What do you think of XIOM?
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Topic: What do you think of XIOM?
Posted By: haggisv
Subject: What do you think of XIOM?
Date Posted: 01/26/2013 at 7:50pm
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Korean TT manufacturer XIOM made quite an impact on the TT equipment market a few years back, with a http://xiomtt.com - spectecular website ,
fancy packaging, detailed descriptions and charts, and a full range of
equipment rivalling many other top products on the market. It seemed to
be the talk of the TT forums too, where you'd see another thread about
XIOM surface just about every day. Talk has settled down quite a bit, although they continue to come up new products. For those of you that have tried their stuff, do you think they as good (or better) as other brands? What do you think are some of the best products to date? ------------- Smart; VS>401, Dtecs OX http://tabletennisshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=page&id=42" rel="nofollow - Tenergy Alternatives | http://tabletennis-reviews.com" rel="nofollow - My TT Articles |
Replies:
Posted By: Baal
Date Posted: 01/26/2013 at 7:57pm
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Stradivarius is a decent blade (TB-ALC is better IMHO) and they market a bunch of standard issue ESN rubbers of various sorts. Nothing exceptional about the rubbers compared to the ones sold by Donic, Joola, Andro et al. The build quality of the blades is very high and they are moderately priced compared to BTY at least (on average about 60% of the price for stuff made of comparable materials). Their blades tend to be fairly light weight. Handle shape is always an issue for me, often kind of flat and thin. Many of their composite blades are far too stiff, thick and fast -- at least for awhile they were like that. Axelo, Ignito for example, almost unplayable. I haven't tried their latest ones (Zetro whatevers or the infinite series of Hayabusa blades) because the previous ones I had tried were pretty disappointing. I wanted very much to like them, but didn't. The new ones do seem to be getting more buzz. One thing about them is that they introduce and discontinue new blades faster than any other major maker. They have always tried to make it sound very "scientific" with glitzy graphs and websites that take forever to load. At the very beginning all their blades had egg-shaped heads because of "science" and then suddenly they were all discontinued except for the Strad -- which was redesigned with a normal shaped head. |
Posted By: stiltt
Date Posted: 01/26/2013 at 8:03pm
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I think XIOM is following Butterfly model: high end awesome quality well finished blades; performing rubbers. I am happy they are catching (or have caught) up with Butterfly because I believe it will put pressure on prices to become more reasonable. About blades: I thought first the Stradivarius then the Zetro Quad and finally the Hayabusa series of blades definitely made them at the top on par with Butterfly; I am convinced they are there to stay. I am not knowledgeable at all about their rubbers as I only tried a few of theirs. I am definitely a fan of their blades and I cant wait the next series this summer, announced to me by the head of the development division of XIOM a couple weeks ago when I asked about the composition of the Hayabusa series (I had no answer as it's top secret  ).------------- /forum/topic91512_page1.html#1124698" rel="nofollow - sales - forum_posts.asp?TID=19315" rel="nofollow - feedback |
Posted By: Baal
Date Posted: 01/26/2013 at 8:10pm
| Definitely anything that would tend to force prices down would be a good thing. |
Posted By: jatienza930
Date Posted: 01/26/2013 at 8:57pm
I owned a Xiom Axelo once and I was amazed at the quality of the plies and the finish of blade. Its just too bad that I dont like the handle shape otherwise I would keep it. Performance wise its as fast as they say it is, just a tad slower than the SC. Its the price to quality ratio thats so nice about xiom products. 
