NEXY Reviews: the COLOR blade (FL)

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   NEXY Color vs. XIOM Jazz

I was really impressed by the similarity, at least concerning appearance, between Color and Jazz, as pointed out in the "autopsy" made by rokphish (http://mytabletennis.net/Forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=30446&KW=&PID=369742#369742). I really was looking forward for his review to find out how these blades differed in active play, but since it was never made, I had to test the blades by myself to find out...

I had a training session today and I alternated between a NEXY Color (89g) and a XIOM Jazz FL (83g), alternating between blades about every 20 minutes. I played Donic Coppa 2.0 on FH and Sriver EL 1.9 on BH on both blades. I had never played much before with any of the two blades, so I was not used to any one. I usually play Nittaku Violin, with the same rubbers, and previously played Boll Spark.

As was already pointed out:
Color is hinoki-spruce-ayous-spruce-hinoki
Jazz is kiso hinoki-koto-ayous-koto-kiso hinoki

They both have the typical hinoki feeling, but Jazz is noticeably stiffer. This is confirmed also by the resonance frequency in the ball bounce test (1635 Hz for Jazz, and 1320 Hz for Color). As a consequence, Jazz has a lower throw and a clear speed advantage in flat hits and block. On the other hand, it is easier to clear the net when looping with Color.
I also had less trouble to keep the ball low and short with Color than with Jazz, e.g. in the short pushing game or in drop blocks.

The FL handle of Jazz is thicker, which also moves the centre of gravity toward the handle, while Color has a thinner grip, still comfortable, though, and is a little more head-heavy. Actually, this should be taken as a neutral statement, as balance of the blade very much depends on the weight of the rubbers you put on it. With my rubbers, balance of Jazz was more netural, which is good for the close-to-the-table game for which it is meant, while Color was a little bit head-heavy, which conversely is great for looping from mid-distance.

Besides being faster, I felt that Jazz was also sharper, which is an advantage if you have a perfect technique. When I was in the right position, I managed to place a few killer shots with Jazz, which would have probably been less lethal with Color. On the other hand, Jazz was also less forgiving when I was slightly off-time, and that was a clear drawback once I started playing against stronger players.

In summary, with respect to Color, Jazz is crisper, faster, more direct, has a lower throw when looping, and a balance point closer to the handle, so I would say it's better for playing close to the table. Color has a higher throw when looping, is still rigid enough for some sharp blocks, and is more spin-friendly, so I'd say it's more indicated for mid-distance play, although pure offensive player will miss some speed from farther away.

All-in-all it's a close call, but I think that for my type of game I will give Color some more chances against Violin and send Jazz back to the marketplace.