# Stiga 18K Hard 2 Cybershape > Hybrid, 360 g, head-heavy balance. Above average for power and handling, below for comfort and forgiveness. Check if it suits your game. Score 7.1/10. - URL: https://padell.io/rackets/stiga/18k-hard-2-cybershape/ - Last updated: 2026-10-26 - Author: [Ruud Caris](https://padell.io/about/) - Language: en - Site: padell.io (https://padell.io/) Shop links go through padell.io/go/ (affiliate links: padell.io may earn a commission, which never affects scores). Prices include shipping to the Netherlands unless stated otherwise, and change daily. --- [Rackets](https://padell.io/rackets/) · [Stiga](https://padell.io/brands/stiga/) · 18K Hard Cybershape - **Shape**: Hybrid - **Weight**: 360 g - **Balance**: Head-heavy - **Core**: Performance Foam Price **€ 309.95** at Justpadel · In stock · Free shipping · Checked at 04:07 (2026-11-14) Lowest in 52 days **€ 304.95** Today **€ 309.95** [Buy at Justpadel](https://padell.io/go/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fjustpadel.com%2Fproducts%2Fstiga-cybershape-18k-hard-2) Prices include shipping to the country you choose. [How padell.io earns money](https://padell.io/how-we-earn-money/) The short answer The Stiga 18K Hard 2 Cybershape is a hard, power-oriented hybrid for experienced players. On paper it pairs a Performance Foam core with an 18K carbon face at a fixed 360 g. Power reads High, control Medium, comfort and sweet spot Low. No reviews exist yet, and head size and thickness are not published. By [Ruud Caris](https://padell.io/about/) · facts checked 9 October 2026 Choose it if - you are an experienced attacker who wants a hard, fast racket and accepts less forgiveness - you prefer a hybrid shape with a medium maneuverability reading over a pure head-heavy build - you already know the original 18K Hard Cybershape and want the next version in the same line Skip it if - you are still learning the game or have a sensitive elbow, since comfort reads Low and the Oxdog Pure Pro+ is no softer on paper - you want a racket that forgives off-centre hits, because the sweet spot reads Low here - you want a Medium balance label from the brand. The Stiga 18K X Hard Cybershape Adam Axelsson Edition has one ## How it plays 7.1 **padell.io score 7.1** Play 7.5 (60%) and reviews 6.6 (40%). No independent reviews found yet, so that part starts low. [How the score works](https://padell.io/how-we-score/) - **Control**: 6.5 around average● - **Power**: 7.5 above average▲ - **Comfort**: 2.5 below average▼ - **Handling**: 5.5 above average▲ - **Forgiveness**: 4.5 below average▼ - **Line = the average of all rackets**: ▲ above ▼ below On paper this is a stiff attacking racket, and the meters show where it gives and where it asks for work. - **Control** Medium, helped by the hybrid shape and the stiff face, but not the main selling point. - **Power** High, because the hard foam core and the carbon face both add pace. - **Comfort** Low, since a hard core under a stiff face passes on more of the ball's impact. - **Handling** Medium, based on the published balance measurement, although the brand's own label says High. - **Forgiveness** Low, so you need to hit the centre of the face to get the most from it. ## Specifications - **Shape**: Hybrid [Between the classic shapes, the balance says more](https://padell.io/guides/padel-racket-shapes/) - **Weight**: 360 g Average: not tiring, stable enough - **Balance**: Head-heavy according to the brand, 270 mm Head-heavy: more power overhead, slower to move - **Face**: 18K Carbon Duplex Stiff: precise and powerful at speed, less damping - **Core**: Performance Foam Hard: control and power at speed, more vibration - **Surface**: Rough Rough: helps with spin - **Handle**: Longer handle - **Frame**: 360 Carbon Frame Not published by the brand: thickness, head size Specs from the brand's own site · checked 25 September 2026 · [Spotted a wrong spec? Report it →](https://padell.io/contact/?topic=correction&racket=Stiga%2018K%20Hard%202%20Cybershape) ## Price history Today **€ 309.95** Lowest in 30 days **€ 267.95** vs 30-day average **+9%** Lowest price per day across the shops in your market. Checked every night. [Stiga](https://padell.io/brands/stiga/) pitches the 18K Hard 2 Cybershape at experienced attacking players. The specs back up the attacking part. A hard foam core sits under an 18K carbon face, in a hybrid shape, at a fixed 360 g. Whether it is as controlled as the marketing says is a different question. No reviewer has published a verdict on this racket yet, so everything below comes from the spec sheet and the brand's own words. ## Power profile, Professional label: what the sheet says about who this is for Stiga lists the level as Professional. Its player profile is "Power". Both point the same way. This is not a racket built to help you out. It is built for someone who already hits the ball cleanly and wants pace without having to swing wildly. No pro player is named for this model. That matters less than it sounds. The two Adam Axelsson Editions carry his name, this one does not. Do not assume a signature racket sits behind it. ## Unbeatable control, says the product page: the meters read Medium The product page talks about unbeatable control and says the shape gives a larger sweet spot than a traditional round racket. Treat both as the brand's claims. They are not measurements. The meters tell a more measured story. Control reads Medium. The hybrid shape, the stiff face and the 270 mm balance all raise it, so it is decent. But nothing here makes it a control racket. The sweet spot reads Low, because the hard core pulls it down. A bigger sweet spot in theory and a Low reading on paper can both be true. The shape may help, while the hard core still makes the usable zone small. The practical point: you will get more from it if you find the centre of the face consistently. Off-centre hits will cost you more than on a softer racket. ## Performance Foam under 18K carbon: where High power and Low comfort come from The core is Performance Foam, and a retailer describes its density as hard. The face is 18K Carbon Duplex, the frame is a 360 Carbon Frame, and the surface is rough. Stiga also describes a silver treatment on the face, claiming it binds the weave. That is a marketing statement, so take it as such. The effect on court is easy to predict. A hard core and a stiff face return energy quickly. That is why power reads High. It is also why comfort reads Low. There is little cushioning between the ball and your hand. Not a flaw for the right player, but a trade. If your elbow or wrist complains easily, a hard racket like this will test it. Shorter sessions, a good grip and a proper warm-up help. A softer racket helps more. ## 360 g and 270 mm with a High balance label: what it asks of your arm Weight is listed as 360 g, with the same figure for minimum and maximum. The brand does not publish a [weight range](https://padell.io/guides/padel-racket-weight-range/) or a weight system. Expect the racket in front of you to be close to that number, but nothing more precise. Balance is where the sources differ. Stiga labels it High. A retailer lists 270 mm. The meter reads that 270 mm figure as medium, and maneuverability comes out Medium as a result. So the label and the measurement point in slightly different directions. If you want to know how head-heavy it really is, try one in your hand before buying. Stiga also says the handle is longer. That gives you room to move your grip for more leverage, or to choke up when you want to be quicker at the net. ## Hard 2 next to the two Adam Axelsson Editions The name suggests a family, and it is one. The [Stiga Cybershape 18K Hard Adam Axelsson Edition](https://padell.io/rackets/stiga/cybershape-18k-hard-adam-axelsson-edition/) shares the High balance label, the Performance Foam core and the 18K Carbon Duplex face. Its meters read Low for both control and maneuverability, against Medium here. On paper it is the harder one to handle. The [Stiga 18K X Hard Cybershape Adam Axelsson Edition](https://padell.io/rackets/stiga/18k-x-hard-cybershape-adam-axelsson-edition/) has a Medium balance label and a face called 18K