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Xiom Axelo Review |
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Baal
Forum Moderator Joined: 01/21/2010 Location: unknown Status: Offline Points: 14336 |
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Posted: 01/29/2010 at 12:15am |
Sorry in advance that I don't have the skills or equipment to take
pictures. It looks exactly like it does on the Xiom web page.
Mine came in at about 91 g, flared handle, with very nice packaging. Workmanship and fit and finish of the blade is the best I have ever seen, even better than Butterfly if possible. The blade has their Energy Carbon (which some people think is somewhat like Butteffly ZLC in feel) and a very thick center ply. Handle is very comfortable, much better fit in my hand than the Butterfly Viscaria I have used for years, or any of the new Butterfly flared handles. I am picky about this, have big hands, like a fatter handle, and while this one is not huge -- definitely a bit smaller than a Stiga legend flare -- it is still a very nice feel. The sound when you knock on it with your knuckle without rubber sheets has a low pitch, I think because of the very thick center ply, which results in a total thickness of 7.3. mm. The head size is identical to my Viscaria, pretty much the same as a TBS or Boll ALC. I am about a 2030 player (US), classic short pips attacker on BH, tend to loop FH, genrally play close and middle distance from table. I put a new sheet of max thickness Tenergy 05 and 1.9 mm Raystorm on the BH. I have played with a Butterfly Viscaria for about five years. The Axelo is very fast, much faster than my Viscaria (which is not a slow blade), probably substantially faster than a Schlager Carbon . It is a crisp medium to medium-hard feel because of the thick inner layer. It is not a carbony feel, and it is nothing like a carbon-arylate blade. I anticipated that it might play a bit like an Iolite because of the thick center ply, but it is a bit crisper than that, definitely harder than I was expecting, and faster (but infinitely more comfortable in the hand). The Axelo is stiff as can be, and there is no vibration, but it definitely provides more sensation of the ball than the arylate-carbon mixture I am used to. There is no sense of vibration, just a single percussive sensation when the ball hits that gives a real tactile response that is not muffled or muted. More of a sharp "thwack" than I am used too, but something I could easily get accustomed to. The throw angle was very surprisingly low, much lower than my Viscaria (which has a classic ALC feel, pretty much like a TBS or a Boll ALC). In spite of the speed of the thing, I looped a lot of balls into the net, which is not exactly easy to do with Tenergy 05. This is probably the aspect that I liked least, but some people will like that a lot. Once you get used to it, you will be able to keep slower loops low and out of harms way. The weight distribution was very very good, which meant that it felt a lot lighter to play with than it actually weighed. Everybody will like that aspect, Xiom has put a lot of thought into that part of their racket design and it shows, impressively. Did I mention that this sucker is fast? Really fast. Too fast for me. My short pips BHs were like laser beams when I could keep them on the table, with a really satisfying crack to them that I never get with an arylate carbon blade (which everyone says is not the right thing for short pips but I have used for years anyway). My BHs were giving my practice partner fits when I cracked them in, but I didn't have any sense that I could roll or flick with consistency, which is a deal breaker. ANd, I had a hard time keeping it on the table, especially blocking with my short pips, another deal breaker for me. As with the BH, the Axelo felt great for hitting with the forehand. For third ball attacks that require hitting it is lethal. Looping was ok from very close in, less so from mid distance and beyond because balls don't have the arc that I would like. The blade had pretty good linear responses. In other words, assuming you have correctly accounted for throw angle and speed of the blade, than the amount of effort you put into the stroke has a quite predictable effect on the shot that you make. Short game was a liability, perhaps less than one might expect given the speed of the blade, but still not something easily controlled, at least by me. My pushes tended to pop up a bit, even on my BH side where I don't usually have a problem. Serving was ok considering the speed of the blade. I could perform all of my serves and place them where I wanted, but they were not quite as nasty as with my softer Viscaria. I think this is a blade that will be very nice for anyone looking for an alternative to fast carbon blades and it has a lot of upside. People who like a fast hitters blade will love this. It is not quite my cup of tea, but it is close. I am guessing the Xiom Strato might fit me better, it is the next one down speedwise in this particular Xiom series. Even though this was not my Holy Grail, I remain impressed and fascinated with Xiom products. Everything of theirs I have seen or used is really high quality. Next month I will probably try a Strato. |
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JimT
Premier Member Joined: 10/26/2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 14602 |
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Maybe try Xiom Speed instead - it is fast but it has Hinoki outer layers which should help with control.