------------- BTY TBS FL T05 T64 My Feedback http://mytabletennis.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=56638&KW=jen&title=jatienza930-buy-sell-feedback |
Posted By: bluebucket
Date Posted: 01/26/2013 at 9:00pm
| They do a good esn rubber. The blades are very good and well built, problem with them is the default Korean handle which is worthless and one of the worst handles on the market in a market full of crapy handles. So thats a deal breaker for me |
Posted By: bluebucket
Date Posted: 01/26/2013 at 9:08pm
| I actually find it very annoying the Asian manufacturers continue building handles that only fit one race of humans. Imagine a suit company that made all different size and style jackets.... and only size extra small arms on all of them.. |
Posted By: Wyo
Date Posted: 01/26/2013 at 9:19pm
| Personally I am a big fan of Xiom. Although I only own one of their blades, (solo) I am very impressed with the craftsmanship of the blade. As opposed to Baal, I feel that Xiom has nice fat handles (maybe I have small hands?). I personally like the handle on my solo as much as I like the legend handle on my rosewood. In terms of their rubbers, I feel they're a great value for the money. I am big fan of the vega series of rubbers (tried pro, euro, china) and sigma and omega series. Admittedly, I agree there are better rubbers, but I am hard pressed to find such a good rubber for $33, like vega. Overall I love what Xiom is doing by putting out a great product for a great price. |
Posted By: JimT
Date Posted: 01/26/2013 at 9:30pm
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A bunch of their blades are at least as good as Butterfly's or Stiga's etc. Also their lines of Vega and Omega rubbers are pretty good and not very expensive. I myself like Omega IV Asia a lot. But Vegas and O4 Europe have very good reputation as well. ------------- Single Ply Hinoki Club, Founding Member Say "no!" to expensive table tennis equipment. Please... |
Posted By: dalamchops
Date Posted: 01/26/2013 at 11:25pm
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not impressed.. their rubbers are just mostly rebadge of german rubbers. Blades look fancy but they don't have anything that are considered signature blades of other well established brands.
------------- Stiga Titanium 5.4 Cpen Andro Hexer Pips 2.1 Donic Acuda S2 Max |
Posted By: Leshxa
Date Posted: 01/26/2013 at 11:28pm
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The first Xiom blade I ever tried was V1, but didn't quite like it because of thickness, but then I tried Stradivarius and I've been hooked ever since. I played with Yasaka and Donic mostly before that, but when I decided to try a carbon blade, Yasaka only offered few which I didn't quite like and Donic didn't have any appealing non senso carbon blades that I liked either. I think Xiom made a great progression forward, but just like any growing company it is still learning how to get a bigger piece of the market. For blades, quality wise, I think its on top along with Butterfly and Nittaku. Price wise they are better than both. Selection wise, I like their smaller selection. Seems many other brands offer many types of equipment of identical kind with different names or very minimal differences. Xiom on the other hand has very specific choices. Regarding Xiom handles, I didn't like the handles at first either. I used anatomic handles most of the time by other brands, but as I got to using Stradivarius more often, I got more comfortable and actually have an easier time adjusting to any other blade handles. Rubber wise, I am not 100% sold on Xiom. The biggest problem I have is a confusing large selection of varying kinds of rubbers and the multitude of sponges offered. The Pro/Elite/Asia/ and whatever other convention is somewhat difficult to understand. For me I have to go back and review each characteristic since I can't recall which one has more spin and speed ratio. Price wise, the rubbers also come off a bit more expensive than Donic counterparts, so Donic has remained my #1 choice for rubbers. I do however, look forward to further products, offerings, accessories, and expansion by Xiom. I think the brand will continue growing. ------------- Back to table tennis... |
Posted By: Baal
Date Posted: 01/26/2013 at 11:43pm
Maybe not your hands, maybe they made a fat handle on the Solo? I've never seen one of those so can't comment. Strad, Axelo, Ignito handles all pretty thin (in flare, I've never seen their straight -- thin in the axis that is perpendicular to the blade face). Several people have commented on this. The manufacturer with the antidote to this is Tibhar. Distinctly larger handles. |
Wyo wrote:Posted By: Anton Chigurh
Date Posted: 01/26/2013 at 11:47pm
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Leshxa brought up a lot of good points so instead of just say the same thing others have said, I'd just like to add my input to some of his points.
I absolutely agree with all of the above. I have nothing to add but only express my agreement to stress this point, as I think it's important.
