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PTO Review
We skied them. Here's how they stack up.
KS-XX — the advanced hard-snow carver whose default turn is already medium or long, who buys on edge grip before anything else, and who wants a ski that rewards technique rather than one that flatters it. 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 | KS-XX | Laser SX |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 9🏆 | 8 |
| Park | 1🏆 | 1🏆 |
| Playfulness | 3 | 5🏆 |
| Forgiveness | 3 | 6🏆 |
| Stability | 9🏆 | 7 |
| Powder | 1 | 2🏆 |
The advanced hard-snow carver whose default turn is already medium or long, who buys on edge grip before anything else, and who wants a ski that rewards technique rather than one that flatters it. Also the skier who specifically wants the XX Collection build — bamboo and beech, the A7178 sheet, the 30th-anniversary KEO'S engraving — and accepts a narrow, heavy, expensive ski to get it.
Short-radius and slalom-style skiers: even the 162 turns at 14.7 m, and OGASAKA draws the KS-CX (9.5-12.5 m), the KS-CV, the KS-AP2 and the TC-S for that turn instead. Anyone who wants an easy day — the tester who rode this and the U-XX back to back said plainly that for easy skiing you take the U-XX, and flat it costs the same. Soft snow, powder, anything off the groomed: at 68 mm with a hard-snow brief, that was never the job. Skiers with less leg strength: OGASAKA builds the KS-CX for exactly them, no metal, 788 g/m, $820 flat. Budget shoppers too — this is the dearest KEO'S by a wide margin. And anyone who needs a length other than 177: this listing is the 177 on the SRED plate.
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 KS-XX is best for the advanced hard-snow carver whose default turn is already medium or long, who buys on edge grip before anything else,. 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 KS-XX scores highest in Stability at 9/10, 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 OGASAKA KS-XX leads in Carving with a PTO score of 9/10. 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.
