Latest reviews

Pros
  • Speed
  • Design
Cons
  • Expensive
  • Spin
I just got the chance to try out Butterflys new Bryce Highspeed 2.1mm. I still remember the old Bryce from the speed glue days and I was very eager to try out these rubbers. Here is a short review from my first practice with these rubbers.

I used them together with STIGAs Infinity VPS and I only played with the poly ball. First of all I think these rubbers is really fast, even faster than the Tenergy series. I got a really good pressure on my opponent a bit away from the table but since they were so fast they were also a little hard to control. This rubber is developed for the pros and I recommend it for offensive players who prefer great speed over control and spin. The spin in these rubbers were Okay but nothing special, there are other more spinner rubbers out there.

My serve and return went a little high and long in the beginning but after some adjustment I could get a good low serve. I liked them very much in my backhand flick where I could get a good spiny touch.

Overall I think this is a good rubber but nothing special. I had really high expectation but I must say that I still prefer Tenergy and Airoc every day in the week. They felt a little too fast for me but can suit some really offensive players very good I think. Like Marcin5673 wrote I think it’s mostly hype around these rubbers, (just like the new STAR WARS movie) and I think there is many cheaper rubbers out there that plays equally good, or even better. I will try them out some more and make the longer review.

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Speed
9.3
Spin
7.5
Durability
7.2
Control
7.4
Pros
  • Control
  • speed
  • feel
I have always been a fan of the Stiga allround Classic which was one of my first blades that I started out with. I have actually never had the chance to try out the Stiga Offensive Classic before yesterday. I used it together with Airoc M on backhand and Tenergy 05 on forehand.

First of all I think this blade also got a nice feel, you can really feel the ball hitting the blade. The control was great and of course it was a little faster compared to the Allround classic. It was fast but not to fast, I would say off to off-. I liked it very much in my returns where I got a good connection with the ball and could together with the rubbers get really good controlled returns. I felt stabile in my block and I got a good pressure on my opponent.

I tried it with both the old and the new ball. This blade should work fine if you like the Allround classic but want a little more speed. Even if this blade suited my game style I'm still to happy with my Carbonado 190 so I won't do any changes. Someone knows when the Allround classic was released?
Speed
8.7
Control
9
Hardness
7.4
Durability
8.9
Pros
  • Control
  • Speed glue
Cons
  • Old
  • needs speed glue
Sriver is a good rubber for offensive players and was very popular during the speed glue era. It's an offensive rubber for advanced players who prefer control before power, the rubber is not that fast. The rubber is made for the old ball and to get full use of the rubber you should use speed glue. I got some good memories playing with Sriver in my earlier days and it really makes me miss the speed glue era.
Speed
6.7
Spin
7.3
Durability
7.2
Control
8.1
Pros
  • Design
Cons
  • Quality
  • Slow
Sadly like many of the other new balls the quality is far from okay, so many breaks just in one practice. I like the design but I'm disappointed with the durability and I also find the the ball surprisingly slow.
Roundness
6.2
Hardness
6.6
Speed
3.1
Durability
4.5
Pros
  • Hardness
Cons
  • Breaks easy
  • Not round
Practiced with these balls and they made me a bit disappointed. Way to many broke in just one practice and many was a bit egg formed. Some where of course alright but variation of quality between the balls where to big for its price.
Roundness
5.1
Hardness
7.1
Speed
5.1
Durability
2.7
Pros
  • Seed
  • Design
  • Feel

I really like the design and I’m a bit weak for the dark and light blue colour that makes the blade look really good.


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When counter driving I felt good control and I could get a lot of power from this blade, it did not feel as stiff as I was expecting, I would rate it to be medium hard.


From Behind I also got a stabile touch but I felt it lacks a little control compared to the Carbonado, I guess it can have something to do with the Carbon in the Carbonado, which got a higher sweet spot. The Interforce felt a little faster and harder to control for me, not much but I noticed a slight difference when comparing the two.


Block and counter-attack: My block felt a bit different compared to the Carboando, a slight different trajection. Can’t really say which of the blade that felt most stablie since I think it’s just a matter of getting use to the blade. However could the Interforce ALC give me a good pressure on my opponent, and I found it pretty easy to get the ball in the directions and placing that I wanted to.


Short play and serves: My serves also felt good with this blade, I could get really spinny serves and It had a good dwell time. I’m a little bit dissapointed on this blade when it comes to the short game, I did not get as good control over the opponents serve and the ball that I wanted to. Can be because I'm coming from the Carbonado that I think works extreamly good in the short game. The short game is one of my weaknesses and I need all control I can get so the Interforce ALC I recommend for advanced players who has a natural good feeling in the short game. The offensive pushes and flicks felt however great, it was just when I tried to return some spinny serves short I stumbled on some problems.


Mid distance and my experience overall: In the open game from mid distance I think this blade was super. Pretty fast but I think it still had good control, still recommend it for more advanced players. I would also suggest this blade for all types of offensive game styles the blade have a nice feeling and touch. However I did not find that this blade surprised me in any specific way, I think it was pretty good overall with good control and speed but nothing that not many other blades have. Except from the design which I think is awesome!



