Review: Tibhar Stratus Samsonov CB

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   Name: Tibhar Stratus Samsonov CB
Weight: 87g
Speed: OFF
Thickness: ~5.5mm
Dimensions: 151x156mm
Plies: 7 (limba-ayous-kevlar carbon-ayous/kiri?-kevlar carbon-ayous-limba)
Handle: ST
Used by: B. Tokic, V. Samsonov (before Samsonov Force Pro)

Background: No official USATT rating, one of the coaches estimated me at ~1650 at my best but this was a year ago. I haven't played since then but slowly getting back into TT. I estimate myself at ~1450 at the moment. Previously played with Primorac OFF-, TB ALC, and YEO. I'm going to compare SSCB to TB ALC and Primo OFF- because these are the last two blades i used.

Initial Impressions: Before purchasing this blade, i did some research on an alternative to a Butterfly Innerforce ALC blade since i didn't want to spend a lot on my next setup. SSCB is a 7 ply limba-ayous-kevlar carbon blade with an ayous or a kiri core. From another review someone said it was balsa but i don't think it is. Since its weight is in the 85-90 range (mine is 87g) it can not be balsa (I've held a BTY BalsaCarbo X5 in my hand and middle core didn't look at all like SSCB core). It does look similar to TB ALC core so thats why i think it could be kiri. Again, I'm not sure but if someone that works with Tibhar knows and could confirm the middle veneer that would be great. I know yogi_bear did a review on this blade but i couldn't find any solid info on it besides the playing properties.

Top ply is superb. One of the best I've gotten so far. Compared to my old TB ALC, this one is even better. Smooth, no rough edges, high quality wood. Handle is also very smooth. I ordered an ST handle because my previous blade was the TB ALC FL and the handle was way too small for me. I was concerned about it slipping out of my hand while playing so i wrapped it in a Tibhar Grip Tape which made it slightly thicker but also more comfortable for my large hands.

Speed: SSCB is rated as OFF but i think its on the low end of OFF, maybe OFF-. I put 2 sheets of MX-P 2.2mm on it and it didn't feel like a speed monster. In terms of speed, TB ALC > SSCB > Primo OFF-. 

Control: Control is relative person to person so i can't say much about it. What i can say is that hitting with it didn't take much adjustment compared to TB ALC + T05. Blocking with SSCB + MX-P was much easier than with TB ALC + T05, this might be due to the heavier overall weight of the setup. Looping was about the same although i felt like i was able to land more loops with SSCB setup than with TB ALC. It could have been that i fixed my looping technique as well. 

Feeling: Feeling of this blade is muted. Compared to the 5-ply Primorac OFF-, SSCB has much less vibrations, but they are not totally gone. It feels like the vibrations are contained within the core. So far I've tried this blade only with grip tape around the handle so the feeling might be different without it. In terms of spring, TB ALC feels more springy and lively. The rebound on SSCB + MX-P felt much less than of TB ALC + T05. 

Conclusion: Overall i like SSCB very much. I recommend this blade for anyone that likes the feeling of limba but wants a little more speed, stability, and a larger sweet than a traditional 5-ply wood blade. For ~85USD its a good alternative to some of the expensive options out there. 

P.S. My 87g SSCB + 2x MX-P 2.2mm feels much heavier than my old ~186g TB ALC + 2x T05 2.1mm. I haven't weighted this new setup yet but by just holding it in my hand it feels more than 195g. However, in game i haven't noticed the drastic weight difference. So far I've been playing only once a week on average and we'll see if my wrist will handle the weight if i start playing more often.

I might try Evolution FX-P or EL-P in 2.0mm on SSCB to see if i can reduce overall weight, that is if i can't adjust. I wouldn't put any hard chinese tacky rubber on it such as H3Neo (unless boosted) because the overall feel might be too hard.

This review is from my first 3.5 hour session with SSCB. I will update it as i go along.

10/2/2015 EDIT
After 2 more sessions with this blade I wanted to add few more notes. The overall feeling of this blade is somewhere between TB ALC and XIOM Stradivarius. It feels a bit hollow but not "as hollow" as Stradivarius. The blade is also significantly slower than TB ALC, so its not the same OFF as the TB ALC OFF rating. 

As for the overall weight with 2x MXP in 2.2mm, I was able to adjust so far with only one minor problem. Its a bit hard to bh banana flick/flip close to the net because of the need for only wrist movement. 

Hitting during warm-up feels very nice, but it might be due to MXP playing a bigger role here. The ball doesn't rebound as fast and I feel like I don't need to worry about holding back too much. Same goes with blocking. During games I can block a bit more loops but again that can be due to MXP.

Overall great great blade. Exactly what I was looking for.

10/8/2015 EDIT
Finally got to weigh the SSCB + 2x MX-P 2.2mm. 195g!

Edited by DreiZ - 07/19/2016 at 10:41pm