Tibhar Hybrid MK

I think this will be a new best seller for Tibhar. I'm using this in max on an inner carbon blade on the backhand side. The topsheet is very soft and grippy. The sponge is definitely on the softer side (maybe softer than the stated hardness), and it is very easy to compress and engage when hitting the ball. The thing that really stands out about this rubber is it's ease of use and lack of spin sensitivity. This lack of spin sensitivity makes it great for pushes, drop shots, blocks and advanced shots like the fanning backhand chop block (you can tell that Kenta helped design this rubber). The max speed and spin of this rubber are very decent but of course less than other high end rubbers that utilize harder sponges. There is a harder version of this available for those that need more power, but I'd say this version is sufficient for most players. Equipment doesn't make you a better player but the ease of use and the lack of spin sensitivity has allowed me to change my shot selection and overall tactics and increase the number of backhand tools/shots available to me. Really cool rubber and I'll continue to use it.

Very nice rubber to play and I soon found it easy and pleasing to play with. Slightly tacky, very grippy with i would say a medium throw angle with great loop effect, easy to smash with. The rubber feels softer than 48 degrees, short game is great, ball can easily be kept short and spinny. It also chops well, serves are good and all in all is a very pleasing rubber to play with with great all round performance which rewards you with great performance if you are hitting / timing the ball well.

Here are a few facts about this rubber: black rubber, 2.0 mm in original packaging 108 g., uncut 65 g., cut on blade 44 g. Red rubber, 2.0 mm, 46 g. when cut. ... each by 156 x 150 mm. The sponge hardness is given as 48 degrees, the total hardness should be 52.4 degrees (according to Spin and Speed in Germany)!!! The upper rubber can hold the ball for a moment. ( ... as like a D 09c!) I've been testing this rubber for half a year. (... every now and then sporadically.) - or rather, I test it on various different blades. Unfortunately, I always come to the same conclusion: the controllability and the control are very good, only the spin potential could be higher. Unfortunately, as I noticed, the durability of this rubber is not particularly good. - However, I cannot judge to what extent the care of the rubber is related to this! Conclusion: Unfortunately, I have not yet found the right blade for this rubber for ME. ( - it doesn't matter whether I use it on my FH or BackHand!) However, in my environment (up to middle divisions!) this rubber is now played more often and with joy.

Put it on Innerforce Layer ALC 24 hours ago and did some practice. Switching from Barracuda, it took a few minutes to get used to it. The whole set up is lighter now which lessens the pressure on my forearm muscles. I think it needs some time to break in. Now I can do short return like never before. Very insensitive to incoming spin. Practice with chopper is easier now. I can take my time to execute a good topspin. I can even attack the chop like never before. Will update later. Second session. Was hoping to practice basic technique. Playing with the long pimp chopping guy most of the time again. But this time it was different. The rubber is totally broken in. Feel like normal rubber but less bouncy. I could lift the chop so easily like I was born with this skill. Top sheet gripped the ball so well. Short return was even shorter than last time. Felt like I used less effort but the top spin actual increased. That guy was amazed. Backhand loop had better control. I could block return long or short. I was able to smash the ball a few times at much higher speed than ever before with small backhand movement. The ball landed 2 feet from the bottom which meant there was plenty of top spin. So I had to update the speed from 8.5 to 9.

This is an excellent rubber but I'm finding it difficult to adapt from the softer Andro Grip. Services are amazing and easy to place with loads of spin. Returns are also easy as not sensitive to incoming spin. Blocks, smashes and drives are all perfect. The only area I'm a bit perplexed by is topspin variations. Usually, I vary between fast heavy topspin and slow higher loops but I'm still working on angles. I would say overall that this rubber is amazing to train technique with as it is not too fast, very linear and, when you get it right, deadly! It can be used on either side and best on an off blade in my opinion. Tested on a Nittaku Caron Inner.