A Covid-19 interrupted review of the Stiga Carbonado 45, 145, 290, and Dynasty Carbon Xu Xin blades.

     I have reviewed many all-wood Stiga blades and count the Stiga Rosewood NCT VII as one of my favorite ones. Still, I hadn’t had the opportunity to evaluate any of Stiga’s composite blade offerings. I was therefore thrilled to be given the opportunity to evaluate three members of the popular Stiga Carbonado series, i.e., the Carbonado 45, Carbonado 145, and Carbonado 290, as well as the recently released special Xu Xin edition of the Stiga Dynasty Carbon blade. 

     The Carbonado blades are 5+2 ply offensive composite blades that are constructed using low (64 g/m2), medium (100 g/m2), or high (200 g/m2) densities of Stiga’s proprietary TeXtreme Spread Tow carbon fibers below the surface plies of the 45/90, 145/190, and 245/290 series, respectively. The TeXtreme layers are placed at a 45-degree angle in the 45/145/245 series for increased torsional bendability, greater flexibility, and a higher throw angle. In contrast, the layers are placed at a 90-degree angle in the 90/190/290 series for “flexural bendability,” a stiffer feel, and higher speed. While Stiga doesn’t offer details on the ply composition of the Carbonado series, it is reasonable to assume that the blades have inner plies made of ayous, with the TeXtreme layer being placed below an outer limba ply. According to Stiga, the Carbonado 45 is used by Chinese national team members Zhu Yuling and Chen Meng, the Carbonado 145 is used by Li Xiaoxia and Sun Yingsha, and the Carbonado 290 is used by rising Swedish star Truls Möregårdh. Stiga lists the speed/control values as 140/47, 144/44, and 152/40 for the Carbonado 45, 145, and 290 blades, respectively. 

     The handmade Stiga Dynasty Carbon is also a 5+2 composite blade, which was developed with and for Chinese superstar Xu Xin. The goal of the Dynasty Carbon was to create an ultimate balance between a classic Stiga wood feeling and a carbon blade. The Dynasty Carbon is made using TeXtreme+, which is an evolution of the original TeXtreme Spread Tow Carbon Technology that consists of an advanced, super-thin carbon fiber fabric that maximizes the strength-to-weight ratio. Koto – usually a relatively hard wood type – is used as the outer ply, with the TeXtreme+ layers underneath. According to Stiga, the blade combines superb touch with unbeatable power and enables players to be “as creative, technical, and powerful as Xu Xin.” The special Xu Xin Edition of the Stiga Dynasty Carbon includes a signature of Xu Xin on the playing surface and a lens (in left-handed orientation) that was designed by Xu Xin and his wife, former Chinese National Team player Yao Yan. Stiga lists speed/control values as 142/46 for this blade.  

     The Carbonado 45, Carbonado 145, and the Dynasty Carbon XX are packaged in Stiga’s standard black cardboard box. Although it provides adequate protection, I was expecting more premium packaging given that these blades - and the Dynasty Carbon XX in particular - target the high-end of the market segment. In contrast, the Carbonado 290 is delivered in Stiga’s premium packaging, which is a flat, wide box that features a blade-specific design. In this instance, the box has a black and grey checkered pattern, mimicking the TeXtreme weave. Detailed information about the TeXtreme technology is provided on the back of the box, which is very sturdy.

     As expected, the three Carbonado blades share many design features. All three have straw-colored playing surfaces with the wood grain oriented in the vertical direction. The blade name and a TeXtreme logo are featured on the FH side, whereas the BH side is devoid of text. The handles are made using coal-grey dyed wood. The 45/145 have red and white stripes, whereas the 290 has blue and white stripes. Each of the blades has a unique metal tag on the FH side of the handle, which lists the blade name and “Made in Sweden” text using white on white (45), silver on black (145), or silver on baby blue (290) color schemes. A high-quality blue and yellow metal tag with the text “Handmade in Sweden by Stiga” is found on the bottom of the handle. Altogether, the blades offer a visually appealing mix of classic and modern looks. The 5+2 ply composition of the three Carbonado blades is similar with a thick core that is surrounded by a relatively thick intermediate ply, that is followed by a TeXtreme layer of blade-specific thickness and a thin outer ply.

