The Stiga Evolution is one of many table tennis rackets made by Swedish company Stiga – one of the world’s leading table tennis brands. They have a popular range of five premade rackets that are also ITTF approved, which means they are able to be used in competitions.
Stiga Evolution
At the moment, the Stiga Evolution is available on Amazon.com for roughly $70. This places it at the more expensive end of the scale for premade rackets but the Evolution is aimed predominantly at players who have already played a bit and are looking to improve their gameplay to the next level.
The Stiga Evolution is the second fastest premade racket by Stiga, second only to the Pro Carbon.
The Review
The Stiga Evolution comes with 2mm thick Premium rubbers coupled with a 6-ply blade. The blade has what’s called a Shock Dispersion Tube. This is basically a hollow part of the handle that is designed to transfer the shockwaves created as the ball hits the bat and spread them out evenly across the whole racket.
This takes a bit of getting used to as it’s not found in many other blades and the unique sound the racket makes due to this tube is also a change.
The Premium rubbers are designed to allow players to learn the more professional style of playing by being faster than most other premade racket rubbers and also being able to generate more spin too. This is another area that some people require some time to get used to as the Evolution produces more speed and spin than their old premade rackets that they started off with.
Overall the Stiga Evolution is different to most other premade rackets. The Shock Tube in the handle certainly takes some getting used to but is effective at its job once you have.
The Premium rubbers are a step up in terms of speed and spin produced from most premade rackets meaning the Evolution is aimed at players who are looking to move from the beginner stage and onto the intermediate level.
The price tag of the Evolution isn’t a small one compared to many other premade rackets on the market but the higher levels of speed and spin that are achievable with the Evolution ensure you receive extra performance for the extra money spent.
Other Options
If you are thinking about buying a Stiga Evolution table tennis racket I would personally recommend going for the Palio Legend 2 instead. The Palio Legend 2 is $40 cheaper and I believe is the superior racket. The Palio Hadou rubbers used on the Legend 2 are of a much higher quality than the Stiga ones. Palio Hadou rubbers are closer to professional rubbers such as DHS Hurricane 3.
The wooden Palio Legend 2 blade is also much better quality and more similar to the professional blades you can buy individually. If you were to compare the Stiga Evolution to the Palio Legend 2 side-by-side you would immediately be able to notice the difference between the two rackets. The Palio Legend 2 simply feels a lot better to play with.
Your other option would be to invest in a custom-made racket combo – selecting a blade and rubbers individually.
Buy the racket
You can buy the Stiga Evolution from Amazon.
- Amazon.com: The Stiga Evolution is $70.10.
Or why not check out my favourite table tennis rackets, the Palio Expert 2, Master 2 and Legend 2!
- Palio Expert 2: The best bat for beginners. Only £29.99 (Amazon.co.uk) or $39.99 (Amazon.com)
- Palio Master 2: The best allrounder. Only £34.99 (Amazon.co.uk) or $49.99 (Amazon.com)
- Palio Legend 2: The most powerful bat. Only £39.99 (Amazon.co.uk) or $59.99 (Amazon.com)
You might be interested in reading my other popular article The Best Table Tennis Bat for Beginners, which is available on the Expert Table Tennis blog.
Have you used the Stiga Evolution racket yourself? What did you think of it? Please share your experiences and leave a review below in the comments.
