Nittaku Violin vs Stiga Allround Evolution: Which Should You Buy?
| Nittaku Violin | Stiga Allround Evolution | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 8.4/10 | 8.2/10 |
| feel | Soft, warm and flexible with long dwell, premium hand-crafted Japanese all-wood feedback | soft, high feedback |
| handle | FL | FL/ST/AN |
| plies | 5-ply all wood (Kiri core with White Ash outer plies) | 5W (all wood) |
| speed | ALL+ | ALL+ |
| thickness_mm | 5.3 | 5.4 |
| type | ALL+ | — |
| weight_g | 86 | 80 |
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The Nittaku Violin and Stiga Allround Evolution are both soft, high-control all-wood blades rated ALL+. The Violin is a premium Made-in-Japan 5-ply with a Kiri core and White Ash outers, prized for control, warm feel and long dwell. The Allround Evolution is a 5-ply designed around the 40mm ball, offering outstanding control and feedback with a genuine step up in speed over the Allround Classic.
On speed and feel the two are close. The Violin is soft and flexible but slower than its billing and weak from distance, needing harder or tackier rubbers to come alive. The Allround Evolution is soft with lots of dwell and high feedback, still slow by modern standards so you must supply pace, and can feel a touch soft for advanced players with the poly ball.
For styles, the Violin suits developing offensive and all-round players who loop close to mid-table and want premium craftsmanship and touch. The Allround Evolution suits beginners and developing players learning correct strokes with maximum control who want a small, safe step up from the Allround Classic, and it pairs best with medium or medium-hard non-tensor rubbers including tacky Chinese rubber. The Evolution is lighter at around 80 grams versus 86 for the Violin.
Buying advice: choose the Violin for premium soft feel and a custom-blade feel, and the Allround Evolution for a controllable, well-made learner with a bit more pace. The Violin rates 8.4 to the Evolution’s 8.2.
FAQ
Which blade has more speed?
Both are rated ALL+. The Allround Evolution offers a genuine step up over the Allround Classic, while the Violin is slower than its billing and weak at long-distance pace.
Which is better for learning strokes?
The Stiga Allround Evolution is one of the best blades to learn strokes on, with outstanding control and feedback, though the soft, dwell-heavy Violin is also a strong technique-building option.
What rubbers suit the Allround Evolution?
It pairs best with medium or medium-hard non-tensor rubbers, including tacky Chinese rubber, while the Violin needs harder or tackier rubbers to reach its full potential.
Which is lighter?
The Allround Evolution is lighter at around 80 grams, versus around 86 grams for the Violin.