     The design of the Dynasty Carbon XX differs substantially from the Carbonado blade inasmuch it has a brown playing surface with the blade name, a TeXtreme logo, and Xu Xin’s signature written on the FH side in white color. The BH side is devoid of text. The handle is made from dark brown wood and features two closely spaced white vertical stripes, a beautiful silver on a dark blue metal tag on the FH side, and the blue and yellow “Handmade in Sweden by Stiga” metal tag on the bottom of the handle. Overall, this blade has a rustic beauty to it. The 5+2 ply composition looks like that of the Carbonado blades, i.e., a thick core that is surrounded by a relatively thick intermediate ply, which in turn is surrounded by an extremely thin layer of TeXtreme+ weave, and a thin outer ply of dyed koto. 

     The playing surfaces of the four blades are standard size at 157 mm x 150-151 mm (height x width) but differ in thicknesses: 5.7 mm (C45), 5.7 mm (C145), 5.9 mm (C290) and 6.0 mm (XX). The handles have the following dimensions (length x width x thickness): 101.7 mm x 29.6 mm x 22.2 mm (C45), 101.7 mm x 29.5 mm x 22.2 mm (C145), 101.7 mm x 29.5 mm x 23.2 mm (C290), and 101.7 mm x 29.3 mm x 22.3 mm (XX). The blades weigh 85 g (C45), 85 g (C145), 91 g (C290), and 83 g (XX). Hitting a ball on the naked blades produce the following resonance frequencies: 1205 Hz (C45), 1335 Hz (C145), 1400 Hz (XX), and 1570 Hz (C290).

Testing Procedure:

     I tested the blades using brand-new sheets of DHS Hurricane 3 (H3, black, 2.15 mm, 40-degree orange sponge, provincial version) and Spinlord Waran 2 (W2, red, 2.0 mm) in my FH and BH, respectively. The test set-ups were compared to the equivalent set-up on my reference blade, i.e., the 7-ply all-wood Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition (SFP). I attached the rubbers using ~3 layers of the Revolution 3 medium viscosity glue. The test paddles weighed as follows: XX (171 g), C45 (175 g), C145 (174 g), C290 (182 g) and SFP (176 g).

     The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted my evaluation of these blades. Back in February 2020, I evaluated the C45 and C145 in my usual manner, i.e., testing the blades over several sessions, playing a mix of simple drills and practice matches against my regular practice partners, using the Nittaku J-Top training balls. Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, shutting everything down. As of the time of writing this review (mid-May 2020), my club remains closed, and it is unclear when it will open. Luckily, I have a Newgy 205x robot at home, which allowed me to evaluate the blades during the shutdown. Towards this end, I tested the five paddles simultaneously over three weeks, playing ~20 different drills against the robot using a mix of mostly DHS D40+ and Nittaku J-Top training balls, with a couple of Joola Flash and Andro Speedballs mixed in as well. I used a combination of drills, including simple multiball-like drills (e.g., FH/BH drives, FH/BH blocking against heavy topspin, FH/BH loop against long backspin, FH/BH flicks against short backspin or topspin serves), regular footwork drills (e.g., 3-point FH, Falkenberg), and irregular footwork drills that emulate match situations and require fast FH-BH transitions. While in some ways, the use of a robot provides more controlled circumstances than when playing against real opponents, it has inherent limitations. For example, it is challenging to accurately assess the amount of spin that is generated on shots without having the benefit of seeing how an opponent reacts to the shot. Instead, I had to infer the amount of spin indirectly buy noticing how the ball bounces, so please bear this in mind. 

