Which rubbers for Stiga Carbonado 190?

[AndyF]

Hi, first post here.

I'm looking for some recommendations for a new bat set up, mainly the rubbers.

A bit of background: I've played league, up to county standard (a while ago though!), and I'm looking to upgrade my current set up; Yasaka Sweden Extra with Mark V HPS on FH and BH. I used that bat to get back into the game, but found it far too slow, and the throw was too high for me, especially on the BH.

My style is close to mid distance, 3rd/5th ball attacking, both FH and BH finishers.

I'm pretty much set on the Stiga Carbonado 190 for the new blade, I'm open to suggestions though.

For the rubbers, I need something with decent control and forgiving, not crazy fast and not too sensitive to spin. Medium-high throw to balance the low throw of the blade. Enough dwell for loops, but the main focus is on FH and BH topspin smashes. Ideally the same rubber for FH and BH.

Thanks in advance!

Andy

 

[thomas.pong]

Hi Andy,

Welcome to the Forum!

I'd keep the blade and put either Razka 7 Soft in 2.0mm both sides or Butterfly Rozena in 1.9mm both sides.

If you really want to upgrade the blade too, steer away from carbon and stay with a 5-ply all-wood but a little thicker, like the Butterfly Falcima for exemple.

 

[AndyF]

Hi Andy,

Welcome to the Forum!

I'd keep the blade and put either Razka 7 Soft in 2.0mm both sides or Butterfly Rozena in 1.9mm both sides.

If you really want to upgrade the blade too, steer away from carbon and stay with a 5-ply all-wood but thicker, like the Butterfly Falcima.

Thanks for the reply, Thomas!

The Rozena sounds great, I'd not looked into that before. I did consider the Rakza. The 1.9mm BTY might work better though.

I'm not sure the Falcima is going to be fast enough for me, looking at it's stats. Any particular reason to stay away from Carbon blades?

 

[thomas.pong]

Thanks for the reply, Thomas!

The Rozena sounds great, I'd not looked into that before. I did consider the Rakza. The 1.9mm BTY might work better though.

I'm not sure the Falcima is going to be fast enough for me, looking at it's stats. Any particular reason to stay away from Carbon blades?

Which stats are you referring to?

Switching to faster more dynamic rubbers like the 2 I mentioned will already give you a great boost of speed.

Switching to carbon on top of it would be a big jump and you would lose a great deal or control and feel which are connected and the 2 most important factors in improving your technique (which will in turn improve your speed and the amount of speed you impart on the ball).

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Carbon is a big jump from wood (allround) blades
granted, new ball today does require a lot more power.

question is why C190? have you tested it before?
do you have a club that you can visit and test out other people's equipment?

There are some nice offensive wood blades you can consider, 5 ply or 7 ply
Or maybe slower carbon blades.

With new ball, trend has also become harder sponges.
I do worry 7 soft might be a bit too soft if you want to go mid distance.
maybe the hardness around rakza 7 will be idea.

 

[AndyF]

Carbon is a big jump from wood (allround) blades
granted, new ball today does require a lot more power.

question is why C190? have you tested it before?
do you have a club that you can visit and test out other people's equipment?

There are some nice offensive wood blades you can consider, 5 ply or 7 ply
Or maybe slower carbon blades.

With new ball, trend has also become harder sponges.
I do worry 7 soft might be a bit too soft if you want to go mid distance.
maybe the hardness around rakza 7 will be idea.

I agree, there is certainly a jump from wood to carbon. Power is the main reason for the change. I'm using a lot of effort to hit the poly balls at the pace I'm looking for. I want to be able to use less effort and concentrate more on technique. I've had a quick go on a carbonado 145. I'll have another go next week with it. I liked it, but the 190 has a lower throw which would work better for me. Rakza 7 does look to be a good rubber. How do they compare to the Tenergys and Dignics?

 

[Lazer]

I agree, there is certainly a jump from wood to carbon. Power is the main reason for the change. I'm using a lot of effort to hit the poly balls at the pace I'm looking for. I want to be able to use less effort and concentrate more on technique. I've had a quick go on a carbonado 145. I'll have another go next week with it. I liked it, but the 190 has a lower throw which would work better for me. Rakza 7 does look to be a good rubber. How do they compare to the Tenergys and Dignics?

Nothing like them. Tenergy and Dignics play in a division of their own.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[thomas.pong]

I agree, there is certainly a jump from wood to carbon. Power is the main reason for the change. I'm using a lot of effort to hit the poly balls at the pace I'm looking for. I want to be able to use less effort and concentrate more on technique. I've had a quick go on a carbonado 145. I'll have another go next week with it. I liked it, but the 190 has a lower throw which would work better for me. Rakza 7 does look to be a good rubber. How do they compare to the Tenergys and Dignics?

