Table of Contents1. Overview
2. Performance Indices
3. Comparison by Performance Indices
……. 3-1. Elasticity Indices
……. 3-2. Vibration Indices
4. Field Test
5. Summary

Tibhar ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ released in early 2023 is a new inner fibar blade whose artificial material is ‘Hybrid ZAC’ which is woven from three kinds of different fibers. ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is the first model of ‘Zodiac’ series, and from the word ‘Libra’ we can expect that it is a very balance blade. According to Tibhar, ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ provides excellent balance between speed and control, and the ball from ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ draws clear & high arc and safely enters into table when the player performs topspin. ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ looks like the one between existing ‘Shang Kun Hybrid ZC’ and ‘Shang Kun Hybrid AC’, but it seems to be more refined and adjusted for better balance and more ease of use. In this article, TTGearLab will analyze ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ by Performance Indices and compare it with some existing inner fiber blades. TTGearLab will also check the actual characteristics of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC by field testing at table tennis court.

1.  Overview

Fig.01 Tibhar ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’

‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is the new inner fiber model in Tibhar blade range. ‘ZAC’ in the name indicates that its artificial material is ‘Hybrid ZAC’ whose characteristics are between those of ‘Hybrid ZC’ (= ZLC) and ‘Hybrid AC (= ALC). The name of blade is just called as ‘Libra’ or ‘Libra ZAC’ in some markets. It is expected that ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ will be the new representative model of the inner fiber blade range of Tibhar.

Fig.02 ‘Hybrid ZAC’ which is the artificial material of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’

The most important feature of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is its artificial material – Hybrid ZC. Above picture shows the structure of ‘Hybrid ZAC’. It is woven from three different fibers – Carbon fiber, Zylon fiber and Arylate fiber. Carbon fiber is arranged both in lateral direction and in vertical direction. However, the other two fibers are arranged only in one direction – Zylon in lateral direction & Arylate in vertical direction.

Fig.03 The blade construction of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC

The construction of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is the inner fiber construction, like those of ‘Shang Kun Hybrid ZC’ and ‘Shange Kun Hybrid AC’. The top layer is Limba, the middle layer is Ayous and the center layer is also Ayous. Hybrid ZAC is inserted between the middle layer and the center layer. Overall thickness is around 6.0mm (5.95~5.99mm).

Fig.04 Tibhar ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’

The size of head is 159mm x 152mm which is bigger than regular 157mm x 150mm of Butterfly ‘InnerForce Layer’ series. The average weight of measured pcs. is 87.3g.

Fig.05 FL (flared) handle of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’

Two kinds of handles – FL (flared) and ST (straight) – are available. The FL handle of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is a FL handle of semi-wide type that is very similar to the FL handle of ‘Zhang Jike’ series, ‘Fan Zhendong’ series, ‘Viscaria’ series, and ‘Korbel’. It is almost same as the FL handle of ‘MK Carbon’ which is an outer fiber blade, but a bit thicker probably because of the difference in thickness of plywood. Its width is around 25mm (at head sied) ~ 28mm (at bulge) ~ 26.5mm (at the narrowest point) ~ 34mm (at the end). Its thickness is around 23.4mm at thumb and around 25.4mm at the end. This semi-wide FL handle provides firm grip.

Fig.06 ST (straight) handle of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’

The ST handle of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is similar to the standard ST of Butterfly which is applied to most of Butterfly blades including ‘Viscaria’, ‘Fan Zhendong’ series, ‘InnerForce Layer’ series and so on. It is the semi-wide ST handle whose cross section is a bit rounded Its width is around 28mm, and its thickness is around 23.4mm. It also provides firm grip. It is also almost same as the ST handle of ‘MK Carbon’ which is an outer fiber blade, but a bit thicker probably because of the difference in thickness of plywood.

Fig.07 Aluminum nameplate and small plastic lens at foreside & backside of handle

There is a long squared Aluminum nameplate at the foreside of handle, and a small rounded crystal-type plastic lens is at the backside of handle. The backside lens looks like emerald.

Fig.08 Aluminum logo plate at the end of handle

At the end of handle there is a squared logo plate that shows new diamond logo of Tibhar.

Fig.09 Backside of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’

Printing isn’t applied on the basckside of head.

Then, let’s check the characteristics of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ by Performance Indices and compare with the some existing blades.

