Stiga S5 vs Butterfly Tenergy 80 FX

[ilijanco]

Hi all, I've been playing with the Stiga Pro Carbon (S5 rubber) for a year now and I'm looking to improve my game. I've come along a preassembled Butterfly paddle with Tenergy 80 FX rubber and Butterfly Balsa Carbo X5 blade.

Amazon.com

I've never used the Tenergy or any other Butterfly rubbers before and I'm curious as to how much better this Butterfly bat would be compared to the Stiga one?
The Butterfly is 3 times more expensive than the Stiga, but I'm still willing to go for it if it proves a significant upgrade in spin and control (the pro carbon is very fast, no need for more speed). Also, the Stiga is listed as only 159g, but I can't find info for the Butterfly, I'm not a fan of heavy rackets.

Thanks

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Don't get a racket that is preassembled. Get the blade and rubbers separately. Usually, if you buy from an actual TT seller they can put the rubbers on for you if you don't know how to do that.

The rubbers are fine but they might not be what you want to choose. But that blade....it would not be good for most players. By getting each rubber separately, you can choose the rubber you actually want on your FH and the rubber you actually want on your BH and the actual exact blade you want.

But one of the rubbers on the Butterfly setup costs more than the whole Stiga Pro Carbon setup. And.....it is probably worth more than the whole setup.

Will it be good for you? Will Tenergy be good for you? Probably not. If you have been using that Stiga Pro Carbon setup, Tenergy would likely cause you to not be able to get the ball on the table for a few weeks.

I can't be sure, because I have not seen you play. But it is an odds on bet that this would be the case, especially if the rubbers on your racket are those and they are a year old and you have actually been using it.

Can you post video footage of you playing?

Without seeing that, a setup that might be good for you to start out might be:

1) Xiom Offensive S blade
2) Xiom Vega Pro rubber (for FH) You choose the color could be red or black.
3) Xiom Vega Europe rubber (for BH)


If the FH rubber is black, the BH should be red (or an alternate color); read the same in reverse if your BH rubber is black. If you want the racket to be compliant with the rules of the game, one rubber has to be black, and the other rubber has to be red or, if it is a rubber that comes in other colors or a variety of colors, any of the colors that is not black.

Your profile shows an American flag. If that is correct and you are in USA, you could look on https://www.paddlepalace.com/ or https://www.megaspin.net/. This is also a good place to buy from: https://www.tabletennis11.com/

 

[ilijanco]

I don't have a video of me at the moment, but I'm not a professional player at all. I am a hobby player and I feel like I've mastered this Stiga bat and I need a new one with more control and spin. I've used the bat regularly in the past year, at least once per week.
My style of play is attacking, I like to start attacking very early in the exchange, meaning that I start my attacks pretty close to the table. I've never trained professionally and I'm not the best returner of serves. Also, I've always played with very light bats and whenever I try a heavier bat I struggle with my reactions - it's like I'm always late with the reactions when trying those bats.
My opponents however, have upped their game with bats like the "Joola Infinity Overdrive" which seems to have very good spin and control, but even though this bat should be a light one - I find it heavier and uncomfortable when in my hand.

Thank you for the explanation and advice above! I hope I provided more info now into what I'm looking for.

 

[dingyibvs]

I don't have a video of me at the moment, but I'm not a professional player at all. I am a hobby player and I feel like I've mastered this Stiga bat and I need a new one with more control and spin. I've used the bat regularly in the past year, at least once per week.
My style of play is attacking, I like to start attacking very early in the exchange, meaning that I start my attacks pretty close to the table. I've never trained professionally and I'm not the best returner of serves. Also, I've always played with very light bats and whenever I try a heavier bat I struggle with my reactions - it's like I'm always late with the reactions when trying those bats.
My opponents however, have upped their game with bats like the "Joola Infinity Overdrive" which seems to have very good spin and control, but even though this bat should be a light one - I find it heavier and uncomfortable when in my hand.

Thank you for the explanation and advice above! I hope I provided more info now into what I'm looking for.

