Nittaku Violin vs Stiga Clipper Wood: Which Should You Buy?
| Nittaku Violin | Stiga Clipper Wood | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 8.4/10 | 8.4/10 |
| feel | Soft, warm and flexible with long dwell, premium hand-crafted Japanese all-wood feedback | solid, medium-stiff, hard fast all-wood with a big sweetspot |
| handle | FL | FL/ST/AN/PEN |
| plies | 5-ply all wood (Kiri core with White Ash outer plies) | 7W (all wood) - limba outer plies over an ayous core, no carbon or synthetic layers |
| speed | ALL+ | OFF |
| thickness_mm | 5.3 | 6.3 |
| type | ALL+ | — |
| weight_g | 86 | 90 |
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The Nittaku Violin and Stiga Clipper Wood are both control-friendly all-wood blades but built differently. The Violin is a soft, flexible 5-ply with a Kiri core and White Ash outers, rated ALL+ and prized for control, warm feel and long dwell. The Clipper Wood is a solid, medium-stiff 7-ply with Limba outers over an Ayous core, rated OFF, known for a big sweetspot and rock-solid blocking.
On speed and feel they differ. The Violin is soft and slower than its billing, weak from distance, and needs harder or tackier rubbers to come alive. The Clipper Wood’s real-world speed sits in OFF rather than the OFF+ its reputation suggests, asks the player to generate power, and is slow in the passive short game, while running heavy enough to cause fatigue over long sessions.
For styles, the Violin suits all-round and developing offensive players who prize control, feel and spin and loop close to mid-table. The Clipper Wood suits close-to-mid-table all-round attackers and looper-blockers from improving intermediates to advanced players who prioritize control, feeling and a big sweetspot, and who are happy to pair it with faster European or Japanese rubbers to unlock power. Note the known Stiga splintering tendency means many owners seal it.
Buying advice: choose the Violin for soft premium feel and a smaller, refined package, and the Clipper Wood for a big sweetspot and rock-solid blocking. Both rate 8.4.
FAQ
Which blade has the bigger sweet spot?
The Stiga Clipper Wood is known for a big sweetspot and rock-solid blocking, while the Violin offers a softer, more controlled feel in a 5-ply package.
Which is faster?
The Clipper Wood is rated OFF, though its real-world speed sits in OFF rather than the OFF+ its reputation suggests, while the Violin is a softer ALL+ blade that is slower than its billing.
Does the Clipper Wood need sealing?
A known Stiga splintering tendency means many owners seal it. The Violin is a premium Made-in-Japan blade with consistent quality.
Which suits the short game better?
The Violin, with long dwell and a soft feel, excels at short-game touch, while the Clipper Wood offers outstanding touch on pushes and drop shots but can feel slow in the passive short game.