Xiom Vega Pro

I really like this rubber. It does just about everything well and is easy to use. It's the first tensor I used after transitioning from Mark V as a developing player. Good speed and spin with great control and consistency. Excellent for blocking, flat hits, serve return and pushes. Pretty good for looping and serves. The high throw angle makes lifting backspin fairly easy. Can be used effectively on either FH or BH. Not the fastest or spinniest but a good choice for an all around tensor that is highly consistent with good control.

Best forehand rubber I've ever used. I really like using this with softer blades as it allows me to activate the sponge more easily for softer strokes and the hardness of the rubber gives me the power if I want to hit a winner.

Firstly, it's extremely reliable. I've never been surprised by anything that this rubber does. Sometimes with other rubbers, the ball leaves the rubber in a way that leaves me scratching my head.

Pros:

1. Throw angle is very high so you can open up against backspin pretty easily if you have the technique.
2. Serves with good spin and catapult is quite low in the short game.
3. Lots of gears. The sponge allows you to open slow and spinny (my bread and butter) or do a hard opening.
4. Very precise for counter topspins if you have the technique


Cons:

1. You need power to activate the sponge. So it could be tricky on the backhand side and tricky overall if you are not positioned properly and have to play a shot under pressure
2. High throw angle makes blocking tricky on the backhand side as you really need to close the angle. I have no problems with blocking on the forehand side though.

Tried this rubber as a Tenergy substitution since many players I know used this already and when I played the rubber for the first time it was a insane feeling. Alot of grip on the surface and a hard sponge allows me to play really good in short-short game, because you have alot of feeling for it and the third ball attack is aswell strong. By the way in germany it costs only 27 euro´s, which is really cheap!

When resuming play, I started out with the classics I grew up on (Sriver, Mark V, Friendship) then was tossed a sheet of Tenergy 05. My level rose quickly, and I discovered two things: a new depth in spin-based attacks close, near and far from the table - and fragilities in service reception, pushes, counters, passive blocks and smashes.

So I took a step back, and got pointed to Vega Pro. The good thing is: it's not T05, but it has some of the properties I liked about it. It's definitely tamer, but that feeling of chewing up the ball when swinging is just there. Direct hits feel crisp and direct, which I like, rather than somewhat muffled like in many other rubbers, especially the softer-sponged ones.

It is a bit heavier than most rubbers. Easy to adapt to for me, but then again, those that insist upon very lightweight rubbers should look elsewhere.

All playing properties, in the end, are trade-offs. The tradeoffs in Vega Pro do work for me in many aspects of the game. My active blocks may be a bit better with Mantra H or Tenergy 80, opening up a heavy backspin ball may be a bit more lethal with Tenergy 05, pushes and serves are probably better with Rasant Grip; but in the balance, this works for me.

Added to that, it's relatively cheap and I found it to be more durable than most. It's outlasting my T05 and Rasant Grip sheets, and still feels reliable.

I was using this rubber previously on a lot of blades and it was a little too hard for me to control but i loved it still. After I improved my game I went back to it and put it on BTY Timo Boll Spark and it's great. Throw angle is a little higher than I would have liked on the forehand but loops on both sides are great but better on BH. Remember that this rubber is hardish and not very forgiving so timing and brushing the ball well is crucial. If you get it right the rewards are high. This rubbers durability is also really good if you maintain it. If you want to fix the rubber's hardness a little, put a tiny bit of sunflower, baby, etc. oil on it and it'll soften up a little. Also, make sure you remember to change your racket angle when opening up. Too low, and you'll hit the top of the net. Too high and you'll barely miss the edge of the table. To sum up though, if you want a relatively cheap rubber, buy this.

Well I played this rubber for over one and half years now. Mainly on Butterfly Alc blades (Boll Alc, viscaria, maze, if Alc) and on the Korbel eu Version. Im going to try Evolution el-s soon but for now Vega pro is my rubber of choice. I pay 28 Euros per sheet otherwise i would still Play tenergy.

