Latest reviews

Pros
  • Control
  • Feel
  • Control
I used the Innerforce Layer ZLC and had Tibhar Evolution FXS on both sides whilst trying this blade and firstly whilst blocking for my partner to warm up I cold tell straight away how much control and feel this blade had. I could place the ball wherever I liked with accuracy no matter how hard the speed or spin from incoming shots.
Whilst doing a few fh and bh drives there was a crisp feeling and nice sweet spot, not the carbon feeling from a Timo Boll ALC for example but more of an all wood blade feeling. Stepping back from the table and looping I could feel the dwell and the ball sinking in before being catapulted with a nice amount of speed and spin. Looping felt very consistent again with a good feeling of control. Personally I wouldn't rate it as fast as butterfly do in the catalogue and would say it was a touch slower than a Boll ALC but with more control.
Serves were easy to keep short and easy to generate spin, receiving a long push back I found that open ups were a breeze, the blade and rubber combo generated lots of spin and a very safe arc over the net but I could also keep it low and fast also. If the serve came back short with backspin I could touch back with ease.
I think the softer outer veneers would also suit a harder rubber like an MXS or Tenergy 05 to generate more speed especially on the fh when at mid distance from the table. With the top to top rallies I found with the softer FXS rubber on the fh it was quite tough to generate the speed when off the table but was very safe and more point and shoot than out and out speed.
Overall I think the blade really impressed with its great for control especially with the softer rubber on the bh but to generate the speed some may prefer harder sponge rubbers on the fh and bh. I still think with harder rubbers the blade would still help with control but give it that extra zip on the ball, it always felt very safe. Not as fast as Butterfly rate it and the control is way more than rated also. A very nice blade, expensive but if you are after a blade with the sweet spot of carbon but the control of an all wood blade then this might be worth a try.
Speed
8
Control
8.8
Hardness
5.5
Pros
  • Control
  • Spin
  • Safety
Cons
  • Speed
  • Bottoms out
Initial thoughts from warming up and rubber characteristics: I tried these rubbers on both sides of an Xiom Ignito blade. First think I noticed was the noise, quite a high pitch click when striking the ball. You could feel the ball really sink into the soft black carbo sponge and fire it back. When hitting a harder topspin shot you could definitely feel it bottom out and the ball would penetrate right through to the blade. However, I did have total control on placement with a safe stroke.


Topspins: Topspin shots were nice with a nice safety over the net again could place wherever, but when trying to gain maximum power the ball would deffo bottom out so it's got nice gears until you get to the highest ones where sadly there isn't that big power. Plenty sufficient to win points through placement and spin though but the big hitters wouldn't feel it had enough. Against backspin I could open up nicely, create good grip to lift the ball and the arc was plenty to bring the ball down on the other side whikst creating enough rotation to cause the other player to block long.


Touch/Blocking: Touch shots were again very easy to play, could keep the ball low over the net and the dynamic friction rubber had plenty of grip to generate spin also. Blocking again was so so easy, my partner would do topspin drills and I would block the ball without any worries. Not sensitive to the incoming topspin and great control.


Off the table: Top to top rallies were good but again lacked the top gear to finish the point, it would bottom out again. I found also if you were off the table and out of position it was also quite hard to get enough power to get the ball back safely too.