It's a well known fact in behavioral sciences, neuroeconomics, and good ol' business marketing that, although people like a certain amount of choices, TOO MANY choices results in a greater deal of dissatisfaction. There is a threshold at which people can no longer be satisfied with any purchase/selection they make because with so many choices they have that constant nagging feeling of "the grass is always greener on the other side". I am almost completely convinced that the TT market know this fact of human psychology and exploit it quite effectively... and hence the market flooded with blade and rubber choices that vary very little between models and subsequent generations.
I preferred their older FL handles as they were much larger than now. The current generation of blades have handles like so many other companies out there--which is to say, way too small. I do, however, love their ST handles. Very comfortable.
XIOM rubbers, IMO, are no better or worse than all the other ESN rubbers out there. I'm kinda "done" with ESN rubbers so... I really don't care much about what they offer in this regard anymore.
I absolutely agree. I just hope they try to innovate a bit more (especially in the rubber department) rather than just branding the most recent generation of ESN rubber. I know they recently released a non-ESN rubber. I'd be interested in trying that. On the whole, their quality (even on their made in China blades) is as good or better than any company out there. I hope they continue to grow. ------------- Neo H3 40D| Offensive S | Tenergy 80 |
Posted By: SteveWAD
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 12:31am
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I used the Xiom Zeta Max Red European version for about 1 year, and loved the rubber and the $35.00 price I was getting it for, but now its not imported into US anymore and my last order had to come from Australia via Ebay.
So I gave up on it and switched to Tenergy 05 FX.
But I would still be w/Xiom Zeta if the source had not dried up, the rubber is excellent for Power and Control. Will Henzel gave a very positive review on it couple years back
Steve ------------- Steve Adams Foster City, CA. mailto:[email protected]" rel="nofollow - My Email |
Posted By: decoi
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 12:54am
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havent tried any of the blades . rather pleased with rubber price and performance, low point would be the strength of the rubber, rather easy to break ------------- Blade: DHS Hurricane Hao FH: TG3 BS BH: Xiom Omega 4 Aisa Blade: Hurricane Hao 2 (656) Fh: Dhs Gold Arc 3 Bh: Stiga Tour H http://www.youtube.com/user/decoyla?feature=mhee |
Posted By: Imago
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 1:45am
| XIOM blades are beauties (tried seven of them). Good solid feel in contradistinction to most Andro and TSP blades. Wide ST handles are very comfortable. Rubbers are excellent (tried 8 models) but seem too fragile. Tau however looked sturdy. Musa has to be speed glued in order to perform. |
Posted By: Toprank
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 2:21am
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Best straight handles in the business. And I think their rubbers are very good bang for the buck. ------------- CURRENT BLADE- Ross Leidy White Lightning FH- Haifu Blue Whale II BH- Xiom Vega Europe |
Posted By: silva7
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 5:04am
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i like the Zetro Quad and V1 Quad blades, the Hinoki Carbon are too fast like the Schlager Carbon. agree about the rubbers, good price for performance. I still prefer my Nittaku Wooden blades ------------- RSM Special Platinum T64 |
Posted By: yogi_bear
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 5:12am
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the older xiom blades such as the aria and amadeus are my favorites. too bad they dont make these blades anymore ------------- Independent online TT Product reviewer of XIOM, STIGA, JOOLA, SANWEI, GEWO, AIR, ITC, APEX, YASAKA and ABROS ITTF Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor, ITTF Level 1 Coach |
Posted By: assiduous
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 5:23am
