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Xiom Musa III vs Baracuda

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ericd937 View Drop Down
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    Posted: 06/19/2019 at 6:38pm
I've searched the all of the Xiom Musa III threads and reviews, but there isn't all that much information about it. Has anyone here played with both Musa III and Baracuda? From what I can gather, Musa 3 is softer and has more catapult than Baracuda. My guess is that Musa 3 is faster. I can't find too much about the spin level and the top sheet grip of Musa III. One of the shops here in Saigon has Musa III on sale for like 16 bucks or so. I was thinking about giving it a go for that price. Why not? 
Current Setup: TBS FH T80/BH D80
Official USATT Rating 1815
Current estimated level: 1800-1900.
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DarkerMyLove View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DarkerMyLove Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/19/2019 at 10:48pm
My coworker has it (on viscaria).  On an ALC blade is it not 'slow' but it is a soft sponge.  Probably similar softness to Vega Europe but without the Tensor affect--- which means it has a relatively 'low throw'. 

Not a tensor but it has 'some' bounciness. Quite linear in feel and speed.    Very controllable rubber, not sensitive to spin.  Better on more flatter hits.  If you are trying to do a full (controlled) loops...that 'dwell' will make the rubber feel slow.

Hard loops (and certainly away from the table counter loops) it will bottom out easily so there is a 'cap' on spin.  I'm not a fan of soft sponges in general (just personal preference).  I have no idea about the speed relative to Baracuda but the sponge hardness alone should make Baracuda have slightly more speed and definitely more spin on loops.  

MUSA III feels like a faster/spinnier Mark V.  It's not going to 'assist' you with loads of spin and speed but it also won't punish you if you are still developing technique (lots of room for error).  Which is why I think a former coach we hired at the office 'picked' out this rubber for my coworker who is still a lower (developing) level.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ericd937 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/19/2019 at 11:41pm
So, I bought it on a whim. Nothing like Baracuda at all. It has a good bit of catapult. Speed is pretty fast. Spin is medium high. Control is very good. Its not exactly like it, but reminds me a little of playing with Tenergy 05fx. Maybe a toned down forgiving version. It honestly feels faster and better than Vega Europe. I  will update more after I play more. 

Edited by ericd937 - 06/19/2019 at 11:44pm
Current Setup: TBS FH T80/BH D80
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Current estimated level: 1800-1900.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ericd937 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/20/2019 at 1:21am
Last response was my feeling mid-session. I just got home. Musa III is quite an easy rubber to play. It's fairly fast, but the top end speed and even the spin are somewhat  limited by the softness. If you go too hard, it bottoms out. For 16 bucks its a really good rubber. I'll play it for a few weeks and see how it goes. I didn't have any unusual results today. I beat the players I usually beat and lost to the players I normally lose to .

Edited by ericd937 - 06/20/2019 at 1:22am
Current Setup: TBS FH T80/BH D80
Official USATT Rating 1815
Current estimated level: 1800-1900.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GeneralSpecific Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/20/2019 at 8:51am
DarkerMyLove is correct. Musa 3 is a juiced up Mark V, maybe even more so than Mark V HPS. However, it is still slower than the normal Vega Europe. The Musa rubbers are not tensors so I wouldn't compare them directly to tensors. However, it is a very nice bridge between classic rubbers and tensioned glue effect rubbers.
Blade - Xiom 36.5 ALX FL
Forehand - Xiom Omega V Asia 2.0mm
Backhand - Victas Curl P5V with Der Materialspezialist Firestorm Soft/Outkill 1.8mm sponge
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ericd937 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/20/2019 at 10:31am
You guys are correct that Musa III isn't labeled as Tensor, but the back of the package does state, "HYPER ELASTO is a new technology for future table tennis. This advanced technology is based on TENSOR, and realized very high level of spin performance." So, even though its not technically a tensor, I think it shares more characteristics of a tensor rather than characteristics similar to Mark V and Classic Rubbers. I actually tried a sheet of Mark V M2 recently on someone else's paddle. Musa III has a lot more catapult than Mark V M2. Mark V M2 was a pretty bland rubber compared to Musa III. Musa III isn't that spectacular, but it was definitely at least a couple steps above Mark V. I've never tried Mark V HPS, but I have tried Vega Europe. However, I tried Vega Europe ages ago. Its been a bit long for me to make an accurate comparison. Has any one tried boosting Musa III? 