Speed
9.1
Control
7.9
Hardness
6
Durability
8.5
Pros
  • Control
  • Speed
  • Quality
So first of all, the 145 blade feels really good in the hand. I think the STIGA way of using a bit of roughness on the handle is a good thing at least for me, I feel the use of an over grip unnecessary.

I really like the metal logo under the blade, that you also can find on the Emerald VPS V and the rest of the new models from STIGA, it looks very professional and high quality.

The 145 blade felt really controlled when counter driving with a wider trajectory then the 190. It has some big sweet spot and I love the touch in this blades.

I felt really stable in my topspin loop away from the table, the blade got high trajectory which gives the blade really good control. This blade will suit you perfect if you like a to play a safe game style from behind.

My block felt also really stabile with this blade, I could really control my opponent and keep a great pressure, no problems playing straight and the pressure and speed I got when I was placed over the table and applying pressure on the ball was incredible. I played a only backhand-backhand match with my opponent and I played very good with this blade.

Short play and serve: The blade got good control in the short game. And this blade is a great choice if you like playing hard underspins and a lot of flicks over the table. I really like the contact I got in my serves and I could easily get the serve short and low over the net.

My experience overall:

I found this suitable for an all around based game and I think this blade is optimized for medium to far distance shooting.

I would recommend medium rubbers on it. I really like the combination between Tenergy 05 and this blade, but I would still recommend medium rubbers for this blade even thought Tenergy 05 is pretty hard. This blade is for offensive players who still prefer much control, I think it suits the most offensive all round players.

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Speed
8.8
Control
9.1
Hardness
8.8
Durability
9
Pros
  • Control
  • Quality
  • Short game

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.

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Speed
8.6
Control
9.2
Hardness
8.3
Durability
8.8
Pros
  • Control
  • Feeling
Cons
  • Pretty slow
This was one of my first blades and when I recently tried it I could directly feel why this is such a good blade for beginners as well as more advanced all round players. This blade got such a good control and I recommend it for all players who prefer control in their game. This is not a blade for the power maniacs since it's not that fast.

The blade is pretty light and very easy to play with in the short game, I thing you can get it for a cheap price nowadays and for new players I think it's hard to find a better blade to start out with! Five stars for the excellent control!
Speed
6.7
Control
9.4
Hardness
6.5
Durability
8.2
Pros
  • Spinny
  • Great control
  • Very durable
I have been using these rubbers together with my Infinity vps v for a while now and I'm very happy with my setup.

I have read that Airoc M is made for the new ball and I can absolutely agree that it works great together. I think it's hard to find a rubber with better control and the spiny topsheet makes it easy to put high quilty topspins on the table. It's not the fastest rubber out there but for offensive players who prefer great control I really recommend it.

What I like the most about this rubber is the control I get in my serve and returns, the top sheet together with the sponge gives it a nice feeling in the short game, you don't get the feeling that the ball bounces of the rubber like you can get with many other alternatives out there.

The rubber is really durable and because I really can't complain to much about the price either I give Airoc M five stars!
Speed
7.8
Spin
8.6
Durability
8.7
Control
9.2
For 2040 in Blades
Pros
  • Good control
Cons
  • Lacks power
  • Very light
I recently found this old blade in my drawer and it gave me a nostalgic feeling so I wanted to try it since it was one of my first blades. I remember that I bought it when I was younger because of it's light weight since I was to weak for the "normal" blade weight.

So I tried this blade now after almost ten years and I felt directly that this was a blade for beginners even though it was pretty fast and a offensive blade. The light weight made it hard to get the power behind the strokes that I wanted, so it's not a blade for power guys. The control in the blade was pretty good so if you are a offensive beginner who likes light blades with control this can be a blade for you.
Speed
6.5
Control
8
Hardness
4.7
Durability
6.6
Pros
  • Good control
  • Speed
  • Forehand rubber
Cons
  • Expensive
  • Durability
A great rubber with both the Speed and control and I'm not surprised that so many pros are using it! It's a rubber for advanced players so don't buy it just because many pros are using it if you don't have the skill for it. But if you do have the skills the Tenergy 05 is a deadly weapon!

Sadly I must also complain a little bit about the price like everyone else but if you got the cash for it I recommend it.
Speed
8
Spin
8.1
Durability
8.3
Control
8
Cons
  • Breaks easy
  • not so round
I must also say I'm a bit disappointed with the quality, like benlarcombe wrote they breaks really easy. Some of them are round but sadly not close to everyone. This is the ball my club trains with, haven't tried that many new balls yet, but will try to make a review of all the balls I try in the future.
Roundness
4.2
Hardness
3.3
Speed
4.8
Durability
3.2
Pros
  • Nice looking
  • Durable
  • confortable
Cons
  • Would like more colors
I have been playing with the Instinct shoe for the last four month now and I have used them maybe 6-8 times a week in practice. The shoe is very durable and many in my club are as satisfied as I am with this shoe. It's a light shoe with a very grippy sole that still looks almost completely new. I think it's the best Stiga shoe so far and I feel very light and fast playing with them!
Comfort
8.9
Grip
9.1
Durability
9
Weight
3
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