Stiga Carbokev

Horrible blade. It focuses on speed, and it excels in that, but it has literally NO feeling, and the strokes spread like a machine gun.

I bought this during the Swedish Championship in Halmstad, Sweden because it was cheap ($12) the last time Waldner won in 2010, his 9th time.

This was my first Carbon blade. It weighs 95 grams, and with a Bluefire M1 & a S2 on the BH, I couldn’t cope with the overall weight. I lightened it with a TC Boost 2.0 on the BH and it became usable. Later, I changed the BH rubber to a Donic Coppa Speed, which was better.

I ended up getting a Donic Octcharov Soft Carbon V1, which was a huge disappointment. I then reverted back to this blade. Once I got used to it, I quite liked it. However, it seemed a little one-dimensional, feeling happiest at full belt on the FH. The rest of my game seemed to suffer, and eventually, I sold it.

You can get this blade as a clearance blade for around £20 from the likes of Thortons. At that price, you couldn’t complain about it.

Indeed, it is a very fast blade, even with Chinese RITC 729-5 and Speedy P.O. pimples on the backhand. It vibrates slightly to give more feeling. Looping needs some practice because the throw is a little bit low. Overall, it is a good blade.

Seems lighter than its advertised weight of 88g. It has a nice balance, but the edge of the blade is very sharp and can be uncomfortable if gripped tightly. However, it can be easily sanded if desired.

The backhand side of the blade is slower, which provides more control on backhand shots. This allows you to use the same rubbers on both sides of the blade if that is your preference.

It is important to get the bat angle correct on all shots due to the relatively low level of control. I would not recommend putting very fast rubbers on the forehand unless your technique is very good and you want to play an aggressive style.

WOW! I used the blade with Optimum MP rubbers in max thickness. The ball went like a rocket. It’s really light, unlike most other blades with this kind of speed. This would be a great blade for anyone who would want to end a point quickly with a smash or a solid punch.