Tibhar Evolution EL-S and FX-S

[FloKing]

Thanks a lot for all reviews and advice about these new rubbers! It helps a lot.

My personal opinion is that EL-S is not a T05 or MX-P replacement per-se, I think the players that stuck with Barracuda, despite all the new rubber releases, should give EL-S a try and I am certain they will love it.

Then another reason I will probably not like EL-S: I really don't like Barracuda

 

[crbn]

Spinnier depends on the situation really, but yes I think it's slightly slower and higher throw than T80. However....

Good news is that I have a training session tonight and I'll be able to compare directly to T80, T05 and T64-FX (last one not so useful, but still). So I'll sit on the fence until tomorrow for a final judgement.

I'm looking forward to your comparision, as it seems that EL-S is a little bit better than T80.

 

[Airoc]

Thanks a lot for all reviews and advice about these new rubbers! It helps a lot.

If you are happy with your MX-P there is no reason to re-consider anyway.

Since I had been dreaming of an MX-P just a little softer, EL-S is just the thing for me - although it is more than just a "softer MX-P".

 

[AndySmith]

Used EL-S and FX-S for a full training session and then a match later in the week.

First up - I mentioned earlier that I didn't like FX-S on my BH side at all. Turned out that it was a bad glue job. Not something that I struggle with usually, but it got me this time. Once I had re-glued it, the feeling of the ball just flopping off at low impact speeds was gone and it played much more predictably (as you would imagine). That said, it still isn't my cup of tea overall.

I haven't really changed my early opinion of EL-S much to be honest. It has amazing spin through the low and medium gears, good spin on harder hits. It's sensitive to incoming spin in passive play, but not that bouncy (excellent for serving). Looping against backspin is incredible - probably the best ESN rubber I've ever used in this aspect of play. Having used it back-to-back with T05 now I'd have to say that the medium-gear throw is slightly lower overall and probably resembles T80 a little more - I felt it needed a little bit more effort when counter-looping than T05 to get the safe arc required, more noticeable from half-distance. But these are very small margins - for this loop-reloop-counterloop game, EL-S is still super close to T05. On harder shots the arc tightens up somewhat and becomes a bit flat, but for me this is a good thing and I'd give EL-S a definite edge over T05 for smashes and hard punch blocks. If I had to sum it up in terms of being a tenergy competitor, the headline would be - imagine T80, but with less low-speed bounce and a little more top-end stability. I have to wonder if boosting it would bring it ever closer to tenergy feel and behavior, but that wouldn't be my aim anyway - personally I prefer EL-S as it stands out of the packet against Tenergy.

As for FX-S - the re-glue job helped a lot with how comfortable I was when using it for sure, but it's combination of spin sensitivity and non-linear catapult is still too much for me. Many players like this kind of rubber (T05-FX is like this, only more so, and some people love that), but it's too off/on for me and requires, well, too much concentration for me to use if I'm honest. It's demanding in awareness of incoming speed and spin in a way which reminds me of T05-FX, and I would prefer the extra linearity that EL-S's harder sponge brings.

I'll write up some more structured reviews for the review centre soon.

 

[MrSpin]

Played my first quick practice game today with 2,1mm EL-S on fh and 2,1mm FX-S on bh, Yasaka Sweden Classic blade. I liked them a lot! I had previously MX-P and FX-P, both 1,9mm and this combo felt quite the same, but obivously little faster due to thicker rubbers. Nothing dramatically different. The game was brief so I need to play more to be able to review these better.

 

[Airoc]

I'll write up some more structured reviews for the review centre soon.

While what you´ve written so far is already better structured than what is usually found on forums ;-)

 

[AndySmith]

While what you´ve written so far is already better structured than what is usually found on forums ;-)

Ha, well thanks. But I don't feel like I've done a proper job without some bold and underlined words.

 

[Ilia Minkin]

Today I tried EL-S (2.1mm) for the first time. The blade is Tibhar Stratus Powerwood, and the other side is 3-months old EL-P. I reboosted EL-P with one layer of Falco not a long time ago. Honestly, so far I didn't feel much difference between those two, probably EL-S is more stable in counterlooping rallies because it is harder.

On the offtopic side, I felt a big difference between Stratus Powerwood and Xiom Fuga I used before. Fuga is faster with way less dwell time, while Powerwood is a nice loopy blade with lots and lots of dwell and is not fast at all. I guess that the hard top of Fuga makes that difference. Both blades are marked as OFF-.

 

[slevin]

Booster isn't everything but I might try it sometime. I Will do some testing and post video today. The arc is beautiful. I haven't practiced third ball with it yet.

I shall try to boost EL-S in about a month, but I don't think EL-S + Booster shall make it more like T05.

T05 has hard topsheet, medium-hard sponge
EL-S has soft topsheet, medium sponge

EL-S has better spin on soft strokes. T05 has better spin on harder strokes.

From my experience, a well-boosted Baracuda (hard topsheet, medium-hard sponge - both characteristics similar to that of T05) is fantastic (more like T05 than EL-S). And dirt cheap.