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2.  Performance Indices

Performance Indices are measured objective values to represent the characteristics of table tennis gears. Concerning the detail of four performance indices, please refer to following articles in ‘About TTGearLab’ section:

The performance indices of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ are as follows:

Zodiac Libra ZAC (average weight = 87.3g)

             Ep = 1.71

             Ec = 1.64 (Ec/Ep = 0.96)

             Vp = 1.22

             Vl = 1.29 (Vl/Vp = 1.06)

Please note that above are average values and can be updated by further measurement.

Fig.10 Tibhar ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’

‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is an inner-fiber blade whose artificial Hybrid ZAC which is the material between ALC and ZLC. The primary Elasticity Index (Ep) is around 17, and it is what we can expect from an inner-ALC blade with Limba top layer. But, it is noticeably lower than the Ep’s of inner-ZLC blades.

The Ec of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is a bit lower than the Ep. The Ec/Ep (= 0.96) is lower than 1.0 but it isn’t much lower than 1.0. When the player hits the ball very strongly, ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ hugs the ball, but not deeply. (‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is located in ‘Mild Hold’ range.) So, although ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ deforms sufficiently because of moderate Ep, some players who have used the blades with much lower Ec/Ep’s may feel that ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ doesn’t hug but kicks the ball when the player hits the ball very strongly.

The Vp (Primary Vibration Index) is 1.22. It is in the range that we can expect from most of inner-ALC blades and inner-ZLC blades with thinner constructions. It means that the feeling of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is almost neutral. But, many players who have been accustomed to harder blades may feel that ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is soft. The Vl of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is 1.29, and it is somewhat higher value as that of inner fiber blade. The Vl/Vp (= 1.06) is bigger than 1.0, and it means that the feeling that is transmitted to the index finger is sharper or harder than the primary feeling transmitted to palm. Some players will clearly feel it, but because the value isn’t that high the other players may feel that the distribution of the feeling of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is almost uniform.

Fig.11 Tibhar ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’

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3.  Comparison by Performance Indices

Then we can compare ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ with many existing inner fiber blades in the market. Following is the list of the blades to be compared:

Inner Tri-Fiber blades

  • Xiom An Jaehyun TMXi (avg. weight = 86.4g) : The representative inner fiber blade of Xiom. Fiber is Trimetrix which is woven from Zylon, Arylate and Carbon fiber. Top layer is Limba.
  • DS Hurricane 301T (avg. weight = 90.7g) : Inner fiber blade with Koto top layer. Fiber is woven from Carbon fiber and two different Arylate fibers.

Inner ZLC blades

  • Tibhar Shang Kun Hybrid ZC (avg. weight = 92.0g) : Inner ZLC blade with Limba top layer.
  • Butterfly InnerForce Layer ZLC (avg. weight = 89.8g) : The representative of inner ZLC blades with Limba top layer.
  • Butterfly Franziska InnerForce ZLC (avg. weight = 84.8g) : The blade of Patrick Franziska. This blade can be considered as the light version of ‘InnerForce Layer ZLC’.

Inner ALC blades

  • Butterfly Ovtcharov InnerForce ALC (avg. weight = 88.0g) : The blade of Dimitrij Ovtcharov. Thicker & faster than ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’.
  • Butterfly ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ current version (avg. weight = 91.2g) : The standard model of inner ALC blades
  • Tibhar Shang Kun Hybrid AC (avg. weight = 88.8g) : The inner ALC blade of Tibhar.
  • DHS New ‘Hurricane Long 5’ (avg. weight = 88.1g) : The representative of inner ALC blades. Ma Long used the special order version of this blade.
  • Xiom 36.5 ALXi (avg. weight = 87.1g) : The standard inner ALC blade of Xiom.

Other Inner Fiber blades

  • Nittaku Hina Hayata H2 (avg. weight = 89.7g) : The blade of Hina Hayata. Fiber is PKC (reinforced Kevlar Carbon).
  • Tibhar Fortino Pro DCinside (avg. weight = 83.4g) : Inner Dyneema Carbon blade.

5-ply wood

  • Butterfly ‘Korbel’ (avg. weight = 88.7g) : The standard of 5-ply wood offensive blades.
  • Stiga ‘Allround Classic’ (avg. weight = 84.3g) : The representative of 5-ply allround blades. Reference blade whose Performance Indices are all 1.00.

