Carbonado 145 & 190 - Unboxing

[raazzz]

just wanted to give some feedback from my practice yesterday with my new carbonado 145. i liked the blade when counterdriving from mid distance, my arc was suitable for me. first ball on underspin was great, i felt powerful even though i'm not an powerful player. i had problem with blocking but that i feel is more something to be adjusted since the blade is much faster compared to what i had. overall i'm very happy with this blade but then it was only one practice, lets see if the feeling is the same after one month.

Nice that you also like it! Like the most new equipment it takes of course some adjustment in the beginning. I have really started to become accustomed with my 190 an I like it more and more.

 

[Giangt]

Nice that you also like it! Like the most new equipment it takes of course some adjustment in the beginning. I have really started to become accustomed with my 190 an I like it more and more.

Do you like the 190 more than 145?

 

[raazzz]

Do you like the 190 more than 145?

I don't think the blade is that much different from each other, but for me I felt that the 190 got a little more control in the short game which really is a weakness for me. Thats why I choose the 190 for now, but have not completely decided yet. Still trying the 145 to since I got them both haha. It's a hard decision to finally choose one but since they both are very good and pretty similar I know that I will be happy with my setup when I finally choose. And you? Do you like the 145 much more then the 190?

 

[TareqPhoto]

Well, i will keep watching this thread more, i did order Carbonado which was a surprise to me, i wasn't put any of them as priority now, maybe for later after few months, but because i was placing a blade but suddenly it became out of stock or unavailable for the handle type i immediately saw Carbonado under good prices, 145 was special offer and 190 is almost same price as the blade that is out of stock due to handle but it was under special offer too, so my plans changed about blades a bit, but i like to have more tests and experimenting with blades and rubbers so i will give them a go.

Now i am not sure which rubbers i will use with this Carbonado blade, i am sure different members will recommend different rubbers and i may end up with 10 rubbers as recommendations, so i will keep looking at this thread and see what different members are using with this blade and how are their impressions/reviews so far.

 

[Giangt]

I don't think the blade is that much different from each other, but for me I felt that the 190 got a little more control in the short game which really is a weakness for me. Thats why I choose the 190 for now, but have not completely decided yet. Still trying the 145 to since I got them both haha. It's a hard decision to finally choose one but since they both are very good and pretty similar I know that I will be happy with my setup when I finally choose. And you? Do you like the 145 much more then the 190?

IMO there a difference in feel and trajectory the ball has when playing. I am currently playing the 190 which I am starting to get used to. I struggle a bit in my open ups compared to the 145 due to the flatter ball arc. Also I like the 190 from mid distance where I find it more powerful. When that is said both blades are very good. If I could have the feel of the 145 in the 190 I would be in heaven

 

[Giangt]

Well, i will keep watching this thread more, i did order Carbonado which was a surprise to me, i wasn't put any of them as priority now, maybe for later after few months, but because i was placing a blade but suddenly it became out of stock or unavailable for the handle type i immediately saw Carbonado under good prices, 145 was special offer and 190 is almost same price as the blade that is out of stock due to handle but it was under special offer too, so my plans changed about blades a bit, but i like to have more tests and experimenting with blades and rubbers so i will give them a go.

Now i am not sure which rubbers i will use with this Carbonado blade, i am sure different members will recommend different rubbers and i may end up with 10 rubbers as recommendations, so i will keep looking at this thread and see what different members are using with this blade and how are their impressions/reviews so far.

Great that you like the thread Which one of the Carbonados the you order? To help you in your search which playing characteristics are you looking for?

 

[TareqPhoto]

Great that you like the thread Which one of the Carbonados the you order? To help you in your search which playing characteristics are you looking for?

Yes, i like it here, so informative and many sharing experiences which good and learning from each other, hope one day i can play good so i can share something too.

I was going to buy Carbonado 145 because it has a special offer price, but i liked the blue color handle so i went with Carbonado 190, one day i may go with 145 too but i don't think 190 will allow me to.

I don't know about my playing characteristics at all, one time i am an offensive player, another time i am a defender, one game i play close to table, another game far, so i have no fixed style yet, but honestly speaking with strong players i go defensive, with weak or lower level players i go offensive, and i want to improve my offensive style more as this is what will make me win more than defensive style even i am good at defensive one day.

 

[Giangt]

Yes, i like it here, so informative and many sharing experiences which good and learning from each other, hope one day i can play good so i can share something too.

I was going to buy Carbonado 145 because it has a special offer price, but i liked the blue color handle so i went with Carbonado 190, one day i may go with 145 too but i don't think 190 will allow me to.