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I recently sold my last XIOM rubber and gave up on them and not buying any more. Vega, Omaga, Sigma, ... euro, pro, asia.. they all have this sponge feel on contact that i find very unpleasant. Like they used a kitchen sponge. The blades are really pretty and good deal at their price points but if you are looking for the best you have to go to Bty anyway. ------------- puppy412 : Sorry man, I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but I know that more training will make me better, I don't need to come here to figure that out |
Posted By: haggisv
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 6:54am
SO you don't get this 'sponge' feel with other ESN rubbers? ------------- Smart; VS>401, Dtecs OX http://tabletennisshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=page&id=42" rel="nofollow - Tenergy Alternatives | http://tabletennis-reviews.com" rel="nofollow - My TT Articles |
Posted By: Imago
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 8:55am
| Most of the other soft ESN rubbers are just popcorns. |
Posted By: watchski
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 9:16am
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Its hard to beat the Hayabusa Series. There is a lot of thread's on that blade. I am selling one here.. (in the FS Section). but check out the gorgeous craftmanship. I believe Xiom makes amazing blades. Xiom Hayabusa Z+ Here are the pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/111938578827382898143/albums/5837978487237598833?authkey=CN2J2LXs64qfjwE - https://plus.google.com/photos/111938578827382898143/albums/5837978487237598833?authkey=CN2J2LXs64qfjwE The Hayabusa Z+ is a world-class light weight racquet made of 5 plies of exquisite hard wood and 2 plies mico-thin Zephylium polymer layers. Superb drive offense with a sharper feel! New Power-Blade. The Hayabusa Z+ is designed to perform at the highest level. Made from the perfect balance of pristine hardwood, combined with two perfectly placed ultra thin layers of Zepheylium carbon polymer mesh, the Hyabusa Z+ is a high performance blade engineered to perfection. The Hayabusa Z+ produces a sharp feel upon ball contact coupled with flexibility to create outstanding spin and drive. The result a unique outstanding extra ball force, leveraged spin and sufficient ball feel. Layers: Hard Wood 5 Carbon 2 Blade Type: Offensive Thickness: 5.7 mm Weight: 86.5 grams Xiom is proud to present its new HAYABUSA models. After years of research and painstaking manufacturing and empirical testing, the engineers at Xiom have unleashed the next generation of wood blades, designed to perform for you at the highest level. The groundbreaking construction and unprecedented vibration mechanism define these racquets. Superbly engineered by combining the best hardwoods layers with the perfect mix of Zephyllian carbon mesh polymer make these blades the best produced on the planet today! ------------- Blades: Ross Leidy (Nemesis) Ross Leidy (Canxan) Ross Leidy (Rapscallion) Infinity VPS Rubbers: Nittaku S-1 Tenergy 80FX 1.9mm |
Posted By: Lestat
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 9:42am
| For what it's worth, Xiom is the incarnation of the old Champion brand. Around 2004 they decided they want to penetrate the high end table tennis equipment market and as it stands, it's much harder to convince people your old dusty Champion is the new high-end Champion - hence the name change. Not that it matters at our end, just an interesting fact. |
Posted By: watchski
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 10:01am
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Interesting. It makes me not like it quite as much. I agree. it wouldn't be as successful if it was still the "old champion" brand. Marketers are smart. ------------- Blades: Ross Leidy (Nemesis) Ross Leidy (Canxan) Ross Leidy (Rapscallion) Infinity VPS Rubbers: Nittaku S-1 Tenergy 80FX 1.9mm |
Posted By: Kolev
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 10:16am
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I like very much the Sigma rubbers. I use Sigma I and II Pro and can't be happier. Recently I tried Sigma I Euro and I am even more impressed. I don't agree that they are the same as the rest ESN rubbers(e.g. Bluefire M1,1Q,5Q)Very different actually with more Japanese feel than the typical ESN ------------- Hallmark Carbon Extreme (x3) FH: D05/G1/RX BH: Z2/D64/Ω7Pro |
Posted By: SmackDAT
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 10:34am
