STIGA Pro Carbon VS Pro Carbon Plus Table Tennis Racket Review

Last Updated on November 10, 2023 by Sorin Petroj

The STIGA Pro Carbon Table Tennis Racket is developed with an excellent and quality carbon blade designed for professional and competitive players. It is also one of the highest-rated blades on the market, with 5-star 1700+ reviews as of 2023, and an all-time Amazon favorite.

But, what is the difference between the STIGA Pro Carbon blade and the Pro Carbon Plus blade?

Should you opt for the classical Pro Carbon bat or STIGA Pro Carbon plus, or perhaps the 5-Star Carbon racket from the Royal Series?

While these are new carbon blades and best rated for performance, certain features make the STIGA Pro Carbon blade the most recommendable for professionals. In this all-in-one STIGA Pro Carbon blade review, we’ll share every bit of helpful information you’d need to know.

 

CHECK THE CURRENT PRICE!

We’ll also share insights on what you can expect from the recently updated Pro Carbon blades in the upcoming sections of this STIGA Pro Carbon table tennis racket review. And not to forget the STIGA Pro Carbon VS Carbon Plus comparison.

But first, here’s a rundown on the STIGA Pro Carbon Specs.

STIGA Pro Carbon Bat Specifications

Style	All-round, offensive
Skill level	Intermediate to Professional level
Blade plies	7 plies (5 layers of balsa +2 layers of carbon fiber)
Blade composition	Balsa wood and interwoven with carbon fiber.
Rubbers	ITTF-approved rubber. Stiga S5 red and black rubber on FH and BH, respectively.
Sponge Thickness	2.0 mm
Handle	Shakehand concave
Total Weight	159 grams with the rubbers. (0.35 lbs.)
Manufacturer’s ratings on performance	Speed: 99; Spin: 100; Control: 80

 

Brief Overview of the STIGA Pro Carbon Table Tennis Racket

The Pro Carbon is a classical and high-tech table tennis racket by STIGA designed for high performance. It is built with five plies of lightweight balsa wood and two layers of interwoven carbon and comes pre-assembled with the STIGA S5 2.0mm rubber on both sides of the blade.

The balsa inner core of the blade provides a nice touch, while the special treatment of the blade along with the interwoven carbon layers ensures power and spin. It is a high-speed level table tennis racket.

CHECK THE CURRENT PRICE!The STIGA Pro Carbon table tennis racket is constructed with advanced technology that offers incredible speed and spins. The ITTF-approved S5 rubber’s tech provides a balance between heavy spin and spin.

These features provide the optimum offensive advantage to the STIGA Pro Carbon table tennis racket making it preferable among All-Round attackers, aggressive baseliners, and mid-distance loopers.

The best ready-made table tennis racket for professionals is Butterfly Primorac Carbon Proline.

The Pro Carbon Table Tennis Racket Technology

The Blade’s Technology

Carbon Technology: The STIGA Pro Carbon is a high-tech ping pong paddle made of 5-ply wood and 2 outer layers of carbon. This carbon technology increases the sweet spot and the stiffness of the racket.

Crystal Technology: The newly developed STIGA Pro Carbon racket also uses STIGA’s Crystal Technology, a unique blade treatment that increases the speed of the racquet. This blade treatment employs a special transparent gel-based lacquer, and STIGA specially creates it.

Source: UTEK Composites

The Balsa Wood Technology: The inner core of the STIGA Pro Carbon blade is made of balsa wood. It is a very lightweight material and contributes to a higher amount of spin. The elasticity/springiness of balsa wood gives it the ability to generate more spin. The porous nature of the balsa also allows it to absorb moisture, which is critical to getting more spin.

The Rubber Technology

ACS & Nano Composite Technology: The ACS (a type of air cushioning system) technology and the Nano Composite Technology used in the S5 rubbers of this beautiful racket make the rubber sheets more elastic.

These rubber technologies double the elasticity of the Pro Carbon blade rubbers, giving more spin and speed. It has ultra-lightweight balsa wood for attacking games.

