Tibhar Texo Off & Texo C7 carbon reviews

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   got these 2 blades along with the sigma sensitec from tibhar germany

Texo Off

weight: 87 grams
size: 151mm x 155mm
plies: 6 all wood top layer doesnt look like limba, i see an ayous inner layer
thickness: 5.4mm (its the same thickness with my yasaka galaxya)
hardness: medium stiff
speed: off-
rubbers used: KTL Golden star (fast attack) max, Tibhar Aurus soft max, RITC 802-40 SP

this checkered blade had given me interest when i was told by tibhar that they will be sending me this blade. the blade is quite balanced. i would attribute this to its smaller head size compared to other brands. this 5.4mm thick blade produces a "thok!' sound when bouncoced with a ball with no rubbers attached to the blade. the outer layer is a very smooth wood. i still need to check what kind of a wood it is because its not limba and it has very fine wood lines.

i choose to glue a chinese rubber and the tibhar aurus soft on the texo off because i needed to know the compatibility of the above mentioned rubbers. the blade handle is comfortable enough and not too rough on its texture though i love the design of the sigma sensitec more because it has a thicker handle and its smoother. i used the lkt golden star as my forehand rubber first. while doing drills i noticed that the blade has ample speed. i would rate it as off- because its not too fast and the feel is not that hard upon impact on the ball. while brushing the ball on a forehand topspin against blocks i noticed its more on control and dwell time with a low to medium throw. it didnt feel heavy when i was using it eve with the chinese rubber on one side. I would say this is a controlled attacker's blade. Looping and pushing seems to be very good because of the control. The feel is also good. The not-too-stiff feels provides excellent feedback minus the unwanted vibrations. this is the first time i have used a 6ply blade. its stronger than any other off- 5 ply but a bit weaker than 7 ply wood blades. 

good points:

Looping - both fast and slow spinny loops are this blade's forte. if you wanted more speed it can be compensated by a stronger stroke. the tibhar grip S rubbers would pair well with this blade aside from other chinese rubbers. hard euro rubbers like genius and the like are also perfect.

short game - makes accurate shots like short pushes, drop shots and flicks. Placement of shots are notable.

Blocking - due to its high amount of control blocking is very good also. 

Short pips blade - very compatible with a short pip. I attached a 2.0mm red 802-40 and it pairs well with the blade using the SP in my backhand. 

cons:

distance - definitely a close to the table attacker's blade. players who wanted a faster blade and stays mid distance are encouraged to take the C7 carbon version instead.

speed - players who want more speed may need to use a faster rubber like the 1Q or 5Q n this blade.

Conclusion:

This would be an excellent for players who emphasize control on their loops and placement. Also, excellent if the players do a lot of placement on pushes and flicks. favorable also to developing players in the intermediate level due to its good control.

weight: 82 grams
size: 151mm x 155mm
plies: 5 ply wood + 2 ply carbon (top layer is kiri and has an ayous core)
thickness: 5.9-6.0mm
hardness: nearly stiff
speed: off
rubbers used: KTL Golden star (fast attack) max, Tibhar Aurus soft max, Tibhar 5Q max

This quality looking blade is very light. At 82 grams it feels very balanced even with the heavy 5Q and medium weight aurus soft rubbers. Bouncing the ball into the bare blade has a medium pitch sound. The carbon layer is on the 3rd and 5th layers of the blade.

The C7 is a notch faster than its 6 ply Texo off brother. I consider this blade as OFF and not an OFF+ blade even with the carbon layers. Its definitely fast like on the level of a yasaka malin soft  carbon and  adidas fibertec classic. 

pros:

lightweight attacking blade - its light weight permits faster recovery even with heavier rubbers.

speed with control - more than enough speed for faster shots. stronger shots with a touch of control is greatly noted in this blade. it may not be as fast as the samsonov carbon but its fast enough and the control is like that of a faster version of a samsonov alpha blade. 

close and mid distance away from the table - loops and smashes are controllable near the table even at full swing on your strokes. at mid distance, it offers still a good amount of control and power on counter topspins and a fishing stroke.

dwell time - good dwell time on slow and fast loops. 

cons:

long distance - far from the table this blade loses its power. player might change to faster rubbers with longer arc like aurus regular and 1Q if they play away from the table with this blade.

chinese rubbers - it didn't feel right with the KTL golden star chinese rubber maybe the hard sponge was the culprit. i reserving my judgement though because it might be compatible with other hard chinese rubbers. i suspect chinese rubbers like dawei sprungfeder and other medium hardness rubbers that are not tacky and are bouncy will be good for this blade though. 

conclusion:

overall an 8/10 blade for its performance. i strongly suggest this blade for intermediate and advance level players who wants a strong attacking game while maintaining placement and control.