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I think the future is good for Xiom. One thing they need to do is to stop manufacturing Omega 3- and only offer modern rubbers to the general public. They need to stick to what they're good at, super fast ESN rubbers, not SP's and only LP's once they have the experience. My advice to Xiom is to keep making new rubbers, and stop manufacturing old rubbers, since that way, Xiom has already caught up with Butterfly. The problem is that not ALL of their products are of Butterfly quality, only some notable ones, Hayabusa, Strad and Omega/Vega/Sigma series. ------------- Zhang Jike ALC AN (88g) Tenergy 05 Hard (2.1, B) Tenergy 19 (2.1, R) https://goo.gl/bFWoxW" rel="nofollow - https://goo.gl/bFWoxW |
Posted By: Skyline
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 10:36am
| Xiom rubbers are very good. My favorites are Xiom Omega IV Asia and Omega Europa. Like Kolev said they feel different from other ESN rubbers. They are more durable and feel more japanese. |
Posted By: stefashka
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 12:39pm
The list can be significantly extended. All Xiom blades I tried are top notch. Beside Zetro Quad and Strad I currently use, I speak about Extreme S, Ignito and Strato. Tau is very good and quite close resembles Chinese rubbers at their best, Musa is a great BH rubber, Zava short pips are actually very nice to play with. My son uses Xiom backpack and I see how comfortable and stylish it is. So, if Xiom will continue doing what they are doing now and keep their prices reasonable, they indeed should have bright future  ------------- Darker 7P-2A CP - Dignics 09c, TSP Curl P3α |
Posted By: assiduous
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 3:06pm
absolutely not. All xiom rubbers have a unique sponge feel. To contrast it with the touch that Tenergy or Tenzone or Rhyzm have, those three feel like the topsheet and the sponge is one homogenous material that feels like soft elastic rubber. The XIOM rubbers feel different, i feel the sponge more than the topsheet and if feels not rubber-like but kitchen sponge like. I am not criticizing them in any way though, it is really a matter of personal preference. The highest player in our club, a 2350, uses Sigma and his style is beatutiful looping, so i know the rubber is good enough for sure. Many other good players use it too. It is just a personal preference. I gave up on koto outer layers as well. Don't like. I know all top pros use Koto for outer plies because it has better control than limba, but I am addicted to limba and can't help it. May be if i crack 2000 one day i won't need the dwell time of limba any more and can move to Koto. And Xiom, who knows :) ------------- puppy412 : Sorry man, I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but I know that more training will make me better, I don't need to come here to figure that out |
Posted By: fattchoi
Date Posted: 01/27/2013 at 6:51pm
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I currently own and play with the Xiom Axelo and Zetro Quad blades. Comments above about the thin handles are quite true. I fix that by putting on a grip tape and they now fit perfectly in my hand. Axelo as anyone here has used it would attest to it being a fast blade. I have the M1 and Dtecs OX on it. Initially, for the first hour or so, it was a wild beast. Once 'tamed', this bat well and truly feels good in my hand. I believe it is my best bat ever. I just love the feel of the ball on the DTecs and that FH with M1 smash is almost unreturnable. As for the Zetro Quad, I have the T05 and DTecs OX on it. With this combination, it is a really nice looping bat on the FH and great chop/block on the BH. However, after having used the Axelo and gotten used to it, I find the ZQ 'slow'. But a few of my friends who tried it thinks it is fast. AND, I have been able to beat a couple of players with this bat that I have never been able to beat before. But I must admit, I feel more confident wielding the Axelo even though I have slightly better result with this bat. Probably because I played with the Axelo much longer and therefore got used to it more. In any case, visually, both blades are beauties. They look of really high quality. I personally could not be happier. If I had to buy a back up blade, I will certainly go for the Axelo. ------------- Member of the Single Ply Hinoki Club |
Posted By: MartynLJ
Date Posted: 01/28/2013 at 1:25pm