X Hard Carbon Duplex. Its meters match the Hard 2 on every line. So if you like the profile of this racket but want the brand's label to say Medium balance, that is the one to look at. Stiga also says the Hard 2 is a refined version of the original 18K Hard Cybershape. That comes from the product page. Nothing published shows what exactly changed, so do not treat it as a measured difference. Outside the brand, the [Oxdog Pure Pro+](https://padell.io/rackets/oxdog/pure-pro/) is a comparable hard hybrid. The 2026 version lists a 38 mm thickness and 370 g. Its meters read Low for control and maneuverability, so it is the more demanding of the two on paper. ## Head size, thickness, weight system: what you cannot check Stiga does not publish the head area, the thickness or the weight system. Those three numbers shape how a racket handles and how big the usable face is. Without them, any claim about the sweet spot is partly guesswork. There are also no independent reviews, no video tests and no player reports. That makes the meters here a prediction from materials, not a result from the court. They are a useful guide, but not a verdict. If you can demo one first, do that. Written by **[Ruud Caris](https://padell.io/about/)** Padel player and founder of padell.io Bought, played and sold more rackets than was good for him, and built padell.io to bring it all together. [About padell.io →](https://padell.io/about/) ## Similar rackets [Stiga Cybershape 18K Hard Adam Axelsson Edition](https://padell.io/rackets/stiga/cybershape-18k-hard-adam-axelsson-edition/) · 7.3 [Compare side by side](https://padell.io/compare/stiga-18k-hard-2-cybershape-vs-stiga-cybershape-18k-hard-adam-axelsson-edition/) [Vibor-A Yarara Atrox](https://padell.io/rackets/vibora/yarara-atrox/) · 7.3 [Compare side by side](https://padell.io/compare/stiga-18k-hard-2-cybershape-vs-vibora-yarara-atrox/) [Oxdog Pure Pro+](https://padell.io/rackets/oxdog/pure-pro/) · 8.1 [Compare side by side](https://padell.io/compare/oxdog-pure-pro-vs-stiga-18k-hard-2-cybershape/) [Stiga 18K X Hard Cybershape Adam Axelsson Edition](https://padell.io/rackets/stiga/18k-x-hard-cybershape-adam-axelsson-edition/) · 7.1 [Compare side by side](https://padell.io/compare/stiga-18k-x-hard-cybershape-adam-axelsson-edition-vs-stiga-18k-hard-2-cybershape/) [All rackets that play like the Stiga 18K Hard 2 Cybershape →](https://padell.io/alternatives/?r=466) ## Questions before you buy **Is the Stiga 18K Hard 2 Cybershape good for beginners?** Not on paper. Stiga lists it as Professional level, and the hard core with a stiff carbon face gives Low comfort and a Low sweet spot. Beginners usually do better with a softer racket. **How does it differ from the Adam Axelsson Editions?** The Cybershape 18K Hard Adam Axelsson Edition reads Low for control and maneuverability, against Medium here. The 18K X Hard Axelsson Edition has the same meters but a Medium balance label instead of High. **Is it hard on the arm?** It may be. The hard Performance Foam core and the stiff 18K carbon face both lower the comfort reading to Low. If you have elbow or wrist trouble, try one before committing. **Are the head size and thickness known?** No. Stiga does not publish head area, thickness or a weight system for this racket. Only the 360 g weight and the balance are listed. **Is the 18K Hard 2 Cybershape worth the money right now?** Today's price is labelled "Pricey today" compared with the rackets that play most alike. **What is the closest alternative?** The Stiga Cybershape 18K Hard Adam Axelsson Edition plays most alike. Differences: handling -2.0, control -1.5. [Compare side by side →](https://padell.io/compare/stiga-18k-hard-2-cybershape-vs-stiga-cybershape-18k-hard-adam-axelsson-edition/) **Who should not buy it?** Skip it if your elbow or shoulder complains (comfort 2.5/10), or if you are still learning: it is not very forgiving (4.5/10). **How heavy is it really?** The brand gives 360 g. That counts as medium. Each racket can differ within that range. [Why a range? →](https://padell.io/guides/padel-racket-weight-range/)