Overall: A great rubber for someone looking to improve their game, not sensitive to incoming spin and generates plenty of its own through the new 'Dynamic Friction' technology. It is east to control the ball in blocking, it really shines in this department I think. But for the more offensive player it would lack that top end speed and soft sponge could feel a bit mushy on certain shots. Still more suited to the backhand with maybe the harder Vega Pro on the FH would be a good combination on the Ignito blade.
Speed
8
Spin
8.5
Durability
9
Control
9
Pros
  • Blocking
  • Control
Cons
  • Lacks spin
My initial thoughts on Rozena used on an innerforce zlc, firstly doing some warm up shots, it was plenty quick enough and had a nice click sound on impact. Blocking was where I thought it was very good, I felt I could place the ball wherever I wanted and the incoming spin wasn't an issue at all. Touch shots were okay, I didn't find the rubber overly grippy though but could still keep the ball short. It was an easy rubber to open up with but compared to Tenergy 05 it didn't generate loads of spin. I did find on topspin shots that the ball would fly long quite often and it never had the dip to bring the ball down onto the table like Tenergy 05. It definitely isn't a spin monster but has enough grip to get the job done. Overall I would say it is a tame version of Tenergy 05 and as marketed a more forgiving rubber. It was a very good rubber for passive play but didn't seem to have any fire or give any wow factor. A good rubber if the sensitivity and timing needed to use the Tenergy series of rubbers is a problem. So you gain a bit of control for the want of your own spin, a plenty fast enough rubber with a medium arc; on innerforce zlc anyway, a nice place to start if you want to try an offensive rubber. Similar to most medium/hard sponge tensor rubbers but with great control, overall a nice rubber for the price.
Speed
8.5
Spin
8
Durability
8.9
Control
9
Pros
  • spin
  • speed
  • control
Cons
  • none really
I have used a few esn rubbers and actually used these after upgrading from Vega Pro after a season of use. Upon opening the packet there is a very strong smell from the internal boost, very strong compared to other esn rubber. It was sold to me as another Tenergy substitute but a Tenergy it ain't although it is still a very nice rubber and not massively different. So compared to the popular Tenergy 05 - 1st the speed about the same. 2nd little less spin. 3rd more control. I guess; as do I; prefer a little less spin if it gives me added control however it would be nice to have it all.
It is very similar to the tibhar evo mxp I would say, very nice at most things but low arc of the ball (especially against backspin) is where Tenergy wins I think. They have a nice crack sound when you get the ball sinking into the sponge and ball placement is quite easy with a nice kick as the topspin kicks on the opponents side of the table. One thing I didn't like was when hitting an hard smash/ flat shot it was quite unpredictable as to how fast the rebound would be, not very linear compared to Tenergy I would say, again I think MXp and other esn rubber are very similar in this respect.
Very good at blocking and counter hitting, serves were easy to generate spin as the top-sheet has quite a lot ofgrip. However, like most esn rubbers, the rubber seemed to wear really quick from its original colour and texture when new. Fingers marks and just a general fade in colour after only a couple of training sessions.
Still a very nice rubber that is great at most shots but I would say not spectacular at many. Saying that I would quite happily if given them free to play with swap my current Tenergy rubbers and use again as they are very easy to use.
Try it though and if you are not a Tenergy fan then I think most aggressive topspin players would be more than happy to stick with them. Very similar to the Omega pro and Vega pro rubbers if you have tried them, not a massive difference in any of them IMO. Thanks and hope it helps a little.
Speed
9
Spin
8.5
Durability
7.5
Control
8.5
Pros
  • nice feeling
  • control
Cons
  • lacked feeling
  • weight
Quick review of the Innerforce Layer AL, it was actually a very head heavy blade which I had and the reason I got shot off. This is with Tenergy 05 both sides and was worse with MXS on, the blades weight, 85g. My friends though was much better balanced with MXS on both sides and felt much much different to play with, I don't know the weight though and if this is the difference. So with Tenergy 05 both sides knocking up fh to fh and bh to bh it felt crisp and sweet spot was quite nice also. Looping was easy with plenty of dwell but I didn't feel or get much feedback from the blade upon contact, which for me is important with composite blades. With the good dwell the open ups were really easy and counter top spins also but these were lacking a little power at far distance from table compared to a quicker carbon blade like it's brother the ALC innerforce layer. Blocking was also quite easy and could place the ball where I wanted but again lacked the 'feel' of the ball. With MXS it was actually very similar to using as with the Tenergy 05. Maybe a little more control and I'd say open ups were a little easier especially if not in perfect position to play the shot. Again, blocking was easy but the weight was just to uncomfortable for me. Using the blade after passing it on and sticking a friends Andro Rasant Beat on either side it is a totally different bat then. The very soft sponge on the AL made it feel quite mushy but the control was amazing, excellent control and great close to table. Away from the table a little harder to generate the speed and spin to win an outright point but placement was super easy.