Playing Impressions – Conventional Testing (C45): 

     The Carbonado 45 is a moderately fast (low OFF- range) and quite stiff blade that produces noticeable reverberating vibrations upon ball impact, which provide a lot of feedback and feeling to the player. FH drives are crisp and controlled, albeit not super-fast. BH drives using with the W2 short pips produce a cracking sound, especially when hitting the ball toward the top of the blade. FH loops against heavy backspin required more effort and a more open bat angle than with the equivalent reference SFP paddle, as the lower speed impacted the trajectory. My control on these shots was outstanding as I was able to titrate the amount of power needed precisely. On the flip side, at the end of a 3-hour practice session against a long pips chopper, I was incredibly tired because of the physical effort involved. FH loops played from afar as in FH-to-FH loop rallies require a lot of energy, which for me, always increases the risk of forcing the stroke, i.e., making it too big. This, in turn, reduced my consistency and ability to precisely place the ball. The C45’s moderate pace and arc were also particularly evident on flat hits and smashes, as my shots landed mid-table rather than towards the end-line. Granted, a brand-new, super tacky sheet of H3 is not exactly a flat hit wonder, but I was still surprised how short my smashes were. The moderate pace and crisp feeling of the C45 are very beneficial when blocking loops close to the table, as the incoming energy is efficiently redistributed into moderate forward momentum. I enjoyed excellent control on blocking with both my FH and BH and hardly missed any shots. However, the moderate pace and shorter-than-usual trajectory of the block, at times, allowed my opponents to follow up with a stronger loop that was placed beyond my reach. To avoid this from happening, I had to be more aggressive in my blocking and add more forward momentum. The direct feeling and moderate pace worked very well for aggressive service returns, which I could place with a high level of control, albeit not lightning fast. Similarly, the good feeling of the C45 enabled me to execute very effective drop shots and short push service receives, which I could keep low, flat, and spinny. I was able to load up my short backspin or topspin serves with high spin amounts resulting in many direct points. In contrast, I struggled a little more finding the full table length on long top-sidespin serves, but I am sure more days of practice would have allowed me to become more aggressive on these types of serves.   

 

Playing Impressions – Conventional Testing (C145): 

     The Carbonado 145 is a relatively fast and stiff blade (low OFF range). The feeling upon hitting the ball is direct, without being as crisp or producing a cracking sound, though. The blade is also rather linear, i.e., there is little catapult effect. FH and BH drives have relatively long trajectories but manage to dip before going long, and thus maintain high levels of control. The blade’s inherent power and stiffness are felt on FH loops. The contact time between the blade and ball is relatively short, resulting in a quite low trajectory and no more than average spin production on FH loops against backspin. My consistency on these shots was lower than usual, with many shots going long. To compensate, I had to use softer hands and less power on my shots. The C145 lends itself towards a more direct, and less spin-oriented game style, working well on power drives from mid-distance. But even on those shots, it is relatively easy to overshoot the table. Therefore care and excellent technique and footwork are necessary. I made similar observations with BH hits through backspin. Well-timed shots are flat, deep, and reasonably fast, but it is easy to overshoot the table. The C145’s above-average stiffness and speed, and its linearity, works well on FH/BH blocks which are direct, fast, and consistent. Flat hits are quite fast. Aggressive serve returns are facilitated by the straightforward nature and the inherent OFF level speed of the blade, which enables dangerous shots. I struggled somewhat with pushes. Long pushes tended to float long and/or to have below-average spin levels since the short contact time rendered it difficult to brush the ball well. For similar reasons, short pushes and drop tended to pop up and go a little too long, giving my opponents additional opportunities to attack. My serves were also less spinny than usual, and in general fast top/side-spin serves were more effective than slow backspin serves.      

 

Playing Impressions – Robot Testing (C45):

Initial feeling.

     The C45 has a balance point that is directed towards the center of the blade. This makes the blade feel lighter and more nimble than the reference SFP blade, which has an almost identical mass. 

Driving.

      The C45 produces deep, all-wood like, reverberating vibrations on FH and, especially, BH drives, yet the contact point is crisp, leaving no doubt that you are playing with a carbon-reinforced blade. The C45 is noticeably slower than the SFP (low OFF- range), yet the ball trajectory is quite long. The C45 is comfortable to hold, and the pleasant balance point renders FH-BH transitions a breeze when doing randomized FH/BH drills. 

Looping.

