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Review: Xiom Vega Pro |
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JimT
Premier Member Joined: 10/26/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14602 |
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Posted: 01/14/2010 at 11:23am |
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Rubber: Xiom Vega Pro, MAX thickness, Red (on black sponge)
Received for testing from MyTableTennis.com (thanks, Alex!) Photos: XiomVegaPro Two of them I will insert right here |
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Single Ply Hinoki Club, Founding Member
Say "no!" to expensive table tennis equipment. Please... |
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JimT
Premier Member Joined: 10/26/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14602 |
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Color: Red
Thickness: MAX Weight: 69 g (uncut) for 169 mm x 169 mm square (density: 0.24158818 g/cm^2) Tackiness: none Quality: very high (didn't want to cut it, so lovely it felt under my thumb) Sponge: carbo-black but doesn't feel very hard when pressed; as you can see from the photos, pips are positioned rather densely. First impression (pre-play): Hardness seems to be about the same as Gambler Outlaw (which was glued onto the other side of the same blade, 729 V-6). Feels a bit softer than Tenergy, for instance. I'll find out more about that when my friend with a durometer measures the hardness for me. Bouncing the ball on both sides shows that Outlaw is bouncier, reaction on Vega Pro side is for now kinda muffled compared to Outlaw - but it could be the well-known "just glued it on" effect. We'll see Actual review to follow... |
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Single Ply Hinoki Club, Founding Member
Say "no!" to expensive table tennis equipment. Please... |
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bogeyhunter
Gold Member Joined: 02/22/2006 Location: Jacksonville, F Status: Offline Points: 1245 |
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www.NexyUSA.com
We also carries Sauer & Tröger. Lissom O+EASY P 1mm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_65FLO2Lneo https://youtu.be/YgYFPJCBCr0 https://youtu.be/NeHp789Lb1c https://youtu.be/_65FLO2Lneo |
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Jeff(ATTC)
Gold Member Joined: 09/22/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1166 |
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I just received my Vega Pro, thanks Alex! I have a tournament in Dallas so I will not review it until after Saturday.
Jeff(ATTC) |
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Bty Jun Mizutani ZLC
FH: D80 BH: D05 |
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lildudejds
Gold Member Joined: 02/27/2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1503 |
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Ive been using Pro and Europe since Friday, and I have been extremely impressed. I'm anxious to see what everyone else thinks. I hope to have my review up by tomorrow.
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Nexy Hannibal
Tenergy 05 Tenergy 05 FX |
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JimT
Premier Member Joined: 10/26/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14602 |
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Well... I got some first impressions after hitting with Vega Pro for about 10 minutes.
Basically, here is the main one - this is a slightly "tensorized" and non-tacky 729-08. And it costs 3 times more. Speed is good on fast hits and counters but not superfast like Tenergy or Outlaw. However when you try short gentle shots it feels dead as if it were a heavily tacky 729-08 and pushes the balls into the net. Topsheet is relatively soft, and you can feel the tension in there. Sponge is harder, closer to T-05. Spin hasn't impressed me so far - it's above average but not great. Serve is so-so. One positive distinction from 729-08 - you can certainly use Vega on your backhand. 729-08 is too tacky to be a good backhand rubber but Vega Pro doesn't have that quality and so it plays BH rather reliably and basically the same way it does FH. I will pair it up with Tenergy 05 on the same blade (putting T-05 instead of Outlaw there) and will do some more direct comparison. Perhaps Vega just needs some time to settle down, we'll see... |
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Single Ply Hinoki Club, Founding Member
Say "no!" to expensive table tennis equipment. Please... |
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sadius
Silver Member Joined: 06/17/2006 Status: Offline Points: 667 |
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You guys so lucky. I still haven't see my Asia yet
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Hans Regenkurt
Silver Member Joined: 08/12/2005 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 826 |
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I have Vega Pro black max on a Donic EPox PowerCarbon blade.
