Stiga Mantra S,M,H

After several months of waiting for the new Mantra rubbers, I finally came to get hold of the 3 variants in my hands. First of all, just to dispel the rumors about the recall of the Mantra rubbers, it was not about the rubbers being defective or having low durability. It was not the case but rather some sort of factory “enhancement” that they had to do with the rubber which I know but do not have the liberty to discuss.

I got the red Mantra S, M and H versions and got paired with the Genesis rubbers and a DHS Hurricane 3 for the Carbonado 290 and 245 plus the Celero Blade.  The 3 variants of Mantra have the same pimple structure and sponge with only the hardness being different for each variant. The sponge for the 3 rubbers all minute pores which are different from ESN tensor sponges.The H version is like at least 47 degrees, the M is like 45 degrees and S version like 42 degrees in hardness.

The topsheet of the Mantra rubbers are surprisingly different from what I have expected coming from a Japanese rubber company who made it. Unlike the Airoc series, The new topsheets have a very grippy surface and they don’t have this “plastic-like” texture. The quality is also good and consistent upon inspection. Many people are asking, what good are they and how do we know that these are just not marketing gimmicks? Those are the questions I also asked myself when I tried to place myself on other people’s shoes especially the doubtful ones and I do not blame them for being doubtful.

Among the 3 Mantra rubbers, the Hard version is the fastest one. It matches the speed if not even faster than a Tibhar MX-P. The Japanese rubbers never had any problem with speed. Actually they have plenty of speed but in the past they needed more spin. The M version is also fast but on the level of an EL-S. The S version is soft and slow. It is slower than an FX-P.

Now for the spin, the topsheets of the 3 variants are very grippy. This is the first time that the Japanese company producing the rubbers for Stiga have come up with such a topsheet. IN the past, the Airocs were spinny but not on this level the Mantra rubbers have. The closest topsheet characteristic I have felt for the Mantra rubbers are that of the Haifu Shark 3 and Whale 3 which in the past were also tested here in this forum. They are as grippy without the tackiness. The H version has almost the same spin level as the MX-P but it has a sharper and longer trajectory. The throw is low but when I used it with the 290 carbonado, it was accurate enough just to clear the net. The M version is also very spinny. Actually both M and H versions are spinny enough that they could pass as ESN rubbers but they have this trajectory that makes them different from ESN rubbers. The M version has a medium arc while the S version has a medium to high arc. The S version needs to be hit through the sponge to produce more spin. This rubber is designed for people who compress the sponge a lot when driving or looping. The Genesis rubbers are initially more spinny but when you compress more on the sponge and when you  do very strong attacks, that is where the Mantra H and M rubbers shine and you can feel the combination of the speed and spin.

Which of the 3 variants? I was really biased with the H version but lately I also like the M version a lot. Let me explain why. The  H version is

Mantra H version is one of the most stable rubber I have tried in terms of attacking and blocking. Take note that the H version was placed on a Carbonado 290 and the said blade is an off+ very fast attacking blade. I had no problem blocking with it. It produced a low return when blocking just an inch higher than the net which is sometimes hard for opponents to attack back. It is very easy to block with both H and M versions of the Mantra but the H version seems to be very potent. The H version’s very low throw sometimes upsets players that I have looped with and the ones of have tried the Mantra H with the Carbonado 290 all agree that the rubber has unique attacking properties. The ones who have tried it were actively using Donic P-series rubbers and some other guys have been using MX-P. The guys using the Donci P-series rubber swear by it that it is a much better rubber and more vicious in attacking while the guys using MX-P are greatly impressed by it due to its sharp low arc and good spinning capabilities. The M version is the tamed version of the Mantra H. It can do everything the M version can but on a more tamed attack and easier to control. The 3 rubbers are never spin sensitive but they spin great with serves and pushes aside from loops. The S version, I would recommend it really for a backhand rubber or for developing players mostly. The H and M versions are really the rubbers to buy.