Mahomedy13's Tibhar Actium Review

Blade Characteristics:

Weight:91g
Plies:9
Wood Type:Akazie on FH,White Ash on BH
Handle Type:FL
Dimensions:164mm x 157mm
Handle Dimensions:Length-10cm,Width-2.7cm,Thickness-2.3cm
Thickness:6mm
Speed: DEF(according to manufacturer.)

For more info and where to purchase an Actium,visit nexy.com/shop/blades/479-actium.html

Rubbers to be used:
Forehand:
Nexy Damien,Globe 999 National,Palio CJ8000

Backhand:
Air Scirocco,Darker Vlon-s,Palio CJ8000


Review

Serves:
For serving,I loved to twiddle just to use the unique dual speed characteristic.Using the Air Scirroco,,which has a fairly linear throw,I was able to serve short,not so spinny serves(compared to the other rubbers used).I find that when pairing a tacky chinese rubber(Vlon-s),though the spin is great,the feel is completely dead.The Palio has a hardness of 30 deg,and is a fairly spinny rubber.I found that with this rubber,I had the best ball feel and the most control.Balls were put were they were wanted with the perfect amount of spin and speed required.
Using the fh side for serving,here too,I found that chinese rubbers do not fare that well on fh(I normally use tacky chinese rubbers on fh).The serving with the Nexy Demian was definitely the best on the fh.The rubber has a medium high throw,good spin(its a hybrid-tacky topsheet on japanese sponge).Here too,I was able to serve short spinny balls or fast long balls easily.

Serve Receive:

I used the bh to receive backspin balls,which I would drop just over the net. The characteristic of the white ash allowed me to do some very controlled flicks from the bh,as well as more powerful loops when the ball was longer.I prefered using the bh(using the Palio rubber) due to its very controlled nature,but as soon as the ball was coming long to my fh,I was ready to loop with the Demian,my prefered rubber on this blade!

Short Game:

This was one place where the tacky chinese rubbers played great.Leave out the feeling issue,the rubbers are the best in this department.From backspinning to blocking,the chinese rubbers were the best,no doubt.

Close to the table:


Looping:
If you have the stamina of an Arab horse,then tacky rubbers are just right for you.They become an obstruction in your game play(and I normally use tacky chinese,so it aint that I'm not used to it) as 1)they just make an already head heavy blade more head heavy 2)they drain your strength very fast.You have to really HIT the ball for some good pace,as they are very slow.

The softer rubbers were ideal.they are the best for looping with,especially the Demian.The high throw angle just assisted in making it even easier to land the ball with loads of spin.

Blocking:
This is where the bh side is best suited.using the Palio,placement and control was excellent.

Chopping:
I tried a bit of chopping with lp's,but failed terribly.then I used the inverted,and with the Air scirroco,I had a good chopping game.the low throw assisted me in getting my chops to just go over the net.

Smashing:
Nexy Demian here I come!the rubber was good here.though not very fast,there was good pace in the smashes.
I did experiment by twiddling and using the bh side to smash,and when I did this,I found a new dimension to this blade.the whole blade + the rubbers synchronise perfectly to create '1 solid piece of TT equipment'.I found that there was actually more pace using this side with the sicrrocco

Away from the table:

Looping:
Again,the high throw of the Demian made it my perfect rubber,though the Palio also played well.the increase in effort was not so noticeable,and I once again repeat to myself-this blade is more of an OFF- to All+ blade,and not a DEF.It will make a very good loopers blade,so if you looking for a fine piece of art for looping,then look no further.

Lobbing:
I'm not much of a lobber,but from what I tried,this blade is good enough to lob with.here the Palio took the show in terms of best performance.

My impression(s):

Firstly,I would like to thank Nexy President Mr Moon,Vice President Mr Lee and Nexy Korea for giving me this opportunity to test this fine piece of art. Without them,I would never have been able to experience what I had with this blade.

This blade fascinated me in a way no other blade has for the following reasons:
1)Each ply on this blade is not a single piece.some plies are formed from different pieces joint to create for e.g. the core.

Even though this has been used,I have never felt a weakness in the blade in any of my shots.

2)The white ash side was made of 2 pieces of wood. however,when I ran my hand over the joint area,it felt absolutely fine,with no unevenness or splinters. Even when I removed the rubbers,they did not splinter at all.

The blade itself looks beautiful,especially the gem,which serves 2 function:
1)It identifies the fh side,and
2)It serves as a decoration for the blade,which not many companies care about(aesthethical pleasure)

I once again reiterate,if you are a looper/topspinner and is searching for a perfectly controlled blade for looping,then look no further.this blade can do it all,no matter the situation.just no hard sponged tacky rubbers please.
I believe with soft rubbers like T05fx,this blade will be your dream come true!

So,i was testing out the Long pips,but it was not working out for me.I will need way more time with it.

So for the time,I am going to put:
FH:Nexy Demian
BH:Air Scirocco (a mark v clone)

Der_Echte said:

Haha, you have now personally experienced that one just doesn't slap an LP on BH wing and be a juggernaut right away hehe.

A LOT of offensive amature players think an opponent with LP is a weak joker who slapped on an LP and instantly became two levels better player. That is far from the truth.

