Stiga Genesis S

I've been playing with Genesis S for about six months now on multiple blades, mainly a XIOM Zetro Quad. I would call it a Japanese spin on Chinese rubber, almost like a modernized refresh of Mark V. Genesis shares the Chinese-style dense sponge that grants a linear power delivery on shots, along with a bit more weight. Almost no tensor effect here - if you hit a little harder, the ball's going to go a little faster, not spring off your paddle. In this, there is fantastic control available, especially for serves and returns. The trick here is that unlike a Chinese rubber, the Genesis topsheet is Euro-style, and feels much more like Vega Europe, Bluefire JP, or Rasant. Using Genesis S, my delivery has become more consistent and controlled. That encourages me to swing through shots more completely, without fear of overshooting the table. In this, Genesis S is an extremely effective training rubber. Spin is fantastic, and while it is not as fast as most modern Euro-style rubbers like Rasant, Tenergy, or Bluefire, Genesis S still has more speed than Chinese standards like Skyline or Hurricane. Funny enough, Gold Arc 3 is the opposite of Genesis S - Chinese topsheet with tensor sponge. Genesis S also reminds me of Mark V, with its own lack of accelerant sponge yet excellent capability, only Genesis S feels modern and polished, with a comparatively delicate feel and greater potential. If you are ready to accept a surprisingly-small reduction in speed and blocks, Genesis S is a phenomenal rubber with a linear power delivery and loads of potential.

- Spencer, IN

In my opinion the rubber doesn't match well w/ the soft sponge. It's about the same softness of the Donic M3 but w/ far less the reliable grip. It's nor the typical Chinese or German rubber. Good control playing over the table if your game does not rely heavily on spin. Despite the mildly sticky rubber serves are difficult to give heavy spin. Nevertheless I think the medium hardness sponge would fix the lack of grip.

Just received the new Stiga Genesis S. It replaced my Tenergy 05 on FH side. At almost half the price of Butterfly, it seems to perform very well. The spin and speed seem to be higher than 05 and therefore, control is a bit less. It's a nice cross between Tenergy and DHS Hurricane. Hopefully, it will be more durable than Tenergy and will not fall apart at the edges quickly. It also performed well on the BH topspin. It was difficult for my opponent to block the spin. I think you need to have a good understanding of table tennis to take advantage of Genesis.

- Omid, NY