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Xiom Zero Quad dilemma |
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darkmoor
Member Joined: 05/05/2018 Location: Iceland Status: Offline Points: 71 |
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Posted: 01/05/2023 at 8:56pm |
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Hello folks.
I'm Xiom Zetro Quad blade user for a couple of years. However, I'm getting this feeling that I should change it to something else. I hope someone can perhaps suggest a blade that close to ZQ or maybe set of rubbers that work better than my current setup. Whoever used this blade knows it is a pretty specific kind of blade. Quite thick and stiff with 9 plies while it still seems it retains some flex. Very good at blocking or driving the ball but it appears to grab the ball well on looping and, making loops quite easy and spinny, while it is a fast blade. And the most special thing about the blade - very soft feeling on low and medium impact which changed into a hard feeling with a dramatic speed increase when the ball is hit harder. What bothers me when using ZQ is that it's not easy to get top spin out of rubbers. Depending on sponge hardness, it takes a certain amount of power to make a rubber actually spin. This is of course most apparent on backhand. Current trends in rubbers dictate increased sponge hardness on both wings. Latest generations of rubbers brought dramatic increase in spin and power that was lost in celluloid ball era. I tried rubbers like Joola GT PS, Yasaka Rakza Z, Gewo EL Pro 50, etc. The speed, the arc would be there but loops would be generally harmless unless I can hit the ball really hard. Hence, a no-no especially on backhand side. Using soft rubbers isn't a good option either because ZQ is also a bouncy blade - it adds some bounce to shots, which is what helps looping, but it's not such a good thing when it comes to serve returns, for example. And as soft rubbers tend to be more bouncy, playing them can turn into a nightmare. In addition, the speed of the least bouncy of them turns out to be too low. The rubber hardness range that works the best for me with ZQ is 45-47 degrees. On forehand, I settled on Xiom Vega X. I'm not satisfied with it on medium impact loops - like when I try lift backspin with a slower loop focusing on making it spinny. I always have to hit harder, and I have no reason to complain, the spin is absolutely great and the ball is often returned away from the table. Thin brush loops also don't result in good spin, which however might be a specific trait of Vega X and its soft top sheet. I wish I could get slow spinny brushing loops absolutely loaded with tremendous spin like what I could get from old gen rubbers like Fastarc, Hexer, Genius. In turn, these rubbers were a lot behind on forehand in terms of both spin and speed when I hit harder. All in all, though, Vega X is the best I could find. Easier to get spin out than with Tenergy 05/19 or Cornilleau Target Pro XD 47, plus more control. I'd get probably more spin with the mentioned rubbers but only after a very hard impact; not worth it. I hope some of the fellow Xiom ZQ users, who are reading this, can come with some suggestions. Or, some of the former ZQ user can perhaps recommend a different blade that is close to ZQ's characteristics while it can give me more rubber choice options. Honestly, I'd prefer staying with the current blade as changing one can be a serious pain in the âşş, but I'll do what's necessary. |
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IanMcg
Gold Member Joined: 05/27/2011 Location: Somehere Status: Offline Points: 1151 |
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One of the local coaches in my area was pretty well known for being a raving Zetro Quad fan, wouldn't use anything else, you would've had to pry those blades out of his cold dead hands, until he recently discovered the Joola Nobilis PBO which in his words is "basically the same blade." I'm not as well versed in such blades but from what I felt when hitting briefly with both is that they did feel quite similar, stiff and powerful yet with the special soft and sticky feeling of Hinoki.
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stiltt
Assistant Admin Joined: 07/15/2007 Location: Location Status: Offline Points: 1012 |
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The BBC Nine has 4 carbon plies with soft outer plies, it's a very powerful but forgiving blade and a dream to loop and block with. Its thick handle is also great for bigger hands.
I have one FS if you are curious about it. |
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darkmoor
Member Joined: 05/05/2018 Location: Iceland Status: Offline Points: 71 |
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Do you remember what rubbers did he use?
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IanMcg
Gold Member Joined: 05/27/2011 Location: Somehere Status: Offline Points: 1151 |
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I think he uses T05 but I'd need to double check. His own game is not that spin-based, it's more off the bounce drive and quick counterloop, and IMO stiff Hinoki blades are really not ideal for a spin game even though they have a soft feeling. I do agree that Hinoki surface blades can be very picky about rubber pairing, since Hinoki shakehand blades tend to be stiff and with carbon to boot, it can be feel much more difficult to get the same spin quality as a more flexible blade. I found G1 to play very well on my Feel HX (Hinoki ALC) but it lacked the arc dip and more violent spin I could make with the same rubber on my OffensiveS. I thought Hexer Powergrip played pretty well on the HX too though so you might also like it on ZQ.
