Paul Drinkhall TIBHAR Reviews

[Paul Drinkhall]

Hi Paul, great review you did on the MX-P rubber from Tibhar. I am glad that you like the rubbers so much and the properties of the rubbers can contribute in your game play.

I have some questions about both the rubber and blade. Maybe the blade is a bit off topic, but here goes anyway.

Regarding the MX-P how would you rate or compare the throw angle of the rubber?
Do you play with a specific hardness of the rubber and do you know what it is?
Do you get like a PRO version of the rubber which is cut from the core of a production sheet or is it the same as the commercial ones we buy?

Now to the blade Do you have any preference to the head size of the blade? I heard that the rubbers where a bit to the heavy side which means most people would choose a small head size blade to pair with the rubbers. You look pretty fit so you must have a pair of big guns
What weight of the blade do you prefer? As I understand a lot of Pro's choose to have a blade on the +90g side.

Hi Giangt thanks for the questions!

1) When people talk about 'throw angle', it's really hard to rate and you should be aware of anybody that does a review and gives a definite rating for this. The reason is that it depends on your stroke, how you contact the ball, your timing point etc - these are individual things and the bat is in YOUR hand! All I can say is that I always tell people to test the rubbers themselves for this reason following on from any reccomendation. That way you can see how you like the rebound of the rubber and how it suits your style of play.

2) The rubbers I have been given by TIBHAR so far have all been fine for me and I have not asked for any specific hardness of the sponge. I think it is possible that some people can read to much into how hard or soft a sponge might be by a very small amount. I do not check the weight of my rubbers, I play with them and that way I know straight away if the particular sheet is good for me - so far I have used about 15 sets of rubber and I have not noticed the differences in the sponge or felt the need to change yet, and I don't expect to! The sheets are very consistent.

3) I am unsure as all of my rubber sheets are sent by TIBHAR. I tried several types of the Evolution range at the facility near Saarbrucken in Germany with the TIBHAR experts and they made some notes on which sheets I preferred. I would have absolutely no problem at all in picking up a sheet of Evolution MX-P from any supplier if I was ever to run short or anything or forget to pack some spare sets of rubber in my bag for a competition. I am comfortable with in using them from any source.

Blade - It's just the normal size Samsonov stratus carbon, it's a regular sized blade head. I've never used a compact size blade head and I have no problem with the weight of my bat so that's ok for me! I'm more concerned with how the blade feels and how it combines with my rubber sheets. As for my fitness... thank you, I do try

I have not weighed my blade but I know that some pro's do like to be aware of the weights, but this is more around different batches to determine they can get a blade that is very close to the existing one when making a change.

Hope this answers your questions!

 

[Paul Drinkhall]

Hi Paul,

Thank you for sharing your views about Tibhar MX-P rubber. I really like your review and the information which you have shared on this product.
I would like to make a some requests to you, based on my experiences with the sport:

1. Most of us are amateur players who do not have very high arm speed or solid dynamics. So, if you can explain how the products reviewed by you will suit players with slower arm speed then it would be a good parameter for amateurs to understand the product. For example, if I make a loop with less arm speed how will the rubber react? Is it forgiving in this scenario or is it not?

2. Weight of the rubber/blade - This is one aspect where I struggle personally. Since I have been playing with lighter setups, therefore, heavier setups slow down my recovery and also introduce muscle pain while practicing for longer duration. I would request you to please also share the weight of the rubber/blade while taking any light weighted rubber/blade from Tibhar as a benchmark.

Lastly, I would like to thank you for taking few moments of your precious time and helping us out by sharing your immense experience and knowledge on this forum.

Kind regards,
KM1976

Hi KM1976, thanks and glad you liked the review! Here's the answers to your questions:

1) Generally the rubber will react to what type of stroke you make. This doesn't make the rubber or the blade any slower, it means that it is reacting to your stroke and how you make it. A great way to increase arm speed is to do 'shadow play' with a slightly heavier bat for minute intervals at a time, so for instance stand in front of a mirror to watch your technique and use a heavier blade (put on lots of edging tape, two sets of old rubbers, ANYTHING to make it heavier - but not to heavy!) to perform the stroke over and over at maximum speed. Then rest for a minute and repeat. Build up over time till you are doing say ten singleminutes with a minutes rest in between.

2) To make a blade lighten you can sand down the edges to change the shave slightly or the handle etc, this all helps to reduce weight. BE CAREFUL -it's the BALANCE that is very important, for instance some players like a top heavy blade, some do not. It's all personal!

