Xiom Vega China VM

I tried a sheet of red Vega China on the backhand side of a penhold Neottec Voodoo Classic.

It plays mostly like an unboosted Hurricane 3, with a bit more speed on certain shots. The differences are:

1. You really need to dig into the sponge to get a spinny ball. Brushing is not great for spin.

2. Blocking is faster. Counterlooping is very easy, and you can just hit straight through the ball for a fast smash.

3. Throw angle is slightly higher than DHS rubbers

4. A little bit less dead than unboosted DHS rubbers -- a bit less control in the short game.

Honestly I can't complain too much. Counterlooping is better than H3, but brush-looping is worse. It's a good rubber and I'll use it until it wears out. But I don't see myself buying this instead of a Hurricane 3 or Skyline 2. DHS rubbers are cheaper and better, in my opinion.

A great substitute for a DHS H3 / H3 Neo rubber.
The Xiom Vega China comes with a ESN/Tensor sponge, but pretty hard sponge.
The topsheet is pretty lively and only has a gentle tack to it (can't hold the balls for more than 3 seconds).

This is almost like a hybrid (half chinese half euro), but I will push the scale more towards Chinese for the sake of the hard sponge, which allows these benefits:
- Great service possiblities
- Great blocking possiblities

The Tensor sponges also allows a powerful forehand top spin game, from close to mid distance from the table.
The harder sponge allows a "on the bounce top spin drive" extremely deadly.

The con is the weight, as this is likely one of the heavier alternatives in the market. But if you pair it with the right blade and other rubber, the total weight can be manageable.

I recomend this to be a forehand rubber - an alternative to H3/H3 Neo.
I rank it in the range of provincial versions, and I did not tune/boost mine.
Durability went well for over 6 months of "random coaching/fun play"