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PTO Review
We skied them. Here's how they stack up.
These skis span 2 categories (All-Mountain, Carving). Scores reflect each ski's intended use — direct comparison across all dimensions may be misleading.
ET-8.5 — intermediate-to-advanced piste skiers who want one light 85 mm ski for groomed runs plus the powder at the edge of the trail, tree runs and rough spring snow. 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 | ET-8.5 | Laser SX |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 6 | 8🏆 |
| Park | 1🏆 | 1🏆 |
| Playfulness | 5🏆 | 5🏆 |
| Forgiveness | 6🏆 | 6🏆 |
| Stability | 7🏆 | 7🏆 |
| Powder | 3🏆 | 2 |
Intermediate-to-advanced piste skiers who want one light 85 mm ski for groomed runs plus the powder at the edge of the trail, tree runs and rough spring snow. OGASAKA aims it at the technical piste skier who is curious about backcountry, and at older skiers interested in backcountry skiing.
Deep-snow skiers: Powder 3 out of 10 is OGASAKA's own score, and four wider E-TURNs sit above this one — the ET-9.8, the ET-10.8, the ET-10.8C and the ET-11.5, that last being the model it labels for deep powder. Anyone whose day skews hard to one side: one of the three testers warned it may feel half-committed when the ratio tips. Skiers who want an aluminum sheet for grip and damping at speed: there is none in this ski. The U-PE has it, weighs 958 g/m despite being the narrower ski, and nobody has published a grip verdict on the current ET-8.5 at all. Short-radius hard-snow carvers belong on a carving ski — OGASAKA draws the KS-CX at 9.5-12.5 m and the TC-S at 11.1-13.5 m against the 12.3 m shortest here. And anyone shopping for a new design: this carries over from 25-26 unchanged, and OGASAKA has not even published a 26-27 page for it.
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 ET-8.5 is best for intermediate-to-advanced piste skiers who want one light 85 mm ski for groomed runs plus the powder at the edge of the. 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 OGASAKA ET-8.5 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 OGASAKA ET-8.5 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.