The Handle Technology

WRB Technology: The concave handle of the ping pong blade uses WRB (Weight Reduction by Balance) technology to improve the feel and provide additional offensive advantages to the blade.

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

Shock Dispersion Tube Technology: The original Pro Carbon blade used to feature Shock Dispersion Tube Technology, serving almost a similar purpose as the WRB technology. The WRB technology of the newly developed Pro Carbon blades shifts the rackets’ center of gravity towards the tip.

Offensive players who play prefer this weight distribution and configuration of the STIGA Pro Carbon table tennis racket because it makes the racket lighter, pretty flexible, and generates more speed and spin.

Key Features of The STIGA Pro Carbon Table Tennis Racket Worth Mentioning

You might be wondering: why choose the STIGA Pro Carbon table tennis racket, right? So, here we share the unique features that make the STIGA Pro Carbon table tennis racket worth considering.

• Professional-Level Table Tennis Racket

This ping pong paddle is a performance-level racket designed to help aspiring players improve and upgrade their skills. It is a popular choice among intermediate players preparing for a national league or competition partly because of the reasonable price. The Pro carbon technology provides incredible speed and heavy spin.

• The Lightweight Balsa Wood Construction

The 5 layers of balsa wood provide a good touch. It is one of the most lightweight wood materials, so blocking and serving with this racket is effortlessly effective.

• ITTF Approved S5 Rubbers

It is equipped with STIGA’s S5 rubbers on both sides. The sponge thickness of S5 is 2.0 mm, which complies with the ITTF guideline.

The S5 is inverted and pips in rubber, increasing the stokes’ power. The Nano Composite technology used on the rubber sheets doubles the elasticity providing heavier spin and incredible speed.

• Shakehand-Style Handle & Pro Concave Grip

The previous STIGA Pro Carbon blades models featured a Shakehand handle style with a slightly flared grip. The newly developed Pro Carbon blades feature a Concave Pro handle utilizing STIGA’S WRB (Weight Balance, Rate of Recovery, and Ball Sensitivity) technology.

This technology distributes the weight of the blade evenly and provides a better feel.

• Ships Pre-Assembled

The STIGA Pro Carbon Table Tennis Racket is delivered fully assembled. So it is ready to use and doesn’t require any additional assembling.

Rating & Performance

Here’s what you can expect from the STIGA Pro Carbon performance-level blade:

Balance & Control

It provides a solid feeling. You’ll be able to return shots and keep your opponent on edge. The high-quality carbon fiber and balsa wood construction combined with the grippy S5 rubber surface ensures optimal balance.

All of these result in sheer enjoyment in every sense of the word – whether you’re an intermediate or a professional. The blade’s control rating of 80/100, which means that you’ll be able to hit the ball with confidence

Speed

The speed of the table tennis racket comes from its core; the surface enhances its speed. The Crystal Technology of the STIGA Pro Carbon makes the racquet faster. It has extreme power compared to other ping-pong paddles.

It has a speed rating of 99/100 and is very speedy, so you can confidently attack. Should you attack, it will finish a point quickly enough. In addition, the professional table tennis racket is light enough to allow for effortless attacking play.

Spin

The Pro Carbon table tennis racket has a spin rating of 100/100, similar to the Pro Carbon Plus bat. The inner core is made of balsa wood, making the racket lightweight and thus enabling a higher amount of spin.

Also, the ACS and the Nano Composite technology make the surface of the S5 rubbers more elastic, allowing players to produce heavier spins effortlessly.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• It is a fully pre-assembled professional-level racket.
• It is very suitable for an offensive setup.
• This ping pong paddle is equipped with the S5 rubbers approved by the ITTF.
• It is an excellent choice for mastering techniques.
• Weighing just about 0.35 lbs., the STIGA Pro Carbon blade is very lightweight, making it effortless when blocking or serving.
• It is also one of the best budget-friendly table tennis rackets for professionals and intermediate players.
• The rubbers are replaceable, so you can customize the racket with the rubbers of your choice. [But it’ll require proper sanding]
• Since the attached rubbers are replaceable, you can don’t need to replace the entire paddle even after years of use. This dramatically increases the lifespan of the racket and makes it more cost-effective.