To me the rubber feels as if it were a blue sponged Friendship 729FX, only harder and faster. Unfortunately there were only two thin layers of traditional glue beneath the rubber so it didnt stick to the blade properly and many of my shots went long and I wasnt as satisfied with it as I had hoped. To be frank the PowerCarbon blade is not too hard for a carbon blade and we had much better results with the Epox Off which is truely a very good blade and clearly heavier then the PC. I would say they are the same speed but the EO brings better things out of rubbers than the Epox PC. As a preliminary remark, I sort of detest any of the Tenergy rubbers .... So far it turned out that Vega Pro has a lower and healthier throw than either T64 or 05. It is a a bit softer than T05 but my be a wee bit harder than 64. It differs from Hexer and the likes in that it generates spin more from the topsheet and not so much the sponge. It could be described as a chinese rubber that is soft(er) and playable for a euro rubber player. Speed could be higher than T05 but I will test it today and tomorrow and will put it on Epox Off to see how they work together. Short game is good, spin on loops is maybe a bit less than Hexer but its faster and holds the ball for a little shorter time than Hexer. These are my impressions so far but I suppose it will get better when it sticks to the blade properly. |
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bogeyhunter
Gold Member Joined: 02/22/2006 Location: Jacksonville, F Status: Offline Points: 1245 |
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Used for 2 hrs, not enough to review this but here are what I experienced in 2 hrs.
Equipment : Nittaku Ludeak Power Pro + Prasidha Long A 1.1 mm + Xiom Vega pro 2.0 mm
Reviewer : Attacking chopper. Rated 2217.
1. First 5 minutes in warm up FH counter, missed most shots.....it's super fast. Faster than Blast - Renanos bright hard. Hitting horizontal way, not spinning it) and soft will make the ball jump out of the rubber fast.
2. Looping. Brush loop - ball curved over the net well and hooked down very quick. I never used Tenergy so can't compare but a friend, rated 2390, told me it had low throw like Chinese rubber and very spinny. A 2450 really loves the curve - hook thing. It allows him to hit harder.
3. Serve, push. Very bouncy. Couldn't control it for 5 mins then tried to push/flip kind of brush it and not let sponge comes in play. I controlled it better after that.
4. IMO - This rubber is designed for players with good technique and footwork. Without those, balls fly like bullets without curve and will likely go long)
Great in counter looping. I got the "grab" - "bite" and "release" feeling clearly when counter looping.
5. Have enough grip but not great when pushing over the table.
6. VERY difficult to chop with it. Even harder to "fish" or some call "guide"(See what Chen WX likes to do with his FH). The Tension topsheet makes it very difficult to control height and lenght of my "guide"
7. If have to pick what to use again NOW. I'd go with a little softer, a bit slower speed plus more tacky topsheet. Maybe Vega Asia?
Not bacause I'm a chopper but because I'm not skilled enough to make the most of it, see #4.
Will do more testings and will record some videos.
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www.NexyUSA.com
We also carries Sauer & Tröger. Lissom O+EASY P 1mm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_65FLO2Lneo https://youtu.be/YgYFPJCBCr0 https://youtu.be/NeHp789Lb1c https://youtu.be/_65FLO2Lneo |
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Anton Chigurh
Premier Member Joined: 09/15/2009 Status: Offline Points: 3962 |
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Rated 2217 and not skilled enough to make the most of it? Yikes! I shouldn't even ponder thinking about maybe contemplating the idea of wondering about the day that I might try it. I feel like I should rip the Vega Asia off my backhand right now. It's actually not a bad idea... It's probably way too much for me.
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Neo H3 40D| Offensive S | Tenergy 80
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bogeyhunter
Gold Member Joined: 02/22/2006 Location: Jacksonville, F Status: Offline Points: 1245 |
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This rubber is not forgiving, and from what I heard Ternegy isn't forgiving either. It depends of how you look at it. If your game based on loop, loop and loop kill then it's perfect.But my game is more of a control/spin type. Control is the most important aspect in my game. Spin is 2nd then speed. That mean I value "abilty to place the ball exactly where I want" more than speed of my loop.
PLUS we all know that in order to hit a QUALITY loop we need to be in position(hint...footwork) to loop and spin it(racket speed+good technique).
If you loop with speed but bad technique then it's likely that you will make unforced errors.
Note: with loopdrive, I feel like the ball has some wobble, not as much as produced by F-less LP, when it bound.
I will consider Asia version if Pro version is not for me. Will make decision after 1-2 months of practice.
Question to you, Anton. Let's say a 2200 plays a 1900 and score is 11-6.
