Stiga Mantra Pro XH

I choose it as a forehead pad. I play it on: Stiga Inspira, Xiom Ignita, InnerForce ALC, Stiga Wavy (current). Even bigger than the H version, it gives more spin—all other parameters are the same as throughout the line (soft top layer, more rubber, sharp hook, not sticky, has a catapult). It is difficult to bend on fast bases (shoots hard), as well as on bases like InnerForce, which are thicker than 5.8 mm—the pad feels much stiffer (feels like on InnerForce). A little more resource than ESN pads (in my opinion). Everything else is satisfying, and I do not plan to change it yet. The main thing for me is especially Japanese production, more life, more details in the pads, higher quality, purely from my experience.

Very hard rubber, this rubber is so hard to control and loses a lot of points. Speed is very good, but when you hit the ball harder and after the ball is hit, it is sure to go out.

My local retailer just got a first batch of this brand new Mantra Pro HX (MPHX) so I wanted to test it since new Japanese rubbers are getting rarer, and hard ones even more. I am not fond of Stiga’s rubber, I’ve been disappointed too many times in the last 20 years. But I like Japanese rubbers so I decided to give it a try. I have used hard Chinese and hybrid rubbers in the past, but they aren’t my favorite. I like hard, linear rubbers, but not too tacky. That’s exactly what MPHX is. It’s obviously made for OFF+ game; forget defensive/passive strategies. Passive blocking and chopping are bad. Spinny services are difficult to achieve. You have to be active and put constant pressure on the opponent. At least an intermediate level and several years of practice are required. In this regard, MPHX behaves similarly to Dynaryz ZGR or Omega VII Tour, but it’s more forgiving. Much lighter too. It’s also quite similar to Hammond Z2, same feeling (“Japanese feeling” as opposed to ESN) but faster. Arc of MPHX is lower and very long (it seems the ball magically stops right on the white line). Z2 is very versatile and can be used for many styles. O7T is a pure, extreme OFF+ rubber. Overall, MPHX is halfway between Z2 and O7T, offering a good balance (although not as versatile as Z2). Despite Stiga’s communication, it doesn’t feel like a tensor rubber; it’s not at all like a Tenergy/MX-D or even D09c/K3. Those are bouncy. MPHX isn’t bouncy and has a lower throw. Noise is a bit weird, chewy, not as crisp as competition. I enjoyed it similarly for FH and BH. I have tested it on 2 different inner carbon blades (Rossi Emotion and Stratus Samsonov) and the pairing was excellent. Should be good with outer carbon as well.

Conclusion: an excellent, unexpected surprise from Stiga.