Overall though if you can find one that is weighted or balanced more to the handle than the head of the blade then it is a great blade for fast attacking rubbers like Tenergy 05 and equally as good with harder ESN/tensor rubbers. Hope this helps.
Speed
8.2
Control
8.8
Hardness
6
Durability
9
Pros
  • spin
  • spin
  • conrol
Cons
  • durability
  • low arc than mxp
  • and mxs
Another good rubber from Tibhars evolution series. I played with MX-P/S fh and FX-P bh all last season in matches. So compared to those two where does El-S fit into the equation. I used it for a few practice sessions and also in a few league games. I think this is a great rubber actually, it has a nice grippy (not tacky) top sheet which generates lots of spin on serves and loops. Just warming up it had that nice feeling and could play most shots without adjusting my stroke to much. As said before in other reviews I think the arc is lower and it is a bit slower than the faster evo family but you gain extra control; and quite a bit extra I think. I used these again on a Drinkhall powerspin carbon and it is more suited to the bh I felt although if you don't worry about the extra speed from the MX series then the only other issue is the slight lower throw so is a bit harder to loop kill a backspin ball, not that it is impossible though. It has nice control very good at counter hitting and blocking heavy spin balls. I have heard some say they think it is quicker than the MXS but I would say slightly slower.
It is a good attacking rubber I think better suited to the back hand. It is about the same weight as most other med/hard sponge tensors but not as heavy as the mxs. As I said I didn't use it much at all but the top sheet was already showing signs of wear and the colour faded very quickly from its original new state, Finger marks showed up from serves etc almost instantly so not sure how long it would last.
Speed
8.5
Spin
9
Durability
7.5
Control
9
Pros
  • control
  • spin
  • balanced nice
Cons
  • handle thick
Only used it briefly but first impression were (using tenergy 05 fh and 05fx bh) I found it to be easy to use in most shots but not standing out as spectacular in any. Knocking up with usual fh and bh drive and loops this blade felt and sounded lots like an all wood blade actually. Had more of a tock noise than the higher pitch crack from an ALC for example. I have been using power spin carbon for about a year now and compared to that it hasn't quite got the feeling or speed but control was great. As we know Tenergy is a fast aggressive rubber but it was still quite easy to place the ball where I wanted. Controlling a heavy spin shot from an opponents open up was no hassle either. It lacked that bit of speed off the table but was easy to place where you wanted during top to top points. It always felt safe. Touch shots and flicks were easy, the softer hinoki outer layer gave it good dwell so picking up the ball and spinning it back was easy. It just lacked; IMO, any feeling, kind of felt a little lifeless at times. With the drinkhall carbon I can kind of feel the ball grip which I like. I will try it with some mxp or fxp and update it to see how it suits those rubber.