What's the most likely scenario
A. a 2200 won most points, 7<, by looping.
B. a 2200 won most points by a 1900's mistakes? popping up serve return, bad loops, push into the net?
c. a 1900 would win the next set if he changes from Sriver to Tenergy?
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www.NexyUSA.com
We also carries Sauer & Tröger. Lissom O+EASY P 1mm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_65FLO2Lneo https://youtu.be/YgYFPJCBCr0 https://youtu.be/NeHp789Lb1c https://youtu.be/_65FLO2Lneo |
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Anton Chigurh
Premier Member Joined: 09/15/2009 Status: Offline Points: 3962 |
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My answer would be B, I suppose, if the two players' level is that "close". I definitely take your point, with gratitude. I hope you don't think my comment was being sarcastic. I truly was surprised to hear a 2200 level player say that they didn't think their technique was up to par for using Vega Pro. I suppose such honest self-appraisal and humility is a positive factor in reaching a 2200 rating.
As of right now, my game is based on loop, loop, and loop kill. Of course, I make a huge amount of unforced errors. I definitely need to work on my control. However, for personal enjoyment I prefer an athletic game. So, right now I'm hyper-focusing on my forehand and my footwork so I can loop, drive, and smash as much as possible. I know I need to focus on control and I often do; however, I like the aggressive game so my focus on control often takes a backseat to my focus on footwork, spin, and power.
Sorry, this is totally off-topic. I just wanted to reply to your comment. Thanks very much for the info!
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Hans Regenkurt
Silver Member Joined: 08/12/2005 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 826 |
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I've played five hours with it - for two hours it was on Epox Powercarbon, for three on an Epox Off.
I agree that you need very good footwork to be able to use it with good results. Any time you are not in position, the ball will go long. I'm sad to make this conclusion but it is a hugely unforgiving rubber. I see the main problem of it in its behaviour: it does not respond linearly to the power the ball is hit with. On some shots the speed and spin and the flying path of the ball is perfect, this happens mainly when the incoming ball is approaching with medium speed: then you can put the ball anywhere on the table and these balls are very difficult for your opponent to return. The sponge works well, grabs the ball and the imparts very good spin. Here comes the bad part. When you are under pressure it is essential for you to be in perfect position. If you are as little as a centimeter late, the sponge will not grab the ball and you start wondering why you missed the table. It is just as bad as early tensors in this respect. THis puts the user in a great disadvantage against close to the table blockers because it is impossible to surprise an opponent who has managed to slow down your first attack. When they start moving you around the unforgiving nature of this rubber will draw a lot of errors from you. Brush loops are possible to perform and have very good spin, but they will be no problem for somebody who can handle them, and its user will again be in the position where the rubber will slow its users offensive game down. All in all I don't like it Though it can produce very fast loops, it is sometimes very slow and almost impossible to control - not because of its user but because of the rubber. Against better opponents it is a self destructive weapon. The distribution of its speed and control is very uneven. |
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bogeyhunter
Gold Member Joined: 02/22/2006 Location: Jacksonville, F Status: Offline Points: 1245 |
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I wouldn't say it's a self destructive weapon.
The top players at club, 2390 & 2450(top 100 in the US?), love it. It a weapon if users have good footwork, quickness and good technique.
Basically, it's like putting a lower throw Tenergy in a hand of good player and whooooo..... I don't wanna play him!!!!!
I heard W.Hanzel(#1 AUS) loves it too!!
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www.NexyUSA.com
We also carries Sauer & Tröger. Lissom O+EASY P 1mm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_65FLO2Lneo https://youtu.be/YgYFPJCBCr0 https://youtu.be/NeHp789Lb1c https://youtu.be/_65FLO2Lneo |
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dalamchops
Platinum Member Joined: 11/30/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2272 |
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if tenergy's speed rating is a 9, then vega pro is like a 7. I don't know why people r all sucking its nuts. Even hexer is much faster than vega pro.