Click to expand...

Too true. I suffered using the lp

I had a long session with the Nexy poly ball,and without doubt,I prefer it over the cell ball.

It has a higher bounce than cell,noticeably less spin(but not so much),and is perfectly round.

It also has a distinct sound,compared to a cell ball(quite obvious since they are different materials)

It took me less than a minute to adjust,and I am really satisfied with it.

Way to go,Nexy!

Der_Echte said:

It is not like you cannot some things right away and Nexy Chaos LP rubber with 1.0 sponge is real easy to receive short serves if you get to the spot and take it off the bounce, pretty much same concept as inverted, but blade angle and impact are different.

To a player new to LP trying to play without some good basic fundamental education and training first, practice and matchplay are serious not fun too many misses.

Click to expand...

I tried 2 types of lp.1 was OX,the other 1mm.with OX,I couldn't play well at all,but the 1mm was fine.I could play,but the effectiveness of each stroke was not 100 percent.if I had a bit more time,I'm sure the results will change for the better.

I had a hit yesterday for a short while(fh:demian,bh:air scirocco), and my impression is not yet clear.

1 thing for sure though:I would not rate this as DEF.it as more OFF- to ALL+.

In the short game,control was superb.the ball could be played very short,and placing was easy,regardless of the ball speed.

The receive definately felt like it was utlising the dual effect.

On offensive shots,the power and spin was great.just before testing this blade,I used a carbon blade (OFF) with the same rubbers.the speed of actium was only a few notches below the carbon blade,on a totally offensive shot.(Loop and smash)

This blade has a very good potential as a looping blade,and will be suited for that type of player.

The only thing I did not enjoy very much it that the setup is head heavy.the weight with rubbers is 190gm.it is the ideal candidate for a Der_Echte modification.

The flared handle is a tiny bit small for my hands,and I don't have large hands.(Dimensions to follow in intial post)

Updated with full review and pictures

If you have any query or question,please feel free to ask.

I have been so impressed by the demian,that I hope I will soon be able to purchase the Demian2+ which is the upgrade f the demian made for the new ball.

Der_Echte said:

The comment about head heavy for 2x inverted rubbers is valid for an attacking player. This is not an issue for a defensive player... WHY?

These kind of blades designed for defenders tend to have a LARGER blade surface area. Defenders want just a little more chance to get the bat on the ball, right? Often the defender uses an LP rubber of a thin sponged inverted rubber. Either is significantly lighter than a sheet of inverted, so despite the large blade face, the weight is still same of even less than a smaller blade with 2x inverted. The impact using a blade with LP on the other side is different too without the solid mass of the other inverted rubber on impact, feels less heavy to hit with an inverted rubber when the other side is LP. This isn't natural to 2x inverted attackers.

You slap on two inverted rubbers on such an oversized blade... you are asking for a head heavy setup. The rubbers Mahomedy selected (Demian II+ and Sciroco) are decently LIGHT rubbers and it was still head heavy. Imagine if he had a Tenergy or a Blue Whale or a H3 or a XP 2008 or a 999 on Quattro or similar extreme heavy rubber... he woulda developed a 3 yr case of tendonitis.

That is how it goes with a large blade face blade that defenders prefer to use. there is a tradeoff in everything.

I still think with the more pronounced "Dual Impact" Actium has there is still good possibility for an attacker to use it with soft BH defense, aggressive FH looping and strong BH flicks and opening loops.

Click to expand...

I agree totally with the last point.this blade will make any controlled attacker/allround player very happy,no doubt about it!

Der_Echte said:

Mahomedy's comments about handle size is also valid. And Mahomedy said he doesn't have huge pawz. I don't either and I find 98% of most blades have a handle too small (thin) for me. I feel the same way and this is why most of the time you see me use grip tape. (It also adds weight down low without taking anything apart !!

I have had discussions with Nexy Korea President (who designed this blade) and he has heard this concern. He also has to consider his larger Korean market who is NOT clamoring for a larger handle. If he made all his blades thicker handle, then his share of the Korean market would suffer. There are always considerations in business and tough decisions.

I suggested to Nexy Korea President that in the future, Nexy could consider manufacturing a NEW CLASS of handle that is thicker. They could call it ST XL and make the handles a little thicker and a little more square. That would enable the maker to create such a thicker handle using the same wood cut as a ST blade. Manufacturer already has to make a handle for ST and a different handle for FL, sometimes also AN... what additional expense is there in making it similar width, but a little thicker? That would be leadership in the market that no one else is doing separately on purpose calling it larger (for those who want larger). there is the argument that it would force the distributor to stock another set of blades for each model... that is true, but it would also sell as well, so it balances out.

Stiga has a comfy somewhat larger FL handle called "Master FL" and I still used grip tape on it, at least Stiga got something out there for a little larger preference. I got my Allround Evolution (that I turned into an offensive evolution) with that pMaster FL handle and liked it.

Click to expand...

I haven't tried grip tape before,but I will try it out and see.

If a company has to do that(create a spec for a specific croud)I think it will be a big hit.the TT community would identify that 'this company takes into consideration the different needs of people,so therefore it means they are the right company to choose'
This will boost their sales in the long run.