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darkmoor
Member Joined: 05/05/2018 Location: Iceland Status: Offline Points: 71 |
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Believe it or not, ZQ, while a thick and stiff Hinoki blade, is excellent in spin generation field with right rubbers. I think there is nothing remotely close in the speed category ZQ falls into (high Off) that helps a ball spin so well. Regarding rubbers that fit the blade, I can mention Xiom Vega X that I am using. The spin is absolutely toxic, and a well done loop at 75% power is practically unblockable. I've been reading numerous reviews on this rubber, saying that the spin output of Vega X is good but a lot behind top rubbers on the market. In my experience, Vega X on ZQ overall surpasses everything I ever tried. Thank you for suggesting Hexer Powergrip. I might give it a try, but I just tried Rakza X today and so far it looks like I found what I was looking for.
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Vlad0
Super Member Joined: 04/20/2014 Location: Bulgaria Status: Offline Points: 159 |
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I have tried it with TG3 and it was a fantastic combo, sniper accuracy.
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TB ALC 86gr + D09c/T05
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TT newbie
Gold Member Joined: 11/25/2011 Location: Far Far Away Status: Offline Points: 1391 |
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So many good comments about XZQ makes me want to get one...
How does it compare to BTY Viscaria? Is it much faster? Softer? More dwell? Higher or lower throw?
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darkmoor
Member Joined: 05/05/2018 Location: Iceland Status: Offline Points: 71 |
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First, ask yourself if you want to seriously improve in table tennis (if otr this If you're already an accomplished player with serious goals), or, instead, have fun with different blades. ZQ is Very different from Viscaria. If you are used to Viscaria, be ready to having to go back a few notches before mastering ZQ. And, if you like to use any rubbers harder than 47 degrees (ESN), just avoid ZQ. Some people say how they love Hurricane3 or Skyline on this blade - I admire that, as playing these effectively is just much harder than on Viscaria. The bouncy nature of ZQ and Its speed plus stiffness is naturally much less suitable for Chinese rubbers.
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stiltt
Assistant Admin Joined: 07/15/2007 Location: Location Status: Offline Points: 1012 |
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I have only good memories of the ZQ, same from the Yinhe T-4, also with soft outer and 4 carbon plies. my best fh rubber on those was 1.9 t05, 1.9 gives more room to the blade and its hitting capabilities while the looping side remains strong with thinner sponge and softer outer. The combo just wants more commitment there while on the bh I liked slow spinny and cheap chinese rubbers so I could go wrist crazy and get control with a nice arc on bh loops.
Anther blade to consider in the 4 carbon soft outer style is the BBC Nine, I have one for sale, it has a big st/conic handle that is fantastic. I sell it because my SDC pictured in my avatar is my preferred blade today.
Edited by stiltt - 01/12/2023 at 4:55am |
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dual700
Gold Member Joined: 08/11/2009 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1628 |
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I have had over 200 blades back then and ZQ ended my EJ. I have stuck with 7 of them in the past 6 years, changing my SP bh to a inverted BH for about 5 years. I have 3 ZQ left with the same rubbers:
729 Battle II Provincial for FH Gewo Nexxuss EL 48 for BH. No issue generating huge spin whatsoever. Loved this blade so much, I had Hipnotic to make me a custom copy, alas the feel is not the same at all. Edited by dual700 - 01/12/2023 at 11:40am |
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darkmoor
Member Joined: 05/05/2018 Location: Iceland Status: Offline Points: 71 |
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Good for you, but I used the same Gewo on my backhand and it took a lot of force to extract some serious spin from it. it was a breeze for every good player in my club to block my backhand loops during drills, except if I brush-spinned the ball with a good contact, but the the long trajectory limited the utilization of it. I moved it to forhend, but I still wasn't easy to get the spin out of it. Loops with good it were also very fast. Slower, controlled loops very too easy to counter. Battle II is a speedy rubber with little spin on this blade unless you get a really good brushing contact and that isn't easy to do at all. |
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darkmoor
Member Joined: 05/05/2018 Location: Iceland Status: Offline Points: 71 |
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Thank you for the offer, but I'm more than happy with Yasaka Rakza X on ZQ and I don't need to change anything any more.
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dual700
Gold Member Joined: 08/11/2009 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1628 |
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I have had Gewo EL 43, 48, 50, 53 throughout the years on my BH.. I settled on 48.. I do not like 43 on bh. I am a spin oriented player.. When I serve underspin with Battle II to my practice partners, they mostly couldn't attack it.. (Pretty good players too, one was the doubles world master champion. Both were Junior national teams before..)
I guess it all boils down to our techniques and style of play.. I wish Xiom did not discontinue this blade, I don't get it.. They still make Axelo, etc but they killed ZQ.. I wrote to Xiom years ago to make me some, they said no
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