     FH loops against backspin are slower, spinnier, and with a higher throw than with the SFP, which improved my consistency. However, significantly greater physical effort is needed to generate a similar pace. BH flat hits against backspin produce a stiff cracking sound. The well-defined carbon-enhanced contact point and moderate speed result in excellent control over ball placement. 

Blocking and counter-topspin.

     FH blocks are accompanied with deep and reverberating vibrations and produce consistent, but significantly less aggressive blocks than the C145 or C290 blades. FH counter-topspins played close-to-the-table or from mid-distance appear to have a higher arc and more clearance over the net than other blades, but also result in less dangerous and shorter shots. BH blocks produce a deep holding feeling and a slight cracking sound. I enjoyed excellent control on BH blocks due to the blades OFF- level speed and medium-high trajectory. However, the BH blocks are a little less dangerous than with the other blades. 

Smashing.

     The C45’s comparatively low speed became apparent on FH/BH flat hits as I needed to put in a lot of effort to generate fast shots. 

Flicking.

     In my opinion, the timing window for FH flicks is a little narrower with the C45 than with the other blades, something I attribute to the blade’s softer feeling. When timed well, FH flicks are medium-long and reasonably fast, but you will be hard-pressed to produce outright winners. The feeling on BH flicks is crisper, especially when hitting the ball near the top of the blade, presumably as the W2 short pips have a significantly softer sponge than H3. For me, a clearly felt contact point automatically results in enhanced shot execution and consistency.

Pushing and touch shots.

      The C45 provides a deep feeling – just like the XX – on long FH pushes against backspin, which allows for a more aggressive - almost defender-like – shot execution. Spin production on these shots is higher than with the SFP but a smidge lower than with the XX. BH pushes against backspin also benefit from heavy brushing of the ball, yielding shots with rather long trajectories and high amounts of spin on the ball. Due to the C45’s moderate speed, it is effortless to execute high-quality short FH and BH pushes and multi-bounce touch shots against backspin. The shots are slightly longer and sit up marginally higher than with the XX, but this actually helped me ensure that fewer shots ended up in the net, i.e., being too short.  

Serving.

     The balance on short backspin pendulum serves is excellent with the C45, and the crisp contact point gave me a lot of confidence on the serves, allowing me to keep them relatively slow and quite spinny. It took more physical effort to get long diagonal topspin serves to land near the backline due to the blades moderate speed, whereas I was able to place down-the-line serves near the end-line right from the get-go.  

Conclusion.

     The Stiga Carbonado 45 is a well-made blade with a great balance. Its moderate speed, coupled with a clearly felt contact point, and deep, informative vibrations, render this a blade for the player that desires a lot of feeling for their game style. Greater physical effort is required to make fast shots, and the C45 is, therefore, best suited for players staying close to the table. I would expect that the C45 pairs well with faster, non-tacky European/Japanese-style rubbers like the Stiga DNA Pro Hard. The blade is well-suited to players across most levels, especially those with a more all-round game style that relies on tactical ball placement, touch, and spin. Highly aggressive players with more direct game styles will gravitate to the faster Carbonado blades. Personally, I enjoyed the C45 very much.

 

Playing Impressions – Robot Testing (C145). 

Initial feeling.

     Just like the C45, the C145 has a balance point that is more towards the center of the blade, giving it a light and nimble feel.

Driving.

     As one might expect, there are many fundamental similarities between the C145 and C45 but also some differences. For example, the C145 produces a less pronounced cracking sensation upon ball impact when playing FH/BH drives, yet the blade feels stiffer. The trajectory is flatter and longer, consistent with the blade being 5-10% faster than its little brother. More precise timing is required to maintain high consistency on these shots. The blade’s center-oriented balance and nimble feel allow for fast random FH-BH transitions, especially from mid-distance, where it offers greater safety and faster returns than the C45 or XX. 

Looping.

     Similar to the observations on FH-BH drives, FH loops against backspin, as well as BH hits through backspin, have a slightly flatter, longer and faster trajectory with the C145, and accordingly have a somewhat lower – but still decent – consistency. Spin generation on FH loops seems to be a little lower than with the C45, presumably since the dwell time is shorter. 