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Single Ply Hinoki Club, Founding Member
Say "no!" to expensive table tennis equipment. Please... |
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Reinecke
Gold Member Joined: 10/22/2009 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1054 |
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Awesome review! very descriptive and informative. Sounds WAYYY too fast for me though.....
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Mizutani Jun ST
Tenergy 64 Tenergy 64 |
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addoydude
Silver Member Joined: 01/29/2008 Status: Offline Points: 848 |
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why don't you try it with slower rubbers?
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MildSeven
Silver Member Joined: 12/07/2003 Status: Offline Points: 647 |
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I just got a Xiom Strato and it is a beast. Axelo was scary just looking at its specifications.
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Baal
Forum Moderator Joined: 01/21/2010 Location: unknown Status: Offline Points: 14336 |
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Yeah, I checked specs again, the Strato will be too fast for me too. maybe an Ignito or a Speed would work. Slower rubbers will have an even lower throw angle than Tenergy. Probably would not work for me either. I hear on this forum that Xiom are about to come out with a bunch of new blades. I can wait. My Viscarias have been trusty tools for a long time now.
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Thaidog
Gold Member Joined: 01/09/2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1661 |
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I've been looking hard at both the Ignito and Strato. The speed is scaring me too!
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Timo ALC FL
Tibhar Grip S MAx Tenergy 64 FX National 2.1mm He never boosts... of course he never had to... |
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Reinecke
Gold Member Joined: 10/22/2009 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1054 |
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It seems like you think Tenergy has a low throw angle, IMO it is the opposite (especially 05!) What are you using? edit: reread the top, you are using 05, which has a very high throw IMO |
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Mizutani Jun ST
Tenergy 64 Tenergy 64 |
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Anton Chigurh
Premier Member Joined: 09/15/2009 Status: Offline Points: 3962 |
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Great review, Baal! Thanks!
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Baal
Forum Moderator Joined: 01/21/2010 Location: unknown Status: Offline Points: 14336 |
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Reinecke, T05 has very high throw compared to , well, pretty much everything known to man. And with the Axelo I was still looping into the net, which indicates the blade has a much lower throw than my current setup.
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AJay
Super Member Joined: 05/31/2009 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 184 |
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I asked Xiom for a recommendation to replace my Photino with a slightly slower blade. I asked if Strato or Ignito might be suitable.
Their response was:
1. Fiber in Strato is Carbon. Strato is closer to Primorac Carbon than Photino. It would be too hard and too fast for me. That I actually verified with a real blade.
2. Ignito is similar to Strato, but thiner, so it would be slower. Ignito is classified as OFF, but it would not be slower than a Photino.
3. Aria is reccommended for me.
4. There is also a new blade called 'Solo' coming out soon in Feb or March. Its handle will be quite slim. Its ST handle will be round, not squared. They think Solo will be good for me.
I hear Aria is a very heavy blade - 95gm. Solo will be under 90gm.
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addoydude
Silver Member Joined: 01/29/2008 Status: Offline Points: 848 |
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my Aria is 86.7 grams. You can try asking for a specific weight. When I bought from the store there was a whole range from 85 to 95grams.
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chris.b40
Platinum Member Joined: 03/12/2009 Status: Offline Points: 2505 |
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great review
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AVALOX BLUE THUNDER
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Tinykin
Platinum Member Joined: 10/30/2003 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 2338 |
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Baal's review was amazingly accurate. I just tried an Axelo with T05/T05 and it was all that he said.
Mine though is much lighter at 85g. I do find it a really fun blade. the bottom picture shows with the protective sponged/foam side-tape. Edited by Tinykin - 04/06/2013 at 5:44am |
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Blade:
Darker Speed90 Rubber Fh and Bh DHS Hurricane 3, 39/38deg Delusion is an asset |
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stiltt
Assistant Admin Joined: 07/15/2007 Location: Location Status: Offline Points: 1029 |
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I sold the 4 i had because i wanted something making sense for my game but it was such a joy to hit through the ball with it. If i ever come back to the axelo-strato-ignito family (all same composition with different core thicknesses) i'll go for the latter, the 'slower' ignito.
But what a joy to try the axelo!!! Xiom took over the best spot in the speed cannon class and today the schlager is #2 imo. |
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stiltt
Assistant Admin Joined: 07/15/2007 Location: Location Status: Offline Points: 1029 |
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I sold the 4 i had because i wanted something making sense for my game but it was such a joy to hit through the ball with it. If i ever come back to the axelo-strato-ignito family (all same composition with different core thicknesses) i'll go for the latter, the 'slower' ignito.
But what a joy to try the axelo!!! Xiom took over the best spot in the speed cannon class and today the schlager is #2 imo. |
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