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Stiga Titanium 5.4 Cpen
Andro Hexer Pips 2.1 Donic Acuda S2 Max |
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BHDoom
Silver Member Joined: 05/03/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 499 |
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black sponge always looks cool to me
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BTY Viscaria FL
FH: Black BTY T05 2.1 BH: Red BTY T64 2.1 |
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manyaku88
Super Member Joined: 06/01/2007 Location: Romania Status: Offline Points: 259 |
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my friend who uses hexer on his bh on tbs, who just switched from T64 to vega pro (fh) yesterday, agrees completely with Hans, unpredictable, lack of power, feels chinese
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Blade: Bty BalsaCarbo X5 FL
FH Bty Tenergy 05 2.1 BH: Palio Aeolus 45* 2.2 |
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Ciprian
Gold Member Joined: 06/27/2008 Location: Romania Status: Offline Points: 1020 |
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Would be interesting to see how many of people who bought this rubber ,will stick to it after testing.
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Xi Enting
FH-Aurus Sound BH- Pryde 30 |
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lildudejds
Gold Member Joined: 02/27/2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1503 |
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I'm having decent results with it. Lack of power isn't an option when using a blade like amultart, I don't need a super fast rubber.
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Nexy Hannibal
Tenergy 05 Tenergy 05 FX |
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JimT
Premier Member Joined: 10/26/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14602 |
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I also do not think this is a speed demon. Its relative hardness can put off people who are very used to faster and much softer rubbers- so it looks like it is less forgiving and less controlling.
However, my experience with Tenergy and Outlaw shows that a relatively advanced player (2000) can adjust his technique and still play with it pretty well - especially on attack. When it comes to controlled pushes, placement shots etc - bogeyhunter is right that this kind of rubber is worse at it than softer ones but that's where you have to adjust. Also, as I am playing this rubber on a very soft (yet offensive) blade, that definitiely helps me to control it better in short game. Will say more once I give it a longer testing - on Monday, I hope. |
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Single Ply Hinoki Club, Founding Member
Say "no!" to expensive table tennis equipment. Please... |
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bogeyhunter
Gold Member Joined: 02/22/2006 Location: Jacksonville, F Status: Offline Points: 1245 |
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2nd time using this rubber, about 3 more hrs.
I get to try this rubber against 1800-1900 player and I love it. I didn't need to place the ball in small spot and pretty much can wait to release Vega power. I guess what happened was that I didn't need to be fast and don't need to be in really good position to loop when playing with someone 300-400 point below.
I tried this rubber first time against 2400 level players and didn't do well because they were better and using new rubber played its part too.
Balls placement of 2400 and 1900 are totally different. Such a joy to play with it against lower level players.
This rubber is definitely a beast if
1. User is skilled, quick and have power(gotta hit hard) to get the most of it.
2. Playing with lower rated players. No need to be very precise.
3. Have a good touch, solid short game. Short game is not a strong part of this rubber.
Overall - it seems like this is a rubber for who players who practice/play often(more practice = more skills?) and have good stroke.
Will I continue to use this rubber?
I'm a chopper so I need something a bit slower and softer, if tackier will be great, for more control. Might try Asia version.
At $38 a sheet, HELL YES!!!!! Can't beat its quality at this price.
Some video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q6200sWVww
Next time I'll ask these 2 to test - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7cXkqb5CSw&feature=related
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www.NexyUSA.com
We also carries Sauer & Tröger. Lissom O+EASY P 1mm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_65FLO2Lneo https://youtu.be/YgYFPJCBCr0 https://youtu.be/NeHp789Lb1c https://youtu.be/_65FLO2Lneo |
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loopool
Beginner Joined: 11/19/2009 Status: Offline Points: 60 |
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Here's my impression on this rubber.....