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I use Tibhar Genius (F/H) and Yasaka Phantom 007 on Max Friendship sponge (B/H). playing an attacking and blocking/counter-attacking game on B/H and topspin/very spinny fast loop-drive game on F/H I have 4 blades (all with straight handles): Xiom Stradivarius - as compared to the Xiom, the handles on the following are: Taico 200 - Very slightly narrower and almost identical in thickness Tibhar Samsonov Techno-Power - Slightly narrower and very slightly thicker Joola Wing Passion Fast - Very slightly narrower and almost identical in thickness  I'm confused, unless all four of the above blades are much thinner than average (and I can't recall thinking the Taico - the oldest above blade - was noticeably thinner than my previous blade, a Butterfly Kenny ) then I would say the Xiom is close to the norm (and my hands are average in size, at least). However, the Xiom is recently purchased; maybe they have changed the handles.As far as the playing characteristics of the Xiom are concerned, it is: - Well made. - Probably Offensive minus --> Offensive in speed. - Lacking a little, as compared to the Taico and Joola, in touch/feeling (this could be because of the carbon/aramid layer) so lacking a little in control - Despite above, good for heavy topspin close to and away from the table and for counter hitting and flat hitting on my F/H. - Very consistent in playing strokes (again, probably down to the carbon/aramid layer) |
Posted By: haggisv
Date Posted: 01/28/2013 at 7:09pm
Any idea which one that is? ------------- Smart; VS>401, Dtecs OX http://tabletennisshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=page&id=42" rel="nofollow - Tenergy Alternatives | http://tabletennis-reviews.com" rel="nofollow - My TT Articles |
Posted By: cool_natja
Date Posted: 01/28/2013 at 8:57pm
Xiom Musa I. http://www.tenismasa.ro/new-xiom-musa/443.htm - http://www.tenismasa.ro/new-xiom-musa/443.htm ------------- "Nothing replaces training" - Stellan Bengtsson |
Posted By: haggisv
Date Posted: 01/28/2013 at 9:11pm
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That's made in Germany, so I expect it's still an ESN rubber, just not a Tensor. ------------- Smart; VS>401, Dtecs OX http://tabletennisshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=page&id=42" rel="nofollow - Tenergy Alternatives | http://tabletennis-reviews.com" rel="nofollow - My TT Articles |
Posted By: cool_natja
Date Posted: 01/28/2013 at 9:40pm
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Oops, sorry ... to my knowledge Tensor rubbers do associate with ESN.
------------- "Nothing replaces training" - Stellan Bengtsson |
Posted By: haggisv
Date Posted: 01/28/2013 at 10:39pm
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Yes you're right there... all Tensors are ESN (Tensor is a trademark owned by ESN), however not all ESN rubbers are Tensors... they have many non-tensor rubbers, and it sounds like Musa is one of those. I'm not sure if Anton was thinking of the same one, or another new one that's not yet available. ------------- Smart; VS>401, Dtecs OX http://tabletennisshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=page&id=42" rel="nofollow - Tenergy Alternatives | http://tabletennis-reviews.com" rel="nofollow - My TT Articles |
Posted By: beeray1
Date Posted: 01/29/2013 at 1:14am
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I like their blades a lot. I own a Solo and an Offensive S. I was unlucky as the offensive S already chipped and I've only owned it a week and a half, but they are well finished. I think the FL handle is still better than, say, the FL handle on a Korbel or an Acoustic. They also have a better balance- even if the weight is higher. I've seen 3 offensive S blades, and everyone seemed to play identical, which speaks to the QC. |
Posted By: watchski
Date Posted: 01/29/2013 at 9:23am
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I am selling a Xiom Hayabusa Z+ which is a pretty cool blade. ------------- Blades: Ross Leidy (Nemesis) Ross Leidy (Canxan) Ross Leidy (Rapscallion) Infinity VPS Rubbers: Nittaku S-1 Tenergy 80FX 1.9mm |
Posted By: signal02
Date Posted: 01/29/2013 at 10:04pm
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clean up your mailbox. My pm bounced back. I was referring to the M2. |
Posted By: haggisv
Date Posted: 01/29/2013 at 10:11pm
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My biggest grip with XIOM is probably that they discontinue their items a little too quickly. it's very annoying when you find something you like, and when you';re ready to buy another one it's no longer available! It's even worse for rubbers,when they remove them from ITTF approval. Guillotine comes to mind, which was removed from the list soon after it was discontinued. I think they should leave them on the list at least for a few years, to support the customers that bought them. I like their products though, good quality stuff from what I've seen. ------------- Smart; VS>401, Dtecs OX http://tabletennisshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=page&id=42" rel="nofollow - Tenergy Alternatives | http://tabletennis-reviews.com" rel="nofollow - My TT Articles |
