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Stiga Carbonado 145 & 190 Review
Carbonado 145
Head Size: 150 x 156mm
Thickness: 5.8 - 5.9mm
Weight: 88 grams
Handle: Straight
Hardness: Medium Stiff
Carbonado 190
Head Size: 150 x 156mm
Thickness: 5.8 - 5.9mm
Weight: 88 grams
Handle: Master Flared
Hardness: Medium
Rubbers used: Calibra LT Sound max, LT Spin and Hurricane 3
Finally, after months of anticipation and excitement these 2 blades arrived at my door step. I wish I could have gotten these 2 babies much, much earlier but then due to large volumes of orders for these 2 blades I had to wait for a while. Stiga informed me that these 2 blades are a result of a 3 year research and development using the high tech material Textreme. Textreme is a high tech carbon fiber used in making lightweight bikes, parts of a formula car and this is even used in Prince tennis rackets. Textreme boasts of a thinner carbon fiber layer compared to a traditional weaved carbon layer that is used mostly on conventional carbon blades in the market today.
The 2 blades come with a a very good finish on their blade surfaces. Unknown to many people, Stiga has been improving the quality finish of their blades. The blades that come with metal tags have a much more better quality finish. Gone are the thick NCT coating on the blade surface. What remains now is a much thinner and barely noticeable coating on the surface. Before, you could see an obvious dividing line that separates the NCT coating between the blade head and the neck of the blade part.
Before everything else, I would like to point out that these 2 blades have only slight differences in that they have the same construction and wood veneers (Limba-Textreme Carbon-Ayous-Ayous Core-Ayous-Textreme Carbon-Limba). Also, the orientation of their carbon weave is their distinguishing mark. Teh 145 having a slanted or diagonal orientation and the 190 which has perpendicular orientation. The 2 ayous layers before and after the central ayous core are a bit hard to see at first unless you look at them closely. The Textreme carbon layers are very thin. In fact much thinner than most carbon layers of other blades presently in the market.
Speed
Both blades are fast but not blazingly fast. I would rate it as Off to Off+ but more on the OFF side. IN comparison to other Stiga blades, The Stiga Intensity Carbon is much faster. On other brands, the Carbonado blades at time can be faster than a TB ALC or at the same level of a primorac carbon at time. The Super MJ ZLC is much faster than the 2 Carbonados.
Feel
I thought the 2 blades are very stiff but they are only mildly stiff. Both felt a notch harder than a regular ZJK ZLC blade but feels more solid. It has this different carbon feel because every time you strike the ball with these 2 blades, the feel of being woody and carbon like alternates in my hand. It is a good thing actually because the 2 blades offer good feed back. The vibrations are minimal compared to the intensity carbon. Also, unlike conventional carbon blades, it doesn't feel that hard and ball feedback is slightly enhanced maybe due to the textreme carbon layers that are very thin.
Throw
Tried using both soft rubbers (LT Sound) and medium rubbers (LT SPIN) on both blades. In a way Stiga was right in claiming that the 145 has a higher throw but personally I would rate this 2 blades as having low throw heights but with the Carbonado 145 having a higher throw. The 190 has about 2-3 inches ball height from the net when doing spin drives or loops. The Carbonado 145 has about 3-4 inches of ball height using the same strokes and rubbers.
On close to the table attacks
The Carbonado 190 has this low, sharp trajectory when doing smashes and spin drives. Close to the table, the Carbonado 190 is much better than the 145. When you attack with loops you need a bit of adjustment for your ball arc especially when taking the ball on-the-rise against underspin. It takes a bit of practice, but when you get the hang of it you can adjust to it easily. When you use attacks on the ball that use more sponge compression and care for speed more than the spin then the 190 is much better.
On mid distance/far from the table
The 145 version easily outshines the 190 despite both having long trajectories, the 145 has a slightly higher arc when countering or spinning the ball mid distance. Through this slightly higher arc, the 145 is more forgiving than the 190 and offers more room for error on that distance.
Other strokes
Depending on the distance both blades are very good at blocking but the 145 blocks better at mid distance and the 190 close to the table. I have to say that both blades have high levels of control and are much user-friendly compared to other super-fast blades in the market. On short strokes, both are not that bouncy on drop shots and flicks but I would give the 190 as a better blade in doing drop shots because of its slightly lower arc than the 145.
My Personal Choice
The 2 blades are on a class of their own but I was more impressed with the 145. The arc was slightly better when I used a Hurricane 3 on the blade. The combination proved to be very good and balanced - the 145's speed + the H3's spin and control. The 190 was a better blade with a Chinese rubber on the forehand but I felt that the 145 is much better. I will not be surprised if people who wanted an alternative to composite blades and are looking for something with a different blade will get the 2 Carbonados while using an H3 or Globe 999 National.
Overall, I am greatly impressed by these 2 blades with much more partiality on the 145 version. I think that the trend of making a faster blade every time a new season for blades arrive is over. With all the very fast rubbers in the market right now you will not worry much about speed but rather on the feel and control of the blade. The speed itself can be partially compensated by the rubber you use. These 2 blades are user friendly even to those players who are on their intermediate levels. The 2 blades come with a hefty price but there are online stores that sell the 2 carbonados at a much more friendly price. Topcoms Online www.pingpongonline.com offers these 2 blades at 152 USD before discounts.
