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Review and comparison between Stiga Carbonado blades and Butterfly Viscaria.
It has been a lovely week for me since I have received my new Stiga Carbonado blades! I promised that I would try to make a review and share my thoughts and impressions of both the 145 and the 190 blade with a comparison to Butterflys Viscaria so thats what I'm going to do!
First of all I want to thank my dear club mate for letting me borrow his Viscaria for this review and also my closest table tennis shop for sending me the Carbonado blades without delay or problems.
I received both the 145 and the 190 blade in a black and grey box with some information about the blades on the back, I recommend you to also check out Giangt’s review with some very good looking pictures of the box.
I have earlier seen that Dan and other members on this forum has shared some beautiful pictures of these blades, but I thought that there can't be to much of the goodies so you can find some pictures down below.
The rubbers I have been using for the review is Tenergy 05 on both BH and FH and the ball I have been using is Donics 40+ poly ball.
The weight on the 190 blade was 93g and the weight of the 145 was 92g.
I have been playing with these blades for about 6 hours each.
Carbonado 190!
Weight: 93 grams
Handle: Straight
Thickness: 5.87
Speed: OFF
Hardness: Stiff
Test rubbers: Tenergy 05
Test ball: Donic 40+
I was the most eager to try out the 190 blade first because from what I have read from earlier reviews it seemed to be a great blade that would fit me very well since I'm a player who like to keep pressure on my opponent close to the table. The weight was 93 g and I noticed directly that it felt as awesome in my hand as I was hoping for. I glued on a couple of new Tenergy 05 for this special day to maximize my experience. I used a pretty thick layer of glue and the rubbers looked perfect on the blade!
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 very nice 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.
Carbonado 145!
Weight: 92 grams
Handle: Straight
Thickness: 5.91
Speed: OFF
Hardness: Stiff
Test rubbers: Tenergy 05
Test ball: Donic 40+
So first of all, the 145 blade feels exactly as good as the 190 in the hand, guess thats not so weird since the shaft is the same except from the color. Both blades really feels great when holding them, 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. I didn't feel that much of a difference otherwise compared to the 190, it also has some big sweet spot and I love the touch in these blades. I felt a big difference between the two blades in this department which I contribute to the different angle placements of the carbon. I understood directly that it would be hard to finally choose just one of these blades to play with.
I felt really stable in my topspin loop away from the table and I think it got even more control then the 190 since it's got a higher trajectory. 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 the 145 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: I didn't feel quite as good control in the short game as I did with the 190. Although the 145 also felt really god I prefer the 190 blade when it comes to serve and returns. I must confess that the short game isn't my strength and I need all control that I can get, thats why I earlier have been playing with the Infinity which I also love when it comes to serve and returns. I think the 145 is the best choice if you like playing hard underspins and a lot of flicks over the table. I often returns a serve with a short receive and I think players who play like me would prefer the 190 in the short game.
Mid distance and 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.
Comparison with the Viscaria and my thoughts overall.
First of all I want to say that all three of these blades are absolutely outstanding in their own ways. The first thing I felt was that the Viscaria is a little bit faster than both the Carbonado blades and it was also a little harder for me to control. I don’t know what exactly makes the difference but as Giangt wrote it can have something to do with ”The amount of dwell from the 145 is greater due the limba outer ply and somehow the contribution of the TeXtreme Carbon”.
From the back and mid distance I did not feel that much of a difference between the blades. I feel that they all can generate great power and still keep the control.
It was mostly in the short game I noticed that the Carbonado felt a bit more controlable than the Viscaria for me, I had some problems getting my returns as short as I wanted with the Viscaria if I compare with the Carbonado. Or course more training makes the feeling in the short game easier but It was here I noticed the most difference between the blades.
In my block I did not feel a lot of difference when it comes to speed, I got a good pressure on my opponent with all of these blades, I think the small difference is just a think to get use to.
I have chosen to not go in to so much details when it comes to the Viscaria since there are already many reviews out there and it's already a very known blade.
Altought I have been very pleased with the control in the new Carbonado blades I still want to make clear that all of these blades are very fast and offensive blades and are not suitable for beginners. But for offensive more advanced players I highly recommned you to try these blades.
Me myself have not fully decided which one of these blades that will be my weapon of choice but right now it looks like the 190 will be the winner. I will play with all of them some more and try to update with more information after which.
This was one of my first longer reviews and I hope that some of the information was wearable, hard to get everything said in a review so just ask your questions and I will try to answer as good as possible. Next week I will try to make a review of Butterflys Innerforce ALC now when I'm on a roll!
Butterfly Interforce ALC
Since I recently have made a couple of reviews on, for instant the Carbonado blades and the Viscaria blade I tought it was time for the Butterfly Interforce ALC since I have got my hands on it. In the review I have also made a comparison to my current blade - the Carbonado 190 since I think it’s easier to make a good review when having something to compare to.
The rubbers I have been using for the review is Tenergy 05 on both BH and FH and the ball I have been using is Donics 40+ poly ball.
Weight: 90 grams
Handle: concave
Speed: OFF
Hardness: Medium
Test rubbers: Tenergy 05
Test ball: Donic 40+
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.
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!
I only tried this blade for one practice but I hope some of the information was valued. Just ask your questions and I will try to answer as good as possible! And also feel free to write if you want me to review any specific blade in the future!
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