BTW: EL-S is a bad match for the Hurricane Long V on BH. It is a great match for MJ-SZLC on BH.

 

[massa]

I've used EL-S 2,2mm (no booster) in a comparison to Baracuda MAX (with 2 layers of Falco) both on FH on the same blade (Cornilleau Aero Carbon Off+) with the BH being FX-S 2,2mm (no booster) and FX-P 1,8mm (3 layers of Falco).
EL-S is still faster and the ball sinks more in the sponge than Baracuda.
It also felt more spinny but on brushin the ball I missed more with EL-S than Baracuda, but perhaps that's because I usually play with baracuda.
Anyway, they are not "that" different. They have good dynamics, with the same stroke you'll get similar behaviour. I also felt the EL-S more forgiven and with a little bit more dwell

 

[Airoc]

I've used EL-S 2,2mm (no booster) in a comparison to Baracuda MAX (with 2 layers of Falco) ...

So EL-S seems to give you a similar experience without booster. I guess you could say that makes them pretty different after all.

 

[massa]

Not that different, the same kind of rubber. One can easily replace the other.
Now I have one rubber that I like with booster and the other I don't even need to boost

 

[massa]

You can do your own stroke without much adaptation. That makes them similar (at leat to me)

 

[Airoc]

You can do your own stroke without much adaptation. That makes them similar (at leat to me)

Yes, I got that from what you said.

I just wanted to point out that if EL-S gives you the power of a boosted Baracuda (which I really like as well), then it is obviously a mighty good rubber without booster.

Personally, I don´t like the boosting procedure much. After a while, you get the amount of booster right every time but still you have rubbers lying around and if they need a re-boost from Friday´s training to Saturday`s match you have a problem.

This is why I much prefer a rubber that gives me what I want without further effort.

 

[crbn]

Joining the debate above:
Baracuda is a very good rubber, not as fast as T05/T80, but it has almost the same spin and the specific very high throw angle as T05. I think that it is more grippy than T80 and comparable if not better than T05 when serving or brush-looping, but the problem is that it is too much sensitive to incoming spin, so it is really difficult to play counterloops or loops against backspin. This is why T05/T80 are better, it's just easy to do that with them. Also, Baracuda is a bit softer than T05 and comparable with T80.

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I think I will go back to T05 for new season, because based on the reviews here, it seems that EL-S is more similar to Baracuda than T80/T05, which is a good thing, but unfortunately it's also sensitive to incoming spin and that thing booster doesn't change.

 

[MrSpin]

I played a bit more with the EL-S and FX-S combo mentioned in my previous post. They are good rubbers, but I still can't feel anything special with them. I actually prefer to play with the new Stiga Genesis rubbers, 2,2mm M on fh and 2,0mm S on bh on a Yasaka ALL+ blade. The Genesis M rubber is obviously faster than EL-S and the spin also feels stronger. Genesis 2,0mm S on bh feels sharper and has better control than the 2,1mm FX-S imo.

 

[Airoc]

I actually prefer to play with the new Stiga Genesis rubbers

I like those, too, or to be more precise I like the M version, have yet to try S.

BUT they are Chinese rubbers with a totally different feel to anything European, even if they are not like those old style Chinese rubbers with concrete sponge.

If you like the specific way they feel and if it suits your game, you will find advantages over the European rubbers. But most people might find it hard to adapt.

 

[Kokain]

That's because obviously M is 47deg and S is 45deg, which means a correct combo will be MX-P then EL-S on your back, rather than EL-S and FX-S. Regardless I'm glad I had the chance to try MX-P. Bought a couple of sheets and don't regret it at all. Closest thing I got to play like Tenergy 64 and didn't had to adjust a a thing in my strokes. If anything I can chop now instead of always pushing and set few drills for people to lift backspin. The power of the forum, especially when all reviews match what has been said so far. gigi

 

[RajaLoopah]

I will change my backhand rubber next week and I am having a hard time in what should I choose between the MX-P and EL-S. My backhand is more on flicking, blocking, punching, countering, and looping. Help guys

 

[MydasDiablo]

I will change my backhand rubber next week and I am having a hard time in what should I choose between the MX-P and EL-S. My backhand is more on flicking, blocking, punching, countering, and looping. Help guys

For me it's simple, if you play active backhand strokes with strong force then go EL-S as less balls will go long on less than perfect contact, however if you are used to the sponge doing some of the work for you and you use more of your wrist and less your arm then MX-P makes more sense. EL-S lacks the catapult that you will be used to from T05, to me the feel of the sponge when playing with MX-P is far more similar to T05 than EL-S. EL-S does however have closer spin to T05, it is also senstive to spin like T05, that's part of why I like MX-P better - it is easier for me a mere mortal to handle when playing against heavy spin on serves and in open play. The other thing I love about MX-P is that for me it is way easier to smash with compared to T05 and for that matter EL-S, it just seems so stable on hard contact and the slightly lower throw angle than T05 and EL-S helps me keep my smashes on the table, with the other two I had to do a kind of loop-smash.