Tibhar Samsonov Alpha SGS (sponge grip system) is a blade that received a warm welcome in Europe in recent years.This is because the blade is named after the world-class player in Belarus, Vladimir Samsonov.
People believe Samsonov is the successor of Waldner a European table tennis player. He is the most powerful and most threatening player that can stop Chinese players from dominating the men’s singles in the world tournament.
The main feature of Samsonov is he possesses a very strong foundation. Even though he does not play with a ferocious style, but his defense is very strong. He can play in soft style and still able to counter-attack the opponent unexpectedly.
The success of Samsonov can be attributed to the Tibhar Samsonov Alpha blade. It is constructed with fine wood and quality, and it has a very flexible surface. The center of gravity forward at the front, and the lightweight design offers a faster speed to the player without having the feeling of losing the wrist.
Features of Tibhar Samsonov Alpha SGS Blade
The most significant advantage of this blade is its looping and leveraging power. It offers players a very continuous loop while at the same time providing good bounce and low throw. But you can significantly feel when the bounce of the ball is hit without a
Test Result:
- Speed: 86
- Control: 69
- Stiffness: 3.7
- Hardness: 4.7
- Weight: 85g
The head of Tibhar Samsonov Alpha SGS is more significant than other blades. It provides players with a lot of feeling and control. It mainly performs well in blocking ferocious close table topspin shots. Besides, the blade can also offer players a lot of control and flexibility.
However, this blade does not have enough power for heavy attacks. You may have difficulty performing a hard smash to gain the point, as you will need to come out with extra energy to make the killing shot.
While the blade features a sponge built at the handle to offer a good grip feel, you may grab the blade’s handle for a long time and still not get that comfortable feel.
One drawback is that the sponge tends to absorb excess moisture and make the sponge damp, which may cause some uneasiness for some people.
After playing again with the Palio blitz on this blade, I’m starting to feel it. I have recently been testing the Blitz against Tenergy 05 on this Tibhar Samsonov blade and am finding that because it is slower, the blade’s added dwell makes up and even begs for the kind of throw angle – a little lower than Tenergy that comes from Blitz. I find if I am back from the table, I prefer Blitz toย Tenergy 05!
Tibhar Samsonov Alpha SGS with DHS Hurricane 3 and CJ8000C
This blade is not as soft as many of my friends claimed. I feel this blade still has a certain level of hardness. The speed is not slow. It is much faster than the OC. Even though it has a smaller sweet spot, and the FL handle is very comfortable.
When you hold the blade, naturally, you will make a deep grip. I have the feeling that the handle is thin, the same as the blade, which is light and thin, and it is very flexible for me to change the stroke from backhand to forehand and vice versa.
Nonetheless, I always feel that the sponge is a bit “slow” when I hit the ball. I made quite a few mistakes when I started to play the game with this blade with DHS Hurricane 3
For the backhand, I am trying with the CJ8000 C. I feel quite good with the
So when I use my backhand to hit the ball, I can easily make the loop and drive; the hand feels unmistakable. It should be an excellent choice to match with them in the Tibhar Samsonov Alpha SGS blade.
Play for Another Time
Last night, I went to play again with the Tibhar Samsonov Alpha SGS blade. Still with the DHS Hurricane 3 on the forehand and CJ8000 C on the backhand. I played for almost two and a half hours.
This time I felt a lot better than the first time. Recalling last time, I learned a painful lesson for attaching the Yasaka New Era
It was a huge mistake because it was difficult to control the blade. The
First, the forehand loop is impressive. Sometimes the slower lob is also caused the ball out of bounds. I don’t have such an issue when playing with a classic offensive blade.
If you push your forehand forward and fully concentrate on the front force, and hold the ball, it can give you a very powerful attack.
When the forehand receives the serve, the ball’s control inside the table is not reasonable, and it is easy to hit the net. So I dare not to do a lot of lobs.
I not yet adept with the control, and I have made the ball out of bounds several times when making forehand loops.
After using CJ8000 C for my backhand, the drive close to the table is not bad.
If you are looking for this blade, you can get it from Amazon.
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