Tibhar Evolution EL-S

I used this rubber on my backhand. It felt quite nice with good hardness, nice spin and speed, and a medium-high throw angle. It felt a little bit like a next step up from Butterfly Rozena. However, I still think it does not excel at any particular aspect. I feel like it is a perfect rubber for amateur to intermediate players.

I like it a lot. However, I also liked MXP and MXS a great deal.

Is it the perfect rubber? No, it is not.

It lacks the long and fast trajectory of MXP and the strong spin of MXS. However, it works well, with every ball landing on the table safely. Again, it lacks the killing speed of MXP and strong spin of MXS. But when you use it well, the quality of shots is still very decent. It is a solid above-average rubber.

2021 Update: It remains a good rubber for developing players. However, as you progress, you may find it a bit slow. Waiting for EL-D now.

Way too bouncy and stretched. No blocking or countering and way too tensored for effective brushing or hitting. Found it quite heavy too.
Top derby wasn’t the most durable either. My least favorite Tibhar rubber.

It has good control, but the rubber loses its power and spin after about 4 months when played on a Viscaria blade.

Nice rubber. Very spinny, but not as spin-sensitive as the Tenergy series. It is a very good backhand rubber, but I use it on the forehand.

On a carbon blade, it works superlatively on the forehand. It is a really nice rubber for finishing points. On an all-wood blade, the catapult is annoying at times, but on a carbon blade, you have a really good touch with it. It is faster than the rating given here for sure.

This is the WORST rubber in the Evolution series. The topsheet is not durable and relatively sensitive to humidity. The sponge is soft, allowing good dwell time for beginners. However, it is perhaps too low for the modern all-out attacker. For players looking for a budget rubber in the Evolution series, they should go for the Evolution mxp.

WARNING: STAY AWAY FROM THIS RUBBER

This rubber is honestly the worst rubber I have ever played with, EVER. It doesn’t grip the ball whatsoever and seems to slip off my bat really easy. This doesn’t suit my playing style as I like to make the ball wet to throw my opponents off when I serve. It gets really dusty quite quickly and has a very low throw angle making me dump all my topspin shots straight into the net. I highly recommend the Xiom Vega Pro on the forehand or Evolution M-X-P as these rubbers grip the ball much better than ELS.

An excellent rubber. As a beginner, I used this on my forehand (FH) with 2.1mm thickness and FX-S on my backhand (BH), paired with the Tibhar Drinkhall All-round Classic blade. This combination significantly improved my playing skills.

In my opinion, this rubber would also be suitable for intermediate and advanced players, although I can’t comment with certainty as I’m not at those levels. The rubbers generate ample spin when necessary and offer versatility. I found it fairly sensitive to incoming spin, aided by the blade’s exceptional feel.

Overall, this rubber fulfilled its purpose and supported my development as a player. Regarding durability, the rubber noticeably lost grip and spin after six months of playing approximately eight hours per week.

Completely agree with Tim0chan’s review. I tested it again, for the second time (Fh and Bh), in a few matches.

It has no grip at all, and this is a disaster for the polyballs. It has some power and velocity, spin is good, and control is also good, but it has no grip. I couldn’t feel any confidence in my shots, a real let down.

Review:

This rubber is unfortunately outdated. The topsheet lacks the grip necessary for the newer generation of ABS balls, causing a loss of confidence when looping due to balls slipping off the surface. Engaging the sponge provides a slight improvement, but it still falls short of the spin generated by modern rubbers like Xiom’s dynamic friction products or DHS’s Goldarc-8.

On the positive side, this rubber offers exceptional control with a linear power progression and is highly insensitive to spin because of its low grip. This makes it suitable for beginners who will appreciate its predictability and ease of use.

Additional Note:

This rubber comes heavily boosted from the factory, but the effect diminishes over time, requiring regular re-boosting to maintain its performance.

Side Note:

The sponge’s playing character is commendable, and it would be intriguing for Tibhar to consider releasing a short pimple rubber with similar properties, offering a balance of control and speed for varying levels of effort.

This rubber is consistent, with a medium to hard sponge and a 45-degree hardness. It offers medium speed, medium shot angle, high spin, and good control.

It provides a good feeling, similar to Tenergy. For advanced players, it is recommended for the backhand, while for beginners and intermediate players, it is suitable for the forehand.

However, it is relatively heavy, similar to Chinese rubbers. It excels in blocking and topspinning, offering excellent performance in these areas.

I have bought one for my backhand. I am an allround-offensive player, and control was one of my main issues. This rubber on my Timo Boll ALC is doing a wonderful job! I feel very comfortable and I have the feeling that I can control better every incoming stroke, short-long pushes or spins. Very happy so far!.

Interestingly, my red EL-S rubber (1,9/2,0mm) looks flat, dull, and almost frosted, similar to the Palio Hidden Dragon biotech or the Palio Premium rubbers (CJ8000 extreme spin). It has no stickiness but is very grippy.

Despite being classified as a medium hard rubber, it feels more medium-soft, closer to the FX-P I once used on my forehand and less like the standard EL-P I usually play with. I noticed increased success in forehand loops hitting the table, with fewer shots going wide or long, and longline topspins became easier to execute.

However, I experienced more power and spin with my EL-P. The EL-S resembles the Vega Japan on my other blade or a softer version of the Adidas P7. I prefer the EL-S due to its superior placement, spin, and ability to handle looping serves and underspin better than the EL-P. It pairs well with my lightweight Yinhe/Galaxy T-6 blades (76g, 77g, 79g) and carbon blades.

