Tibhar Samsonov Pure Wood

Nice ALL+/OFF- 5-ply wood blade. Fairly stiff but with a big head size, so can feel head-heavy with heavier rubbers. The FL handle is chunky and very comfortable.

The outer ply looks to be quite thick ayous. You get a slightly soft feel on thin contacts, but anything more forceful and it feels more medium (somewhere around the limba/koto mark). The best part is the solid feel - this doesn’t feel hollow or cheap like some 5 ply all-woods can.

Although Tibhar calls this an ALL+ blade, it only feels like that in the short game. When hitting harder, it has a good power reserve and becomes OFF- - easily comparable to a BTY Primorac or Samsonov Alpha, for example. It is less flexible than those two though, more linear, and the soft short game feel takes some of the bounciness away. It loses power when away from the table, so you would need a fast rubber there.

The build quality is high with no imperfections anywhere. The black handle lens sticks out a bit, but I don’t notice it personally. The top ply splinters a bit when you do your first rubber removal, so I’d recommend that you seal it.

This blade is a bit slower than others I’ve used in recent years, and I feel my game has improved a lot because of it.

Review:

This blade excels in flat hitting.

As a beginner, I used it with Xiom Vega Europe 2.0 FH and Nittaku Factive 1.8 BH (as recommended by my coach). With this setup, the blade demands effort - it won’t enhance your performance passively. Hard hits are swift, while slow hits maintain their leisurely pace. Spinny shots generate moderate rotation, which translates to adequate serving and looping capabilities. However, for straight smashing or flat hitting, this blade is unparalleled.

Its control is exceptional, allowing precise placement of the ball in short games or when hitting. The straight handle is substantial, fitting comfortably in the hand, and exuding solidity rather than hollowness. It provides satisfying feedback, too. While not excessively vibratory, it communicates when contact with the ball is optimal. Its slight head-light balance suits close-to-the-table hitting and blocking. Note that this blade may not be the ideal choice for beginners seeking a spin-centric playstyle.

Overall, a high-quality blade!

This blade, when combined with Chinese rubbers, is very solid. I am not entirely sure of the composition, but there’s a lot of feeling to the ball even though Chinese rubbers are hard. So, in conclusion, I would say that it is a soft blade overall but not necessarily flexible.

This is a very good blade, slightly slower than the Tibhar Samsonov Force.

There isn’t a lot of info about this blade around at the moment, but I took a gamble on it when it was on offer. I’m really glad I did - it’s excellent!

Although it’s listed as ALL+, it’s a bit faster than that. It’s 6.1mm thick, 157x152, quite stiff, medium-soft feel. I think the outer ply is ayous, and medials are sapele. Although it doesn’t flex much, it has great touch over the table, and has a really solid feel. It doesn’t have the hollow, washed-out feel that many cheap 5-ply all-woods can have. Build quality is high, and the FL handle is quite chunky and comfortable. The black lens sticks out a bit, but the handle is quite long so it doesn’t get in my way at all (YMMV, obviously). Feels a little head-heavy with max thickness modern rubbers.

In play, it does absolutely everything you ask it to. Very precise, easy to do anything, medium throw. There is plenty of power for punching and hitting, everything feels very stable. It loops really well in general and you have a big margin for error. It loses a bit of power when looping from a distance, but if you have fast, modern tensors then that’s less of an issue.

It’s slower than the Stratus Powerwood, but feels more stable. Probably about the same speed as the Samsonov Alpha, but with a completely different feel so it’s hard to compare directly.

Very good blade for intermediate players.

Playing actively with topspins on the right and medium pips on the left side of the table. I put on the Xiom Tour blade, which I didn’t always manage on fast boards, and Pluto in maximum thickness. After warming up, I played without any problems. Everything went where I wanted, the speed is excellent. In 2 days I will be playing in a tournament.

Great blade. Stiffer and thicker than most ALL+ blades. Has a soft feel but is closer to OFF- than ALL+, especially at 87g (requested weight). Great and thick ST handle. It plays really well with tensors but also Chinese rubbers. Fantastic blade overall. Great service from TT11!

This blade is a very good “all-around” blade.

It is a solid and good-looking blade. The only blemish is that the plastic on the handle looks cheap and the blade is prone to splinter. Other than that, it’s one of the best 5-ply blades that I’ve ever played with. It does have sufficient support for tensors, T05s.

I rate it as “off-” at least. It is almost faster than the Infinity VPS, which is my present equipment. Very powerful for blocking and smashing. It is easy to loop. The outlook is beautiful. The forehand has no problem keeping up with my movement. The backhand is not as good as my VPS. Heavier than I expected for a 5-ply blade. Good blade anyway.

Got this blade on special. It is classified as an allround blade with 5-ply. Heavier than I expected, should be at least 90 grams. As for its outlook, it is a finely made blade, like a work of art. When you battle with it, you can easily make powerful strokes. It should be graded as off. I am not finding it as easy to get used to compared to my Infinity VPS, and it took a while. I would consider it a powerful and good blocking blade suitable for middle-level players.

One of the best non-carbon plies available in the market. I used Donic Baum Sawtec before switching to this blade. The head of the blade is a little bigger compared to the Sawtec. Though it’s a non-carbon ply, it has good power, and control is awesome.