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PTO Review
We know them. Here's how they stack up.
These skis span 2 categories (Powder, Carving). Scores reflect each ski's intended use — direct comparison across all dimensions may be misleading.
Lotus 138 — days that are already deep, on terrain wide enough to let a long arc finish. 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 | Lotus 138 | Laser SX |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 1 | 8🏆 |
| Park | 1🏆 | 1🏆 |
| Playfulness | 7🏆 | 5 |
| Forgiveness | 4 | 6🏆 |
| Stability | 7🏆 | 7🏆 |
| Powder | 10🏆 | 2 |
Days that are already deep, on terrain wide enough to let a long arc finish. DPS's own words for the job are storm riding, heli laps and sleeper days when conditions align, and it calls the ski intentionally niche and intentionally pure. Read that as a quiver ski: it earns its place on the deep days and sits out the rest. It suits the skier who wants the banked, drifted turn DPS describes on the page — the brand's own phrase is that it feels more like surfing than skiing.
Firm snow, and anything narrow. With a tenth of the ski left as running edge under a 138mm platform, hard mornings are somebody else's ski, and DPS makes no groomer or edge-hold claim for this model in either of its sources. Skip it for trees and couloirs as well: 32m is the longest radius DPS publishes anywhere it sells skis, and its own 18m Koala shapes are the tool for tight terrain. Skip it if it has to cover a whole season by itself — DPS points the ski at bottomless snow and calls it intentionally niche, intentionally pure. And skip it until the paperwork is settled: two radius figures, three length figures and two prices are published for this ski, and that is a question for the factory. We would ask it first.
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 — 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 Lotus 138 is best for days that are already deep, on terrain wide enough to let a long arc finish. 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 DPS Lotus 138 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 Stöckli Laser SX 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 Stöckli Laser SX is the most forgiving option with a Forgiveness score of 6/10. It doesn't punish imperfect technique, making it the easiest ski to progress on among these.
Not sure? Ask us.
