Xiom Vega Pro Review

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   Inspection
The finish of the blade is of high quality. There are a few edges here and there that I sanded a few seconds. This should not need to happen with a blade above $100 in my opinion. The feel of the blade and veneers is top notch however. The packaging of the blade is very nice and easily outclasses most others manufacturers except for the highest-end Butterfly blades.

I have reviewed two Vega Pros one is 83g, FL and one is 82g ST handle.

Initial Impressions (no rubbers)
When bouncing the ball on the naked blade, I was surprised how little bounce there was. It was very comparable to something like the Waldner Senso Carbon and had a similar initial feel to it.

Test Setups
1) FH: Karis M 2.0 - BH: Karis M 2.0
2) FH: Xiom Omega Asia V 2.0 - BH: Xiom Europe 2.0

Playing Impressions
The Xiom Vega Pro is a very linear blade that has a large sweetspot comparable with a ZLC or even SZLC blade. The blades I'll be using to compare is the BTY Mizutani Jun ZLC, the Donic Waldner Senso Carbon and the Viscaria.

What is immediately apparent when playing with the blade is the significant amount of control - the ability to place the ball where you want. It is truly confidence inspiring. Given it's classification as an OFF blade (which I think could be an OFF-), its the most controlled blade of the classification that I have personally played to-date.

In close touch play the Vega Pro very much felt like an all-wood blade to me. It isn't until you start putting some power in your stroke that you (clearly) notice that this is indeed a composite blade. What was nice is that the gears of the Vega Pro are very linear. There are no sudden power spikes that I could notice and no behavior where you go "What??". 

To talk about some categories that are usually being discussed:

Speed: As I mentioned, I'd rate the Vega Pro at the lower-end of the OFF category. Is it an OFF-? Hard to say but maybe. To compare it to the other blades above, the Vega Pro is slower than the MJZLC, it is about the same speed as a Viscaria (perhaps slightly slower on super powerful shots) and it is significantly faster than the WSC. 

Touch: The touch (I describe touch as knowing/feeling where the ball has struck the blade and how i've brushed/hit the ball) of the Vega Pro is nearly as good as the WSC which to me remains the best "feeling" composite blade available (followed by the BWF). It has a softer touch than the MJZLC and translates significantly more feeling/information than a Viscaria.

Control: As mentioned, to me, the Vega Pro has a significantly level of control. It is much more controllable than the Viscaria and the MJZLC and it is less controlled than the WSC. Its very easy to block with this blade and it combines well with thicker sponges. I tried a 1.8 Vega Europe on the BH but I'd say that the overall this plays best with a 2.0+ sponge rubber. 

Rubber Impressions: The Karis M on this blade felt a little dead to me. Even thou I like this rubber and I've played well with it on the MJZLC and other blades, on the Vega Pro it just didn't feel dangerous. If you want control and linearity, I think this is a good combination - and it might change further if you go for a MAX sponge Karis, but to me, it was still a little disappointing. Very different impression with the Omega Asia V. Felt very alive but still in control, loops are still controllable and you can really let it go. As you move away from the table, you can tell that there is a power difference between this and the MJZLC but to someone of my playing ability this doesn't really matter that much since I prefer placing more balls on the table instead of playing the insane killer ball once every 10 points. In my opinion, the Vega Pro likes both, softer and harder rubbers as long as they have enough sponge. 

Conclusion: The Vega Pro is quite simply my favorite blade in a long time. I really liked the MJZLC but it was a little too fast for my liking and I lost too much control. The Vega Pro feels like a toned down MJZLC with more control, a softer touch and a larger sweetspot that supports your bad strokes and excels on your good ones. 

P.S.: I have recently acquired a Xiom Vega Tour and will be reviewing that in a few weeks to compare it to the Pro.