I don't know about my playing characteristics at all, one time i am an offensive player, another time i am a defender, one game i play close to table, another game far, so i have no fixed style yet, but honestly speaking with strong players i go defensive, with weak or lower level players i go offensive, and i want to improve my offensive style more as this is what will make me win more than defensive style even i am good at defensive one day.

Some day you will I meant what do you like from setup while playing. We all have to get in defensive mode when we're not in the offensive mode.

 

[TareqPhoto]

Some day you will I meant what do you like from setup while playing. We all have to get in defensive mode when we're not in the offensive mode.

I hope so, thanks!

I see, well, it is difficult to tell now what i like from my setup while playing, it sounds like getting to that ultimate great perfect setup is not possible, otherwise i will see almost all or many players using that ultimate setup, but sure some setups can give nice results or performances while playing, and i am still in that stage where i keep testing to reach that setup a bit.

I remember from my first ever thread that many recommended me to go with control over speed, so maybe i should look for control setup more now until i am good to move to the speed, but this is no help if:

1. I don't have coaching

2. I keep playing against offensive higher level players who don't give me any chance to learn the control, and even if i manage to control it will be late and they still be a head over me with their speed than my control, it will be just i make the damage less with good control but very rare i may win

So, if i don't play with lower level players and i don't have coaching then the control will not take me far away either, i saw all those top players in the club lose against other speed attackers not against full/great controlling players, so it is like i will be so behind them for long time until i move from control i must learn/improve to the speed which will make me dominate the game or even control opponents style if i know how to use speed to my advantage.

So, what was you looking for in those Carbonado blades anyway?

 

[Skully]

Im still undecided on which one would suit me and my style. I like to play off teh table and play loops and an open game, I dominate with the BH pushes, blocks and loops and can play close to table when needed. As you can see my current blade is a balsa-carbo, not sure if that can help someone see what would be better

 

[Giangt]

I hope so, thanks!

I see, well, it is difficult to tell now what i like from my setup while playing, it sounds like getting to that ultimate great perfect setup is not possible, otherwise i will see almost all or many players using that ultimate setup, but sure some setups can give nice results or performances while playing, and i am still in that stage where i keep testing to reach that setup a bit.

I remember from my first ever thread that many recommended me to go with control over speed, so maybe i should look for control setup more now until i am good to move to the speed, but this is no help if:

1. I don't have coaching

2. I keep playing against offensive higher level players who don't give me any chance to learn the control, and even if i manage to control it will be late and they still be a head over me with their speed than my control, it will be just i make the damage less with good control but very rare i may win

So, if i don't play with lower level players and i don't have coaching then the control will not take me far away either, i saw all those top players in the club lose against other speed attackers not against full/great controlling players, so it is like i will be so behind them for long time until i move from control i must learn/improve to the speed which will make me dominate the game or even control opponents style if i know how to use speed to my advantage.

So, what was you looking for in those Carbonado blades anyway?

As you might already know you have to find a setup that fits you and your level. I will still recommend you a blade with more control than speed as people also recommended you in your first thread.

If you don't have any coach do some drills where you have some focus points that you want to excercise like, keeping your albow up, footwork etc..

It is good that you try to play better players, but instead of focusing in they are better than you(that you already know) try you analyse what you are doing right or wrong during the game and try to adjust until you manage to keep the ball under control. It is not a matter if you win or lose now. The important thing is you are improving your technique or not.

Perhaps changing your blade will help you improving your technique or your should keep the blade you have, which is a very nice blade and master your game with your current setup. If you decide to change your blade try Peter korbel which is a reasonable priced blade and when you are ready change back to your MJ.

 

[Giangt]

Im still undecided on which one would suit me and my style. I like to play off teh table and play loops and an open game, I dominate with the BH pushes, blocks and loops and can play close to table when needed. As you can see my current blade is a balsa-carbo, not sure if that can help someone see what would be better

If you want control and feel go for the 145. It is more forgiven during matches. The 190 is better from the distance, but you need more precision with it in the open game.

 

[TareqPhoto]

As you might already know you have to find a setup that fits you and your level. I will still recommend you a blade with more control than speed as people also recommended you in your first thread.

If you don't have any coach do some drills where you have some focus points that you want to excercise like, keeping your albow up, footwork etc..

It is good that you try to play better players, but instead of focusing in they are better than you(that you already know) try you analyse what you are doing right or wrong during the game and try to adjust until you manage to keep the ball under control. It is not a matter if you win or lose now. The important thing is you are improving your technique or not.