Carbonado 145
Head Size: 150 x 156mm
Thickness: 5.8 - 5.9mm
Weight: 88 grams
Handle: Straight
Hardness: Medium Stiff
Carbonado 190
Head Size: 150 x 156mm
Thickness: 5.8 - 5.9mm
Weight: 88 grams
Handle: Master Flared
Hardness: Medium
Rubbers used: Calibra LT Sound max, LT Spin and Hurricane 3
Finally, after months of anticipation and excitement these 2 blades arrived at my door step. I wish I could have gotten these 2 babies much, much earlier but then due to large volumes of orders for these 2 blades I had to wait for a while. Stiga informed me that these 2 blades are a result of a 3 year research and development using the high tech material Textreme. Textreme is a high tech carbon fiber used in making lightweight bikes, parts of a formula car and this is even used in Prince tennis rackets. Textreme boasts of a thinner carbon fiber layer compared to a traditional weaved carbon layer that is used mostly on conventional carbon blades in the market today.
The 2 blades come with a a very good finish on their blade surfaces. Unknown to many people, Stiga has been improving the quality finish of their blades. The blades that come with metal tags have a much more better quality finish. Gone are the thick NCT coating on the blade surface. What remains now is a much thinner and barely noticeable coating on the surface. Before, you could see an obvious dividing line that separates the NCT coating between the blade head and the neck of the blade part.
Before everything else, I would like to point out that these 2 blades have only slight differences in that they have the same construction and wood veneers (Limba-Textreme Carbon-Ayous-Ayous Core-Ayous-Textreme Carbon-Limba). Also, the orientation of their carbon weave is their distinguishing mark. Teh 145 having a slanted or diagonal orientation and the 190 which has perpendicular orientation. The 2 ayous layers before and after the central ayous core are a bit hard to see at first unless you look at them closely. The Textreme carbon layers are very thin. In fact much thinner than most carbon layers of other blades presently in the market.
Speed
Both blades are fast but not blazingly fast. I would rate it as Off to Off+ but more on the OFF side. IN comparison to other Stiga blades, The Stiga Intensity Carbon is much faster. On other brands, the Carbonado blades at time can be faster than a TB ALC or at the same level of a primorac carbon at time. The Super MJ ZLC is much faster than the 2 Carbonados.
Feel
I thought the 2 blades are very stiff but they are only mildly stiff. Both felt a notch harder than a regular ZJK ZLC blade but feels more solid. It has this different carbon feel because every time you strike the ball with these 2 blades, the feel of being woody and carbon like alternates in my hand. It is a good thing actually because the 2 blades offer good feed back. The vibrations are minimal compared to the intensity carbon. Also, unlike conventional carbon blades, it doesn't feel that hard and ball feedback is slightly enhanced maybe due to the textreme carbon layers that are very thin.
Throw
Tried using both soft rubbers (LT Sound) and medium rubbers (LT SPIN) on both blades. In a way Stiga was right in claiming that the 145 has a higher throw but personally I would rate this 2 blades as having low throw heights but with the Carbonado 145 having a higher throw. The 190 has about 2-3 inches ball height from the net when doing spin drives or loops. The Carbonado 145 has about 3-4 inches of ball height using the same strokes and rubbers.
On close to the table attacks
The Carbonado 190 has this low, sharp trajectory when doing smashes and spin drives. Close to the table, the Carbonado 190 is much better than the 145. When you attack with loops you need a bit of adjustment for your ball arc especially when taking the ball on-the-rise against underspin. It takes a bit of practice, but when you get the hang of it you can adjust to it easily. When you use attacks on the ball that use more sponge compression and care for speed more than the spin then the 190 is much better.
On mid distance/far from the table
The 145 version easily outshines the 190 despite both having long trajectories, the 145 has a slightly higher arc when countering or spinning the ball mid distance. Through this slightly higher arc, the 145 is more forgiving than the 190 and offers more room for error on that distance.
Other strokes
Depending on the distance both blades are very good at blocking but the 145 blocks better at mid distance and the 190 close to the table. I have to say that both blades have high levels of control and are much user-friendly compared to other super-fast blades in the market. On short strokes, both are not that bouncy on drop shots and flicks but I would give the 190 as a better blade in doing drop shots because of its slightly lower arc than the 145.
My Personal Choice
The 2 blades are on a class of their own but I was more impressed with the 145. The arc was slightly better when I used a Hurricane 3 on the blade. The combination proved to be very good and balanced - the 145's speed + the H3's spin and control. The 190 was a better blade with a Chinese rubber on the forehand but I felt that the 145 is much better. I will not be surprised if people who wanted an alternative to composite blades and are looking for something with a different blade will get the 2 Carbonados while using an H3 or Globe 999 National.
Overall, I am greatly impressed by these 2 blades with much more partiality on the 145 version. I think that the trend of making a faster blade every time a new season for blades arrive is over. With all the very fast rubbers in the market right now you will not worry much about speed but rather on the feel and control of the blade. The speed itself can be partially compensated by the rubber you use. These 2 blades are user friendly even to those players who are on their intermediate levels. The 2 blades come with a hefty price but there are online stores that sell the 2 carbonados at a much more friendly price. Topcoms Online www.pingpongonline.com offers these 2 blades at 152 USD before discounts.