3-1. Elasticity Indices

Fig.12 Comparison by Elasticity Indices

Fig.12 shows the comparison graph of Elasticity Indices.

Ep (Primary Elasticity Index) is directly concerned with the rebound speed of blade. Ec (Central Elasticity Index) is concerned with additional ‘kick’ when player hits ball very strongly.

[Inner Tri-Fiber]

The artificial material of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is Hybrid ZAC which is woven from three different fibers. It is very similar to Trimetrix that is being used by Xiom. Therefore, we can compare ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ with Xiom ‘An Jaehyun TMXi’. And, DHS ‘Hurricane 301T’ also has the artificial material which is woven from three different fibers. The result is as follows:

  • The elasticity level of ‘An Jaehyun TMXi’ is noticeably higher than that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. And, the elasticity level of ‘Hurricane 301T’ is even higher.
  • The graph shapes of ‘An Jaehyun TMXi’ and ‘Hurricane 301T’ are a bit different from that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. Differently from those two blades whose Ep’s are much higher than Ec’s, ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ has much smaller gap between its Ep and its Ec.

[Inner ZLC]

Hybrid ZAC which is the artificial material of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ has Zylon fiber in lateral orientation. So, we can compare inner ZLC blades with ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. The result is as follows:

  • The Ep of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is much lower than those of ‘Shang Kun Hybrid ZC’ and ‘InnerForce Layer ZLC’. Probably it is because ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ has softer fiber in vertical orientation. The Ec of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is also lower than those of ‘Shang Kun Hybrid ZC’ and ‘InnerForce Layer ZLC’, but the gap is smaller than the case of Ep’s.
  • The Ep and the Ec of ‘Franziska InnerForce ZLC’ is very close to those of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. It is expected that the performance of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ will be very similar to that of ‘Franziska InnerForce ZLC’. But, players may feel different because of the difference in Vibration Indices.

[Inner ALC]

Hybrid ZAC which is the artificial material of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ has Arylate fiber in vertical orientation. So, we can compare inner ALC blades with ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. The result is as follows:

  • The Ep of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is lower than those of ‘Ovtcharov InnerForce ALC’, ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ and ‘Shang Kun Hybrid AC’. But, the Ec of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ isn’t much different from the Ec’s of those tree blades.
  • The Ep of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is a bit higher than those of ‘Hurricane Long 5’ and ‘36.5 ALXi’. But, the Ec’s of ‘Hurricane Long 5’ and ‘36.5 ALXi’ are much lower than that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’.
  • The difference between the Ep and the Ec of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ isn’t big. On the contrary, all inner ALC blades in this comparison has much bigger gaps between Ep and Ec. Probably the reason of that difference is because ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ has stiffer fiber in lateral orientation.

[Other Inner Fiber blades]

Other inner fiber blades can also be compared with ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. The result is as follows:

  • ‘Hina Hayata H2’ has higher Ep and lower Ec when compared with ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. Probably it is the blade that is made for different purpose.
  • The elasticity level of ‘Fortino Pro DCinside’ is lower than that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. But, we may think that its graph shape is somewhat close to that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ because the gap between the Ep and the Ec of ‘Zodian Libra ZAC’ is small.

[5-ply wood]

5-ply wood blades can be compared with ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ just as reference. The result is as follows:

  • The elasticity level of ‘Korbel’ is much lower than that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. And, the graph shape of ‘Korbel’ is significantly different form that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’.
  • ‘Allround Classic’ is much less elastic than ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. But, like the case of ‘Fortino Pro DCinside’, we may think that the graph shape of ‘Allround Classic’ is close to that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’.

Examining Ec/Ep is also a easier way to understand the characteristics of blade concerned with elasticity. Fig.13 shows the relationship between Ec/Ep and Ep.

Fig.13 Ec/Ep vs. Ep

Ec/Ep expresses the ‘tendency’ of the elasticity of blade. By examining Ec/Ep and Ep at the same time, we can easily understand the behavior of blades.

On the graph, most of blades in this comparison are in ‘Hold’ range (Ec/Ep < 1.0). Five including ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ are in ‘Mild Hold’ range, and eight are in ‘Deep Hold’ range. (Among those thirteen blades, five are close to the border between ‘Mild Hold’ range and ‘Deep Hold’ range.)

