Stiga
Infinity VPS V.

The Stiga Infinity VPS V is one of those blades that rarely head the new-release lists, yet have held their place on the shelves for over a decade for a simple reason: they do very well what they were designed to do. In a market increasingly given over to carbon structures, this five-ply all-wood laminate stands for a different philosophy — that of the player who puts feel, sensation and control ahead of raw speed.

This review looks at what the Infinity VPS V actually offers on the table, which type of player it suits and where it stands against its direct alternatives, both within Stiga's own range and outside it.

What it is and where it comes from

Stiga's Infinity family was born as a range of classic laminate blades aimed at modern topspin play, and the VPS V is its best-known member. The initials point to two of the manufacturer's technologies. VPS (Veneer Precision System) refers to a treatment of the inner plies through controlled heat and cold cycles, intended to stabilise and even out the behaviour of the wood. Diamond Touch is the treatment applied to the outer limba ply, meant to add a little surface hardness and a particularly smooth finish.

The marketing story is worth deflating: neither of these technologies turns the Infinity VPS V into anything radically different from a good five-ply limba-and-spruce blade. What they do provide, sensibly enough, is consistency between units and a polished feel. And that, without being revolutionary, is real value.

Structurally it is a textbook laminate: limba outer (the classic wood of European topspin, soft and responsive to spin), two spruce plies that add speed and stiffness without weight, and an ayous core. It is the recipe behind a whole school of offensive-control blades, and the Infinity executes it competently.

On-table behaviour

The Infinity VPS V is an offensive blade, but it is worth being clear about what kind of offence. It is not fast in the sense of carbon structures or of the harder, more direct blades on the market. Its speed is enough to attack from mid-distance and to finish points with a good topspin, but it asks the player to contribute: the arm, the acceleration and the technique. It sits squarely in OFF- / OFF territory, not among the more explosive blades. This is speed earned, not given away, and for many intermediate and advanced players that is precisely an advantage, because the margin for error on the table is greater. Where it does show its limits is in the flat smash and in pure power play from long distance: there the absence of fibre tells.

Control and feel are the ground on which the Infinity VPS V shines and earns its reputation. Medium flex combined with the limba ply produces a generous contact time (dwell): the ball stays an instant longer on the rubber, which translates into a very clear sense of the spin being "gripped". The practical result is excellent control in the spinny topspin, in the opening loop against backspin and, above all, in the short and touch game. Pushes, flips and control balls near the net come off with notable precision, because the blade sends a clear, readable vibration back to the hand. That direct feedback is, for a player with technical judgement, more useful than a lot of speed figures. The sweet spot, moreover, is wide for a five-ply all-wood, and it forgives slight imprecision in the contact without punishing either speed or direction too heavily.

As for weight, it usually falls in a moderate range (typically between 83 and 88 grams, varying from unit to unit). That lightness is one of its strengths: it allows modern rubbers — often heavy ones — to be mounted without ending up with an overloaded bat that is slow to handle. For a game of blocking, counter-attacking and linked topspins, manoeuvrability counts as much as speed, and here the Infinity gets it right.