Review on STIGA Evolution Tournament-Grade Table Tennis Racket Featuring Approved Rubber For High Performance Play by Loren Rindfleisch

For my type of play, I am disappointed with this paddle.I'm giving it 3 stars due to the sound it makes when hitting the ball and the balance/feel of the paddle.I can blame myself for basing my purchase solely on the different Speed/Spin/Control ratings.For $65, I thought a 96/94/80 rating would have been a great buy.I'm an amateur, but I play a lot.I'm a strong backhand player, but I'm now learning to loop backspins with my forehand.Good:The rubber is good for serves.Great for defense/blocking - smashes and topspins will come back to the opponent quicklyRubber is fairly stickyPaddle is overall lightBad:Feels too light at the handle and heavier at the blade (moves around in my hand during a backhand smash)Ball sounds dead when hit (it's definitely due to the hollow tube in the handle)he base of the handle is too tapered for me (and I have small hands I'm 5'4") - seems to be the case for most stiga handlesOther paddles I've used:Killerspin Jet300 - My daily driver for 2 years. good 'balance' (weight of the blade and handle is almost even)Killerspin Jet600 - Owned it for a few months. It's too heavy.Butterfly Yuki 302 - good learning paddle. Really sticky rubber.Stiga Carbo 7 - This is a really good paddle but $$$. it's basically a better more balanced version of the Stiga Evolution. Rubber is slightly thicker. My forehand loops have made better contact with this paddle.Conclusion: For players who like to play close to the table with chops, backspins, blocking topspin, and occasional attacking, this is the paddle for you. Too bad I'm not that type.