Stiga Carbonado 190

Plies: limba 0.3mm - textreme 0.25mm - ayous 0.7mm - ayous 3.3mm - ayous 0.7mm - textreme 0.25mm - limba 0.3mm

Dimensions: 156x150x5.8mm

Weight: mine has 90g (sealed)

I play the Stiga Carbonado 190 Flared handle (handle called Master by Stiga) already 7 month now and i think i have developed a good sense for feeling and touch of the blade.
It is a bit difficult to explain but i try my best.
In a few aspects it always comes down, not only to personal preferences but also to a subjective perception. Therefore contradicted statements can be occur and are nothing to worry about, just the way different people perceive one and the same thing.
The 190 although it is a rather hard and stiff blade does play significantly softer than it is, maybe due to the limba outer plies and because it is rather thin (5.8mm)
this combination makes it a blade with high basic speed but still very controlable and with good overall feeling.
I have to ad that i only played two different rubber combinations so this probably plays a significant role in perceiving its playing characteristics.
I played Hurricane 8, 40 degree black FH/ Tinarc 5, 37 degree red BH and liked this combination very much, more than
Hurricane 3 Neo 40 degree black FH/ TG 3-60, 37 degree BH

In general the blade has a big sweetspot and its realy higher towards the head, like stated in manufacturers discription. this gives you an overall feeling of safety and when playing faster rallies, shots with more power and force can be played because with full arm swing (like a pendulum) more force can be generated from a hitting point near the head of the blade. the higher oriented sweetspot guaranties more margin for error and a higher number of winners due to that fact.
So it definitely rewards a certain style of play.
It is very suitable in combination with a rubber with chinese playing characteristics on the forehand side.
Close to the table it is a deadly weapon. The trajectory is lower than average.
With something like H8 which has a not so high first speed but a very good kick off the bounce with good spin, it causes a lot of trouble for the opponent because this is a rather unusual style of play. a relatively low trajectory in general and a very flat bounce on the opponents half of the table makes it difficult to return the ball for your opponent and at the same time making much fun to play for you.
It took quite some time to adjust the technique when playing away from the table but once you know the trick it is very enjoyable and effective too.
You have to significantly lower your center of gravity the farer away you play from the table but still deadly shot can be created when enough effort is put into it.
definetely nothing for lazy boys or girls.
But once you got used to it, you just can`t resist to love that blade.

Hi, I play with Carbonado 190 combined with a pair of Butterfly's 05. I've had it since it came out and havant had any thoughts of changing it. I think it specified for certain play styles and with that I mean some player must love it when other hates it. Why so, well because it has this low curve combined with a high amount of speed it can be hard to control, especially when much spin is in play. But its also positive because this low curve and speed is really enjoying for your opponent and with todays popular game style(looping from half distance) this blade really helps to make that final stroke or strokes.
I've always liked to compare 190 and 145. I my club, many of the players are playing with carbonado since they bought it when it came. Today they are trading around their blades because they've realized that one of 190 or 145 fits them better. The player who have this stereotype technic and gameplay chooses 145 when the player relying more on his decisive strokes chooses and 190.

Hope that you know can see how I consider this blade and good luck finding your blade

Hi,
I was able to play Carbonado 190 thanks to Stiga's lottery on facebook. I amvery glad for the opportunity.
The first thing I noticed was the low throw (even with t05). It is perfect block/punch blade. My first top spins where landing behind the table, that blade is really fast, but very consistent. My flips from bh had a lot of power, almost like full swing top spin. I am not playing with that blde bcause it is too fast for me and weights too much. I am used to ~84g blades. I would reccomend that blade to really avanced players. While I had no problems with keeping the ball on the table with Innerforce ZLC, the first balls with Carbonado where often too long, but if You can controll that monster it is really great weapon.

The carbonado 190 is the best blade I have ever played with as it has an amazing feeling when striking the ball and even though the carbonado is a very fast blade you keep the control in to the table and away from the table, I currently play with carbonado 190 and airoc astro m on both sides and I recommend them both they are both incredible to play with

Hi.

I've been playing with the Carbonado 190 for two month now, and I'm plesantly surprised. I made the switch to the Carbonado from the Timo Boll ALC after it broke during a backhand smash. I paired the 190 with the same rubbers as the ALC- Tenergy 05 for forehand and 80 for backhand.
I thought that the TeExtreme carbon giving a wider sweetspot was nothing but marketing and that it would be of almost no significance, I was wrong.
It's a little faster than the Timo Boll ALC but a lot more controlable, making blocking and accurate placed loops and drives a lot easier, almost too easy.

I noticed the increased contol immediately during my first training session, even during my first few hits.

