Stiga Helix Platinum Review: Truls Möregårdh's Championship Rubber Tested

Originally published 2026-03-27 · Translated and republished by UltraSpin with permission

This Issue: Stiga Helix Platinum M and H

Test setup: Destiny Carbon, Dragon Grip, Zhang Jike ALC — three blades, primarily testing backhand

Quick Notes

1. In 2026, Truls Möregårdh climbed to world No. 2. After switching from Platinum DNA to the Helix Platinum, he kept his competitive performance razor-sharp and won two titles back-to-back. That alone speaks to the rubber’s real-world performance.
2. The Helix Platinum comes in four hardness options: M (47.5), H (50), XH (52.5), and 55. The M sheet weighs 68.5 g uncut, 2.2 mm thick, and should come in around 46.5–48 g after trimming — fairly light.

Forehand (H Hardness — Quick Test)

1. Forehand drive: Good ball output, but not particularly crisp or transparent-feeling. Solid, normal performance.
2. Forehand topspin: Grabs the ball well. Close-to-table quality is decent. That said, H at 50 degrees is a little soft for the forehand — roughly equivalent to Hurricane 3 at around 38 degrees. I’d suggest going XH or 55 for the forehand.
3. Forehand topspin off backspin: Clear ball-grabbing sensation. Lifting off a backspin ball feels comfortable.
4. Forehand summary: The main weakness is insufficient crispness. The strengths are good ball-gripping, resilience, and arc consistency. In XH or 55, the forehand would be downright brutal.

Backhand (Primary Focus)

1. Backhand feel: The Helix has a thinner topsheet over a thicker sponge, which makes the feel quite different from conventional European rubbers. The closest comparison I can think of is Butterfly T80 Hard — balanced, well-rounded, not extreme.
2. Backhand with light contact: Ball speed is brisk. The thicker sponge feels more solid than standard European rubbers — it doesn’t hollow out under load and has slightly elevated elasticity. However, the thin topsheet reduces directional precision at low swing speeds; the integration between topsheet and sponge is a bit weaker for fine touches.
3. Backhand with power: Under full swing, the sponge is noticeably more dense than a 2.1 mm European rubber — acceleration is clear. Even the M hardness provides strong support. The H on the backhand produces higher quality and more explosive results. Excellent.
4. Backhand defense: Nothing special, but perfectly functional.
5. Helix Platinum M: Roughly equivalent to Hurricane 3 at about 37 degrees. Good control. Compared to Platinum DNA M, it requires a bit more power to drive through. The Helix is slightly better in control, with more resilience and a higher ceiling. Its sponge grabs the ball deeper. The Platinum M fires a bit quicker and has a more transparent feel with a grippier topsheet. Overall they’re at a similar level.
6. Helix Platinum H: The 50-degree version steps up one to one-and-a-half tiers over M in both speed and quality — very impressive. The firmer sponge reduces control compared to M, but paradoxically lowers the threshold needed to feel it “click through.” The H gets to quality faster than M, though stable mastery still requires better technique and a more structured swing.

Final Verdict

As Stiga’s newest flagship rubber, the Helix Platinum is priced at 275 yuan.

When I first received the test sample before it launched, my feedback to the company was: “A fair price for this performance would be 250–300 yuan.” They landed exactly there.

Strong points: ball-holding, shot quality, arc consistency.

Weak points: directional precision, topsheet-sponge integration.

The Helix series uses a thick sponge plus thin topsheet design — an unconventional approach that produces a feel unlike anything else. It’s hard to sum up in one sentence:

It can do everything! Everything has some quality to it! But nothing stands out! No wow factor!

Extremely “balanced and middle-of-the-road” — like a more powerful version of the Butterfly T80. Genuinely good, but you can’t quite articulate why. I thought about this piece for a long time; this rubber is the one that’s most stumped me as a writer.

• M version: 7–7.5 out of 10 (recommended for players rated 1300–1500)
• H version: 7.5–8 out of 10 (recommended for players rated 1500–1800) — mid-to-high-end rubber quality, worth trying