Edited by ericd937 - 06/20/2019 at 10:39am
Current Setup: TBS FH T80/BH D80
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Current estimated level: 1800-1900.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ericd937 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/20/2019 at 10:36am
In addition, the back of the package also states this, "Also, high level of energy is already integrated by TENSOR. HYPER ELASTO rubbers catch ball as if they breathe he ball in, and then give the ball very strong spin. Everything is effortless, and its feel is also superb. Greatly improved durability is another advantage of HYPER ELASTO, compared to conventional rubbers with built-in tension effect."

It seems like they are comparing it to tensors rather than classic rubbers. 


Current Setup: TBS FH T80/BH D80
Official USATT Rating 1815
Current estimated level: 1800-1900.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote yogi_bear Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/20/2019 at 7:17pm
Musa 3 is designed almost like the yasaka valmo. It is like an intermediate rubber. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ericd937 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/21/2019 at 7:50am
I've never tried Yasaka Valmo. 

I just finished my second session with Musa III. As my first session with it, I played fairly well again today. No unexpected results. I beat the people who I normally beat and lost to the people who I normally lose to. I did play one guy to deuce in the fifth whom I've never beaten before, but I ended up losing.  Its one of the most forgiving rubbers that I've ever played. If you make slight misread on the spin or less than perfect contact during rallies, the ball still lands. That's the biggest advantage of Musa III. If you can get your bat on the ball and make a fairly good stroke, the ball lands. Its also really insensitive to incoming spin. I can attack a lot of balls that were previously more difficult to attack, but the drawback is the quality of the balls on my attacks isn't quite as high as before. 

So far, the weakest point of Musa III is serving. In service it generates significantly less spin than Baracuda. The only serving advantage of Musa III (that I can find so far) is that its quite easy to serve really fast topspin and fast no spin. I couldn't do that as easily with Baracuda. With Baracuda, my fast serves were often too slow to be effective. Short backspin balls are especially more difficult to execute and have less spin with Musa III. 

As I mentioned before, the softness is a problem for me with Musa. I noticed it even more today. When I hit with half power or so, Musa III has a bit of catapult and is at least moderately fast. However, When I hit harder it doesn't get that much faster. It bottom out pretty easily. So, you can hit fairly quick balls using less of your own power, but the top end speed is pretty limited when you want to ramp it up. The spin is also another area where i find a little bit lacking. The spin on my loops is just okay. Not terrible and it still has enough spin to put balls all over the table from mid distance, but not great. I wouldn't want to go out past mid-distance with Musa III, the quality of the balls from further out just wasn't good enough in my opinion. 


Current Setup: TBS FH T80/BH D80
Official USATT Rating 1815
Current estimated level: 1800-1900.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote t64t64t64 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/21/2019 at 9:24am
valmo is a mid level rubber in term of speed but it can provide high spin but lesser than baracuda
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ericd937 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/24/2019 at 12:23am
So, Musa is a little bit too mild for my taste and it's awful for serves. I'm in the process of boosting it. It domed pretty big off of a really thin layer of booster. I'm not gonna put any additional bossier on it. I got it glued and plan to test it out this evening. Smile
Current Setup: TBS FH T80/BH D80
Official USATT Rating 1815
Current estimated level: 1800-1900.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ericd937 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06/29/2019 at 4:24am
2 layers of Phoenix Reviver makes Xiom Musa 3 better.

Edited by ericd937 - 07/03/2019 at 12:36pm
Current Setup: TBS FH T80/BH D80
Official USATT Rating 1815
Current estimated level: 1800-1900.
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