It's my pleasure asnwering your questions, but thank you for the appreciation.

 

[tabletennisuk]

Hi Paul, as a recent convert to Tibhar, I too am hugely impressed by the evolution range. They are great rubbers and are a match for those vastly more expensive rubbers offered by the likes of Stiga and Butterfly. It's great to see you promoting this fantastic family of equipment!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TareqPhoto]

I started to love Tibhar items, i tested 2 rackets that have Tibhar items either rubbers or blade or both, and what, they both perform better than my current 3 rackets, i really don't know why, what is about those rackets that mine lacks, i forgot to snapshot those rackets, and i will try next time, but i hope that the MX-P which Paul recommended will give me that performance i am looking for.

 

[Der_Echte]

Hi KM1976, thanks and glad you liked the review! Here's the answers to your questions:



2) To make a blade lighten you can sand down the edges to change the shave slightly or the handle etc, this all helps to reduce weight. BE CAREFUL -it's the BALANCE that is very important, for instance some players like a top heavy blade, some do not. It's all personal!

It's my pleasure asnwering your questions, but thank you for the appreciation.

I made quote of answer #2 in green color and different font size to bring attention to the response.

I have been public in my support for HEAVIER blades with more weight LOW if the blade is made to have a hollow handle. Some of my threads detailing this mod have been wither informative or borderline insane depending on your position. I totally agree, it is a personal matter about head heavy or not, I am certainly firmly in the other side of that coin.

I

 

[Der_Echte]

For the record, I have used Tibhar rubbers (after a short stint with Calibra LT) for FH on my main bats. Mostly Aurus, since it is very consistent and dependable on just about any blade. (That is why I use it to test blades, I know the rubber and what I am getting ad it isn't as blade dependent as some other rubbers.

I tried MX-P a month before it hit market (got a test sheet from Korean distributor when I was in Korea) and liked it on the ALC I used at the time (before it cracked - Bummer) and NOW, for EVO series I like FX-P a LOT. Spin on openers and medium strokes is insane strong and i dont miss pace. Soft topspin defense more possible.

I realize a lot of pros like a hard sponge rubber for FH (and I like one if it suits the blade) but I found FX-P works better for me in a match with most of the recent Nexy blades I long term tested. One of our sponsored payers in Dallas requested MX-P to use with Calix II and is testing it (so far really likes it) and should post his results soon on FB.

 

[samsoung]

Hi Paul, great review

especially about your tryouts with different blades, still how the rubber works with the Stiga Infinity VPS?

thx in advance

 

[NextLevel]

The MX-S review is the most eagerly anticipated review of the year so far... more important is who its for and who it's not for than whether it is a good rubber or not...

 

[Paul Drinkhall]

Hi - following my review last week of the TIBHAR Evolution MX-S, I decided to stay with the Evolution range and test out the Evolution EL-P to see how they compared to each other.

This is a really good option for attackers who want a good balance between speed, spin and control - the sponge being a little softer than the Evolution MX-P that I use means it's a really good option for players wanting slightly more control and a more 'medium' trype sponge feeling.

You can check out my review here:

http://www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk/equipment/rubbers/7527-evolution-el-p

And my sponsor Birbar Table Tennis in the UK has a special offer on the TIBHAR Evolution range at the moment...

http://shop.bribartt.co.uk/tibhar-evolution-el-p.html

Check it out, and hope you all enjoy the review! I'm heading out to China today for the World Championships, so nest week I won't be reviewing anything, but look out for my next review in a couple of weeks time.

 

[TareqPhoto]

Hi - following my review last week of the TIBHAR Evolution MX-S, I decided to stay with the Evolution range and test out the Evolution EL-P to see how they compared to each other.

This is a really good option for attackers who want a good balance between speed, spin and control - the sponge being a little softer than the Evolution MX-P that I use means it's a really good option for players wanting slightly more control and a more 'medium' trype sponge feeling.

You can check out my review here:

http://www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk/equipment/rubbers/7527-evolution-el-p

And my sponsor Birbar Table Tennis in the UK has a special offer on the TIBHAR Evolution range at the moment...

http://shop.bribartt.co.uk/tibhar-evolution-el-p.html

Check it out, and hope you all enjoy the review! I'm heading out to China today for the World Championships, so nest week I won't be reviewing anything, but look out for my next review in a couple of weeks time.

Thanks!

Have a nice week in the WTTC in China, and we always wish you a good luck in any tours or events you participate in, and can't wait you coming back to reviews later.

 

[Tompa8888]

This is so good!!