Tibhar Inca Review by Tommy Zai

Tibhar Inca (designed by Nexy) 

http://www.nexy.com/shop/step1.php?number=1431&b_code=B20100127065026&c_code=C20100415095350

• Handle:  Flared
• Weight:  86g
• Thickness:  5.6mm
• Plies:  5 (hinoki + carbon aramid + Kiri? + carbon aramid + hinoki)
• Sealant:  two light coats of Miniwax, oil-based, satin.
• Speed:  Off
• Bounce Test:  Ball passively dropped from 40cm rebounded up to 33.5cm
• Range:  Medium

Inca by Tibhar (designed by Nexy) is a sharp-looking, exquisitely designed, high quality offensive blade. I really dig the color scheme and think the little gem handle inlays are elegant and useful for those who twiddle. Speaking of the handle, it’s one of the most comfortable I’ve ever wrapped my fingers around — perfect width and texture. My grip is high and tight; therefore, I lightly sand the wing area for extra comfort. As expected, the hinoki top ply is smooth and soft and sanded easily, while the carbon sub plies took some work. The core seems to be hardened, which probably explains the extra power.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qd3m8q07una0ihe/Nexy%20Inca.mp3 

To quote another reviewer, “The Inca is kinda loud when hitting with it.” I have also found this to be true. It has a rich ping tone, not a cheap hollow sound. In play, the blade is fast, but with good control. I did not notice distinct gears; it played quite linear from soft to hard. Yet, when you dig in and blast a loop drive, it does seem to have an extra gear. So, perhaps it’s more accurate to say it plays linearly and has overdrive. It is medium stiff, and there are no unwanted vibrations, but has plenty of woody feel even with the carbon layer.

Inca is a loopers dream. I cannot loop due to physical limitations, but . . . anyone and everyone I handed the blade to smiled as they cranked up loops. One tester shouted, “Wow! Look at the ball jump off the table.” He was referring to how his spin reacted when landing on the opponent’s side. The ball would kick up and back like its pants were on fire! The blade was demoed with Joola Ryhzm (bouncy and soft) and DHS H3-Neo (sticky and hard). Although the technique for using these two rubbers varied, the results were the same — spinny and fast with good control from short to long game and everything in between. Inca is excellent away-from-the-table and over-the-table with pushes, flicks, blocks, and hits. It has a little bit of vibration that adds just enough “talk”, but is solid enough to provide a wall when needed. By slightly adjusting the blade angle, I had no problem smothering the spinniest topspin loops. It was also easy for me to angle and punch block with accuracy.

In comparison to other blades, I would rate Inca faster than TBS, PK, ALC, Maze, and slower with more control than most of the Z-series blades. Yet, it reminds me of Photino, possibly because of the distinct hinoki over carbon feel. It’s also similar to Hannibal and to some extent Oscar by Nexy, which are two of my favorite blades. 

In conclusion, Inca is a do-it-all, go-to offensive weapon that helps provide consistency and power as needed. 

Edited by tommyzai - 08/10/2014 at 6:01pm

I seldome write my personal opinion on my nexy blade's reviewer's thread, not because I am not interested, but because I can not stay in mytabletennis often. So, for many years, I did not write much in this forum, but a few days ago, the writer of this article invited me to read this review, and I felt kinda that I need to come to this form more often.

If I need to leave a note here, actually, Inca is already born quite long time ago, and I don't have much to comment, because my mind is now full of other blades, which I am now working on.

But I think Tommyzai got all points exactly the same as I inteneded when I designed.

I wanted to make it fast carbon blade, but with big sound and feeling, because that is what other hinoki carbon blades can not exert easily.
Maybe, I need to explain some more about carbon material in my next article, because this blade is using the right casrbon layer as I designed. People don't know that NEXY is very much picky when choosing what kind of carbon layer per each blade.

Any way, this blade is carbon one, but you would not feel that much artificial sound and feeling what you might have felt in other hinoki carbon blades, due to several reasons.

(1) Carefully selected carbon layer
(2) right thickness
(3) burnt center layer
(4) selected and thick enough hinoki surface


By the way, I can give a story when I first dreamed of this blade.



I started to work with Tibhar in 2006, and I became an agency of Tibhar that year.
Tibhar is a German company, and they did not have good hinoki wood blade, and also they did not have a concept about hinoki wood.
So, I explained what is the good thing about hinoki, and what kind of blade I wanted to make. I really wanted that Tibhar could make it.
And also I mentioned that we could embelish our blades with jems.

Roland, the president of Tibhar, who is now one of my good friends, did not laugh at my idea, but I think he must wanted to laugh, or at least smile at my idea.
He was only seeing the blades as a sports gear, not something we can sleep together, keeping on our belly, not easily getting asleep due to the desire to touch it until we get asleep deep.

As an amateur player, I used to adore blades, and I thought tibhar needed to know that feeling.

So, that was a kind of silly idea, not acceptable for Tibhar, because Tibhar does not have good hinoki, moreover, tibhar did not think of it a good way for a blade to be decorated with gems.

But after several years later, they saw me making good blades, and finally accepted my idea to make this blade with Tibhar brand. But I think Roland might have forgotten what I talked to him long years ago, which was that I wanted to produce a good "hinoki carbon blade, if possible with jewelry".

So, this is it. It proves that I was not mentioning a silly idea.


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One good thing is, this is using nexy's third wave technique, which combines natural surface wood with thermo-burnt center wood layer, and that completes the perfection of this blade, making it lighter, sounding bigger, and gioving smooth feeling but but some times giving fierce attaking power when you use it for attacking.

Ok, that was it. I think this blade will catch more and more interests from people. Good luck to you, too.

Edited by Nexy - 08/13/2014 at 9:23pm

BTW Tommy, I feel Oscar is a faster more solid-stiff blade, like a TBS feel, but faster rebound and higher top-end speed. I bought one and swapped it to a TT friend who is in Afghanistan (elpasoTT) who really likes hitting through everything and making strong spin. (got a well used PC)

Tommy, you, as one who hits instead of loops, I think you would REALLY like Oscar better. Much thicker and solid blade that greatly facilitates doing the Korean low spin FH drive shot over and over at high speed without miss.  

hello
anyone know what kind of gems are on Inca blade's handle ?
thank you.

Have you ever tried a Butterfly Cofferlait? How would it compare to the Inca?

They're both 3+2 with hinoki top and ALC, but the Butterfly one has a different non burnt core.