Tibhar Evolution FX-P

I tested RITC 729 Friendship on a few blades I have. Only on the Stiga AC blade was it decent. Unfortunately, it is rather heavy, which completely disqualifies it for me. Head heavy rackets prevent good control.

When I put it on my backhand on the Yasaka SE it was just plain awful. It is mushy and made the racket heavy and unpleasant to play with. Topspins were also a tragedy. On the Tibhar IV-L blade it was just so slow and mushy.

The throw angle is very much dependent on how hard you hit with it. As I mentioned, it was fine on a flexxy blade like Stiga AC, but on stiffer ones it was an absolute tragedy. Still, it is too heavy to recommend.

Just a cheap copy of Butterfly rubbers. Don’t even try it. After one month, no spin is possible. The topsheet is really bad stuff. Try some other brands if you don’t want to be disappointed!

Do not use a soft and light blade (balsa inner ply) with this rubber, as this will result in a lack of power when playing at mid distance from the table. Otherwise, the rubber provides good control in all situations. The durability is not great. After six months of use (two times per week), the speed has decreased and the rubber surface has worn down.

Review:

The speed of this rubber is excellent, yet it maintains remarkable control. The weight is optimal, making handling effortless. Ball placement and blocking are intuitive, thanks to its exceptional grip.

When paired with the Gambler Fire Dragon Hinoki blade (maximum thickness), this rubber demonstrates exceptional performance. It’s important to note that the blade’s speed influences the rubber’s overall speed.

This outstanding rubber offers superb control and responsiveness, adapting seamlessly to your playing style. For optimal results, apply Butterfly Free Chack II glue (in my opinion, the finest one-layer adhesive available) to both the blade and the sponge in thin layers.

Additional Notes:

While I’ve used various high-quality blades, the Gambler Fire Dragon Hinoki FL surprised me with its exceptional craftsmanship and aesthetics. This rubber also performs admirably on the Butterfly Garaydia ZLC and the Donic Ovtcharov Carbospeed blades.

Overall, this rubber is highly recommended (IMO).

Currently using and testing this on a few all-wood blades, including the Tibhar Lebesson blade. I would rate the speed as 8.8.

This is a really nice medium/soft controlled rubber at 40° hardness. It’s slightly on the softer side of medium/soft, with good speed, being between R37 and R42 (say 8.8), or close to Vega Europe.

This has become my new favorite ‘FX’ rubber, with a high enough throw angle for most situations and great control, provided you’re familiar with a bit of Tensor catapult effect. The spin is good on well-struck loops but obviously not as extreme as the ‘S’ versions of the evolution series. It’s similar to Rakza 7 Soft but faster, and feels very slightly harder and dwellier, so to speak.

Outstanding soft rubber. I used it on forehand and backhand, and it will not disappoint me. It seems like it has no speed because its control is outrageous, but with enough energy, aggressive strokes are quite fast. It is very good for serves despite not being a tacky rubber. Blocking is very easy, and countering spin is not bad at all. I truly recommend it as a very complete rubber, perfect for backhand.

Una goma espectacular con un sonido agradable al golpear un contra topspin.
Es rápida, quizás no más que la MXP, pero con un poco más de efecto.
Posee una buena durabilidad.

A very nice, soft, and controllable rubber. It generates good overall spin with wonderful dwell time. A satisfying kind of ‘THOCK’ sound when attacking can be heard screaming out from this rubber. The soft sponge allows for somewhat padded, linear blocking.

On the flipside, it’s not as “BULLET” directed as some other rubbers are in that area. You are sacrificing some speed for ease of use and consistency with FX-P.

It plays similarly to Tenergy 05 FX. There is a noticeable difference between them, so it’s certainly not a replacement rubber. But having said that, if you’re an amateur player with limited table tennis skills, this rubber will suit you fine! It’s absolutely fine and forgiving in all aspects of the game.

Tenergy is kind of like learning to drive in a formula 1 car… FX-P is more like a Honda – not too flashy, but you’ll get from A to B with few errors along the way. And for most people, they may not “like” FX-P as much as Tenergy, yet they’ll likely play better using FX-P!

