OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I have been using Carbonado 190 for years now. I love this blade but i'm intrigued by 290 version.
Has someone tried both and can tell me the differences? thank you!!

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I am still loving my 290.

Best rubber combo for myself after extensive testing.

Forehand - Donic Bluestorm Z1 Turbo Max Sponge 2.4mm only,not the 2.1 version..........off the charts speed and spin.

I tried this rubber on the backhand for a few weeks but alas my blocking,block rolls and counter loops were nearly all flying long.

This rubber is super sensitive to incoming spin and combined with its peerless speed i found it hard to control when on the backfoot but on the positive side when i was able to get in first with the first loop i was playing well with it on the backhand

Backhand rubber - 05 Tenergy. Much more control than the Z1 turbo 2.4. Still very fast but at least two levels of speed lower than the Z1 Turbo max sponge.

I tried the 05 Hard on the backhand but with the super stiff Carbonado 290 blade my loops were too low to be consistent with.

The Butterfly Sardius is the only other blade that matches the power of the 290 but the Sardius no way loops as well.

The Carbonado 245 has a much softer feel than the 290 - almost a polar opposite feel and is a good bit slower.

However the 245 does produce more arc on the ball

Except it will feel more head-heavy and therefore heavy (even if it's light.)

Once I bought an lkt 168 from a member here, got home and weighed it. 98g. However I put two T05 on it and it didn't feel heavy at all - because the blade was well balanced. I have some blades, that with even two light rubbers, feel heavy because of the balance of the blade.

Are the carbonado series discontinued? They seem to be slowly disappearing from the Stiga dealers websites.

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Looking at the ratimgs on revspin the Stiga Carbonado 245 has a much higher rating for speed than the 290 which i can assure everyone is nonsense.

https://dev.revspin.net/blade/

The 245 has a much softer feel and grips the ball a little better producing a little more spin but it is significantly slower.

I used the Butterfly Photino for a while.

It has a super fast rating but feels more all round plus to me.

The Gergely 21 is fast but not really off the charts fast like the Stiga 290

The Joola Kool balsa blade is really fast but produces next to no spin.

The Butterfly Sardius is an old blade and still may be the fastest of them all but i have my doubts about its ability to produce much rotation on the ball.

https://blog.tabletennis11.com/review-s ... VJuo5znckU

Playing Impressions – Robot Testing (C290).

Initial feeling.

Having the thickest carbon layer, it is no surprise that the Stiga Carbonado 290 is the heaviest of the test blades, although the set-up’s 182 g honestly don’t feel very heavy. The blade’s center of gravity is tilted towards the head, albeit not as far as with the SFP, which, by comparison, almost feels like sliding out of my hand.

Driving.

The C290 is a blade that will give you a massive grin on your face. It produces a distinctive vibration-free ultra-crisp carbon feel and high-pitched sound on FH/BH drives. While it clearly is the fastest blade in this test (OFF+), I still enjoyed excellent control on regular FH/BH drive drills. FH/BH drives are high-speed, deep, and dangerous. Players with effective footwork, superb technique, and the ability to hit the ball with correct timing, will have a powerful weapon in the C290. Lower level players, on the other hand, will be more likely to commit unnecessary mistakes. The latter became apparent when I was doing rapidly alternating randomized FH/BH drive drills. The C290 clearly has the lowest margin for errors due to its medium-low ball throw angle. Also, it is less agile than the C45/C145/XX, which slows down FH-BH transitions ever so slightly. However, my consistency improved upon backing up 1-2 steps from the table.

Looping.

FH looping against backspin is effortless with the C290. The shots are faster and longer than with the C145, and, therefore, more direct and dangerous. Even though the throw angle only is medium-low, the ball travels further before dipping down, which gives it enough clearance over the net. The amount of spin on the loops seems to be lower than with the slower blades, but whatever the C290 lacks in spin, it more than makes up in terms of speed. BH hits through backspin with the W2 short pips are equally effortless and dangerous. I enjoyed exceptional levels of control on these shots, presumably because the higher speed of the C290 allowed me to use a more compact and consistent motion than with some of the slower blades.

Blocking and counter-topspin.

The C290 is an absolute monster on FH and BH blocks as it offers a uniquely crisp feeling, along with outstanding stability and aggressiveness. The blade feels immensely stable close-to-the-table, even against very high-level loops. Disappointingly, my consistency dropped considerably on FH counter-topspins from mid-distance as the low throw angle caused many of my shots to catch the net edge or to go long.

Smashing.

Unsurprisingly, the C290 is an absolute powerhouse on smashes, producing unreturnable shots. BH smashes with the W2 short pips were particularly fast.

Flicking.

The stiff nature of the C290 works great on FH and BH flicks against backspin. The shots are inherently fast and dangerously flat. By far, my favorite blade for this shot type among the test blades.

Pushing and touch shots.

Given my impressions so far, I was fully expecting the C290 to be disastrous in the pushing game. Much to my surprise, the blade offers a clean, crisp feeling on pushes. Thus, long FH pushes against backspin are fast, flat, and deep, with respectable amounts of spin. I made similar observations on long pushes BH, although the consistency was a little lower, with more pushes going long due to the high speed of the blade. I was blown away how well the blade works on short FH/BH pushes against backspin and touch shots given its speed. I was still able to lay the ball short – and only a smidge higher – than with the other blades. However, you must have good feeling in your hands.