We can observe the position of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ and check which blades share the characteristics with it. The result is as follows:

  • ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is in ‘Mild Hold’ range. It hugs the ball moderately when the player hits the ball very strongly. But, it doesn’t hugs the ball as deeply as many blades those are located lower. The players who have been accustomed to the blades in ‘Deep Hold’ range will feel that ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ gives additional kick to the ball when the player hits the ball very strongly.
  • ‘Franziska InnerForce ZLC’ is located at very close position to ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. It is expected that its characteristics concerned with elasticity will be very similar to those of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’.
  • ‘An Jaehyun TMXi’ whose construction is very similar to that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is located to lower right of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. It provides higher primary elasticity and lower Ec/Ep. Players will feel that ‘An Jaehyun TMXi’ hugs the ball more deeply than ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ when the impact force is very high. Interestingly, ‘An Jaehyn TMXi’ is located very closely to ‘InnerForce Layer ZLC’ whose construction is almost identical to that of ‘Franziska InnerForce ZLC’.
  • ‘Shang Kun Hybrid AC’ and ‘Shang Kun Hybrid ZC’ are the base models of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. But, the elasticity characteristics of those two are much different from that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. Espeically there is significant difference in Ec/Ep.
  • ‘Hurricane Long 5’ and ‘36.5 ALXi’ are similar to ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ in primary elasticity. However, because the Ec/Ep’s of those two are much lower than the Ec/Ep of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’, players will feel that ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ provides higher speed than those two.
  • Although the Ec/Ep of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is lower than 1.0, the gap between neutral line (Ec/Ep = 1.0) and the location of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ isn’t big. Therefore, ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ can be good replacement of ‘Allround Classic’ in case the player who have used ‘Allround Classic’ want to increase the power of various table tennis techniques.

Then next, let’s compare Vibration Indices.

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3-2. Vibration Indices

Fig.14 Comparison by Vibration Indices

Fig.14 shows the comparison graph of Vibration Indices. Vibration Indices are concerned with feeling. Vp indicates primary feeling which is transferred to player’s palm. And, Vl is the feeling at the edge of the wing – the lower side of blade head. It is felt by player’s index finger or middle finger.

[Inner Tri-Fiber]

The artificial material of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is Hybrid ZAC which is woven from three different fibers. It is very similar to Trimetrix that is being used by Xiom. Therefore, we can compare ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ with Xiom ‘An Jaehyun TMXi’. And, DHS ‘H301T’ also has the artificial material which is woven from three different fibers. The result is as follows:

  • The Vp of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is lower than those of ‘An Jaehyun TMXi’ and ‘Hurricane 301T’. So. The primary feeling of ‘Zodiac Libar ZAC’ is softer than those of ‘An Jaehyun TMXi’ and ‘Hurricane 301T’.
  • However, the Vl of ‘Zodica Libar ZAC’ is same as that of ‘An Jaehyun TMXi’. And, it is higher than that of ‘Hurricane 301T’. The players who are sensitive to the lateral feeling transferred to index finger will feel that ‘Zodiac Libar ZAC’ is as hard (or sharp) as ‘An Jaehyun TMXi’ and harder (or sharper) than ‘Hurricane 301T’.

[Inner ZLC]

Hybrid ZAC which is the artificial material of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ has Zylon fiber in lateral orientation. So, we can compare inner ZLC blades with ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. The result is as follows:

  • Both of the Vp and the Vl of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ are lower than those of ‘Shang Kun Hybrid ZC’. So, ‘Zodica Libra ZAC’ is anyway softer than ‘Shang Kun Hybrid ZC’.
  • When compared with ‘InnerForce Layer ZLC’ and ‘Franziska InnerForce ZLC’, Zodiac Libar ZAC’ shows same or a bit lower Vp, while showing much higher Vl. The players who are sensitive to the lateral feeling transferred to index finger will feel that ‘Zodiac Libar ZAC’ is harder (or sharper) than two Butterfly inner ZLC blades.