I use EL-S on the backhand (BH) of my Nittaku Violin Carbon blade (H3 on the forehand (FH)). Compared to other European/Japanese rubbers I’ve used in the past (Xiom Vega Intro, Nittaku Fastarc S-1, Andro Powergrip, Xiom Vega Pro), EL-S is the fastest. I mostly block and loop, occasionally chop with my BH, and EL-S excels at everything I need it to do.

Despite the hard sponge, the rubber grabs the ball very well and is very dynamic. I can punch back opponent’s loops with a lot of power and precision. It’s also easy to lift backspin on an opening loop.

The only issue I’m having with EL-S is the BH flick. It’s not the rubber’s fault. Because my BH is not that strong, I’m having trouble engaging the hard sponge when flicking. My BH flick is not consistent yet, but once I improve my technique, there shouldn’t be any problems.

Overall, EL-S is a very satisfying rubber to use on BH. I would rate it as 9.5 out of 10. It’s still a tad bit hard for my BH. I might switch to a softer rubber to improve my BH, then switch back to EL-S. It’s pretty much a perfect BH rubber.

I used Cypress Max and XIOM Platinum (both are Japanese penhold hinoki rackets) to try this rubber (max thickness). Compared to Tibhar MXP and ELP, this rubber lacks speed and drive. The loop is heavy due to its dense upper sheet.

The control is good and the serve is okay, but the push speed is only medium. This rubber has some identical characteristics of XIOM Sigma Europe and Yasaka Rakza 7.

Very solid and consistent rubber! I’ve been using it on my backhand for over six months and I’m very satisfied with its performance.

It has great speed, excellent spin and control. It’s also very easy to flick with, and blocking is a dream. I highly recommend it!

The rubber has a noticeable catapult effect that engages rather late, even in the 1.8 mm thickness. It feels peculiar on my blades. It was certainly worth a try, but it does not align with my playing style. As an ambitious amateur, this rubber is not suitable for me.

I play with EL-S 1.9 on Stiga OCC and Allround Classic. It is a very spinny rubber, not very sensitive to incoming spin, and not slow. However, the rubber has a hard top sheet and feels hard, not like T05 but more like Chinese rubbers. The dwell is low, the arc is medium, and it is difficult in the short game. Defending outside the table is impossible due to the high emission of the ball. This rubber is only suitable for professional players. For intermediate players, Xiom Vega would be more friendly and closer to Tenergy.

Tibhar’s Evolution EL-S

Despite its slightly softer sponge (~45 vs. ~47 degrees), Tibhar’s Evolution EL-S feels slightly harder to the touch than the MX-P. This suggests that a harder and denser topsheet is used in the S-series. In fact, it is similar in firmness to Xiom’s Omega V Tour and Gewo’s NanoFLEX FT48. Consistent with these impressions, the EL-S weighs 50 grams when cut to a 157 x 150 mm test blade. This is one gram more than the MX-P sheet and within one gram of the mentioned reference rubbers.

When hitting the first couple of FH drives, it is immediately clear that the EL-S is a little bit slower than the MX-S and, in particular, the MX-P. You can read our full review at this link: http://blog.tabletennis11.com/tibhar-evolution-series-table-tennis-rubbers-review.

In the first few days of using Tibhar Evolution EL-S, the rubber started crumbling around the edges. This was very annoying, as I had never had that problem with Donic rubbers. Other than that, this rubber works okay.

EL-S is a fantastic rubber with grip comparable to Tenergy 05. This extra grip does also come with extra sensitivity to spin. Whilst it is the best alternative for T05 in terms of speed, spin, and throw angle, I found it to be a rubber with no personality. ESN sponges under 47 degrees just feel bland and overly soft to me. Whilst EL-S may gain many fans as the highest spin and arc-producing ESN rubber, I find it quite boring to play with.

On the other hand, MX-P never fails to put a smile on my face. I have written this review to warn MX-P and T05 users not to get EL-S if they have an addiction to that satisfying ‘CRACK’ and explosive power that comes from the MX-P’s boosted 47-degree sponge and T05’s infamous spring sponge.

If you are looking for high spin, high arc, and want a rubber that forgives more than T05 and MX-P then EL-S is your rubber. I myself am going straight back to MX-P as it is easier to control than T05 and still puts a big smile on my face when I engage the ball hard and get that crack reminiscent of the speed glue era. I can’t see that any professionals using either T05 or MX-P would switch to EL-S. It is probably the best all-round rubber I have ever played with, but it is just missing something that I can’t enjoy the game without - : )

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.

Blade: Waldner Senso Carbon Jo shape

Forehand (FH): Tibhar EL-S 2.0 red
Backhand (BH): Tibhar MX-S 1.9 black

Played With: P-ball

This rubber performs well with P-ball, especially for offensive players who play close to the table. It provides a pleasant feel and allows for a wide range of shots and trick shots.

The sponge hardness is medium-hard, feeling softer than Tibhar’s MX-S or MX-P. It is not an off+ rubber but is slower than MX-P and Rasant Powergrip, and slightly slower than Fastarc P1.

While the rubber’s description claims it combines the topsheet of MX-S with the dynamism of MX-P, this is not entirely accurate. EL-S is closer to MX-S with enhanced catapult effect rather than a grippy MX-P. It’s a good option for players seeking a rubber with more punch for topspin shots than MX-S.

The throw angle is medium, which may surprise players accustomed to high throw angle rubbers.

Speed: MX-P >> MX-S = EL-S
Spin: MX-S >= EL-S > MX-P
Control: EL-S > MX-S >> MX-P
Catapult Effect: MX-P >> EL-S > MX-S
Hardness: MX-S > MX-P > EL-S
Weight: EL-S >= MX-S > MX-P
Throw Angle: MX-P = MX-S > EL-S