Now, for some stats.

Speed: This is certainly a fast blade, about 8.5 out of 10.

Control: I knew I was getting a very fast blade, and was afraid that I'd lose a lot of control, I didn't. Blocking, looping, driving, lobbing, cutting, serving, no problem at all.

Throw: The throw angle i relatively low, which is part of the rason blocks and counter hits on loops is so easy. You just land the balls fast and with a direct trajectory on the table. This makes short and mid-distance loops drives and blocks easy, but far from the table requires a lot of effort and an open bat angle, or you'll hit the ball in the net. This is part of the reason I'm pairing it with T05 for forehand, as it has a medium to high throw.

Stiffness: The blade is very stiff, which is something I really like, as it gives you great feeling when hitting the ball.

Looping: Looping with this blade is a dream. The amount of contol and spin which can be generated is incredible. But be aware, it has a low throw, which gives a very flat and direct trajectory, so I recommend you to pair it with rubbers that has a medium to high throw as it evens it out perfectly.

Driving: Giving the blades wide sweet spot and direct trajectory, driving with this blade is a dream. I felt like I had a lot more room for error with this blade than I had with the Timo Boll ALC.

Blocking: I fell like I've said this man times now, but blocking is a dream. The wide sweet spot allows you to have much room for error, making your blocks consistent, almost anywhere the ball hits your blade. Accurate plaement with a lot of speed and feeling is what this blade offers.

Conterhitting: Amazing!! The amount of speed combined with the control combined with the high speed results in devestating counter loops and drives. This is where the the 190 outshines anything I've played with before.

Close to the table: This is where the blade truly shines. Close to the table loops, counter loops and blocks are so effortless with this blade. It truly is as good as it gets.

Mid distance: The Carbonado 190 is also great for mid distance play, as it gives you excellent speed and spin. But, it requires a little more effort because of the low throw.

Long range: This is the the only raal weakspot I can think of when it comes to the 190. Long rage loops and drives requires a lot of effort combined with a very open angle of the racket. It also requires very precise timing as it's really difficult to get that nice "wide" trajectory that you need to lift the ball from under the table.

Serving: The blade is allows precise serves with a lot of spin, but it requires a bit of finesse to keep the serves short, as the blade is very fast and "active".



Summary

The Stiga Carbonado 190 is the perfect for the player who relies on fast, direct shots combined with a lot of control. If you're a close to mid distance player who like to play fast and spinny counter loops, this blade is for you. I you need a blade with a little higher throw and wider trajectory the Carbonado 145 is more likely better suited for you.
The Carbonado 190 is a high quality blade, made for world class play, but the wide sweetspot is also great for learning players.
The handle is also great and gives you a amazing grip, but it's not as comfortable as the Boll ALC handle, but nothing really is.
Overall I prefer this blade to the Timo Boll ALC, but it all comes down to your playing style.


Excuse me for any misspellings, weird formulations and a weird summary order. I'm a new reviewer and english is not my main language.

This blade is superb for close/mid distance play due to its hardness/stiffness and lower throw angle compared to viscaria family of blades.
I used andro rasant (black) for FH and tibhar aurus soft for BH.

blocks extremely well. ball stays close to net height.
Close table exchanges/drives/counterdrives are very easy.
pairing up with tibhar aurus soft on BH has been a wonderful experience, since the blade characteristics (fast/stiff/low-throw) mate perfectly with rubber (med-fast/med-soft sponge/high throw). All kinds of strokes : over table banana loops, away from table power loops, close table blocking etc worked extremely well.
On the FH side, andro rasant also gave good results because of its medium sponge giving the necessary dwell time and grippy surface for lifting backspins easily. The low throw of the blade ensures that you dont overshoot the edge of the table easily, but you need to still keep a check as the blade and rubber are both fast. Maybe a marginally slower rubber would have been the best combination, but rasant is also not bad either !!
Serve receives/ pushes are well controlled. I was able to place the ball easily to different spots and at extreme angles.

Overall, very happy with the blade !!

Hi guys

In the last couple of weeks I have been trying out the 190, but since I had to play team matches I had to stay with the 145 for a period. Now the season is finish I could train and test the 190.

My initial impression of the blade is the finish and quality of the Carbonado 190 is the same as the 145. The blue and black handle is just awesome! I must say that Stiga has hit the spot regarding the design of the Carbonado series. Again with the black metal top emblem and blue and white Stiga emblem in the end of handle, it just completes the Carbonado 190. If should point out a down side of the blade it would be the sharp edges on the wings of the blade.
Hitting with a ball without rubbers on I could hear the pitch was higher than my 145 which often indicates that the blades is faster than the blade you are comparing. Let's put some rubbers and test this beast!

