Explanation
German table tennis equipment maker, TIBHAR is a maker contracted by Belarusian living legend Vladimir Samsonov (Vladimir Samsonov). Speaking of Belarusian Samsonov, he is a 44-year-old European “giant” who is still active. In his 40s, he is still active and features a very stable backhand and a tall and strong forehand drive, and his play style is centered on blocks and counters. He has been ranked number one in the world rankings in the past and still has the ability to win top prizes in European competitions. TIBHAR is a German manufacturer and has steadily become a manufacturer with a strong presence in Japan in recent years. In Europe, it can be said that it is a manufacturer with a solid presence that supports athletes. Recently, it seems that Tazoe Hibiki, who belongs to Okayama Rivets, has a contract.
The rubber reviewed on this page will be Tibhar’s 5Q VIP. It is a rubber that is not well recognized, and it is not a rubber that has been specially taken up by Mr. Table Tennis Kingdom. As katsuo000, it was a fairly expensive rubber, so I was curious and bought it. This 5Q VIP also has a predecessor rubber called 5Q. The 5Q slogans are “grab the ball deeply” and “throw the ball back with your hand”. The published performance value is lower than the Evolution series, which is a signboard rubber, but it can be said that it is an easy-to-use rubber series. 5Q VIP, which is an evolved version of 5Q, is a very expensive rubber of TIBHAR, and it costs 7,200 yen + tax. Among the top players, it seems that Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chien-an is using it for his backhand. I tried it while expecting what kind of high rotation performance and ease of handling would satisfy the use of top players.
Published performance value
I am sorry that it is very difficult to understand. Because the speed and spin performance of Evolution MX-P and Evolution MX-S are the same as those of the English catalog Quantum X Pro. Only Evolution MX-P is plotted. In the above figure, Quantum X Pro is from the Japanese catalog.
Some sites use expressions like “10+”, but we have adopted the ones that are evaluated by three-digit numbers. It seems that the actual spin performance is higher for soft rubber. 5Q VIP is also a rubber that is said to have higher rotation performance than speed.
5Q VIP sticking and weight
The rubber was not a square, but a diamond-shaped rubber. This was surprising and impressive. It was heavy for its hardness, wasn’t it?
5Q VIP
Spin type tension OFF
・Sponge Thickness: 1.7/1.9/2.1 mm
・Speed: 110
・Spin: 118
・Control: 90
・Sponge stiffness: 45
・7,200 yen + tax
・72 g (before cut) → 50 g (after cut)3 features of 5Q VIP
It wasn’t surprising performance, but it was a very good rubber for professionals. Rubbers of various intermediate hardnesses are on sale, but I think that there are quite a few rubbers that are easy to handle, even though the quality of the ball that can be passed even at the top player level can be obtained. I think it’s okay to review it!
The quality of the ball is high though it is soft!
The 5Q VIP is still soft, but I thought the ball was of very high quality. There was no discomfort in the serve and drive when used in the fore, and although the loop drive was deep, I felt that it was very easy to handle because I could hit a drive with a low arc. I felt that I needed to get used to the softness during the rally of the upper rotation, and since it was not a rubber whose arch line went up, there were more net mistakes than I expected. I had the impression that if it was soft, it would bounce on its own, but on the contrary, this rubber is soft and fits well, and even if you take the plunge, the flight distance is not long, so I felt that it was easy to settle! Compared to Rhyzer Pro 45, which has a medium hardness and the same sponge hardness, it does not feel like a soft rubber because the sheet is hard, but Tenergy 05 and Tenergy 05 FX. I felt the hardness, shot feeling and ball quality like between.
Easy to slow down!
Especially when I used it in the foreground, I felt it was very easy to adjust. There was certainly a feeling of hitting with the image of grabbing and releasing the ball, and I felt that there was a control system that could hit a slow, low-quality drive like a loop drive even in an upturn rally. On the other hand, because it is soft, it is easy to hit the speed drive, and it is exactly the performance that the expert likes!
It can be used even with a backhand!
What impressed me especially was the backhand drive against the downward rotation, and it was almost impossible to rub it up by hitting it. Since you can drive firmly, I think that the number of things whose reason for making a mistake is unclear will be drastically reduced. Also, even if I couldn’t drive with the backhand from the middle team, it was easy to put the ball on and fly, and he told me if there is such a way to use it. When you hear that you grab the ball and release it, you tend to imagine holding the ball when you drive, but it is expensive not only for driving but also for push and flick, fish and backhand from the middle team. He taught me that the ball holding makes me feel like I have a ball, and that the ball holding becomes easy to handle, and it is highly easy to handle even in the backhand.
Each technics review
Forehand
Light hit
I didn’t feel any discomfort.
Drive on long balls and rallies
I felt that it was difficult to get a long distance, but personally I prefer rubber that is hard to get a long distance to. Therefore, I was very impressed with the fact that it was able to move freely even in the rally of the upper rotation.
Drive with open face
There was a feeling that it would bite in a little too much, but even if it bite in, it felt like it had a ball, so it was easy to control. The speed may be a little slow.
Loop (top spin) drive against back spin
The high quality low loop drive was very easy to do! This is a weapon, isn’t it?
Speed drive against back spin
I felt that the amount of rotation was a little small because it was soft.
Block
Since it is soft, meat balls such as smashes are easy to block, but drives with a lot of rotation are a little more susceptible to rotation.
Counter drive
As mentioned above, it was easily affected by rotation.
Stop
It was easy to stop because it had a ball. I don’t feel like it’s cut.
Push
It was a little slippery.
Serve
It was good to be able to cut it firmly. It was a good feeling!
Backhand
Light hit
It was easy to draw an arc. Even if the start was delayed, I felt like I was in time because I had the ball.
Drive on long balls and rallies
The quality of the sphere seemed a bit low, but it was very controllable and easy to handle.
Loop (top spin) drive against back spin
It was easy to do. The outer ZLC also has this ball, so I thought it would be good for beginners and intermediate rubber. Although the price is a little high.
Speed drive against back spin
It wasn’t too bouncing, so it was settled. Is it a little slow?
Block
It was easy to put in a meat type ball, but it was easily affected by rotation.
Counter drive
It was a little affected, so it wasn’t stable unless I put it in with my body.
Stop
It was easy to stop. It didn’t feel like bouncing because it was soft. This area was also a good impression.
Push
It’s easy to enter low. I don’t think it has expired.
Chiquita
It’s hard to bounce, so I was able to take the plunge.
Comparison with other rubbers (personal impressions)
Max spin amount
Tenergy 80 ＞5Q VIP ＞ Tenergy 64
Ease of spin
Tenergy 05 FX ＞ 5Q VIP ＞ Rasanter R48
Speed
Tenergy 05 ＞ 5Q VIP ＞ Hurricane NEO III