Plies
2-ply
Material
Hybrid
Head Shape
Standard
Balance
Balanced
Nimbus VIP
Tibhar Nimbus VIP is a high-performance rubber engineered for aggressive offensive players seeking maximum speed and spin. Developed in collaboration with Vladimir Samsonov, it replicates the advantages of speed gluing in a VOC-free format, making it ideal for the modern game. Featuring a hard VIP power sponge and a strong top sheet, it delivers a powerful rebound and significant energy transfer. This rubber excels in fast-paced rallies, powerful loops, and smashes while maintaining good control for its speed class. It's best suited for players with a positive topspin style who can handle its firm nature and faster ball trajectory.
Nimbus VIP's construction focuses on maximizing speed and power through its hard VIP sponge and a robust top sheet designed to work in conjunction with it. This two-layer combination aims to provide a powerful rebound and emulate the effect of speed glue.
TT Sensei Ratings
✦Our expert analysis of this blade's performance characteristics
Nimbus VIP is renowned for its exceptional speed, often described as blinding and among the fastest rubbers tested. It provides a powerful rebound and significant energy transfer, making it ideal for aggressive offensive play and fast-paced rallies. This speed allows players to generate high pace on smashes and loops with less effort.
Despite its high speed, Nimbus VIP offers a respectable level of control, especially for countering and defensive strokes. Players find it manageable for serves and pushes. However, its firmness and speed can make very short game play and precise placement more challenging, requiring good technique and timing.
Nimbus VIP is characterized by its hard sponge, providing a firm feel at impact. This firm feel is crucial for generating its high speed and power, and players note it feels significantly harder than many other rubbers in its class.
Nimbus VIP is noted for having a low to medium-low throw angle, especially when used with softer outer plies on a blade. This low trajectory is beneficial for flat-hitting and powerful counter-attacks, and it thrives on open-blade looping.
Our testing suggests Nimbus VIP has a relatively short dwell time, particularly when spin-looping. This is characteristic of fast, hard-sponge rubbers designed for direct power shots and aggressive play. Players who rely on long dwell time for spin generation might find it less suitable.
Nimbus VIP is designed to be a stiff rubber due to its hard sponge, which is essential for its high-speed capabilities. It is not considered flexible and is best suited for players who employ a more direct and powerful playing style rather than a soft, flexible one.
With its hard sponge and focus on speed, Nimbus VIP transmits a moderate to high level of vibration. This direct feedback is part of its aggressive playing characteristic, allowing players to feel the ball contact and power transfer clearly.
Nimbus VIP is generally regarded as a high-quality rubber, built with durable materials that provide consistent performance. Its ability to deliver speed and spin without external adhesives suggests robust manufacturing and a solid, versatile feel suitable for offensive game players.
Technology
Tibhar Nimbus VIP incorporates SPI (Speed-effect Inside) technology, which integrates the benefits of traditional speed glue directly into the rubber itself. This allows players to achieve a powerful rebound, enhanced speed, and the characteristic sound of speed-glued equipment without the need for VOC-releasing adhesives. The VIP power sponge is a key component, designed to be very hard and optimized to overcome the loss of glue effect, providing a significant speed boost while retaining spin and finesse for the modern offensive game.
Pro Players Using This Blade
Vladimir Samsonov
Vladimir Samsonov was instrumental in the development of the Tibhar Nimbus VIP rubber. Tibhar prepared several new rubber samples for him to test after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, aiming to provide a high-performance replacement for speed-glued rubbers. Samsonov's testing confirmed that the Nimbus VIP, with its hard VIP power sponge, was the optimal choice. He used it successfully in the European Championships in St. Petersburg, remaining unbeaten in the team event and reaching the singles final, showcasing its effectiveness for top-level offensive play.