stop sign blades"...makes me laugh every time!

I suspect Stiga probably has a patent on that shape of blade, so I doubt any of the other brands would copy it, so I think you're right, they're not genuine, and they'll probably only get away with it in China.

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The Stiga Clipper and Allround Cybershape are new models. They’re exploring new market/trend because the Clipper is still the best seller blades. If it all goes well, they might do other composites as well.

I’m waiting for the Clipper Cybershape to be available here (in China). While waiting I came across this one and bought it. One ply ayous blade. I bought one ply ayous before, Yinhe J1. It was pretty good but too thick for me at 10mm. The one I just bought was sold in 8mm and 10mm but I asked if they have/can make thinner one and I got me a 6.5mm one.

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Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's patented, which prevents the likes of Butterfly, Andro, Yasaka et al. from making their own versions. Though I think they could introduce some other shape that has the same area distribution and has the same effect. But it won't prevent the Chinese small-time equipment makers (XVT, Boer, etc.) from making and selling them. Some of these might even be coming out of the large Chinese OEMs (729, Yinhe) but under different brand names.

The fact that you can now get Stiga all-wood blades in this shape makes me more interested in them.

Just checked tabletennis11 - strangely enough, they aren't carrying ANY of the Stiga Cybershape blades. None. I wanted to see what the actual retail price of a Allround Classic Cybershape would be (EUR70 is a bit much given that the round Allround Classic was about EUR35 when I bought mine).

Iskandar

I've used a 1-py ayous before as well. I quite liked the feel, but it was just too heavy. I think it was 10mm as well. Making it thinner will likely increase vibrations.
I tried a 1-ply pine blade as well (marketed as hinoki), it had the worst vibrations I ever felt, it was terrible!

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OOAK Table Tennis Shop | Re-Impact Blades | Butterfly Table Tennis bats
Setup1: Re-Impact Smart, Viper OX, Victas VS 401 Setup2: Re-Impact Barath, Dtecs OX, TSP Triple Spin Chop 1.0mm Setup3: Re-Impact Dark Knight, Hellfire OX, 999 Turbo
Recent Articles: Butterfly Tenergy Alternatives | Tenergy Rubbers Compared | Re-Impact User Guide

The J1 I got was 93 I think. This one was 76gr surprisingly light for the shape. The (lesser) thickness helps.

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instagram: rokphishtt

The original/earlier release Cybershape also comes with composite and all wood variants.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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instagram: rokphishtt

I attempted to make Cybershape blade when I was in Indonesia. Due to time constraints at the time I didn’t get the dimensions just right. Nevertheless, they performed well enough. Well enough for me to bring it across the ocean to China. It’s a conversation starter. Everywhere I used it people ask about it. The weird shape and sounds make heads turn. Hahaha!

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