Weight
82.5g
Thickness
5.4mm
Plies
5-ply
Head Size
153.5x153
Handles
FL / ST
Material
AllWood
Head Shape
Standard
Balance
Balanced
Sweden Classic
Yasaka Sweden Classic is a celebrated 5-ply all-wood table tennis blade, prized for its exceptional control, superb ball feel, and versatile performance. Made in Sweden, it offers a slightly soft and flexible nature that facilitates easy spin generation and precise placement. This blade provides a comfortable, classic wood playing experience, excelling in close-to-mid-distance play with consistent performance across serves, receives, loops, and blocks. Its natural, linear response makes it an excellent choice for players prioritizing technique and spin over raw speed.
The blade features a 5-ply all-wood construction. While exact wood types are not officially specified, TTSensei experts suggest the outer plies are likely Anigre or Limba, and the core is often Ayous, a common choice for its lightweight and dampening properties. This combination contributes to the blade's signature soft feel, flexibility, and excellent dwell time.
TT Sensei Ratings
✦Our expert analysis of this blade's performance characteristics
Yasaka Sweden Classic is generally considered a mid-slow blade. It provides sufficient speed for controlled offensive play, especially when paired with modern tensor rubbers. However, it lacks the explosive speed of faster blades, particularly when playing from further distances. Its speed is highly dependent on rubber selection, allowing players to tune it for their specific needs.
Control is the standout feature of Yasaka Sweden Classic. Its excellent dwell time and soft feel allow for exceptional ball feedback, enabling precise placement and safe execution of all strokes, from delicate pushes to controlled loops and solid blocks. This high level of control makes it ideal for players who value consistency and tactical play.
Yasaka Sweden Classic offers a distinctly soft and flexible feel. This contributes significantly to its dwell time and control, providing clear feedback about ball contact. This classic wood feel is highly valued by players who prefer a more connected playing experience over the harder, more direct feel of composite blades.
Paired with appropriate rubbers, Yasaka Sweden Classic tends to produce a medium-high throw angle, which is beneficial for lifting the ball over the net with good spin, especially on forehand loops.
The soft wood construction and flexibility create a long dwell time. This allows the ball to sink into the blade face longer, which is crucial for generating spin on serves and loops. It also enhances control during soft shots and blocks, providing a predictable and stable response.
Yasaka Sweden Classic is a flexible blade. This flexibility works with its soft feel and dwell time, making it easier to generate spin and providing a more forgiving response on incoming shots. It allows for a good feeling of the ball's trajectory and spin.
While not completely vibration-free, Yasaka Sweden Classic offers a moderate level of vibration that contributes to its feel and feedback. The soft wood construction helps absorb some of the harsher vibrations, leading to a comfortable and controlled playing experience, especially at close to mid-distance.
Yasaka Sweden Classic is consistently praised for its excellent build quality. Manufactured in Sweden, it exhibits good craftsmanship with smooth edges and attention to detail, despite its affordable price point. Players report good durability, though sealing the blade is sometimes recommended to prevent splintering.
Technology
Yasaka Sweden Classic is a testament to traditional blade-making craftsmanship, utilizing a 5-ply all-wood construction that emphasizes natural materials and inherent playing characteristics. The manufacturing process in Sweden focuses on selecting and bonding veneers to achieve a specific balance of flexibility, dwell time, and vibration dampening. Unlike blades with composite materials, it relies solely on carefully chosen wood plies to deliver its signature feel and performance. The factory-applied lacquer improves durability and may enhance speed and spin characteristics.
Similar Blades
Stiga Allround Classic
Stiga Allround Classic is frequently mentioned as a direct comparison to Yasaka Sweden Classic due to their similar all-wood, 5-ply construction, Swedish origin, and focus on control and feel. Both blades are highly regarded for developing players and offer a classic wood playing experience, though subtle differences in feel and speed may exist depending on specific wood selections and manufacturing batches.
Donic Appelgren Allplay
Donic Appelgren Allplay is another 5-ply all-wood blade that shares many characteristics with Yasaka Sweden Classic, including a strong emphasis on control, feel, and suitability for developing players. Many players find the Sweden Classic has a slightly more 'damped' feel compared to the Appelgren Allplay, but both are considered excellent choices for a similar player profile.