Blocking and counter-topspin.

      FH blocking with the C145 feels solid. The shots have a good length and are more aggressive and dangerous than with the C45, XX, or even SFP, yet I enjoyed excellent consistency due to the blade’s carbon-reinforced stability and sweet-spot. The stability also becomes apparent on counter-topspins from mid-distance, which were sharp and pinpointed, although some of the shots caught the top of the net. The C145 offered me a crisp, direct feeling on BH blocks, and once again, the blade’s stiffness and stability paid off in the form of excellent control even though it produces fast returns. To my surprise, I enjoyed better control on BH blocks with the C145 than with the SFP.

Smashing.

      Unsurprisingly, the C145 is faster than the C45 and XX, yet slower than the C290 on FH/BH smashes. It is fast enough to finish off a point, even with a relatively slow H3 on the FH side, but it will not break any speed records.   

Flicking.

      FH flicks against backspin are easy to execute with good consistency, since the C145 provides controlled low OFF range aggression, combined with a relatively stiff and crisp feeling, especially if the ball is hit close towards the top of the blade. I made similar observations on BH flicks against backspin, which were a little faster and more consistent than with the C45 and XX.

Pushing and touch shots.

     Long FH/BH pushes against backspin are perhaps the shot types where the C45 and C145 differ the most, with the latter allowing for faster and more direct pushes that emphasize speed over spin. The C145 exhibits similar characteristics as the C45 on short FH/BH pushes against backspin, i.e., it is easy to play high-quality pushes and multi-bounce touch shots. Interestingly, the slightly faster nature of the C145 actually made it easier for me to make short pushes on half-long backspins, as the shot had a better chance of passing the net. 

Serving.

     The contact point while serving with the C145 is less crisp than with the C45, and consequently, I struggled to develop a good touch on my pendulum backspin serves. Eventually, I was able to get the timing right and produce respectable amounts of spin. The C145 performed better on long top/side-spin serves, which I was able to place close to the end-lines with excellent precision, speed, and spin.  

Conclusion. 

      Just like the other blades in the Carbonado series, the C145 is a well-made blade. It has a great balance and surprisingly woody feeling. While the most suitable player types for the C45 (spin-offensive) and C290 (aggressive offensive) blades are fairly obvious, the C145 suffers a little bit from an identity crisis. This is a blade that does well in all aspects of the game but does not excel in any particular category.  It might represent a reasonable middle ground between the two extremes of the Carbonado range, but it also means that it has less character. The faster nature of the blade, coupled with a throw angle that is in the medium range, means that I could see it be used a little further away from the table than the C45, i.e., from close to the table out to mid-distance. 

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.

 

Playing Impressions – Robot Testing (XX).

Initial feeling.

       The Stiga Dynasty Xu Xin is comfortable to hold and has a similar balance as the C45 and C145, i.e., with a center of gravity that is closer to the center. This, along with the low weight of the set-up (~171 g), gives it a nimble feeling.  

Driving.

     The XX produces very prominent vibrations that travel into the palm, and a woody/hollow sound and feeling on FH/BH drives. The carbon weave is only felt weakly. In terms of speed, the XX lies between the C45 and C145, i.e., mid OFF- range. The control on FH/BH drives is excellent, albeit slightly lower than with the C45 due to a slightly lower trajectory. Random FH-BH transitions are effortless to play since the blade is comfortable to hold. 

Looping.

      FH loops against backspin produce flight paths that sit between those of the C45 and C145, i.e., a medium throw angle that results in trajectories that are slightly longer than with the C45. Spin generation appears to be very good. Interestingly, the XX offers the softest, most wood-like feel of all the blades, including, paradoxically, the only non-composite blade in this test, i.e., the SFP reference blade. In contrast, and a little disappointingly, the XX offered me the smallest margin of error of all the blades on BH hits through backspin. I don’t know if this is due to the softer feeling of the XX or if the outer koto layer doesn’t play well with the W2 short pips. Irrespective of the underlying cause, the ball often got caught right on the top of the net or went long. 

