XIOM Omega IV Asia and Pro review.

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I'm trying these rubbers out, Pro on my BH and Asia on my FH. I just received the Pro sheet today and the Asia sheet is destined to arrive some time next week. The review will go here.

So far, just putting Pro on my blade:

Omega IV Pro (O-IV Pro) is noticeably heavier than Vega Pro. O-IV Pro seems faster too, based on bounce tests. Spin tests seem to suggest it will also be quite a bit spinnier than Vega Pro. We'll see. I'm excited but a little nervous. It seems possible that it will be a bit faster than what I "should" be playing with. But again... we'll see. 

I'll report back soon with an evaluation of both Asia and Pro and comparison between the two.

EDIT: FIRST PASS REVIEW

Okay, I had two hours to play with XIOM Omega IV Pro tonight. So here are my initial impressions (which are subject to change after more experience with the rubber).

Reviewer: I have no formal rating. I estimate it to be in the 1500-1600 USATT range and I've been told by multiple higher level players that the estimate is spot on. I am an attacker primarily with my forehand, mixing loops, drives, and smashes. With my backhand I prefer to push, block, punch block, or drive, with the occasional opening loop against backspin. Mostly though, I try to use my BH to set up my FH. I've not yet taught myself how to flick very well with my BH or FH, though I occasionally pull it off . I usually play within 2 to 3 meters of the table. 

I tested this sheet of O-IV Pro on a Stiga Allround Evolution blade with LKT Red Diamond on my forehand. I put the sheet of O-IV Pro on my backhand. It is 2.0mm and black. My training partner this evening was this guy. (EDIT: Oops, that link didn't work. His name is Tianwei Chen and his rating is 1915 USATT.) For each domain in which I can evaluate this rubber, I will be using this ad hoc 5 point Likert scale:

1) Worthless.     2) Not very good.     3) Decent.     4) Very good.     5) Excellent.

Feel = Excellent: Not much to say here... I just love the feel of this rubber. This is a very subjective factor so it doesn't make much sense going into it too much, but this rubber is very direct and stable in it's feel. I would call it medium-hard to perhaps hard (though not hard when compared to Chinese rubbers). 

Spin serving/pushing = Very good:  I got plenty of spin on my serves, nothing "fantastic" but nothing lacking. When receiving my pushes, my training partner had frequent difficulty flicking and backhand looping them. My pushes stayed low, went long when I pushed long and stayed short when I pushed short. All in all, O-IV Pro appears to be a very controllable rubber in the "closed game", i.e., pushing, dropping the ball short, etc. 

Service return = Excellent:  The hardness of the the top sheet makes the short game extremely manageable. It's not very susceptible to incoming spin either, despite the fact that I could create good spin when I wanted to, e.g., engaging the sponge with active pushing. My training partner tonight normally gives me hell with his serves. Tonight it was a breeze.

Blocking = Excellent: I'm tempted to go back and raise my Likert scale even higher, because this is where O-IV Pro shines. Blocking is friggin' awesome with this rubber. Although there is certainly some catapult effect with O-IV Pro, it is very manageable and seems to disappear when punch blocking. Laser-like accuracy. Also, the catapult effect is not as bad as my friend's T64, for example. It is very stable, has a nice direct feel, a loud and manly click , is easy to direct, and is damn fast when the need arises. Seriously, I can't rave enough about this rubber for blocking, both passively and actively.

Driving = Very good: I would say "Excellent" based on O-IV Pro's performance on my backhand, but I never felt super comfortable with it on my forehand. This could be because I'm not used to Euro/Jpn rubbers on my forehand yet. I've been using hard, tacky rubbers for the last 6 months or so. But the rubber feels quite stable (especially on the BH), it's fast and fairly easy to use. 

Looping = Very good: I don't loop much on my backhand, but when I did tonight I actually found it easier to do with O-IV Pro than with my previous Vega Europe, which is softer. Again, very stable, good pace, and good spin. Without being asked, my training partner noted that my backhand loops were coming off the table very fast. On my forehand, once again I found it to be a bit more uncomfortable. I'm scared of these Tensors with their catapult effect so I might have been a little too reticent when trying to loop on my FH with it. But still, there was plenty of pace, good spin, good feel, and good control. If we consider the spin of T05 to be "Excellent" then the spin of O-IV Pro is definitely "Very good". My training partner is contemplating purchasing some O-IV Pro to replace the Hammond-X on his backhand. 

Overall, caveats, minutiae, et cetera: Although I've done it three times now , I think comparing this rubber to either Tenergy (05 or 64) is not a valid comparison. First and foremost, XIOM themselves claim that O-IV Pro is meant to replicate speed-glued Bryce... and not Tenergy. In this regard, I think they almost succeed, except I'd say O-IV Pro is more like a lightly boosted Bryce Speed than a speed-glued Bryce. In my opinion and experience, that is a very close comparison. In other words, I don't think O-IV Pro will be a likely replacement for Tenergy lovers who are moving away from it due to price increases. Indeed, O-IV Pro may not even have a lot of appeal to hardcore two winged loopers... but I do think it will have a huge place in the games of people like me (with respect to style, not skill ). That is, for those who do a lot of blocking and driving and basically use their BH as a tool to setup their FH this rubber excels. I also think that flat-hitters who enjoy Tensors would really like this rubber. Overall, I'd say this rubber succeeds regarding XIOM's intent. It is superior to Bryce Speed in almost every way and is more than $25 cheaper. 

I should receive my sheet of Omega IV Asia some time this week. I will update this thread with a review of it and try to compare it to O-IV Pro.