Stiga Pro Carbon Review
Author: Kevin James, Last Updated: 6th Mar, 2022
Hello, fellas! Today we'll be taking a look at one of the very popular pre-made paddle - The Stiga Pro Carbon. This review was long overdue. But as I personally wanted to test and verify the paddle before I give my review, it took an extra bit of time.
So long story short, I played with this paddle for a couple of sessions, and I instantly LIKED it. But is the paddle right for you?
Let's find out.
Manufacturer Rating
Paddle Performance Rating
Speed
Fast set up, excellent for smashes, drives, and loops
Spin
Great for spinny serves, top and back spin
Control
Decent control considering its a carbon blade
#PPB rating
4.8 / 5
Review Summary
{Excellent Pro-Quality Offensive Paddle}
Stiga Pro Carbon is an offensive+ paddle suited for advanced beginners to intermediate players who prefer or are looking to develop an offensive game (smash, loops, drives).
It's best suited for players who're looking for a combination of power, spin, and control. The paddle is fast, faster than the other most of the pre-made paddles available in the market. And with the right technique, you can pull off some unreturnable spinny serves.
Players who're looking to improve their game will especially appreciate this paddle. The feedback of the paddle is excellent, which is essential for developing players to build the right technique.
Also, if you're upgrading from a cheaper paddle, you will surely feel a massive boost in speed and spin. You may find the paddle uncontrollable initially, but with a couple of hours of practice, you should be back to your A-game.
Stiga Pro Carbon is well-suited for serious players who're looking to improve their game quickly. No wonder, this is the best selling pre-made paddle worldwide.
Pros:
+ Offensive+ paddle (Fast, medium spin and decent control)
+ Lightweight yet powerful
+ Rubbers are replaceable
+ Tournament read (ITTF Approved)
Cons:
- No complimentary paddle case
Who this is for:
+ Upto intermediate level players
Not Suited for:
- Defensive players (choppers)
- Absolute beginners
Editor’s Note: Stiga Pro Carbon is our top pick in Intermediate paddle category
Stiga Pro Carbon In-Depth Review
Are you looking for a paddle to avenge for all the losses you suffered at your office, home or club? Well, the Stiga Pro Carbon may be the weapon of choice. No Kidding!
With the paddle, you can pull off spinny serves and hit lethal smashes which your opponent (assuming he is also an intermediate player) would find quite challenging to pick.
But is it the best pre-made ping pong paddle available in the market, and is the price point justified? Read on!
Features/Construction Quality
The paddle comes from the stable of Stiga - One of the most popular table tennis equipment manufacturers. So the quality and durability should be the last thing in your mind.
However, the manufacturer has incorporated some innovative features like ACS, WRP, SDT, NCT and crystal tech in the paddle. Are these marketing gimmicks, or does it actually improve the paddle performance? Let's find out:
The paddle comes with a composite 7-ply blade and 2.0mm S5 ITTF approved rubber on both sides.
Blade:
The 7-ply blade is made up of 5-layers of balsa
wood and 2-layers of carbon. The use of balsa wood significantly reduces the overall weight of the paddle. While the outer carbon layer provides the much-needed stiffness for the offensive shots.
Rubber:
The S5 rubbers are springy and lively. The rubber is medium-hard, slightly grippy and fast. It's the grippy rubber which adds the spin characteristics to the paddle.
About the technologies used:
While I could not make out much startling difference with the use of the technologies mentioned above. However, SDT (Shock dispersion Tube) tech stood out. A hollow tube runs through the middle of the handle that disperses the sound and shock produced when the ball contacts the paddle. This improves the overall feedback offered by the paddle.
Now, let's move to the most crucial part - How does the paddle play?
Playing Characteristic
About me: I'm a professional table tennis player (USATT 2200+) with an all-round offensive game. My game generally involves a lot of power loops and backhand flicks.
I trained with this paddle for a couple of hours, which was followed by a 7-set match with a club member (USATT 1800). The game was close, and I eventually won (4-3), but what left me amazed was the all-round performance of the paddle.
Here is what I think about this setup:
Specification
Specs | Points |
|---|---|
Type | Carbon Offensive+ |
Handle | Concave, shakehand |
Weight | 158.75gm (light) |
Rubber | 2.0mm thick S5 rubber (ITTF Approved) |
Composition | 7-ply, 5-layer of balsa wood with 2-layer carbon |
Official Rating | Speed: 99, Spin: 100, Control: 80 |
Performance
Stroke Type | Rating/100 |
|---|---|
Smash | 90 |
Push | 80 |
Drive | 80 |
Loop | 90 |
Chop | 60 |
Block | 70 |
Speed: The paddle is fast but very much controllable. You would need to practice to control the paddle; otherwise, most of your shots would be going out of the table.
Drive: Very crisp, consistent and with decent ball throw angle.
Serves & Returns: You can do fast-spinny serves with ease, but doing short serves will be a bit difficult. The paddle is quite neutral to the opponent's spin, and thus the returns are quite easy to pick.
Touch play: This is where I feel the paddle lacked. The feedback on this paddle was on the lower side. Hence it was quite challenging to play short and close to the table game.
Topspin: You can put a decent amount of topspin on the ball. The outer carbon layer makes the paddle stiff and decreases the dwell time with the ball. You would need to use a slightly different technique to put more spin.
Loop: This is a looping machine. You can play long and short distance loops with ease.
Open Ups/Block: The blocks were difficult to execute due to the stiff blade. Most of the blocks went outside the table. But with a slight change in the paddle angle, I was able to keep the ball on the table.
Chop: This is an offensive blade, so chop isn't the greatest strength of the paddle. But it's good enough for shallow and short chops.
Conclusion: Stiga Pro Carbon lives up to its name and expectations. This paddle shares many attributes of the pro paddles, especially on the speed and looping front. I'm amazed how well-balanced the blade is, along with its all-round performance.
Improvers to intermediate players who're looking to step up their game will surely feel home with this setup. This paddle offers pretty much everything to players who're looking to improve and build an offensive game.
Stiga Pro Carbon Vs. Killerspin Jet800
The only competitor to Stiga Pro Carbon in this price range is the Killerspin Jet800. So this comparison is quite logical.
While both are offensive rackets with a carbon blade, the Stiga Pro Carbon offers slightly better overall control and spin. Whereas, the Jet800 is relatively faster in comparison. Additionally, the Jet800 is 20% costlier, but it also comes with an excellent hard case.
Overall, Stiga Pro Carbon is a well-rounded paddle that offers the right balance of performance and value. However, if speed is something you're after, you can opt for the Jet800.
User Reviews - What other Owners Are Saying
Stiga Pro Carbon is well received and highly rated across all the major e-commerce platforms, making it one of the highest-selling pre-made paddle.
Any major issues reported: A small fraction of users found the handle of the paddle not ergonomic enough. I personally found the paddle quite comfortable to hold onto.
So the Final Question - Is it RIGHT for you?
If you're an advanced beginner or an intermediate level player looking for a serious offensive paddle, then this paddle won't disappoint you. With the right technique, this paddle can do wonders for you. Overall, an excellent paddle for training and an excellent tournament quality paddle for competitive matches.
I personally don't think beginners to intermediate players would outgrow this paddle for quite some time. And even if they do, the replaceable rubbers allows upgrading the paddle to whichever combination they feel like.
Overall, Stiga Pro Carbon ping pong paddle is a real deal and well worth the price considering the performance.
Still confused which paddle to go for? Check out our complete guide to choosing the best ping pong paddle.
