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PTO Review
We skied them. Here's how they stack up.
Octo — groomer-day skiers who would rather carry a light, lively 84mm carver than a heavy full-metal frontside ski; intermediates still hunting their first clean carve, with a flex that lets them find it at moderate speed; and skiers who count turns rather than miles per hour. Laser SX — piste skiers who want one comfortable, wide-range carver and prefer all-day ease to race-build effort. Check the radar chart below to see where each one wins.
Each row compares all skis on one dimension. 🏆 marks the highest score.
| Dimension | Octo | Laser SX |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 8🏆 | 8🏆 |
| Park | 2🏆 | 1 |
| Playfulness | 8🏆 | 5 |
| Forgiveness | 7🏆 | 6 |
| Stability | 5 | 7🏆 |
| Powder | 2🏆 | 2🏆 |
Groomer-day skiers who would rather carry a light, lively 84mm carver than a heavy full-metal frontside ski; intermediates still hunting their first clean carve, with a flex that lets them find it at moderate speed; and skiers who count turns rather than miles per hour. The Octo rewards rhythm over raw pace - and the swallowtail, stub-nose look stands out on the rack.
Skiers who need maximum grip on boilerplate: the official materials list names no metal beyond the tail insert, and full-metal frontside skis stay calmer and bite harder on genuinely icy snow. High-speed GS-style chargers: the flex is on the softer side, the radius is short, and the top end arrives early - shoppers who want race performance should buy a race carver. Anyone planning to spend real time off the groomers: that buyer belongs in a freeride line, and even off-piste dabbling officially goes to the Serpo - at 84mm the Octo stays on or beside the piste. And skiers who want a damp, planted, quiet tail: the swallowtail's lively early release is a character trait, not a comfort feature.
Piste skiers who want one comfortable, wide-range carver and prefer all-day ease to race-build effort. It suits medium-to-long-turn skiers at moderate-to-fast speed — the Laser SX runs the longest radius in the line — who value low-input, forgiving manners on groomed and variable hard snow over maximum edge bite. Stöckli's own brief calls it a genuine all-rounder among piste skis.
Powder and off-piste skiers: at 74 mm on a pure on-piste geometry the Laser SX has no float, and the wider range Stöckli talks about is range within the groomers, not off them. Short-turn and slalom-rhythm skiers: the radius bottoms out at 13.1 m, and quick edge-to-edge belongs to the Laser CX or the shorter Laser SL. Skiers chasing race-level grip and power: there is no Race Core, no carbon, and no racing sidewall here, and the 1.5° comfort base bevel is not the 1.0° race tune of the SC and WRT — that bite lives on those skis, not this one. Anyone who needs a published on-snow test before buying should wait: this generation is completely redesigned and no independent review of it exists yet — every existing Laser SX review is of the older, narrower ski and does not apply. And Stöckli lists no skier level of its own; read this as an intermediate-to-advanced piste ski, inferred from its mechanics rather than measured on snow.
The Octo is best for groomer-day skiers who would rather carry a light, lively 84mm carver than a heavy full-metal frontside ski;. The Laser SX is best for piste skiers who want one comfortable, wide-range carver and prefer all-day ease to race-build effort. The right choice depends on your primary terrain, ability level, and riding style.
The Stöckli Laser SX scores highest in Stability at 7/10, making it the strongest all-mountain option. It handles groomers, chop, and variable conditions without losing composure, so it's the best single-ski choice for skiers who want one pair for the whole mountain.
The Black Crows Octo leads in Carving with a PTO score of 8/10. Its edge grip on hard snow and groomed runs is the strongest in this comparison.
The Black Crows Octo is the most forgiving option with a Forgiveness score of 7/10. It doesn't punish imperfect technique, making it the easiest ski to progress on among these.
Not sure? Ask us.
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