Tibhar Sigma Sensitec Blade Review

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   i've longed to review this blade because seeing at the pictures online it looked beautiful. A lot of people are first attracted to the blade's looks and its a common thing. I was however more interested in how it plays. 

Weight: 92 grams
Plies: 5 (outer is definitely koto, i can't see the inner layers because it has a side covered by a layer of wood around the blade head.)
Thickness: 6.9mm-7.0mm (yes its thick)
Size: 151x155mm
Rubbers used: Tibhar Aurus Soft and Tibhar 5Q
Speed: OFF

The blade is a finely crafted all wood blade. Basing on its looks and finish it looks like it came from the same factory that made the Black devil and Epox blades. The blade is colored black but the outer ply because of its minute squarish design on its grain is obviously koto. It has a different design because there is no continuity of the blade head going to the handle. Instead of constructed as one piece made up of many layers, it is composed of several parts that interrupts the continuity of the wood. The handle is a bit thicker than other Tibhar blades which i like because i have big hands. The handle is about 1.5-1.9mm thicker than its brothers.

the good:

very solid feel - hitting and driving the balls produce solid shots. it gives a semi hard feeling and you can feel the power on your strokes. it has average dwell time for a blade though i still felt the ball sink a little into the sponge when I used both the 5Q ans Aurus Soft. 

Smashing - a very good smasher's blade with good accuracy and control. I would rate its speed as slightly lesser than a mazunov by about 10% but nevertheless still very fast. I doesn't feel as stiff as other attacking blades and it has less vibration.

loop drives - its very good on loop drives due to its solid feel and presents a low arced loop drive hitting the ball off the bounce. I would rate it above average on slow spinny loops. I think this is not a pure looping blade.

Blocking and counters - very good for both. The passive blocks and punch blocks are very controllable. Countering gives ample speed and control. This blade is built close to the table up to mid distance.

cons:

Weight - a bit heavy for some people. It needs to be paired with a lighter rubber on one side. 

Conclusion:

Overall a very good compact attacking blade. A well balanced blade on attacking and defensive capabilities. I rate this as a likely 8.5/10 blade. I recommend this to players who wants a blade that gives solid shots on their strokes with a balance on control. Particularly made for intermediate and advanced players.