joola Xplode review

OK so this is my first review, before commenting on the rubber I would like to tell u a few things about my playing style and level

I'm a beginner-intermediate player. I try to win points by fast,low and super spinny loops, i also try to vary my loop trajectory(i need to work on this more)I loop from both wings but my fore hand loop is faster and more consistent wile my backhand loop is spinnier and sometimes has some sidespin.I also overpower power loopers by blocking and placement. I broke my previous blade(donic persson exclusive off) and the rubbers on it(Yasaka Xtend on FH and coppa platin on BH)were pretty worn out so i decided to get a new setup since the donic blade wasn't available anymore.I'm currently using Xplode on both sides on a Joola wing passion fast blade.please note that I am not an advanced high-level player and my opinions about this rubber maybe right or wrong.

Review

out of the package this rubber seems quite grippy, the topsheet is not thin like older generation tensors(I've tried Xtend,Platin and Roxon 500pro). It has little or no tack. the rubber is also harder than Xtend and Roxon and might be as hard as or slightly softer or harder than Platin. I thought I would not like this rubber on the FH coz i prefer softer rubbers but was pleasantly surprised, You'll soon see why......

Counter-hitting: The rubber is fairly fast on touch shots and faster when u dig deeper. Although it is hard it feels soft since the ball really digs in. It also has a more linear feel compared to older generation tensors because of the harder sponge

Pushing:
pushes are easier than Xtend since the ball doesn't pop up as much, the pushes are nice and flat and I could easily vary the placement and spin

Looping:
the rubber really excels in this field although i needed to hit harder to get more penetration it was duly rewarded, my loops were faster and spinnier, they were also lower and most were grazing the net, this maybe an adjustment problem since my technique is far from perfect . Looping against backspin was easier and more of my loops cleared the net, as the rubber produces tons of topspin i could hit harder and the ball would still land on the table. spin on brush loops was also > any rubber I've tried( that's not saying much since I've only tried a few). counter looping close to the table was more controllable and fewer balls were flying off the table, I do not counter loop as much so u may take anything i say about this with a grain of salt

Blocking:
i didn't block a lot with this rubber but the few times i did, i found that i could easily land the ball on the table and vary speed and placement (this is one shot i am actually good at so i can block with almost anything)

Durability:
after a week of play the rubber does not have any sign of wear and tear and i hope it stays that way since the other tensors ripped way too easily

I hope u found this review helpful, feel free to ask any questions regarding this rubber

xplode is almost identical to the donic baracuda in terms of sponge, topsheet, pimple spacing and size

Someone commented in another thread that in his opinion X-plode is very similar to Palio Macro Era (except for the price ). I am not sure if that was Express X-plode or not, also it was not clear which PME he had in mind: 42.5 or 47.5, but still...

I play with X-plode on the backhand and Express 1 on the forehand. I find X-plode to have a better feeling and better spin,touch and control over the table. However, on the forehand although it is noticeably lower in throw than the tenergies, it tends to lose power on flat kill shots (dwell to long). It plays at it's best with spin shots. For me it feels softer or the same hardness as express1, but the feeling is completely different so it's hard to compare directly.  I think the two best improvements in X-plode are the increased, easy to generate spin and the much improve touch and control on over the table  - shots like pushes,flicks and opening loops on short balls.

Aside: I just tested a sheet of Blitz which from my point of view is almost identical in playing characteristics to X-plode. PME is almost identical to EGP  or express rubbers.

yogi_bear wrote: xplode is almost identical to the donic baracuda in terms of sponge, topsheet, pimple spacing and size

 

bagung wrote: i found x-plode much better than Baracuda and Baracuda Big Slam

Can you compare with some attributes between 2 and what makes you say so? It will certainly help a larger group .

bagung wrote: for me, X-plode is faster, easier to control, and easier to create spin....

Could someone tell what is the throw of joola x-plode (not express x-plode) compared to aurus, rakza 9, m2, t05?

Thanks !

nice rubber but very heavy. cut rubber 50g

mikepong wrote: is it softer or harder than barracuda?

don't know. never had Baracuda

X-plode Sensitive is also very good on a composite DEF+ blade for chopping and looping away from table. Used by Edelyi Annamaria of Portugal. I have never played with it but it sounds like it has several gears. I love gears! The "Sensitive" version has a softer sponge I would guess.

piligrim wrote: mikepong wrote: piligrim wrote: mikepong wrote: is it softer or harder than barracuda? don't know. never had Baracuda how bout as compared to tenergy05? also never had :) i had t64 long time ago. as far as I remember it similar hardness to xplode

piligrim wrote: mikepong wrote: piligrim wrote: mikepong wrote: piligrim wrote: mikepong wrote: is it softer or harder than barracuda? don't know. never had Baracuda how bout as compared to tenergy05? also never had :) i had t64 long time ago. as far as I remember it similar hardness to xplode thanx.. is it durable?  dont know. I bought it week ago :)

dude, there is a reason why this rubber was discontinued. It was a nice rubber, i admit. But Rhyzm took everything it had and added 100 gallons of consistency. Just try Rhyzm man, the rubber is an EJ killer. My last rubber purchase was a 10 pack from contra.de. Thats it, don't care for bh or fh, what blade, i put frikkin rhyzm on everything and I loop from everywhere to my opponents disbelief, and I keep coming. Its not spiny, and its fast but not the fastest, but its frikking consistent as nothing else.

Sub par rubber in (nearly) every way compared to Tenergy and modern tensors now. Was, and still a big hit in the UK among the younger players. God knows why...