Stiga Carbonado 145 vs 190 vs Viscaria

Stiga is one of the trusted brands for table tennis equipment and the company decided to branch out from its usual designs to make the Stiga Carbonado series. The Stiga Carbonado 145 and 190 are the most famous of the series.

Our review will give you all you need to know about this perfect table tennis blade.

Stiga Carbonado 145 Review

Composition

Like we mentioned earlier, Stiga decided to do something different by upgrading their Carbone blade using the newest technology known as TeXtreme. The Stiga 145 is designed with 5 layers of wood combined with two layers of TeXtreme Spread Tow Carbon. This is a unique type of carbon that has been patented by the company. No other table tennis blade uses the lightweight TeXtreme carbon. The blade has a personalized sweet spot and its structure comes with a moderate thickness of 5.9mm.

The woody feels you get from using this blade is because of the outer carbon material. The appearance of the wood and its texture feels different from any other type of table tennis blade. The wooden carbon blend blade also has a springy feel and is softer than the Butterfly Viscaria.

Handle

The Stiga Carbonado 145 blade uses two types of (FL) handles. One is Legend FL Handle while the other is Master FL Handle. The first is thicker and wider than the other. The master, on the other hand, looks similar to the traditional flared. The shape of the handle will fit your hand perfectly. You also have the option of going for the Straight handle. The handles of Stiga blades are usually made with a rough finish. The abrasive feel gives a better grip than the smooth handles. The Stiga Carbonado 145 can comfortably be matched with the Tenergy 05, Hurricane 3 and Tibhar Evolution MX-D.

Hardness & Stiffness

The Stiga Carbonado 145 doesn’t feel very hard like any other offensive carbon blade. It gives a medium hardness feeling and like we said it is springy.

The blade is quite stiff but also has moderate flexibility because of the carbon material. The wooden layers are stiff which comprises of Ayous and Ayous core layers. It still has good flex and this can be seen in the trajectory of the ball.

Speed & Control

The Stiga Carbonado 145 comes in an off range and its speed level can compare to the Butterfly Viscaria. It can even be said to be a little lesser than it but the advantage of this blade is in its weight. The lightweight blade tends to give enough force in the shot like a catapult.  

When looking at its control, the Stiga Carbonado 145 blade is impressive. The wood has a crisp feel when the ball hits the surface. This accounts for its catapult nature and is great for a short game.

Shots & Playing Style

The crispy wooden blade is great for making touch shots. When playing a serve, the results are better than the Viscaria because of its catapult shots. The blade was also designed for looping but does not match with the level of the Butterfly ALC blades. You can use this blade for a return of serve,  drive and smashes. The arc of the Stiga 145 is high and can compare with the Butterfly Viscaria. This accounts for higher and more powerful shots.

The Stiga Carbonado 145 was designed for loopers especially players who prefer mid-distance shots. The wooden and carbon blend makes it great for making all types of shots generally.

Stiga Carbonado 190 Review

The other blade that matches the Carbonado 145 blade is this Stiga blade. Stiga Carbonado 190 also has very good features making it one of the most preferred blades among athletes. The Stiga Carbonado 190 is also suited for beginners because of its control.

The blade is great for blocking and smashing especially for players who prefer to stay close to the table. Looking at its capability, the Carbonado 190 has a better speed than the 145 but also a very high control rating. The shots you get from this blade are consistent and are great for players who prefer an aggressive playing style. They give good shots whether you choose to play backhand or forehand.

The Carbonado 190 blade like the 145, comes with 5 layers of wood and 2 layers of carbon fiber. It is not so stiff and has a good 90 degree throw angle. You get a moderate flex with this blade.

To help you decide which is best for you, we will be comparing the Stiga Carbonado 145 with the Carbonado 190 and Butterfly Viscaria.

Stiga Carbonado 145 vs 190

When you put the two blades to test, you will notice that:

Stiga Carbonado 145 gives a longer dwell time and is more flexible than the Stiga Carbonado 190. The Stiga Carbonado 190 is not as slow as the 145 while the 145 seems to have more flexibility than the other. Looking at the arc, the Stiga Carbonado 145 boasts of a higher arc and will generate more spins than the Stiga Carbonado190.

They both have similar handles and can be paired with the same rubber type.

For mid-distance loopers, the Stiga Carbonado 145 gives a better play than the 190. The Stiga 190 works best for players who prefer to stay close to the table and both blades can be used by newbies.

Stiga Carbonado 145 vs Viscaria

The Stiga Carbonado 145 and Butterfly Viscaria Valdez are both great performing blades. They have a good speed rating although the Stiga 145 is a bit slower than the Viscaria. The Stiga 145 has better control especially when you compare it to most Butterfly blades. The Viscaria blade can be a bit tricky to control because of its stability issues and is not intended to be used by beginners. Professional athletes can handle the Viscaria blades better. However, for Stiga 145 and 190, they can both be used by beginners or intermediate level players.

The three blades are great for attacking styles. If you love to play defensive style, none of these blades will work for you. They are only suited for playing offense and will give you powerful shots. You can get any of the three blades, it would depend on your personal preference. However, you may want to look at the Stiga blades with their unique TeXtreme technology which makes them different from any other carbon blade in the market.

Conclusion

 The Stiga Carbonado 145 has an overall performance when it comes to speed and control. It has adaptability and is consistent. Most players who have used this blade, agree on its high performance and the same can be said of the Stiga Carbonado 190. The two blades give powerful shots. The Butterfly blade which is from the ALC series is very different from the Stiga blades. If you are to choose between all three blades, we can safely say that they fall within the same range in terms of performance. However, you get better control when you stick to the Stiga blades.

If you are looking for a moderately fast carbon blade, the Stiga blades win and you get a high shot quality with this type of blade.  The Stiga’s wooden blades have a great feel and they tend to feel springy without losing the soft carbon feel.