Review: XIOM Kanta Plat. Spe Cpen

Review: Just got back from a few hour session of tt not too long ago.  I was using my new XIOM Katana Platinum Special cpen (110g) against several 2000+ players. 

Drive: The blade returns loops very very effortlessly.  Flat driving is very easy, and yet you can tell each drive packs a lot of power and speed back to the hitter

Block: Blocking is so magical with this blade.  Easy to control given the natural soft feel and great control of the 1-ply hinoki.  I was able to return a lot of spinny power loops with my Rakza 7 Soft.

FH Loop: This area is rather trivial because I have yet to settle on a forehand rubber.  But currently, I am using a used and pre-cut Nittaku Narucross GS rubber.  Although the rubber is soft, forehand loop with the KPS (Katana Platinum Special) does pack a great amount of speed and spin.

BH Loop: I have Yasaka Rakza 7 Soft on my backhand for RPB purposes.  This rubber is absolutely amazing.  Great soft feel and terrific control, but this rubber comes to life when it is paired with the KPS.  I was RPBing the hell out of every chop that came to my backhand.  Not only were the loops fast and powerfully loaded, several of the 2000+ players can't do anything but actually step back a few steps in order to return the loops.  When combined with the softness of the R7S, and the control, feel, speed, and power of the KPS, you'll instantly have a winning combination!  I was able to loop very effortlessly but full of power to either corners and the middle, all combined with spin and great speed that many shots left my opponents in awe.

Chops: When your blade is a 1-ply 10mm hinoki that has the natural characteristics of soft feel and great control, you'll know that chops won't go wrong at all.  Chopping close to the table was incredibly easy and effortless.  I was able to chop both short to the very edge of the net and long to the deep corners of the table.

Smash: Insane power = insane overpowering smashes that left several of my opponents in disbelief of how insanely fast and powerful the blade is.

Drop shot: I was only able to drop three times against a ~2050 player.  One fast drop right into the body, and two short drops about 2 inches from the net.  The amount of control is absolutely amazing.

I gave a few of my cpen clubmates to test out the blade, and they both agreed that the KPS does pack a tremendous amount of power, yet they didn't feel it being too heavy at all even though I told them the blade weighs 110g prior to them hitting.  All of them thought initially that the blade will be way too heavy and probably break their wrist.  But upon hitting a few drives, pushes, and loops, they all agreed unanimously that the blade is not as heavy as it seemed, and it does pack a lot of power but retain an incredible amount of feel and control at the same time.

Overall, this is probably the best cpens I have ever played with in 13 years of playing time.  This blade far surpasses my current cpens of: TB T5000, TB ALC, YEO, and also surpasses the likes of Viscaria, Schlager Carbon, Sardius, KLHS, and Darker Speed 90.

The XIOM Katana Platinum Special is an absolute keeper that will be my main weapon from now on!

Nice. I gave that blade a hard look about 8 months ago but since it was fairly expensive, to me, I was not ready to be the first adopter without solid feedback from other players. 

Edited by V-Griper - 10/14/2013 at 7:27am

V-Griper wrote: Nice. I gave that blade a hard look about 8 months ago but since it was fairly expensive, to me, I was not ready to be the first adopter without solid feedback from other players.  My current blade is the YEO, can you elaborate on a comparison with it and the KPS?  Also I am fairly committed to the my current FH and BH rubbers, any thoughts on how you think they will play with the KPS?  It would seem that the one ply hinoki and the cpen form factor is a good combo.

Although YEO is good for looping, but it is too light in my opinion as I am so comfortable with playing 92+ cpens.  I could not get enough power out of my YEO cpen the last time I played with it.  In my opinion, YEO is great for counterloop and controlled loop, but I'm more of a one-loop KO kind of player, so I want my loop to be fast and hard.  Win the point in just one swing of the backhand, hence I decided to go for an even faster and heavier paddle. 

I don't know what your fh and bh rubbers are, but I will be sticking to my Rakza 7 Soft for both forehand and backhand.  I just absolutely fell in love with this rubber.  I ordered 5 of these sheets, and I have one more left, but I'm in need of a red R7S for my forehand.  When playing with the XIOM KPS, it is fundamentally imperative to pair it with the right rubbers.  And in this case, soft and spinny rubbers on both sides will be my ideal combination.

Hope this helps

V-Griper wrote: liulin04 wrote: V-Griper wrote: Nice. I gave that blade a hard look about 8 months ago but since it was fairly expensive, to me, I was not ready to be the first adopter without solid feedback from other players.  My current blade is the YEO, can you elaborate on a comparison with it and the KPS?  Also I am fairly committed to the my current FH and BH rubbers, any thoughts on how you think they will play with the KPS?  It would seem that the one ply hinoki and the cpen form factor is a good combo. Although YEO is good for looping, but it is too light in my opinion as I am so comfortable with playing 92+ cpens.  I could not get enough power out of my YEO cpen the last time I played with it.  In my opinion, YEO is great for counterloop and controlled loop, but I'm more of a one-loop KO kind of player, so I want my loop to be fast and hard.  Win the point in just one swing of the backhand, hence I decided to go for an even faster and heavier paddle.  I don't know what your fh and bh rubbers are, but I will be sticking to my Rakza 7 Soft for both forehand and backhand.  I just absolutely fell in love with this rubber.  I ordered 5 of these sheets, and I have one more left, but I'm in need of a red R7S for my forehand.  When playing with the XIOM KPS, it is fundamentally imperative to pair it with the right rubbers.  And in this case, soft and spinny rubbers on both sides will be my ideal combination. Hope this helps Thanks.  I thought I would check back with you and see if you are still liking the KPS.  My current rubbers are TG3 neo boosted on the FH and 05FX on the BH. I think I may be trying H2 boosted in the near future as I like the tackier top sheet. Also my YEO is on the heavier side at 90g as I also prefer a heavier blade. The 05FX on my BH is keeper for me.

Hi,

I am still very much in love with my KPS.  In fact, this blade is now my primary setup, with Rakza 7 Soft on both sides.  RPB has incredible amount of power.  I'm more of a Kreanga-like backhand power looper, so this blade and the soft rubber accommodate my RPB very well I think.