STIGA Raptor Vs Pro Carbon: Which is Better?

“STIGA Raptor Vs Pro Carbon ” is the most arguable and demanding debate in recent years. For premade table tennis paddles, STIGA Pro Carbon is undoubtedly the most popular in the world. If you search for its alternative of almost similar features, you will find the STIGA Raptor, which is also known as a newer model of the Pro Carbon. Both are STIGA’s top-quality rackets and are most suitable for intermediate players. 

So which one do you choose? Which one has a better price-performance ratio? In this review, “STIGA Raptor Vs Pro Carbon”, I will highlight the similarities and differences to help you pick the better one between them.

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STIGA Raptor Vs Pro Carbon: Comparative Chart

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STIGA Raptor Vs Pro Carbon: Comparative Analysis

It is very tough to distinguish between the two quality offensive paddles. Both look very similar, on STIGA’s official website, there is the same overview for the Raptor and Pro Carbon.

Let’s compare the different components that decide the performance of a racket as a whole.

Blade Comparison

Both the Pro carbon and Raptor have a similar composition of blade, like

• The Shakehand style has 7 layers of the composite blade that consists of 5-ply wood and 2 outer layers of carbon. The addition of carbon as an outer layer increases the stiffness and sweet spot (Crystal technology). Due to the stiff nature of the blade, you will get a hard feel, and the intensity of speed increases over an extended area. This is ideal for an offensive player to hit powerful strokes with a larger margin of error.
• The use of balsa wood as inner layers increases flexibility due to the soft, porous, and springy nature of balsa wood. This characteristic is conducive to generating a high amount of spin. Also, the flexible nature increases the dual time to enable the ball to stay for a longer time on the racket surface which results in good control and more spin.

Rubber Comparison

STIGA Pro Carbon and Raptor both consist of ITTF-approved S5 rubber with a thickness of 2.0 mm which is suitable for offensive play. The technologies with which this rubber S5 is designed are:

• ACS technology is the process of inducing micro air capsules in the sponge which will drastically increase the elasticity of the rubber. Due to the increased elasticity, during impact, the ball penetrates more into the sponge. So the sponge absorbs more energy and releases a high amount of energy through the springing action to throw the ball with high speed and control.
• NCT (Nano Composite Technology): The use of NCT technology tightens the bonding strength between molecules of the topsheet. This makes the rubber more elastic which is helpful for high speed and spin.

Handle Comparison

The handle of both STIGA’s paddle is of the concave-pro type which is a slight modification over the flared (FL) type handle. The cross-section of the handle is larger towards the end which makes it comfortable to grip and also helps from falling out of hand.

One advantageous feature of this handle is the use of the WRB technology to make it effective for offensive play with a better feel.

• W ⇒ Weight Balance
• R ⇒ Rate of Recovery
• B ⇒ Ball Sensitivity

The summary of this technology is the weight reduction by running a hollow metal rod throughout the handle. The implementation of WRB technology hollows out the handle to shift the center of gravity toward the tip of the racket. This head-heavy balance is preferred by attackers to generate more speed and spin.

STIGA Pro Carbon Vs Raptor: Performance

Both are offensive paddles with speed and spin ratings of 99 and 100. They are excellent for attacking with heavy topspin. Being offensive paddles, they also exhibit a good amount of control with a rating of 80.

Price Comparison

Though the price of STIGA Pro Carbon and Raptor is slightly higher, the better features result in a good price-performance ratio. The Raptor and Pro Carbon are available for $59.99 and $69.99 respectively on Amazon.com.

Is STIGA a Good Brand?

You may be anxious to know the brand value of STIGA. STIGA is one of the few leading manufacturers in the world of table tennis which are well trusted due to the wide variety of quality products. This Sweden-based company started manufacturing in the year 1944 and with the implementation of innovative technologies, it slowly has become a very reputed brand for table tennis equipment. In the premade paddle category, STIGA’s dominance is very impressive with a wide collection of value-added rackets like Pro Carbon, Evolution, Raptor, Talon, Titan, and many more.  

STIGA Raptor Vs Pro Carbon: Final Conclusion

Though the above-mentioned analysis shows that both rackets are identical, the Raptor is heavier (weight- 0.47 lbs) compared to the STIGA Pro Carbon (weight- 0.35 lbs). It is easier to maneuver with the lighter Pro Carbon whereas the Raptor imparts more momentum when hitting the ball (Force = mass x velocity). So due to the ability to achieve higher speed, the Raptor may be termed as a slightly more offensive ping pong paddle compared to the STIGA Pro Carbon.

• If you want a lighter racket that is more suitable for looping and prefer to play close to the table, the choice should go to the Pro Carbon.
• If you want to destroy your opponent with the help of lethal speed (also with spin) and like to play away from the table, the STIGA Raptor is a better option for you.

I have tried hard to help you with a better selection. If you have any questions, please write in the comment box below for a quick reply.

Thank you for continuing till the end.

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