Posted By: alphapong
Date Posted: 02/02/2013 at 2:17pm
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Our top kid's have all switched to Xiom in the last couple months and are playing well. For blades our favorites are Offensive S, Aria Lite and Zi. These fit in the "controlled attack" offensive- to offensive range. I have been using the Aigis for chop, chop block and hit with my C7 and like it a LOT. The quality on all the blades is first rate. Our players that previously used Chinese rubber seem to prefer Omega IV Pro. It has less"boing" than typical ESN Tensors. Our players that were using Japanese and European rubbers seem to prefer the Sigma over Omega. The new Sigma II is being very well received and has more dwell time than Sigma I. We are finding all the rubbers much more durable than early ESN products. The surprise out of the new rubbers is Vega Japan. This one is VERY NICE. I don't know why they called this "Vega Japan". It is not the old Vega top sheet, and it's not Japanese sponge. Completely different. Our top junior (around USATT 2300) who previously used that $80 rubber on his forehand chose Vega Japan as his favorite Xiom forehand rubber and is playing well with it. (Disclosure - Xiom is sponsoring our junior program. But if our kid's were not able to play well with the product, they definitely would not use it.) |
Posted By: Rich215
Date Posted: 02/02/2013 at 4:30pm
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I have been waiting to hear about Xiom Vega Japan. alphapong...what can you tell us about this rubber?
------------- |
Posted By: alphapong
Date Posted: 02/03/2013 at 4:33am
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Well for starters I was not expecting too much from this rubber since it is part of the older Vega series. When it came in I hit a few balls with it and it felt very nice, so I gave it and the new Sigma 2 rubbers to one of our top juniors to try. I was surprised when he said he liked it a lot and chose it as his new forehand rubber. He used to play $80 on the forehand and $80 fx and the backhand and he is now playing Vega Japan forehand and Sigma II Europe on the backhand. Tonight I asked him “What if anything do you think you are giving up with the change in rubbers? Spin? Speed? Serve? Receive? “ His answer. “I don’t think I am giving anything up, and I prefer the Sigma II Europe over what I was using on my backhand before.” After our conversation he then proceeded to win $100 in our monthly tournament beating a 2600 player in the final. So I don’t think we can say his level has dropped much with the rubber change. I hit some with it briefly and found that the feel is more “Japanese”. It is medium hard, the response is very linear and it has less ”boing” than ESN rubbers usually have. It plays very controlled in the short game, but when you swing hard the speed come out. It reminded me a “little” of HPB, but a bit more lively. It is also very spinny. I have not yet seen the MSRP on this rubber, but based on the wholesale, I think it will be under $50. The manager of the US branch of Xiom told me he think it is destined to be their best seller. At that price point I would tend to agree. |
Posted By: ZApenholder
Date Posted: 02/03/2013 at 4:49am
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I just glued a Sigma II Euro for my forehand and I think it was too soft - kind of light too. I had Sigma II Pro on my other CPen, i'm thinking of going Sigma II pro for FH and Sigma II Euro for BH or maybe Omega IV Euro for BH I tried Omega IV Elite on BH - it was indeed slower and more control, but was just too light (weight wise) for me. |
Posted By: haggisv
Date Posted: 02/04/2013 at 8:32pm
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Which do you think are the most & least durable series?
------------- Smart; VS>401, Dtecs OX http://tabletennisshop.com.au/index.php?main_page=page&id=42" rel="nofollow - Tenergy Alternatives | http://tabletennis-reviews.com" rel="nofollow - My TT Articles |
Posted By: ckhirnigs113
Date Posted: 02/12/2013 at 2:02pm
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Any more info on Vega Japan? It sounds interesting. Do we know anything about how hard the sponge is, or whether the topsheet is grippy or tacky?
------------- Blade: Victas Koji Matsushita FL FH: Xiom Vega Japan MAX BH: TSP P-1R 1.0mm USATT Rating: 1947 |