Cons

• The rubber may deteriorate on the edges.
• It is not always suitable for a defensive setup.
• It’s a fact that the S5 rubbers are replaceable, but replacing the rubbers without proper technique and patience may damage the blade.

How to assemble a table tennis racket?

 

STIGA Pro Carbon Table Tennis Racket Comparisons

STIGA Pro Carbon Original blade is best suitable to improve and enhance performance skills. But once you’ve mastered the fast speed and spin of the Pro Carbon blade, you will want to upgrade to an advanced option.

And STIGA has done that exactly. They developed a more advanced version of the STIGA Pro Carbon table tennis racket – the Pro Carbon Plus.

So how does the STIGA Pro Carbon Plus differ from the STIGA Pro Carbon table tennis racket?

Here’s the STIGA Pro Carbon VS Carbon Plus based on the specs and key features.

STIGA Pro Carbon VS Carbon Plus: Comparative Chart

In detail, let’s know the key differences between STIGA Pro Carbon and STIGA Pro Carbon Plus.

The Performance

The STIGA Pro Carbon Plus blade is a premium and upgraded version of the classical STIGA Pro Carbon blade and comes with a unique look and special offensive advantages. The Pro Carbon Plus blade is much speedier than the carbon blade. It has increased speed for offensive shots and more power.

The Style and skill levels

The Pro Carbon Plus is OFF+ and designed for advanced players seeking more action and speed. In contrast, the STIGA Pro Carbon blade is an All-Round and offensive-style blade designed for intermediate and professional players.

The Blade Technology

The blade is constructed with advanced technology. It features Touch to Control technology. It is STIGA’S latest technology in blade composition and craftsmanship.

The Touch to Control technology of the Pro Carbon Plus blade provides a more prominent sweet spot and allows players to feel better control and confidence in competitions.

This is the significant difference between the STIGA Pro Carbon blade and the Pro Carbon Plus blade in terms of blade technology.

The Rubbers

Another difference between them is the equipped rubbers. The Pro Carbon blade comes equipped with the S5 rubbers, while the Carbon Plus blade comes fitted with Star5 rubbers. Both the rubbers are International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF approved), perform similarly, and come with the same technology.

Additional Differences

The STIGA Pro Carbon Plus blade is slightly heavier than the original Pro Carbon blade. Also, the Pro Carbon Plus looks and feels very premium and comes with an exclusive storage box with it.

Not to forget, the Pro Carbon Plus also comes with a hefty price tag compared to the original STIGA Pro Carbon table tennis racket.

STIGA Pro Carbon Table Tennis Racket Price

So how much does the STIGA Pro Carbon table tennis racket cost?

The STIGA Pro Carbon table tennis racket is currently priced at $73.73 on the STIGA Store on Amazon.

STIGA Pro Carbon Table Tennis Racket Where to Buy

The best option to purchase the STIGA Pro Carbon table tennis racket is from the STIGA store on Amazon.

Currently, it’s not available on Megaspin, and also, the STIGA official website doesn’t ship to Canada, the USA, or the UK. Now you may worry about the quality and the authenticity of the product when shopping from Amazon. However, this is the best option as of this writing.

STIGA Pro Carbon Table Tennis Review: Our Final Verdict

We recommend the STIGA Pro Carbon blade because of its rock-solid offense and attacking capabilities. At around $60, this racket is an excellent investment for any table tennis player who needs to upgrade their attack strategy.

Finally, we want to wrap up this table tennis racket review with one crucial point. This table tennis racket is best suited for quick attackers – for people who want to quickly get the ball back to the opponent’s side of the table.

As we said, STIGA Pro Carbon comes with a speed, spin, and control ratio of 99:100:80. If you are looking for better control and maneuverability and power, speed, and spin, you may like the following alternatives.