Perhaps changing your blade will help you improving your technique or your should keep the blade you have, which is a very nice blade and master your game with your current setup. If you decide to change your blade try Peter korbel which is a reasonable priced blade and when you are ready change back to your MJ.

Thanks for those words, sure i always do my best and i always try to improve even slightly, and i don't play top players always, but i do play with few or practice so i can see what they do or how they do it and many times i keep watching them playing against each other, as well i watch those top seeded players games online or on youtube, and my style is still effective against lower level than me, i even played against few players who have coaching for a while and i manage to beat them, so it is like i didn't lose all my skill yet, but i need to fine tune it by coaching and i becoming older in age and also i gt busy in bad situations, so maybe i am not focusing well and not giving my full or true playing, but i don't cheat myself, i really need lots of practice and learning from coaching.

It doesn't matter about blades, it doesn't make me stronger or weaker, in fact, any blade i play i try to make it works for me, offensive or defensive all can work for me if i adjust my style, it is like i try hard to control the blade but not make the blade to control me, but you know sometimes you can't do more with certain tools and this is good or healthy, we shouldn't lie and say that any tool will do the best, maybe not always, and i really still like to try more rackets as long i can now than later, i do have fun.

by the way, yesterday our time i went to the club and i started to play with my new third racket, a defensive blade with one LP rubber and one inverted rubber, i played against one player i play with him more often there and i remember he is having coaching, but i really don't know what is his level and if i am better than him or not, but i really enjoy to play with him, and somehow i feel he is too, and it doesn't matter for me if i can learn from him or he is not gonna improve my techniques or whatever, i shouldn't forget that i need to enjoy also, so i will try to learn and improve sometimes when i don't want to enjoy or have fun and being series, matter of a time.

Back to Carbonado topic, so what did you find with both Carbonado, and what do yo really look for from them or one of them? and why you try blades as well if you feel you have something good enough you played with before those Carbonado? sometimes i can't understand others who keep advising to keep/use one thing and they use/test many themselves.

 

[Giangt]

Thanks for those words, sure i always do my best and i always try to improve even slightly, and i don't play top players always, but i do play with few or practice so i can see what they do or how they do it and many times i keep watching them playing against each other, as well i watch those top seeded players games online or on youtube, and my style is still effective against lower level than me, i even played against few players who have coaching for a while and i manage to beat them, so it is like i didn't lose all my skill yet, but i need to fine tune it by coaching and i becoming older in age and also i gt busy in bad situations, so maybe i am not focusing well and not giving my full or true playing, but i don't cheat myself, i really need lots of practice and learning from coaching.

It doesn't matter about blades, it doesn't make me stronger or weaker, in fact, any blade i play i try to make it works for me, offensive or defensive all can work for me if i adjust my style, it is like i try hard to control the blade but not make the blade to control me, but you know sometimes you can't do more with certain tools and this is good or healthy, we shouldn't lie and say that any tool will do the best, maybe not always, and i really still like to try more rackets as long i can now than later, i do have fun.

by the way, yesterday our time i went to the club and i started to play with my new third racket, a defensive blade with one LP rubber and one inverted rubber, i played against one player i play with him more often there and i remember he is having coaching, but i really don't know what is his level and if i am better than him or not, but i really enjoy to play with him, and somehow i feel he is too, and it doesn't matter for me if i can learn from him or he is not gonna improve my techniques or whatever, i shouldn't forget that i need to enjoy also, so i will try to learn and improve sometimes when i don't want to enjoy or have fun and being series, matter of a time.

Back to Carbonado topic, so what did you find with both Carbonado, and what do yo really look for from them or one of them? and why you try blades as well if you feel you have something good enough you played with before those Carbonado? sometimes i can't understand others who keep advising to keep/use one thing and they use/test many themselves.

You are very welcome! Definitely you're right, the most important about playing TT is to enjoy yourself and having fun.

Yeah back to the Carbonados. Now the season is over it is time to experiment with new equipment and as per next season we are forced to play with the new poly ball. I was looking for a blade that would handle the new ball well in terms of control spin and speed. I had no expectations from the Carbonado blades, but I was also currious how the TeXtreme Carbon would perform when the composite layer is rotated in different angles. Usually traditional carbon blades, where the carbon layer is under the top ply, gives a blade stiffness and does not give a lot of feedback when playing. The main reason I chose to try the blades were because if they have similar composition as the blade I was playing before namely Limba top and a mix of ayous and composite layers in different ways.