[Inner ALC]

Hybrid ZAC which is the artificial material of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ has Arylate fiber in vertical orientation. So, we can compare inner ALC blades with ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. The result is as follows:

  • The Vibration Indices of ‘Ovtcharov InnerForce ALC’ is very close to those of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. So, we can think that the overall feeling of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is quite close to that of ‘Ovtcharov InnerForce ALC’.
  • The Vp of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is a bit higher than the Vp’s of ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ and ‘Shang Kun Hybrid AC’. But, the Vl of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is much higher than that of ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ and much lower than that of ‘Shang Kun Hybrid AC’. It is interesting that ‘Shang Kun Hybrid AC’ which has Arylate fiber in lateral orientation shows higher Vl than ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ which has Zylon fiber in lateral orientation.
  • ‘Hurricane Long 5’ shows similar graph shape as ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’, but its values are lower.
  • ‘36.5 ALXi’ shows lower Vp and higher Vl when it compared with ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. Like ‘Shang Kun Hybrid AC’ it also has Arylate fiber in lateral orientation but shows quite high value of Vl.

[Other Inner Fiber blades]

Other inner fiber blades can also be compared with ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. The result is as follows:

  • The Vibration Indices of ‘Hina Hayata H2’ are close to those of ‘Hurricane Long 5’, and are lower than those of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’.
  • The Vp of ‘Fortino Pro DCinside’ is a bit higher than that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. But, the Vl of ‘Fortino Pro DCinside’ is same as the Vl of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. Although ‘Fortino Pro DCinside’ is harder in primary feeling, the players who are sensitive to Vl will feel that ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is as sharp as ‘Fortino Pro DCinside’. (Further, we are in general more sensitive to the relative feeling – Vl/Vp. For that reason, many players will even feel that ‘Fortino Pro DCinside’ is softer.)

[5-ply wood]

5-ply wood blades can be compared with ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ just as reference. The result is as follows:

  • The primary feeling of ‘Korbe’ is significantly softer than that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. But, the difference in lateral feeling is not significant. Anyway, the vibration characteristics of ‘Korbel’ is much different from that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’.
  • The blades whose Vl isn’t much different from Vp can be the replacement of ‘Allround Classic’. Although the Vl of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is higher than its Vp, the difference isn’t significant. (In TTGearLab that kind of vibration characteristic is called as ‘Near Uniform’.) So, ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ can be the replacement of ‘Allround Classic’ when we consider vibration characteristics. Although there are many blades whose gap between Vp and Vl is much smaller than that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’, we have already observed that ‘Zodica Libra ZAC’ can be good replacement of ‘Allround Classic’ when we consider elasticity characteristics. So the total characteristics of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ can be acceptable for the players who are searching for the replacement of ‘Allround Classic’.

Examining Vl/Vp is easier way for the comparison of the tendency of feeling. Fig.15 shows the relationship between Vl/Vp and Vp for easier comparison.

Fig.15 Vl/Vp vs. Vp

On the graph, most of blades in this comparison are placed in upper part of the graph – ‘Relatively sharper at finger’ range.

We can observe the position of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ and check which blades share the characteristics with it. The result is as follows:

  • The Vp of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is close to those of many inner fiber blades. In fact, the primary feeling of inner fiber blade is in general quite soft, and even the highest value doesn’t exceed 1.3. The Vp’s of most of blades are located between 1.15 and 1.25. ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is also in that range.
  • The Vl/Vp of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ exceeds 1.05 a bit, but much lower than 1.10. The feeling transferred to index finger is sharper than the primary feeling, but the difference isn’t significant. So. ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is in ‘Near Uniform’ range. There are six blades whose uniformities are higher (= those are close to 1.0) than ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ – ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’, ‘Franziska InnerForce ZLC’, ‘InnerForce Layer ZLC’, ‘An Jaehyun TMXi’, ‘Fortino Pro DCinside’ and ‘Hurricane 301T’. Those six blades can be better replacement of ‘Allround Classic’ if we only consider vibration characteristics. But, ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is also acceptable because it isn’t located far from uniform line (Vl/Vp = 1.0). Further we have already observed that its Ec/Ep is very close to 1.0 when we observe elasticity characteristics.
  • ‘Ovtcharov InnerForce ALC’ is located very close to ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. It is expected that the overall feeling of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is quite close to that of ‘Ovtcharov InnerForce ALC’ if there isn’t the influence of elasticity characteristics. But, the difference in Ec/Ep will make the players feel those two blades much different. (Lower Ec/Ep makes the player feel the blade softer when the player hits the ball very strongly.)
  • ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’, ‘Franziska InnerForce ZLC’ and ‘InnerForce Layer ZLC’ are located below ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. Although the Vp’s of those tree are not much different from that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’, players will feel that those three give more comfortable feeling at finger when compared with ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. Differently speaking, ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ gives sharper (relative) feeling than those three blades. On the contrary, ‘Shang Kun Hybrid AC’ gives much sharper feeling than ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’.
  • ‘An Jaehyun TMXi’ whose artificial material is somewhat similar to that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ gives harder primary feeling and a bit more comfortable feeling at finger. ‘Fortino Pro DCinside’ is located close to ‘An Jaehyun TMXi’, and so it also gives harder primary feeling and a bit more comfortable feeling at finger when compared with ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’.
  • ‘Hurricane Long 5’ and ‘36.5 ALXi’ are located to upper left of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. Those two are softer than ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ in primary feeling, but the players who are more sensitive to relative feeling (= Vl/Vp) will think that those two blades are harder than ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. The same case is applied to ‘Hina Hayata H2’, but its Vl/Vp isn’t much different from that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. The players who are sensitive to the relative feeling – Vl/Vp – will think that ‘Hina Hayata H2’ is as hard (or sharp) as ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’.
  • ‘Korbel’ is located to upper left of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ and the gap is quite big. If the player who have used ‘Korbel’ wants to replace the blade with faster one, what can be considered is ‘36.5 ALXi’. ‘36.5 ALXi’ will give harder primary feeling, but it is expected that lower Vl/Vp will compensate for it. If the player wants harder one but doesn’t want to increase the sharp feeling at finger, what can be considered in next stage are ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ or ‘Ovtcharov InnerForce ALC’. But, ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is more recommendable that ‘Ovtcharov InnerForce ALC’ because the shape of its FL handle is very similar to that of ‘Korbel’ or ‘36.5 ALXi’. The FL handle of ‘Ovtcharov InnerForce ALC’ is different from that of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’, and it will require more time for adaptation. And, if the player wants to go one more step, ‘An Jaehyun TMXi’ is considerable, because its handle is also similar to that of ‘Korbel’ or ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’.

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4.  Field Test

‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ has been briefly tested at table tennis court. The test wasn’t an intensive one, and not many kinds of rubbers were combined. However, it was sufficient to find out the basic characteristics of the blade. rubbers used for the testing are ‘Tenergy 05’, ‘Hybrid MK’ and ‘Hybrid K3’. Among those three, ‘Hybrid K3’ is a sticky rubber with integrated tension effect.

Fig.16 Tibhar ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’

[Basic Feeling]

  • Basic feeling in light warm-up hitting is soft. However, because it gives more support than many other inner fiber blades when the strength of impact increases, some players may feel that ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ gives somewhat hard feeling. That is probably the influence of higher Ec/Ep.
  • Very easy to use. The blade responds to the player’s will very precisely. It doesn’t give feeling of incongruity at all.
  • The trajectory of ball becomes longer and more stable if a little rotation is added to the ball.

[Topspin]

  • The player can feel that the ball bites into the racket when performing topspin. That feeling seems to be much better than what we feel from ordinary inner ALC blades. Sometimes it is more important than the performance itself. And it is probably thanks to the Zylon fiber placed in lateral direction.
  • It is easy to control the trajectory of topspin. Both of the topspin at close-to-table area and the topspin from mid-distance area are easily performed with great control.

[Smash]

  • Smash is very sharp, and more destructive than expected from its basic elasticity. So, the player can finish by smash if there is a chance.
  • However, in most cases topspin is much more effective than smash. So, there is no need to forcefully smash a ball that isn’t high enough.

[Counter topspin]

  • Counter topspin at close-to-table area is extremely easy to perform and very effective. ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ can easily deal with opponent’s powerful ball, and return it sharply to a very deep place of the court. It will give much pressure to the opponent.
  • Because the counter topspin can be used as finishing shot, the player doesn’t need to step down to mid-distance area.

[On-table techniques]

  • The on-table techniques such as push, stop and flick can be easily performed. The ball by on-table technique isn’t especially sharp. So, the effectiveness of on-table techniques depends on how the player uses them.
  • It seems that not only the stability and safety but also the precision of on-table technique is very high. In order to make good use of the precision and the safety, the player should always be conscious of aiming at sharp courses.