You May Also Like the following:

STIGA Royal 5-Star Carbon Racket

CHECK THE CURRENT PRICE!

Brief Overview of the STIGA Royal 5-Star Carbon Table Tennis Racket

The Royal 5-Star Carbon blade is designed for super offensive setup, particularly for attackers. It is also the fastest racket in the Royal series.

STIGA Royal 5-Star Carbon Table Tennis Racket Specifications

• Style: OFF+
• Skill level: Professional
• Blade Plies: 7 plies (5W + 2C)
• Rubbers: 5-star ITTF-approved S5 rubbers on FH and BH
• Sponge Thickness: 2.0 mm
• Handle: Concave
• Blade Technology: Crystal Technology and Touch Carbon Technology.
• Handle and Rubber Technology: WRB and ACS.
• Weight: 0.17 kg or 170 grams
• Manufacturer’s ratings on performance: Speed: 100, Spin: 99, Control: 38.
• Price: $ 99.99

STIGA Royal 5-Star Performance and Technology

As for performance, the STIGA Royal 5-Star falls in between the STIGA Pro Carbon and the Pro Carbon Plus blade.

The STIGA Royal 5-Star Carbon blade is developed with advanced Touch carbon technology providing a cleaner feel at ball impact. The two layers of carbon fibers enhance the touch, feel, power, and speed.

The racket comes pre-assembled with the ITTF-approved 5-star S5 rubbers with 2.0 mm sponge thickness, adding extra speed at ball impact.

Our Verdict

This pre-assembled racket combines speed and power into one amazing piece of equipment.

Thus, the Royal 5 Star Carbon racket is an excellent choice for table tennis players looking for rackets that give ultimate power, touch, and incredible speed.

 

STIGA Evolution Table Tennis Racket

CHECK THE CURRENT PRICE!

 

Brief Overview of the STIGA Evolution Table Tennis Racket

The STIGA Evolution Table Tennis Racket is one of the highest-rated paddles and comes with 1600 positive reviews on Amazon as of 2022.

It gives excellent control over spin and is designed for shake-hand style play, and players of all skill levels would invariably find it attractive.

The blade is very lightweight and constructed with 6 pieces of wood. The 6-ply all-wood blade comes pre-assembled with ITTF-approved premium rubbers attached to its FH and BH.

Though a quality table tennis racket for beginners and intermediate players, the STIGA Evolution won’t hurt your pocket, indeed.

The Evolution Table Tennis Racket Specifications

• Style: All round and defensive
• Skill level: Performance level.
• Blade Plies: 6 plies
• Blade Composition: All Wood Blade
• Rubbers: ITTF-approved STIGA Premium Rubbers on FH and BH
• Sponge Thickness: 2.0 mm
• Handle: Concave with flared grip.
• Blade Technology: Crystal Technology
• Handle and Rubber Technology: WRB, SDT, NCT, and ACS.
• Weight: 170 grams.
• Manufacturer’s ratings on performance: Speed: 96, Spin: 94, Control: 90
• Price: $56.86 appr.

 

STIGA Evolution Racket Technology

STIGA used the Nano Composite Technology (NCT) on the rubber surfaces, enhancing the ball control significantly.

The Evolution table tennis racket also uses STIGA’s Shock Dispersion Tube Technology (SDT), allowing you to create a defensive or attacking strategy that helps you win matches.

You’ll also notice that your shots are more accurate thanks to STIGA’s Crystal technology which makes the bond tighter between rubber fibers.

STIGA Evolution Table Tennis Racket Performance

As per the manufacturer, STIGA Evolution comes with a speed rating of 96, a spin rating of 94, and a control rating of 90. Thus, it is a well-balanced racket suitable for beginners and intermediate-level players.

However, based on our personal experiences, we didn’t feel that the STIGA Evolution is fast enough for the offensive setup; instead, it does excellent for defense.

That said, beginners and players with intermediate skills will find the performance of this racket adequate as it offers excellent ball control without compromising much on the spin.