Overall though I think it is a great choice for a player who is thinking of trying carbon for the first time. Or wanting the sweet spot of a carbon blade but that feeling of a soft wood blade. It is controllable and is plenty quick enough for a good league player. Might be a bit slow for the top top players who play an all out aggressive game though.
Speed
8
Control
8.5
Hardness
5.5
Durability
5.5
Pros
  • roundness
  • durability
  • spin
Cons
  • none yet
We bought these balls to use for the season just past 2015/16. Only trouble we felt they were much better and quicker than any others at the time and put us at a disadvantage when playing away matches, everyone else opted for the xushafoa 3 star so we followed. These turn out to be very durable also but since using the tibhar 3 star for practice this summer I think they play very much like an older celluloid ball, well closer than many other poly balls I have tried. They seem to stay round even after a few sessions which others don't (other poly balls mght not break but I think their shape gets gradually worse) and they don't darken in colour as fast as other poly balls either. The bounce is true and accurate with only a couple of real noticeable 'funny' bounces from heavy loops and chops. Back to durability though and we have yet to break any and after some epic big loops and hitting the edge of the blade they don't seem to shatter in two pieces either. They don't discolour which others do fast and play really nice. Would recommend any one to give them a go, I think they play quite nice compared. Quite similar to the Butterfly G40 but without the horrible sound I think.
Roundness
7.5
Hardness
7.5
Speed
7.6
Durability
8.5
Pros
  • Price
  • Control
  • Good all-rounder
Cons
  • none really
  • *
  • *
I have been using this blade for a few months now, mainly with MX-P max thickness both sides and at the minute MX-S max on forehand. It is quite a nice designed blade, smooth veneer on head of the blade and quite a thick handle (straight) which is nice I think as usually straight blades are quite thin. Very comfy in the hand and mine weighing 86g felt quite well balanced towards the handle not the head with max thickness rubbers glued on.
With the MX-P topspin strokes felt crisp and the throw (or my throw) was producing a nice arc over the net, backhand too. Touch shots were tight with good feeling and a sense you could place them short, low and accurately where you wanted even with the aggressive rubbers on. Stepping off the table a little in the top to top rallies it also felt very safe and that I could place the ball anywhere on the table, with the MX-S this was a little harder to use off the table but I would say that was down to a little less power from the rubber not the blade. Good feedback was felt too giving an extra sense of security. There are other carbon blades like the butterfly alc’s that I think have that little extra power way off the table but you also sacrifice a little control and I would rather be playing mid/at the table any way and don’t mind this minor lack of power.
Open ups against backspin using MX-P on Powerspin Carbon were easy if your stroke and footwork were spot on, a little more difficult if out of position or if you couldn’t propel the ball from your legs. I found the MX-S slightly better on this blade for opening up against backspin though, I assume from the extra grip on the rubber. I could play against many backspin balls and felt I could loop drive and win the point. Also if the opponent gave heavy loop in my direction then I could counter loop with great control and ease, if I wanted I could also just smash straight through the spin which I find quite difficult with other carbon blades.
Overall I think it’s a really nice carbon blade with good feeling and nice control, enough power for away from the table strokes but I think the rubber you use will help here to. If I were to have any negative comments it would mainly be that unless you struck the ball dead centre sometimes there would be a funny sound, or a vibration from the blade, if you are striking the ball well no problem. Maybe as already said in other reviews the slight flex from the blade caused this vibration, I don’t know but it is a little distracting for me. I would recommend this blade as it is a very good price and if you are looking to change from an all wood blade then the control this carbon blade gives will help with that transition too. It has good spin, quite a nice sweet spot and I personally (even with aggressive rubbers) think it has loads of control.
Speed
8.7
Control
8.5
Hardness
7
Durability
9
Pros
  • Awesome spin
  • Nice control
  • Easy to open up
Cons
  • none yet
My first review and I am going to compare to what I have been using the last 4 months. A Drinkhall Powerspin Carbon blade with MX-P max thickness both sides. I kept an MX-P on my BH and glued an MX-S on my Fh, first to the touch it was definitely more grippy than MX-P with a harder sponge but I would say a softer rubber. It was only a small session just a warm-up with a few forehand to forehand and backhands etc; the normal, proceeded by some serve return stuff and followed by a few games. First impressions were positive whilst warming up my normal forehand topspin was troubling my hitting partner with several being blocked back long from the spin I was generating, I kept my stroke pretty much the same maybe a little more upward to compensate for what I would say is a slightly lower throw. Again switching to the backhand the same scenario, the spin was massive and the lower throw was more suited to my backhand stroke.

Moving on to serve return and again straight away I could see the spin was causing problems to my hitting partner, any backspin serves I could load right up and he would dump them straight in the net. He said how much more spin I was producing on my serves and that he had to adjust his bat angle quite a lot compared to the MX-P to return the ball. Going to a long dig from a backspin serve and this rubber to me was probably one of the easiest to open up against backspin I have ever used. If my footwork was good and I put maximum effort I could easily produce massive spin that would win a point outright or cause my partner to struggle to keep it on the table, but even when out of position I could still lift backspin quite easy with a flick of my arm.

I wouldn’t say a negative of this rubber but a compromise maybe, the spin is massive and the touch shots I could keep short and loaded, I felt confident with most shots and that I could control incoming spin easy too but once off the table, especially compared to MX-P personally I found it a little harder to stay in the top to top rallies. I would say that the slightly slower speed and extra spin helped me place the ball where I wanted but It lacked the outright power and speed to out hit my opponent from a couple of metres back. I had to generate the pace from my technique rather than rely on the sponge power. Not a weakness in the rubber for sure just different and maybe the slightly lower throw again, a more upward brush on the ball during counter hits.

I will stick with it for a while and see how durable it is compared to other Evolution rubbers but definitely I am liking the extra spin and touch I was getting. I would recommend people who use MX-P to give it a try, it shines at looping backspin and control is great too and if you stay close to the table whilst playing then there is no major weakness I would say.

I will update on durability after using it for a couple of weeks.
Speed
9
Spin
9.5
Durability
9
Control
9
Top