Serving.

I found it easy to make short backspin pendulum serves with the C290, which is something that I attribute to the crystal-clear feeling that the blade offers on ball impact. And it goes without saying that the C290 can produce very fast and deep topspin/sidespin serves, although the spin levels seem to be lower than with the other blades in this test.

Conclusion.

The Stiga Carbonado 290 is a high-end blade for high-level ultra-aggressive players who play close to the table. It is relentlessly fast and direct and can easily overpower opponents. Unlike many other fast carbon blades, I found the C290 to offer excellent feeling and high levels of stability on all shots, including the short game. However, players must possess excellent technique, footwork, and timing to land the shots and wield this weapon. Lower level players will not be able to adequately control this blade, especially when playing shots out of position.

Back using my 290 blade after my golfers elbow appears to have cleared up.

Bought two new Donic Bluestorm Z1 Turbo rubbers in max sponge and cut them high up the blade to reduce the weight.

Around 180 g which is not too bad.

The blue colour has a higher throw than the black. Use the black on the forehand.

Compared to the Tibhar MXP i had on the forehand i would say the Z1 Turbo is faster with more spin but the Tibhar comes off flatter and maybe faster on a flat drive.

These Z1 Turbo rubbers are surely the best kept secret in table tennis.

Next level to the Tenergy rubbers. Sponge feels harder especially.

Loving my new setup till my next bout of golfers elbow which will see me return to my balsa blade again.

Why?

The sponge seems harder and the rubber topsheet whilst not tacky is super grippy.

I seem to generate more spin on serve with this rubber than any other and probably more on my strokes as well.

Revspin reviews seem to rate this rubber higher for spin and speed as well.

Used the various Tenergy rubbers including 05 Hard and 05 Dignics which is way too soft for me. 05 Hard was not as spongy as 05 Dignics.

Not tried the 09C for any length of time. Only with friends bat for a minute or so.

The blue sponge seems to have a slightly higher throw than the black.

Try it as its not so expensive.

Best rubber ive used by quite some margin.

A few comments i found from my own experience with the 290 to be very accurate. The Master flared version of the 290 is the one i use.

It is lighter but might be a touch slower. It feels harder with a lower throw than my other non Master 290. Not sure if this is by design or what.

The 245 is a much different blade. Much more of a loopers blade and much slower.


What are the differences between the 2 blades? There are
quite a few differences that I have observed actually. The 290 has a lower
throw or arc while the 245 has a high throw with the rubbers I have used for
testing. The 245 easily clears the net when you are looping the ball and the
height I have observed over the net would probably be 4-7 inches depending on
your angle but you will not have any problems hitting the net. You need to
adjust a little bit with the 245 because of the high arc and a long throw. First
few minutes I had to adjust but not much of a problem. The 290 however is a bit
unique. At first, you would be a bit nervous if your shots because you would
think they would hit the net and you would miss your shots but no. The low
throw and long arc of the 290 seem to be good in the long run. Yes, it has a
low throw but it is consistent at about 1-2 inches above the net BUT you seldom
miss with it. It is pretty consistent about its accuracy and height. When you
loop with the 245 it is easier because the ball has some clearance when you
loop it. The high throw of the 245 is more forgiving than the 290 but the 290’s
consistency on its low height can be hard to block against with. The low but
long trajectory of the 290 produces a very sharp flight pathway for the ball
and it is faster too. The 290 is faster than the carbonado 245. People would mistake
the ball going over the table with the 245 as the 245 being the faster of the 2
but it is actually the opposite. It is the 290 that is faster only that it has
a lower throw and the 245 due to the height and long trajectory of the ball,
makes you miss your placement sometimes.





Which is my favorite of the 2? It is the 290 hands down! I
have never used such a stable and consistent off+ blade. It may be stiff and
very fast but the control is top notch. I have used this to loop near and away
from the table and it is seem easier to use that most off+ blades. The accuracy
is quite good despite the speed. The block is so good I was just literally just
standing straight with my knees not bent while blocking a friend’s loop against
block near the table. Most of all, the long and sharp trajectory makes it a
potent attacker’s blade. The 245 is also a good blade but the 290 has this special
traits that I really admire about. In the past I have chosen the 145 and 45
carbonado versions as blades that I prefer but I would give it to the 290 this time.
Only drawback I see here is the weight but it is manageable if you use master
flared and the set up with a Chinese rubber on one side seem NOT heady heavy.
Both blades have better balance compared to the past carbonado versions.



http://mytabletennis.net/forum/stiga-ca ... page1.html

I am loving the black Donic Bluestorm Z1Turbo Max on my forehand.

I feel it really grips the ball especially well on low balls played to my forehand almost a bit like sticky Chinese rubbers.

I can confirm 05 Tenergy is a lighter rubber than the Donic rubber after changing rubbers on the blade many times.

The black Tibhar MXP i tried on the forehand - The big two differences with the Donic rubber, the Tibhar is lighter and the Donic produces oodles more grip and spin. Both are excellent at flat drives unlike the 05 Tenergy.

My tennis elbow has all but gone.

Keep your elbow near your chest and as far BELOW your hand as possible.

This will reduce greatly the muscle use of your upper arm and elbow.

I am talking mostly when playing a backhand loop but also helps on the forehand side as well.