Xiom Axelo Review

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   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.