Xiom Feel AX
-84 grams, medium stiff
This has Koto outer plies wirth Carbon Aramid layers. This is my favorite blade among the feel series blades (my personal preference among all Feel blades but ZX3 and ZX2 are awesome too). This is cheapfor a composite blade among the Feel blades and if I am not mistaken this is in the range of the Xiom Quad V1 or Clipper CR which is about 60USD. It is made in China but the quality is not inferior, although the Japan-made blades like the HX and ZX blades (with the exception of ZX1) have a better quality finish. Nevertheless, what made me fall in love with this blade is that it is blade with complete package. Yes, it is not as fast as a Viscaria because I would rate it as OFF and not an OFF+ blade but the speed is more than enough. I am biased about the feel but among the composite Feel blades, the AX is the one that has best feel. It has little to no vibration. It has a thin 7 ply construction and it provides enough flex to loop the ball slowly and with great spin or loop drive the ball. In short, the AX is dynamic blade where you it can give you the spin you wanted in a blade or be a powerful attacking blade but maintains a good amount of control. I really like the Xiom Vega Euro blade even until today. They possess almost the same speed and control but the AX has more flex and the surface of the top plies are not as hard. The AX does not feel too hard but does not feel soft that it decreases your power. Also, a good bonus is the weight. The Blade ranges about 84-87 grams. My blade is 84 grams and I paired it with a Xiom Omega VII Pro and Euro rubbers, the set up is light. Even with the Globe 999 national and Omega V euro rubbers before, the set up does not feel heavy and not even head heavy compared to other blades I had in the past. This is the dark horse among the new Feel blades because a lot of people who have tried the 8 blades during my testing period really like the blade because of how it plays. When this arrived at a store, the AX sold only for a few days before running out of stock. I think it is safe to say that the AX is the blade that was really unexpected and surprisingly good despite the cheaper price. This blade made me shift to a controlled composite blade due to me wanting a less physically demanding set up.