Tibhar Defense Plus
Blade description:
This defensive blade is characterized by its exceptionally light weight, largely due to the use of balsa wood layers. Unlike many balsa blades that place the material in the core, this design integrates balsa in the outer layers, which contributes to a unique “two-gear” performance profile. It provides significant vibration dampening and a slow, controlled response during passive blocks and close-to-the-table play, while offering a surprising kick of power when executing offensive shots.
Playing Characteristics
- Tactile Feedback: Users report a very clear, direct contact feeling, making it suitable for precise placement, chop-blocking, and defensive maneuvers.
- Speed and Power: While inherently slow, which benefits short-game control and power absorption, the blade can transition into an offensive tool when players exert more force. It is often described as having sufficient speed for amateur-level attacking, particularly when paired with harder rubber types.
- Construction: This is an all-wood blade. It is noted for having a flexible composition, which helps in generating spin on shots.
- Handling and Ergonomics: The straight handle is frequently praised for its comfort, though some users find the surface texture quite smooth, occasionally necessitating the use of grip-enhancing materials.
Considerations for Use
- Durability: Due to the balsa composition and lightweight design, some users have raised concerns regarding long-term structural integrity and potential fragility under high impact.
- Defensive Application: It is highly effective for classic defensive styles that prioritize slowing down the game and using deception. However, some players may find it lacks the necessary speed and depth for high-level chopping from deep away from the table.
- Suitability: It is widely regarded as a budget-friendly option for beginners looking to experiment with defensive play or long-pips setups, as well as players who favor a highly maneuverable, slow, and controlled blade.
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Recent Reviews
#1 — April 2024
It has more than enough speed for amateur players with hard hybrid rubber. I find a lot of comments that this blade is too slow, but I disagree with speed rating(5). This blade in setup with hard rubber is from All+ to Off-. Its speed could be part of the consistency issue of this blade. However, I agree that for an advanced player, you should get more spin and speed to win a point. You can do this using more body and legs to generate more power from the rubbers.
It could be hard to recover after a powerful shot. As a result, you should plan your shot placement more carefully and play more combination games in my humble opinion.
I try to play Satoshi Aida style in defense with 2 inverted rubbers, and I like this combination with Yinhe Big Dipper Spin(tuned) on FH. I also try a few Chinese rubbers, and all of them work fine with this blade. For BH, I tested a few soft hybrid rubbers(36-38* DHS gradation), but none of them fully satisfy me.
In general, I really like this blade.
BTW, the st handle is a really comfortable shape but too smooth for me. A few times, I was close to throwing it at my trainer, so I started to use Yinhe heat shrink tubing.
#2 — March 2023
Good control.
#3 — November 2021
The blade initially feels slow. However, it has a lot of flex, allowing for significant speed and spin generation. It offers great control and is lightweight, around 70 grams, due to the balsa layers.
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