[Block]

  • Not only counter topspin but also block is very stable. That makes ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ an excellent machine for modern all-round play at close-to-table area.
  • But, active block without spin makes an ordinary ball that doesn’t give pressure to the opponent. So, the player should be conscious of giving rotation to the ball when performing active block. Then the trajectory of ball from active block becomes much longer and sharper. That will enable the modern all-round play where the defense becomes the counter attack.

[Combination with rubbers]

  • ‘Hybrid MK’ and ‘Tenergy 05’ give almost perfect balance when combined with ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. Those two or the rubbers with similar concepts can be recommended as the basic combination with ‘Zodiad Libra ZAC’ for modern all-round play. But, not only modern all-round play but also classic all-round play that lays more emphasis on mid-distance play is possible if the player wants to play in that way.

‘Hybrid K3’ which is one of new sticky tension rubbers gives higher spin performance when combined with ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. Although it is a sticky rubber, it was easily adapted without a particularly long period for adjustment. Because it can be used so normally, it can also be combined at backhand side if the player wants to use in for backhand techniques. But, to get the most out of its performance, it would be best to use it on the forehand side.

Fig.17 Tibhar ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’

Below is the summary of the testers’ opinions on the ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’. Testers are distinguished by the color of indicator. (Red and green.) Please don’t forget that this subjective evaluation can’t be used for the comparison with the other blades, because the result is influenced by the characteristics of testers, and the condition of testing always varies.

Fig.18 Evaluation by subjective testing

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5.  Summary

Tibhar ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is a new inner fiber blade whose artificial material is woven from three different fibers – Arylate fiber, Zylon fiber and Carbon fiber. Vertically arranged Arylate fiber and laterally arranged Zylon fiber makes high level of balance between power and control at the same time with optimum feeling. It provides the elasticity that is expected from standard inner ALC blades. So it is basically very easy to use. But, because of its relatively high central elasticity, its response to the variation of impact strength is very close to linear, and as the result the blade responds to the impact input very precisely. And, at the same time it gives more kick than inner ALC blades when the player hits the ball very strongly. As the result the player can make sufficiently powerful ball for finishing rally when needed. Regarding feeling, the primary feeling of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is moderate. The players who are accustomed to outer fiber blades will feel that ‘Zodiad Libra ZAC’ is soft. And, the feeling transmitted to index finger is relatively sharper than the primary feeling transmitted to palm. But, not excessively sharper. Overall feeling is optimally adjusted, and the feeling of incongruity doesn’t exist. That also helps the precise and safe control those are needed for modern all-round play. ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is recommended for modern all-round players who perform offensive skills and defensive skills at the same time.

Regarding rubber combination, the standard spin-oriented tension rubbers of new generation for example ‘Hybrid MK’ or ‘Tenergy 05’ are recommended as the combination for modern all-round play. And, the combination with sticky tension rubbers such as ‘Hybrid K3’ are recommended for the player who lays more emphasis on spin performance. When those rubbers are combined with ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’, we can expect even higher speed and even longer trajectory than the combinations with non-sticky tension rubbers. (Although not tested at this time, it is expected that Chinese sticky tension rubbers such as ‘Neo Hurricane 3’ will also make good combinations with ‘Zodiad Libra ZAC’. But, because the head of ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’ is big, those heavy rubbers are not recommended for ordinary players.)

Fig.19 Tibhar ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’

PROS :

  • Great balance between power and control as its name ‘Libra’ indicates. It is easy to use but provides sufficient power when needed.
  • The ball becomes faster and more controllable if the player put rotation to the ball. It makes the play with topspin very easy and effective.
  • Block and counter topspin at close-to-table area are very easy.

CONS :

  • Active block without spin against moderate attack from opponent isn’t effective, although passive block against very strong attack from opponent is very effective.
  • Head is bigger than ordinary size. It makes the head heavier than optimum when heavy rubber is attacked. That limits the freedom of the choice of rubber.

VERDICT :

  • Very well balanced blade that provides great harmony of power and control.

RECOMMENDATION :

  • Modern all-round players who play with various skills at close-to-table area or mid-distance area.

Fig.20 Tibhar ‘Zodiac Libra ZAC’

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