I've played with a clubmate's Stiga premade racket, I think it was the Pro Carbon with S5 rubbers. It's a fairly fast racket, not really my cup of tea as it feels pretty carbony and I prefer a more woody feel. Overall I didn't find it particularly lacking in terms of speed/spin for a beginner. If anything it felt pretty fast for the level of spin it generates.

Also, I didn't know the Pro Carbon was so light, it didn't feel like it. They probably made it light by hollowing out the handle, which makes the racket more head heavy. Balance is more important for the feel of weight than the absolute weight.

The Butterfly racket is probably another step up in speed and definitely for spin. If you're looking for something that'll allow you to play better, that's probably not it. To take advantage of the spin potential you'll need the right technique, without it the extra speed will take over and make it very hard for you land shots. You'd then only feel the extra spin by eating your opponent's spin.

 

[ilijanco]

Maybe I should have noted that I'm not looking for a smooth transition or a retirement racket. If I have to spend 3 months adapting to the Butterfly racket, or say... learning new techniques in order to explore its potential - I'm ok with it.

The problems that I have with the Pro Carbon are:
- Not enough spin on serves.
- Not enough dive on my forehand attacks.
- Lack of control compared to the modest spin it provides.
- The fact that a $29 entry level Joola racket has significantly more spin.
(Is my Pro Carbon simply worn out after a year of active play?)

A friend of mine has some Nittaku racket in the price range between $100 - $150. Maybe I'm bad at judgement, but straight away it looked like this racket is on another level compared to my Stiga Pro Carbon.
So my question now would be whether the Butterfly above is the right racket for my style of play, is it a whole new level or just an insignificant upgrade to the Pro Carbon, and are there obviously better choices now that I'm willing to get into that price range (the butterfly is priced at $200)?

Thanks again guys, appreciate it.

 

[dingyibvs]

Maybe I should have noted that I'm not looking for a smooth transition or a retirement racket. If I have to spend 3 months adapting to the Butterfly racket, or say... learning new techniques in order to explore its potential - I'm ok with it.

The problems that I have with the Pro Carbon are:
- Not enough spin on serves.
- Not enough dive on my forehand attacks.
- Lack of control compared to the modest spin it provides.
- The fact that a $29 entry level Joola racket has significantly more spin.
(Is my Pro Carbon simply worn out after a year of active play?)

A friend of mine has some Nittaku racket in the price range between $100 - $150. Maybe I'm bad at judgement, but straight away it looked like this racket is on another level compared to my Stiga Pro Carbon.
So my question now would be whether the Butterfly above is the right racket for my style of play, is it a whole new level or just an insignificant upgrade to the Pro Carbon, and are there obviously better choices now that I'm willing to get into that price range (the butterfly is priced at $200)?

Thanks again guys, appreciate it.

Are those observations based on you using your friends' racket? Best way to compare is actually to have your friends use your racket and feel how fast/spinny the shot is.

Either way, for general recommendations, you want to loop then I wouldn't recommend any Balsa blade. They're just too stiff. If you don't want to go through the trouble of selecting individual blades and rubbers, this one should be a good choice:

Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive w/Rakza 7 - Megaspin

Free Shipping! Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive w/Rakza 7 at only $123.67. The Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive with a flared handle, it is assembled by us with Yasaka Rakza 7 rubber with 2.0mm thickness sponge. The Yasaka Ma Lin Extra Offensive blade is used by 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Ma Lin. It...

www.megaspin.net

The blade is fairly stiff and fast for an all wood blade, but it'll have better feel and better control with soft touch than your current blade while providing similar speed and a lot better hold on the ball on harder loops. The rubber is reasonably light and is still a favorite among club players and forum members here for its good combination of speed and spin.

 

[Airoc]

(Is my Pro Carbon simply worn out after a year of active play?)

Very likely.

 

[Airoc]

Either way, for general recommendations, you want to loop then I wouldn't recommend any Balsa blade. They're just too stiff. If you don't want to go through the trouble of selecting individual blades and rubbers, this one should be a good choice:

I agree with both. Balsa, while being light, is great for direct action like blocking and countering, but not for an emphasis on spin.

And that Yasaka blade is just excellent. Paired with Rakza at that price it´s a no brainer. It will be heavier than your current racket, but better adjust now - lokking for extreme lightness will severely limit your choices.