STIGA Pro Carbon Review: Why The Best Racket?

STIGA Pro Carbon Table Tennis Racket

STIGA Pro Carbon, a Shakehand style, lightweight premade table tennis racket by the well-reputed brand, STIGA is specially designed for intermediate and advanced players. Why is STIGA Pro Carbon so popular? The reason behind this is its unique feature of massive power and spin.

Today’s table tennis is dominated by aggressive players. They love to generate more speed and spin in their strokes. The capability of high-speed generation of this racket makes it highly popular among table tennis lovers and the best-selling paddle in the world.

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Specifications

• Blade: 5-ply wood + 2 layers of carbon
• Rubber: 2.0 mm S5 Rubber
• Rubber Type: Inverted
• Style: Shakehand
• Weight: 0.35 lbs (159 grams)
• Handle: Concave Pro (Flared)
• Ratings: Speed – 99, Spin – 100, Control – 80
• ITTF Approved
• Rating: 9.7/10

Technology Used

• Crystal Technology (For harder outer layer)
• Balsa Technology (Inner soft, springy wooden layer)
• Nano Composite Technology (For tighter bonding among molecules of the top sheet)
• ACS Technology (To increase sponge elasticity by inserting tiny air capsules)
• WRB Technology (For head-heavy balance by inserting a hollow tube throughout the handle)

Construction of Stiga Pro Carbon

Blade

The Pro Carbon has a 7 veneers composite blade which consists of 5 layers of wood and 2 outer layers of carbon. STIGA has used balsa as an inner wood material in this paddle. As a wood, balsa is soft, light, porous, and springy which is conducive to spin generation. Also, this wood makes the racket lightweight.

Due to the high stiffness of the carbon layers, this blade has a larger sweet spot which gives power over an extended area.

Rubber

The STIGA Pro Carbon paddle consists of 2.0 mm thick ITTF-approved STIGA S5 inverted rubbers. The implementation of the Nano Composite Technology in the top sheet tightens the bonds among the molecules which increases the hardness of the rubber.

Also, ACS technology has been used to induce tiny air bubbles inside the sponge which enhances the elasticity of the rubber to a high degree.

Handle

This racket has a concave (Flared) grip handle that uses SDT (Shock Dispersion Tube) technology. A hollow tube running through the handle absorbs shock and transfers it in the form of energy.

Weight

The weight of the racket is 0.35 lbs (159 grams) which is lighter if you consider it with the same category rackets like STIGA Raptor (0.47 lbs or 213 grams ) and Killerspin Jet 800 (0.42 lbs or 190 grams). Though you can swing the lighter paddles quickly, the heavier paddles like the Raptor give you more speed when hitting the ball (Momentum = mass x velocity).

Performance

• The high-speed rating of STIGA Pro Carbon is greatly enhanced by the blade configuration. The outer carbon layers increase the stiffness and rigidity of this composite blade. This, in turn, increases the effective heating area, which we refer to as the ‘Sweet Spot’. Also, the increased hardness of the blade helps to impart higher momentum to the ball which results in more speed.
• Being a 7-veneer blade, this paddle is very good for the drive and blocking shots.
• The soft and springy nature of balsa wood which is used as an inner material helps to get more spin.
• When a ball hits the rubber surface, the ball dips more due to the collapse of tiny air bubbles. The springing action of the bubbles (contraction and expansion) deflects the ball with more speed and spin.
• In the initial stage, when the rubber is new, you can feel its tackiness. This sticky nature of the S5 rubber helps to generate lots of spins on your serve.
• The implementation of WRB (W- Weight Balance, R- Rate of Recovery, B-Ball Sensitivity) technology shifts the center of gravity of this paddle toward the top. This head-heavy nature of the racket is good for offensive play and also increases the feeling.

Durability

As the paddle gets older, there will be an accumulation of dust particles on the rubber surface and the tackiness of the rubber will be lost after some time. So to get the prolonged life of the paddle, you need frequent cleaning of the rubber topsheet.

An advantageous feature is that the rubbers of the STIGA Pro Carbon are replaceable. You can take this opportunity to use the total utility of the blade by replacing the old, worn-out rubbers with good-quality rubbers.

Price

At present, the Pro Carbon racket is available for $69.99 on Amazon which is quite reasonable if you compare it with a well-customized paddle. Good quality customized racket costs around $100 by pasting rubbers against the blade which not only involves time but also requires some skills (But you have the advantage of choosing the blade and rubbers according to your preferences).

Now there is a new Blue color option which you may find very fascinating.

Positives of STIGA Pro Carbon

• The lightweight paddle (0.35 lbs) is easy to handle.
• Very good for looping and smashing due to the high speed and spin that this quality paddle can produce.
• More forgiving due to the large sweet spot
• Worn-out rubbers can be easily replaced.
• ITTF approved for playing in tournaments.
• Being a very popular racket, the Pro Carbon is easily available.
• Lastly, a brand like STIGA Sports, which is a global Swedish table tennis company started its production in 1944. It is one of the world’s largest brands of table tennis equipment.

Negatives of STIGA Pro Carbon

• Not suitable for beginners
• An included carrying cover would be an added advantage for the protection of the racket from dust and other foreign materials.

Other Alternatives

If this racket is not available to you, you may check some other good alternatives.

• STIGA Raptor: Very similar to Pro Carbon
• Killerspin Jet 800: Extremely powerful bat
• Palio Legend 3.0: A very good performer with a value for money

Suggested Topic:

1. “STIGA Raptor vs. Pro Carbon: Which is Better?”

2.  “STIGA Pro Carbon Vs Killerspin Jet 800: Which is Better?”

STIGA Pro Carbon Plus Vs Pro Carbon

The recently launched Pro Carbon Plus, an upgraded model of the Pro Carbon, is designed for more power and control.

• The Pro Carbon Plus consists of a 7-layer blade (5W + 2C), which is the same as Pro Carbon, but the touch carbon technology of the Plus model offers a wider sweet spot. So you can use a larger area for your power stroke which gives you a cleaner hit.
• The latest Pro Carbon Plus features STAR5 rubbers for better performance in competitions.
• The Pro Carbon is not included with a racket cover but the Plus variant comes with an exclusive package that you can use as a racket storage case.
• The Plus model ($89.99) costs comparatively more than the Pro Carbon racket ($69.99).

Conclusion

STIGA Pro Carbon is one of the best rackets available in the market for aggressive intermediate players. You will be delighted to see the amount of speed and spin that it can generate. Though Pro Carbon is an offensive racket, it also offers decent control that is hard to find in any other premade racket. The rating of nearly 3200 (4.7 out of 5) on Amazon proves the credibility of this racket.  

This lightweight racket can help raise your aggressive play to a higher level and deceive your opponent with a variety of spins. With a moderate price range, Pro Carbon is an excellent buy for a premade paddle.

STIGA Pro Carbon Best table tennis racket for intermediate players
	Built Quality: 4.8 / 5 Performance: 4.9 / 5 Durability: 4.7 / 5 Value for money: 4.8 / 5
STIGA Pro Carbon, a combination of a 7-layer composite blade and 2.0 mm thick rubbers, is excellent for speed and spin with moderate control. With the use of many innovative technologies, this lightweight racket is an excellent performer for players who love offensive gameplay.
Excellent offensive racket Great for looping	Not for beginners
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