Rakza 7 has excellent grip and is plenty fast, it's slower of course than Tenergys and Dignics, but much more stable, controllable and less spin sensitive.

 

[NextLevel]

I actually support the switch to faster equipment but I think you should start with your rubbers first. Mark V is really old school slow unless you are a flat hitter or you speed glue. And the Yasaka Extra while slow does have a harder outer veneer that will propel the ball if you make good impact. Mark V just kills the blade.

If you change the blade, which is not a bad idea, be sure to test someone else"s setup or you might be stuck with something you can't use. Feeling balls close to the table and pushing/flicking/looping them is just as important as looping the ones from 3-5 ft off the table.

If you liked what someone else used, just use what they use.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

I actually support the switch to faster equipment but I think you should start with your rubbers first. Mark V is really old school slow unless you are a flat hitter or you speed glue. And the Yasaka Extra while slow does have a harder outer veneer that will propel the ball if you make good impact. Mark V just kills the blade.

If you change the blade, which is not a bad idea, be sure to test someone else"s setup or you might be stuck with something you can't use. Feeling balls close to the table and pushing/flicking/looping them is just as important as looping the ones from 3-5 ft off the table.

If you liked what someone else used, just use what they use.

I agree on the rubbers part
for example YE + Rakza 7 will give you that power compared to what you have now.
Or just random YEO + Rakza 7 will be way more than what you have now
C190 and say Mark V would likely be an over skill and you would need to learn to control the shots.
So ideal this is to test a few out and then you can know what kind of setup is too fast (where you are not spinning the ball) and then what is controlable (where you can spin the ball). Then find a balance between the two

 

[AndyF]

Update: I played with a Carbonado 90 with DNA PRO and Dragon Grip the other day. To be honest, it was nowhere near as fast as I thought it would be. Easily controllable and not the best feel. The finish was kind of rough as well. Going to play with a Viscaria Super ALC with T05 next week. I imagine that'll be way too much for my skill level, but it'll give me a point of reference. I do still like the YSE and may just try Rakza 7s on it first. I'm just concerned it's still not going to give me that flat hitting power I'm looking for.


I've seen a couple of other blades which look interesting. Nittaku Acoustic Inner Carbon and Outer Carbon, also the Ma Lin Carbon and Soft Carbon.

Can anyone give any insights into how these might compare to the YSE?

Thanks for all the input so far!

 

[Scarfed Garchomp]

Update: I played with a Carbonado 90 with DNA PRO and Dragon Grip the other day. To be honest, it was nowhere near as fast as I thought it would be. Easily controllable and not the best feel. The finish was kind of rough as well. Going to play with a Viscaria Super ALC with T05 next week. I imagine that'll be way too much for my skill level, but it'll give me a point of reference. I do still like the YSE and may just try Rakza 7s on it first. I'm just concerned it's still not going to give me that flat hitting power I'm looking for.


I've seen a couple of other blades which look interesting. Nittaku Acoustic Inner Carbon and Outer Carbon, also the Ma Lin Carbon and Soft Carbon.

Can anyone give any insights into how these might compare to the YSE?

Thanks for all the input so far!

MLSC is basically an Extra with two thin layers of carbon. If you're looking for a blade that is an upgrade specifically to the Sweden Extra I think it would be the most logical choice

 

[thomas.pong]

Update: I played with a Carbonado 90 with DNA PRO and Dragon Grip the other day. To be honest, it was nowhere near as fast as I thought it would be. Easily controllable and not the best feel. The finish was kind of rough as well. Going to play with a Viscaria Super ALC with T05 next week. I imagine that'll be way too much for my skill level, but it'll give me a point of reference. I do still like the YSE and may just try Rakza 7s on it first. I'm just concerned it's still not going to give me that flat hitting power I'm looking for.


I've seen a couple of other blades which look interesting. Nittaku Acoustic Inner Carbon and Outer Carbon, also the Ma Lin Carbon and Soft Carbon.

Can anyone give any insights into how these might compare to the YSE?

Thanks for all the input so far!

I was going to suggest the Ma Lin Carbon or Soft Carbon. They're very good and I cannot recommend them enough. Same with the Nittaku Acoustic Carbons if you want to spend more money.

They're obviously faster than YSE, have more of a punch, but a great wood feel and control as well.