STIGA Nitro Table Tennis Racket Review

  • Post category:Equipment / Racket
  • Post last modified:October 30, 2023
  • Reading time:11 mins read
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STIGA, a Sweden-based company has a wide reputation for producing good quality premade table tennis rackets. All these rackets have been designed to target different playing levels and styles. The most popular STIGA Pro Carbon is a good example of that which is for the intermediate/advanced aggressive players who want to dominate their opponents with the help of speed and spin. On the other hand, the approach of designing the STIGA Nitro is to fulfill the needs for all-round play. The Nitro is a racket that is quite similar to the Evolution where you will get everything, speed, spin, & control. This review presents an in-depth analysis of the STIGA Nitro’s construction, performance, and utility.

Stiga nitro table tennis racket
Who should consider this racketWho should not consider this racket
1. Advanced beginners/ Intermediate players who are on the verge of completing the basic skills in table tennis.
2. Intermediate / Recreational players who prefer all-round gameplay.
This racket is not for the advanced attackers who heavily depend on topspin and smash power.

Specifications

BrandSTIGA
TypeAll-round (Shakehand)
Blade6-ply wood
RubberSTIGA’s Future rubber
Rubber TypePimples-in (smooth/ inverted)
Rubber Thickness2 mm
Handle TypeAnatomic
Weight0.32 lbs
ITTF ApprovalApproved

Technology Used for STIGA Nitro

The Nitro comes with 4 innovative technologies as described on the STIGA’s website.

ACS Technology: It incorporates microscopic air capsules into the sponge. When the ball comes into contact with the rubber, the impact energy forces the air capsules to contract and expand. Due to this enhanced elasticity, the ball penetrates more into the sponge and the sponge acts as a spring storing more energy during impact. As a result, the released energy gets higher and springs off the ball with more speed, spin, and control.

Crystal Technology: By incorporating crystal technology, the outer surface of the blade is hardened which invariably enhances the stiffness of the blade. So, when you hit the ball, you will get more speed with an enlarged sweet spot to build more consistency in your game.

Tube Technology: To provide better control, the middle ply is milled and the microchannels are filled with different materials for the desired characteristics.

WRB Technology: 

  • W: Weight Balance
  • R: Rate of Recovery
  • B: Ball Sensitivity

In WRB technology, there is a hollow tubular channel throughout the handle. As a result, the weight of the racket is shifted towards the head of the racket which is the hitting zone of the racket. Due to more mass towards the head, there is more momentum during the impact with an extra sensitivity of touch.

STIGA Nitro Review

As mentioned in the specifications, the STIGA Nitro is a Shakehand-style racket with a combination of a 6-ply wooden blade and 2.0 mm thick smooth rubbers. Let’s go into the details of each component.

Blade

The all-wood blade is constructed with three different types of woods, Ayous, Awan, and Kiri.

Ayous is a flexible, light to medium-weight wood that is strong and durable. It is a very good wood for control and spin-oriented rackets preferably for close-to-the-table counterplay.

Awan is a lightweight wood that is used as a core material.

Kiri is also a lightweight wood that has enough stiffness for fast attacking strokes.

The blade is designed with STIGA’s own Crystal technology and Tube technology to make it good for speed and control.

The blade feels very lightweight (only 0.32 lbs!) which is very easy to handle but the downside is that you will get slightly less momentum during the impact with the ball.

Rubber

The Nitro consists of 2.0 mm thick pimples-in type STIGA’s Future rubbers. It is an ITTF-approved rubber that is legal to use for any type of tournament. The use of ACS technology along with 2.0 mm thickness gives you a good amount of speed and spin with excellent control.

Handle

It is a concave type handle, the shape of which is like a fishtail. This handle fits better on your palm and provides a firm grip which is suitable for hitting over close to the table.

Performance

STIGA Nitro exhibits an excellent command over control and good enough speed and spin. This is not a racket for aggressive attacking play to demoralize your opponents with devastating power and spin. But to do that consistently, a high amount of skills is needed. This Nitro is built keeping in view of less experienced players to get an added amount of control with a little sacrifice of speed and spin. Actually, this is the perfect paddle before going into your 1st customized paddle.

The manufacturer’s performance ratings (0 – 100) of three key attributes, i.e. speed, spin, and control also pinpoint the all-round ability of this paddle.

SpeedSpinControl
909289

Price

STIGA Nitro is a kind of racket that is almost identical to the Evolution in terms of performance. When you compare the price of both rackets, the Nitro is nearly 20% cheaper with a price of only $34 on Amazon at present which is undoubtedly a great value for money.

Positives of STIGA Nitro

  • Excellent control
  • Great for all-round play
  • Easy to maneuver
  • Great for counter-play close to the table
  • Eligible for playing in recognized tournaments
  • A world-class brand like STIGA

Negatives of STIGA Nitro

  • Not so good for aggressive play
  • Not suitable for experienced players

Conclusion

STIGA Nitro is a very good racket for all-round play with a balanced combination of speed, spin, and control. It is not a super fast racket like the Pro Carbon/ Raptor but the superb control that you will get, helps you to bring command on your games with consistency and precise placement which suit the needs of advanced beginners and intermediates.

Summary

STIGA Nitro is a lightweight racket combined with a 6-ply all-wood blade and 2.0 mm thick smooth rubbers. This is a well-balanced racket (Speed: 90, Spin: 92, Control: 89) that offers great all-round play. This is a paddle of great value for money for allrounders and intermediates to build more consistency with longer rallies and perfect placement.



  • Superb control

  • Great for all-round play

  • Great maneuverability

  • Not suitable for aggressive play

Related Topic: “The 11 Best Ping Pong Paddles in 2022

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