Weight
87g
Thickness
6mm
Plies
9-ply
Head Size
157x151
Handles
FL / ST
Material
Hybrid
Head Shape
Standard
Balance
Balanced
Matador Texa Carbon
Dr. Neubauer Matador Texa Carbon is an offensive blade engineered for aggressive players who demand maximum power and spin. Its unique asymmetric construction places a Carbon layer on the forehand for explosive acceleration and a Texalium fiber layer on the backhand for enhanced control. This design creates a potent forehand attack while maintaining backhand stability and precision, making it exceptionally effective for players using offensive long pips or anti-spin rubbers. The blade delivers a direct ball feel, enabling fast topspin shots and spin-rich openings. It offers a stiffer, faster playing experience, serving as a dynamic weapon for modern offensive table tennis.
The blade features a 9-ply construction with a core of wood plies. A layer of Carbon is positioned on the forehand side, directly beneath the outer ply, to enhance power and speed. On the backhand side, a layer of Texalium fiber is integrated for increased control and different playing characteristics, creating asymmetric performance between sides.
TT Sensei Ratings
✦Our expert analysis of this blade's performance characteristics
Matador Texa Carbon is recognized as the fastest blade in the Matador series, designed for aggressive offensive play. Its carbon and Texalium layers contribute significantly to high speed capabilities, allowing for powerful topspin shots and fast attacks. The direct feel aids in generating quick ball acceleration, making it a top choice for players seeking explosive power.
While designated as an offensive blade with high speed, Matador Texa Carbon offers a surprisingly good level of control, especially on the backhand side due to the Texalium layer. This control is further enhanced when paired with specialized rubbers like long pips or anti-spin, allowing for controlled blocks and disruptive shots, providing a balanced feel for aggressive play.
The blade provides a direct and relatively stiff ball contact feeling, characteristic of blades with carbon or advanced fiber layers. This directness allows players to feel the ball clearly, aiding in precise placement and control, especially for offensive shots where feedback is crucial.
The combination of carbon and Texalium layers, along with its stiff nature, contributes to a medium-high throw angle, facilitating powerful offensive strokes and enabling the ball to clear the net with sufficient arc for aggressive topspin play.
Dwell time on Matador Texa Carbon is moderate, balancing the need for spin generation with a direct feel for offensive play. This allows sufficient time to impart spin during loops while maintaining the blade's inherent speed and directness for attacking shots.
Matador Texa Carbon is a stiff blade, offering direct power transfer and a fast response. This stiffness is a key characteristic that enables its high speed and aggressive playing style, particularly beneficial for powerful topspin shots and blocking where minimal flex is desired.
The blade transmits a noticeable amount of vibration, which is common for composite blades designed for speed. This feedback helps players understand ball impact but remains moderate rather than excessively jarring, allowing for controlled play and good tactile response.
Dr. Neubauer Matador Texa Carbon is generally regarded as a well-constructed blade. Our analysis indicates a quality build with careful attention to the layering of materials, including carbon and Texalium, to achieve specific performance characteristics. Players often praise its solid construction and consistent feel.
Technology
Dr. Neubauer Matador Texa Carbon incorporates a sophisticated hybrid construction with advanced materials beneath wood plies. A layer of high-modulus Carbon is strategically placed on the forehand side to maximize power, speed, and spin for aggressive attacking shots. Complementing this, a layer of Texalium fiber is applied to the backhand side, offering enhanced control and a more controlled feel, particularly beneficial when using specialized rubbers like long pips or anti-spin. This asymmetric design allows for distinct performance tuning on each side of the blade, enabling players to execute a wide range of offensive and disruptive tactics with precision.
Pro Players Using This Blade
Luka Mladenovic
Luka Mladenovic, a top sponsored player for Dr. Neubauer, uses Matador Texa Carbon as his primary blade. This choice is tailored for his aggressive playing style, which combines powerful topspin attacks with inverted rubbers on the forehand and effective use of pimple-out and anti-spin rubbers on the backhand. The blade's construction, with carbon on the forehand for maximum speed and spin, and Texalium on the backhand for enhanced control, perfectly suits his versatile game of attacking aggressively while employing disruptive anti-spin techniques.
Andrea Aschi
Andrea Aschi has tested and reviewed Matador Texa Carbon, often pairing it with anti-spin rubbers like Dr. Neubauer A-B-S 2 PRO. He highlights the blade's effectiveness for players utilizing long pips and anti-spin, noting the controlled blocking and spin reversal it facilitates on the backhand side. While acknowledging its offensive capabilities on the forehand, Aschi emphasizes its suitability for advanced players who can master its speed and direct feel when combined with defensive or disruptive rubbers for a potent material-based game.
Similar Blades
Dr. Neubauer Matador Hybrid Carbon
Matador Hybrid Carbon is another blade in the Matador series, also featuring a hybrid construction with Hybrid Aramid Carbon on the forehand and Texalium on the backhand. While similar in its aim to provide high speed and effectiveness with both inverted and special rubbers, the Hybrid Carbon may offer a slightly different feel or speed/control balance due to the Hybrid Aramid Carbon layer compared to the pure Carbon layer in Matador Texa Carbon. Both blades are designed for aggressive players, but the specific fiber composition leads to nuanced performance differences.
Dr. Neubauer Matador Texa
Matador Texa is the predecessor to Matador Texa Carbon and offers a comparable playing experience with a focus on offensive play and effectiveness with pimple-out and anti-spin rubbers. While Matador Texa Carbon is the faster version, the original Matador Texa might offer a touch more control or a slightly softer feel due to potentially different composite materials or absence of the specific carbon layer. Players seeking a similar feel but slightly less aggressive speed might consider the original Matador Texa as an alternative.