Pro Carbon & Evolution Racket Comparison

In this racket table tennis review, we want to see how the STIGA Evolution racket compares to the STIGA Pro Carbon racket.

First of all, the STIGA Evolution blade is completely different from the STIGA Pro Carbon blade. It is an all-wood blade constructed of 6 plies, while the Pro Carbon is a 7-ply blade with carbon fiber composites.

Also, STIGA Evolution is best suitable for defensive setup, while the Pro Carbon blade is best for attack and offensive setup. There are other significant differences.

You can get the idea by following the STIGA Pro Carbon and STIGA Evolution Table Tennis Racket comparison chart.

STIGA Evolution vs. Pro Carbon

STIGA Evolution Table Tennis Racket: Verdict

Finally, if you’re looking for a quality and reasonably priced all-around racket with a balance of speed, spin, and control, then the STIGA Evolution is worth considering. It offers the best of both worlds – top-notch performance while also being reasonably forgiving.

The STIGA Evolution is also the perfect paddle for intermediate players who are looking to improve their game and advanced beginners.

If you are looking for a more aggressive, harder-hitting paddle, I recommend the STIGA 5-Star Royal Carbon table tennis racket.

CHECK THE CURRENT PRICE!

However, if you prefer a softer, more controlled, and spin-oriented game, STIGA Evolution is one of the best choices you can make.

 

STIGA Apex Table Tennis Racket

CHECK THE CURRENT PRICE!

Brief Overview of the STIGA Apex Table Tennis Racket

If you are unsure whether table tennis is something you want to get into and simply want to test the waters, the STIGA Apex Table Tennis racket is a great way to start. I’ve included the key features of this table tennis racket below.

STIGA Apex features a 5-ply all-wood blade and comes pre-assembled with rubbers. It is light enough to play with comfortably and lets your arm stay at rest while still allowing you to move the paddle quickly on impact.

Additionally, it is easy to control, and the inverted rubbers, along with the 2mm sponge, allow you to get some spin on your ball and help make trickier shots.

STIGA Apex Table Tennis Racket Specifications

• Style: Defense-oriented
• Skill level: Performance level/recreational
• Blade Plies: 5-ply blade
• Rubbers: Comes with rubbers attached to the blade.
• Sponge Thickness: 2.0 mm
• Handle: Concave Italian Composite handle
• Handle and Rubber Technology: WRB and ACS.
• Weight: 0.3 pounds
• Manufacturer’s ratings on performance: Speed: 65, Spin: 52, Control: 80
• Price: $30 appr.

STIGA Apex Table Tennis Racket Performance

The STIGA Apex racket comes with a speed rating of 65/100 and a spin rating of 52/100. It is very slow, perfect for enjoying a slow-paced and relaxed match.

The STIGA Apex also doesn’t provide much spin. But surprisingly enough, it comes with an 80/100 control rating making it a great option for defense-oriented players who seek more control than speed or spin.

Given these parameters and performance levels, we think the STIGA Apex Table Tennis Racket is perfect for youth training. That’s because it won’t break the bank (one of the cheapest rackets on this list).

But it still has decent features and is worth investing in if you find that your child has a genuine love for table tennis. It also features a design that makes it very easy to handle, and suitable for recreational sports enthusiasts who want to enjoy the game.

STIGA Apex Table Tennis Racket: Our Verdict

Overall, the STIGA Apex is an excellent recreational table tennis racket. There might be some durability issues that you should consider before purchasing, but overall it is an ideal option for anyone just getting started in table tennis.

However, if you’re serious about table tennis and desire to improve your game, this may not be the best option. Instead, it would help if you opted for a better performance table tennis racket like Pro Carbon, STIGA Royal 5-Star Carbon, or the Evolution.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE THE FOLLOWING:

BEST PING PONG PADDLE CLEANERS

BEST TABLE TENNIS GIFT IDEAS

ZHANG JIKE PADDLE BOX SET REVIEW

 

About The Author