Tibhar Hybrid K1 Plus

Yinhe V-14 Pro

Cut at 54g on my paddle. The rubber provides a solid feel with good speed, spin, and an excellent grippy topsheet. However, it is a bit too hard for my preference. I use it on my backhand side. It is definitely too heavy to keep using. I plan to try the Hybrid K1, which may be a better compromise for me.

Review:

This rubber is available exclusively in the Asian market, and I acquired it from ttnpp.com. Its playing characteristics resemble European rubber more closely than Chinese rubber. It’s a hybrid with a tacky top sheet but a porous and fast, yet not springy, sponge.

The rubber has a subtle tack that allows you to pick up the ball momentarily. Compared to Chinese rubber, its tackiness is relatively low.

Comparisons to DHS H3 Neo:

Forehand Drive:
It executes forehand drives effortlessly, without slippage or excessive bounce. It’s noticeably faster than the H3 Neo.

Serve:
This rubber excels in serving. It enables a wide range of spin, speed, and placement with minimal adjustments, save for a slight reduction in force due to the faster sponge. The spin is abundant, not quite as pronounced as the H3 Neo, but comparable.

Serve Receive:
The rubber is highly sensitive to incoming spin, necessitating careful spin reading for effective use. This is a common characteristic of Chinese rubber. However, its less springy sponge facilitates short serves, preventing excessive popping as seen with tensor rubbers or T05.

Close-to-Table Looping:
Looping is relatively effortless with this rubber. Despite its hard sponge, rated at 50 degrees on the ESN scale, looping becomes facile when paired with a moderately flexible blade.

Far-from-Table Topspin:
This is where it surpasses conventional Chinese rubbers. The rubber provides ample speed for returning balls from a distance.

Gears:
The rubber offers a full range of gears, enabling both slow, controlled loops and powerful smashes. It can also execute the classic drive loop, although the H3 Neo’s drive loop feels crisper.

Overall:
For players accustomed to European/Japanese rubbers seeking increased spin and a more linear response, this rubber serves as a suitable transition before transitioning to Chinese rubbers. It resembles a higher-spin, more linear, but slower version of Donic M1.