Tibhar Evolution FX-P

Among the six Evolution rubbers, the Tibhar Evolution FX-P stands out as the softest and lightest variant, weighing 46 grams when cut to the standard 157 x 150 mm test blade. Despite its designated 40-degree hardness, it exhibits a noticeably firmer feel compared to other rubbers of similar hardness, such as the Gewo nanoFLEX FT40. Interestingly, it is only a gram lighter than the considerably harder-sponged Nittaku Fastarc C-1, Gewo nanoFLEX FT45, and Donic Acuda Blue P1.

For further reading, visit: http://blog.tabletennis11.com/tibhar-evolution-series-table-tennis-rubbers-review

When new, the rubber is very fast. However, after 2-3 months, it shrinks considerably, resulting in a small decrease in speed but an increase in control.

The surface is very slippery. To generate spin, you must engage the sponge and execute fast strokes. This makes it unsuitable for flicks or chopping.

Unlike Tenergy, the edges of this rubber do not disintegrate. I have used the same rubber for 11 months without any cracks on the topsheet.

It is best used on the forehand, provided it is used actively and aggressively to achieve decent speed.

If you are considering replacing Tenergy, consider the EL or MX versions. Remember to cut the rubber larger when gluing due to its shrinkage over time.

Used this on BH of 5-ply allwood OFF- blade for several months. The aspects that really stood out with this rubber were the fantastic control, easy to access spin, and great sensation. Easy to block, counter, or open up with wide margin of error. I can take big strokes from close to the table with 100% confidence. Feels similar to 05FX.

Only drawbacks are of course that the top end speed is not very fast, and you’ll reach that peak rather easily. Also, I felt that the liveliness of the rubber quickly degrades. After a month or so the speed seemed to drop off considerably. Takes a bit of effort to get your attacking shots deep onto the table.

A Controversial Rubber

This rubber has sparked debate among players.

Pros:

• Unbelievable control
• Very good spin

Cons:

• Very strange behavior in blocking
• It takes a lot of time to get used to it

Good BH rubber.
It’s medium soft and not too heavy.
It’s easy to block with and hit.
It’s not too fast but can produce some impressive speed.
I like that the rubber is light compared to MXP and Tenergies, but it doesn’t produce enough spin with the Pball.
Maybe FX-S would be an improvement on it.

Es una goma muy buena para el ataque. Es una gran opción para usar si no se puede comprar un Tenergy.

A very good backhand-rubber. Too slow for backhand in my opinion, but the loops on my backhand have never been better. It has great control, accuracy and spin. I can loop very well off the table as well. I’ve got max thickness, but a con for me is the blocking aspect of this rubber. When balloon-blocking, I can just never hit the table with this rubber. It bounces so oddly because of the soft sponge, I reckon. Though for controlling drive-blocks close to the table, it’s nice as well. All in all a very good rubber, bar the blocking mid-far distance.

Excellent backhand rubber. Amazing control with really nice spin and speed. Recommended!

Great rubber for backhand. I am using it with Timo Boll ALC. It’s a good looping rubber with strong spin and great control. This rubber is excellent with a carbon blade. The speed is really good.

This is an excellent rubber for backhand. When played with a Tibhar Ikarus ALX (OFF-) blade, it performs fantastically.

It offers great control, allowing for precise shot placement. The opennings are sharp and responsive, enabling quick and accurate counterattacks. The rubber’s excellent push capabilities provide stability and control during defensive play.

Overall, this rubber stands out as a reliable and versatile option for backhand play.

Feel, Control, and Spin

This rubber provides a nice feel, good control, and generates spin without compromising too much speed. On my backhand, backhand loops landed almost perfectly.

Comparison to Tenergry 05-FX

I believe this rubber has a similar feel to the Tenergry 05-FX series but at a significantly lower price point.

Excellent rubber for the backhand. It provides great control due to its soft sponge, good speed, and perfect touch for the Chinese style. Overall, it is a very good rubber.

Awesome rubber!

Excellent rubber for a looper who wants control as well as the speed to finish a point. I got it in 2.0mm on my backhand. If you’re moving up from a rubber like energy x-tra it can take a couple training nights to adjust. This rubber has very good control considering it’s quite fast and the spin is good too. Looping backspin from my backhand is easy and I can really get pace on the ball if I whip my hand a little. Short play at the night is a dream and flicking is easy enough. Blocking is of sound quality and you can go a meter or two back from the table and still play easily. It’s definitely for the modern attacker looking to put some consistency and spin into his game.