Setup details: Weight 89g, Rubbers H3 Prov NEO boosted and Tenergy 64
Test ball: Celluloid

Counter drive: The first couple of hits with the ball I could easily notice the flatter trajectory the 190 has, because I was hitting the ball into the net. After playing some minutes and adjustments I was hitting the table again. Another noticeable feature was the "feel" which were less than the 145.

Loop: Ball after ball I was hitting the ball into the net with my FH. Now I was experiencing the flatter trajectory! After sending the first balls into the net I got a hang of the Carbonado 190. Looping with this blade with H3 in forehand the arc was very flat which can be an advanges on open ups. The blade is very consistent due to the large sweetspot which the TeXtreme carbon layer gives, but I did notice that the sweetspot was more vertical compared to the 145. Looping with the Tenergy on BH side I had the feeling I could "hold" the bold more than 145 with the T05 on BH. I am used to play with T64 in BH so I like this combination more. With the flatter trajectory of the blade and low arc from the T64 looping over table is amazing. I think the spin are quite alike with the 145 and 190, but in terms of speed the 190 feels a notch faster.

Block: Like the 145, the 190 is a blocking machine! There is a lot control with this blade and with the low trajectory you can often with success punch the ball back from the BH side.

Short play: Here the Carbonado 190 shines! In returning short it is easy to keep the ball close to the net also when you are coming in late to the table to receive short. Very controllable without having the feeling the ball is bouncing away from you.

Mid distance: As the 145, I did not need to add a lot of power when playing from mid distance. Even with the low arc I did not feel it was difficult to hit the table. Furthermore I did do any larger adjustments from the 145 to be able to play loop to loop.

Conclusion: The Carbonado 190 is a blade in the range of OFF. No more or no less. I will recommend this blade for fast close to the table game play,to 3rd ball attackers and mid distance players. The blade is minded for an all-round/offensive game play where you want to kill the ball at the 3rd ball. It is, as 145, very balanced between spin and speed where it is pointing more to the speed side. Stiga has found something in these Carbonado blades. The blades are special due its new fiber technology giving the blade a characteristic feel, which is positive. IMO I would say the 190 would be the rival of Viscaria FL.

Carbonado 190!


Weight: 93 grams


Handle: Straight


Thickness: 5.87


Speed: OFF


Hardness: Stiff


Test rubbers: Tenergy 05


Test ball: Donic 40+

I started out with some counter drives and the first I noticed was a great balance between both power and control, it was a bit faster and stiffer than I was expecting but this was just a positive thing for me because I could still feel a great control over the ball. Every stroke felt the same as the previous one even though I didn't hit the ball on the exact same place which is a good proof that the 190 blade got a high and very large sweet-spot.


When I started to loop a bit away from the table I could directly feel the power this blade were able to generate. Together with my Tenergy 05 I was able to get a good topspin loop with great control and the feeling that I could easily put the ball on the table even under pressure. I also tried some defensive strokes away from the table, the control felt good even though this blade is a really fast and offensive blade.


Block and counter-attack: My block felt a bit different from what I was used to when I’m usually playing with the Infinity VPS V but I could pretty quick get use to the difference. The Carbonado 190 could generate much spin and speed from just using my opponents power and I felt that I could get a constant pressure at my opponent. I think that this blade is well suited for players who likes to put pressure on the opponent close to the table since the blade got a very flat trajectory.


Short play and serves: It was in the short game and serve that this blade gave me my happiest surprise. Together with Tenergy 05 I had very good control over the short game and I could without problems get really low spiny serves and returns. This combo was extraordinary when It comes to the short game.


Mid distance and my experience overall: I could get good pressure playing at mid distance and due to the big sweet spot I was able to put many balls in the exact place where I wanted to put them on the table. My goal when I play is usually to keep the pressure close to the table and play faster than my opponent, but since this blade got such a speed and flat trajectory I felt that I could keep the pressure on my opponents even at a great distance from the table.


I don't know exactly which player I would first of all recommend this blade to because I think it will suit the most offensive all-round players very good. Although I had some high expectations on this blade I must say it did not dissapoint me. I have only been playing with it for three practices so it's a bit early to say exactly how pleased I will be in the future but the first impression really made an impact on me. I think Stiga really has made something special here and this is what makes the blade worth the price.

I had the fantastic opportunity to review STIGA's latest blade the Carbonado 190 built with Textreme Carbon with Xu Xin. The video looks at various techniques and a range of shots used in today's modern game of table tennis and also which types of players this carbon blade could well be suited to.