 

[raazzz]

just wanted to give some feedback from my practice yesterday with my new carbonado 145. i liked the blade when counterdriving from mid distance, my arc was suitable for me. first ball on underspin was great, i felt powerful even though i'm not an powerful player. i had problem with blocking but that i feel is more something to be adjusted since the blade is much faster compared to what i had. overall i'm very happy with this blade but then it was only one practice, lets see if the feeling is the same after one month.

Awesome that you also like it! What rubbers did you use for it? Tenergy 64 fx?

 

[TareqPhoto]

You are very welcome! Definitely you're right, the most important about playing TT is to enjoy yourself and having fun.

Yeah back to the Carbonados. Now the season is over it is time to experiment with new equipment and as per next season we are forced to play with the new poly ball. I was looking for a blade that would handle the new ball well in terms of control spin and speed. I had no expectations from the Carbonado blades, but I was also currious how the TeXtreme Carbon would perform when the composite layer is rotated in different angles. Usually traditional carbon blades, where the carbon layer is under the top ply, gives a blade stiffness and does not give a lot of feedback when playing. The main reason I chose to try the blades were because if they have similar composition as the blade I was playing before namely Limba top and a mix of ayous and composite layers in different ways.

Right, i understand, same here, i just to the club very often that it is not enough to have coaching, and as long i just play to have fun so it is no harm for me to try different blades and rubbers, and i never feel sad if i chose wrong one or if something is not working fine for me, at the end it is up to me and i am the one to blame, and in another hand, having more or different equipment is a joy itself.

For now, i have 3 blades and few rubbers, JM+10ergy is so fast great for attackers and i am not there yet, N-11+9000 is somewhat slowing me down, it is a nice one and i can get more control with it, but it is like it doesn't go further more for many strokes or even rallies, it is like for very beginner and i am no longer very beginner, and last, yesterday i tested defensive blade, DefenceIII with Curl 4 and Rasant Grip, somehow i felt like i must become very talent defensive player to use it, it was closer to N-11 than my JN, but i am sure it needs time to understand it, one thing, the Curl 4 is unbelievable for blocking, and for chopping it is like 2 times perfect and 5 times awful, so i have to use/practice with it more to know how to use it properly, i have this racket specially to play against one friend player who is killing after 3-5 winning games and then he lead with his defensive style and SP/LP rackets he uses against me, will see if using his weapon can make a difference.

Waiting my order to come throw in few weeks, including Yasaka and Carbonado 190, so i try to have mix of rackets, some slow, some ALL round, some fast/OFF++ and one defensive blade, need to use different style to see where my style or skill belong.

 

[Killerspintt]

Purchased the Carbonado 190 in the end. Don't know when i'll recieve the blade (most certainly next week), will write my ferelings about this blade here.

 

[TareqPhoto]

Purchased the Carbonado 190 in the end. Don't know when i'll recieve the blade (most certainly next week), will write my ferelings about this blade here.

Congrats!

Teach me how to write the review or your feelings, what will be your main points?
And how you gonna test this blade? now i have 3 blades so far and few are coming too including the Carbonado 190, i feel i don't know how to test the rackets and how to write the reviews and if any review i can write could be any help unless i am good enough player.

 

[raazzz]

Purchased the Carbonado 190 in the end. Don't know when i'll recieve the blade (most certainly next week), will write my ferelings about this blade here.

Sounds great Killerspintt!

 

[Killerspintt]

Congrats!

Teach me how to write the review or your feelings, what will be your main points?
And how you gonna test this blade? now i have 3 blades so far and few are coming too including the Carbonado 190, i feel i don't know how to test the rackets and how to write the reviews and if any review i can write could be any help unless i am good enough player.

To review a blade, i'll first of all play with it, with various rubbers and only rubbers I perfectly know and with sparing partners I know well. What is interesting, I think, for most players, are comparisions with the most used and famous blades (most players know how are Viscaria or TBS playing for example and most players know how T05 is playing, they are the common "benchmarks"). And basically i'll write a review with the same main points as when I review a rubber. You can find my review of MX-P here for example : http://www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk/equipment/rubbers/7526-evolution-mx-p

basically for a blade :
Openning (blade finish, weight, balance...)
Warm up (1st feelings, sweet spot, consistency, sound, sharpness, vibrations...)
FH top spin (close to table, mid range, throw angle, flex, spin, speed, dwell time)
BH topsin (close to table, mid range, over the table)
Blocks (sensitivity to incomming spin....)
Serves (amount of spin, touch, dwell time, can I keep the ball low short and spinny all together ?)
Serve returns (pushes, short game, flicks, can I keep the ball low short and spinny ?)

This is basically what I speak about in a blade review. Also I like to let my club partners play with a blade or rubber I review and see if their feelings match mines or I they feel something I didn't...