Previously playing with Grips and then with Barracuda Big Slam, I find with Evo FX-P a real progression in loops and control.

I have never experienced such play around the table before. The spin is greater than all I have tried before (max), and the speed is quite like Barracuda and greater than Big Slam. I find more angle and spin than ELP.

This has been my preferred rubber for 18 months now. The rubber is still as performant as a new Barracuda after 1 year of use (3 times a week!).

I use Tibhar Evolution FX-P on my backhand in the 2.1 mm thickness. I previously used Tenergy 05, but I find the FX-P better suits my controlled, spin-oriented, counter-attacking, and finesse style of play.

The FX-P provides superior control, spin, and precision compared to Tenergy. Opening loops, pushes, and blocks are crisp, spin-laden, and precise, allowing for pinpoint placement. It excels at receiving serves and offers exceptional value.

I have not encountered any weaknesses or faults with this rubber. Tibhar has done an outstanding job with the Evolution FX-P. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me via private message.

Top-quality rubber as usual from Tibhar. I use it on the FH side of a Stratus Power Wood in 2.1-2.2 thickness (max.), black, with X2 Platin Soft Max on the BH. The racket has a perfect weight and balance (my SPW is sanded down by about 3 mm in the head).

For me, it’s the best FH rubber to date. It’s very similar to Bluefire M3. Not sure if it’s because it’s newer and has a slightly thicker sponge than my M3 (2 mm), but I feel that FX-P is a bit harder, faster, and with more catapult.

In mid-distance, it’s more powerful than the M3, but with just as much insane control. Touch is great, and spin is as good as the M3, if not better. Slow when you want it to be, but a rocket when you loop hard. Short game is easy and natural; even chopping is easy.

It’s the perfect rubber for me. We’ll see how it “evolves,” but the first few days’ performance has been absolutely brilliant. You can like it more or less, but there’s no doubt that it’s a top-quality rubber and deserves at least a 9 overall rating. A reviewer on RNL gave it a 3. That’s absurd.

By the way, I had no problem gluing it, using Donic Vario Clean glue.

And at 36 euros, it’s a bargain.

I wonder how the new 5Q Sound compares to it.

What a rubber!

It has great spin, speed, and control. It is also very durable. I have been using it for several months now, and it shows no signs of wear and tear.

I would highly recommend this rubber to anyone looking for a high-quality product that will help them improve their table tennis game.

After using Tenergy 80 for the last few months, I can confidently say that Evolution is just as high quality a rubber. I’m not dissing Tenergy 80; I love it and still use it on my backhand side. However, Evo FX-P does as good a job, just in a different way.

In terms of control and spin, I believe Evo wins. My forehand has significantly more spin and dips onto the table more easily. Generating loops from table height or below off of chops is also much simpler.

Furthermore, I’ve noticed a substantial improvement in the spin on my serves. When switching between the two sides of my paddle, it’s evident which side my serves are more dangerous on.

The most significant advantage of Evo for me is the gears. I feel I have many more options with Evo than with Tenergy. Brushes are slower with more spin, but when you swing freely, you can generate massive pace.

It’s a fantastic rubber with no complaints so far. I’ll update this review as I use it more extensively.

I had great expectations when I purchased the black FX-P in 1.9mm for my FH. My biggest complaint is that I could not glue the sheet flat. I used a good water-based glue and the same procedure I have always used for all rubbers, tensors, and others. To my horror, when applied, the rubber was bumpy, almost like a leather grain effect. I tried regluing it with a similar result.

I sent pictures to Tibhar, and to their credit, they sent me a replacement sheet but said there was nothing wrong with the original. This time, I had someone else glue it and we got the same result. Both of us are experienced in gluing rubbers.

As far as playing with the rubber, the throw angle is a bit lower than I like, and the weight is heavier than the Rakza 7 I normally use by about 6 grams. I will never buy another sheet of the Evolution. I believe that if you want to use an open-cell sponge-backed tensor, you can avoid my experience by using Tenergy or Donic Bluefire.

If you enjoy looping and heavy spins, this is one of the best rubbers in my experience. Somehow it is not so popular beside faster and a bit spinner MX-P version, but this rubber can do so many things better regarding all-round style.

My impression is that the rubber itself is much more forgiving than competitors, and it was on my main racket for a long time. Still, I like to play with it against all-around or defensive players, combined with Tibhar Aurus on FH.