Equipment Used: TBS-fh/Vega Pro Max. bh/tuned sriver EL Rubbers used b4: Tenergy05(its been awhile), IQUL, Outlaw,bryce, nimbus, SriverEL, Yasaka, Initial Impression: Sponge feels very hard, maybe not as hard as T05 but definitely harder than others i've played with. Its fast!! not to a point where you cant control, but fast in a controlable way. Serves: i couldn't tell it was spinny but, but opponent was keep hitting the net on my backspin serves. so i guess its pretty spinny. nothing special though Short Game: I thought it was very good...it was producing a lot of backspin on my pushes. its funny because, it wasnt affected by opponents spinny serves but your able return with good amount of spin.....weird... Looping/Counter Looping Very good....Highlight of this Rubber. heavy spin on loops and counter loops. you just have to make sure you have good strokes. need to go through the ball with good follow through. my opponents block was going over the table cuz of heavy spin. lifting/looping a backspin ball was the best part of this rubber for me. this is how i made most of the points, they could not keep it on the table because of the tremendous amount of spin. Serve a Backspin, wait for opponent to push back, and loop that ball back - end of point. counter loop/drives were very good with a lot of speed. (if my memory serves me correctly, T05 was a tad spinnier. but not 16 more dollars worth of spin). Smash:Very good ...fast and stable. i thought it was better than T05 i am definitely loving this rubber. still need some adjusting to do bcuz its faster than my previous rubber(TUNED IQUL). But the adjustments are making my forehand more consistent and deadlier. im able to swing all out like MaLong and keep it on the table!!!! this will surely stay on my FH. Very good rubber for $36. Recommand this for ppl wanting heavy spin, on a lower budget. Next...want to try Euro for backhand... |
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TBS
FH: TENERGY 05 BH: XIOM VEGA PRO |
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Jeff(ATTC)
Gold Member Joined: 09/22/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1166 |
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Initial Impressions
Set up: Avalox P700 ST FH: DHS H3 NEO Black 2.2 BH: Xiom Vega Pro Red MAX Serve The natural rubber topsheet is very grippy and allows for serves to be low. The harder sponge allows the topsheet to do more of the work. Nice spinney serves. Push This rubber is good for pushing. When I�m going for the long flat and fast pushes, they land and they do so with speed and spin. Block Blocking with this rubber is better than Vega Euro. The harder sponge on Pro has more kick than Euro to send the ball over. Loop When looping Vega Pro produces loops with a lower throw than Vega Euro; it almost looks like the arch of my H3 Neo. Loops go deep onto the table and have good pace. When looping against backspin I can really load the ball up since the nice grippy topsheet can grab the ball, and the firm sponge will pop it back out. Jeff(ATTC) |
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Bty Jun Mizutani ZLC
FH: D80 BH: D05 |
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saif
Silver Member Joined: 11/05/2008 Location: Bangladesh Status: Offline Points: 886 |
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From where did you buy Vega Pro?
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TBS FH & BH: T05fx
Tibhar Samsonov Alpha FH: Grip-S Europe BH: Rakza7 soft Victas Koji Matsushita FH: Tenergy 80 BH: Feint long III https://www.facebook.com/groups/5439549367/ |
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loopool
Beginner Joined: 11/19/2009 Status: Offline Points: 60 |
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From MYTT shop.....when they had like 10% off deal ....
not sure if its still avail. |
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TBS
FH: TENERGY 05 BH: XIOM VEGA PRO |
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Hans Regenkurt
Silver Member Joined: 08/12/2005 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 826 |
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After two more hours of trying I decided to take it off my blade and put Hexer back.
I lost so many points using Vega Pro that I could hardly beat people whom I usually beat 11-4. I wouldnt recommend it to anyone.... But the good thing is that Vega Europa is very good and I am curious to try VEga Asia because if it is consistently stiff on all shots and can produce the same speed as VEga Pro then it could be a promising rubber. |
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manyaku88
Super Member Joined: 06/01/2007 Location: Romania Status: Offline Points: 259 |
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vega pro max black, uncut 67.7gr, cut to TBS 47gr, it's heavy
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Blade: Bty BalsaCarbo X5 FL
FH Bty Tenergy 05 2.1 BH: Palio Aeolus 45* 2.2 |
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JimT
Premier Member Joined: 10/26/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14602 |
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I also think it is pretty good on BH. It's so-so on FH, spinny and all that but nothing impressive that separates it from many others. On BH however it plays consistently good, better than average pricey post-glue-era rubber. |
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Single Ply Hinoki Club, Founding Member
Say "no!" to expensive table tennis equipment. Please... |
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Jeff(ATTC)
Gold Member Joined: 09/22/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1166 |
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Jeff(ATTC) |
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Bty Jun Mizutani ZLC
FH: D80 BH: D05 |
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addoydude
Silver Member Joined: 01/29/2008 Status: Offline Points: 848 |
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My Vega Pro and Asia both 2.0 just arrived. Will post a review when I have tried it.
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