Blocking and counter-topspin. 

     The XX produces a cracking feeling on FH blocking against very fast loops, which probably is the shot type where the carbon weave is most clearly felt. The blade absorbs the incoming energy quite efficiently, and the resulting blocks are slower and, thus, less dangerous than with the SFP or C145. Unfortunately, the sweet-spot seems to be rather localized. Accordingly, the feeling varies throughout the blade, giving rise to different responses depending on where on the blade the ball hits. The XX is reasonably stable on FH counter-topspins from mid-distance, although the consistency and speed are lower than, e.g., with the SFP. I enjoyed better control on BH blocks. As with FH blocks, the blade absorbs the incoming energy well, resulting in blocks that are a little slower than with the SFP and which have a little bit more safety over the net. 

Smashing.

     You won’t break any speed records while smashing with the XX, especially if combining the blade with slow, sticky rubbers like H3. The raw speed of the smashes is only slightly higher than with the C45.

Flicking.

      The XX’s softer, woodier feeling meant that I was not able to sense the ball as clearly on FH/BH flicks against backspin as with some of the other blades. Consequently, my consistency was a little lower on flicks. When executed well, the flicks have medium-long trajectories.    

Pushing and touch shots.

     The XX shines on pushes. I was able to brush the ball very aggressively, resulting in excellent spin generation when playing long FH pushes against backspin. I made similar observations on long BH pushes; the W2/XX combination generates a soft contact that allows for effective brushing and spin generation. It is very easy to keep short FH/BH pushes against backspin very low and spinny, although the blade’s moderate speed necessitates a little more physical effort to ensure that the ball makes it over the net.   

Serving.

     The balance on pendulum serves is excellent, and the XX gave me the overall best feeling on backspin serves, which can be absolutely loaded with spin. While not a fast blade, I found it easy to find the end-lines on topspin/sidespin serves and impart lots of spin on these serves.

Conclusion.

      Consistent with Xu Xin’s playstyle, the Stiga Dynasty Xu Xin is a weapon of choice for spin-offensive magicians who rely on having a lot of feeling from their blade. The XX is truly excellent in the service and short game, but in my opinion, a little too slow for looping and smashing (unless you, unlike me, have Xu Xin’s physique). Just like the C45, the XX is a blade that caters to multi-faceted thinking player types who vary the spin and placement of the ball. Given its moderate speed, I could see an extensive range of players use this blade successfully.  

 

Final thoughts.

     Following the conclusion of these, I challenged myself to a blind-test of the paddles consisting of playing a regular FH/BH drive drill. The blades were relatively easy to differentiate. In short, the C290 is ultra-crisp and the fastest blade among the five blades and also feels the heaviest. The SFP has the blockiest handle, feels thicker than the other blades, and is the second-fastest blade among the test group, being slightly faster than the C145. Paradoxically, the XX offers the most wood-like feeling, although it is still possible to feel the carbon layer on ball impact. The C45 and C145 – which were the most difficult to tell apart - offer a slightly sharper feeling than the XX and are marginally slower/faster, respectively. In addition to being slightly slower than the C145, the C45 has a slightly more pronounced carbon feel than the C145.

 

Comparison of the five test blades:

Speed: C290 > SFP ~ C145 > XX > C45

Overall control: C45 > SFP ~ C145 ~ XX > C290

Feeling when executing strokes (from most flexible to stiffest): XX > C45 > C145 > SFP > C290

Feeling upon ball impact (from hardest to softest): C290 > C45 ~ SFP ~ C145 > XX

Ability to generate spin on loops, arc and dwell time: C45 ~ XX ~ SFP ~ C145 > C290

Suitability for short game: XX > C45 > C145 > SFP ~ C290

Best suited distance (closest to furthest): XX > C45 > C145 ~ C290 > SFP

About the Reviewer

     Patrick Hrdlicka is a table tennis enthusiast with a Ph.D. in chemistry who combines his analytical and experimental skills with his love of table tennis in order to test and review a wide range of table tennis equipment.