info about xiom

You mustn't have owned any STIGA blades. This is a hidden/unadvertised/undocumented "feature"[1] that you look for in a GENUINE STIGA blade. First thing done when buying in person.

https://tieba.baidu.com/p/5228234820

[1]「这叫正手容易透 反手支撑足」(This is called easily-through forehand and sufficiently-supported backhand.)

Xiom has always discontinued or changed blades faster than any other manufacturer.  This has been true since they started.  Their claim of constantly improving blades seems reasonable enough unless you have become completely accustomed to one of their blades that has been discontinued.  In many cases they have discontinued blades after barely over a year, which in a way insults people who bought one.  It's a bit like the line in Animal House:  "You    f&&&ed up.  You trusted us."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTF2j0OWUi8

I mean if a blade turned out to be so bad that you needed to discontinue it a year or two later, why did you sell it in the first place?

Early on they were touting the value of egg-shaped heads based on research from their university collaborators.  Their marketing materials went on at great length about the research that supported this.  And, yet, very soon thereafter (a year or two) they abandoned that approach.  None of their blades have that head shape anymore, and they even changed the head shape of the Stradivarius, one of the few blades that they have been selling from nearly the start.

In general their build quality is excellent.  That has never been something you could really criticize them about.  And the price is good, especially for their zylon blades.  Still, it could be the OP got a bad one or some things have started to slip.

It is often  the case that Xiom blades are often faster than blades in the same class (by which I mean blades of similar woods and plies) made by other manufacturers (although not obvious true in the case of the Stradivarius).  They have  created blades such as the Axelo for example, that are so fast and stiff as to be essentially unplayable (much faster than a Butterfly Schlager, for example).

I would be pretty surprised if there were fake Xiom blades.  (Of course I have been wrong before).  Most fakes are made in China and are counterfeits of the most popular blades or sought after blades in that market (especially Butterfly) and Xiom would not be popular enough to be really worth copying.  I would think that the cost of faking the thing would exceed the market for them.  However, mybe it is possible that somehow factory rejects get onto the market?