Overall my passive Game is a strong key of winning when i Play against opponents on my Level. For me the Vega pro is just Great here. I can punch block, spin block or chop at will. Passive five Stars plus


However i play when i play against weakerw oponents where i have to play active my first ball lacks speed and often length. Due to the hardness and the lack of catapult you have to play the ball with allot of arm and/or wrist accelerstion. This is not for eveyone. So i would prefere a bit more speed and bounce. Still a great rubber if you but power behind your shots.

Given that the Vega Pro is a hard sponge rubber (47.5), this isn't a rubber for everyone to start with.
It requires some amount of acceleration (wrist, forearm) to generate spin and speed.

Why do I still think it is for masses? Because I believe it is good enough for everyone to learn to generate this type of spin with the rubber. Even if you struggle in the beginning coming from more "lively" rubbers, you get used to it quickly. I worked my way to the Vega Pro coming from Vega Europe to Vega Japan and finally Vega Pro, but should have skipped the Vega Japan and directly go for the Pro. I was hesitant because of the reviews, but think that the step isn't really that hard, because the speed of the Pro is nothing to fear.

Although it is an ESN Tensor rubber it still has it uniqueness in not having a very dominant catapult effect as many other rubbers coming from the same ESN generation (e.g. Donic Acuda, Thibar Aurus ....). This make the Vega Pro the most controlled ESN rubber I have played (and I played many ...).
The Vega Pro plays very "linear", so if you don't put much energy into your strokes, you will be able to play slow and short. With energy you generate a lot of spin, speed and length without overshooting.

There is not really any area of play that the Vega Pro has a real flaw. Short game is great due to the hard sponge. Blocks are easy as well, even with thicker sponges (I currently upgraded to MAX and never felt more confident in my spin blocks). As mentioned in one of the reviews, the Vega Pro is better played closed to the table or requires an OFF+ wood to be effective from mid distance. I currently play it on a XIOM Vega Tour which is perfect combination for both - close to table and mid distance.

Last thing to mention is price/performance. Being half the price of a BTY Tenergy and 2/3 of the more prominent ESN rubbers, the performance is exceptional. I played the Tibhar Evolution MX-P as well and coulnd't find that it gives me any better package for the additional bucks.
The rubber last longer than the Tibhar, Donic or Andro rubbers I played and doesn't require any "upgrades" even after 4 month of play (70-80h total).

I bought two of this for my FH and BH after I was using DHS Hurricane 3.

What I like about the Xiom Vega Pro is that it is far from being as tacky and so it picks a lot less dust. After using it for almost two months now playing about six hours a week it still is very good. I like how a less tacky sheet means less sensitivity to the opponent's serving spin, especially compared to DHS Hurricane 3. I can also do a lot more fast blocking with this rubber. It is particularly suitable for players who like me stay close to the table and either play an aggressive game or counter-attack with well-aimed fast blocks. The throw angle is high enough for a comfortable close to mid-range game where you dominate your opponent. I can literally smash through every loop of the opponent with the Vega Pro.

Perhaps where it lacks a tiny bit is in speed, but then I suppose that can be fixed with a thicker version. I picked the 1.8mm one because I wanted my setup to be as light as possible since I had some shoulder pain, but now that it's gone I will be going with 2mm or max.

The Xiom Vega pro is a little bit harder than my backhand rubber which is the Joola max 450. So it is perfect to attack with topspin and smash. Xiom Vega Pro is for aggressive players. For many players Xiom Vega Pro is an option for players who like Tenergy. But it is a little bit slower and doesn't have so much catapt effect. Xiom Vega Europe is a good rubber in this price area, but others are better, but in most cases they are more expensive.

Most people complain that it is not a tenergy. I am actually happen it is not a tenergy.
I love its softer sponge. Along with the blade it gives a better feeling and control.
Eventhough I come from using Hurricane 3 which is a hard rubber its tackiness and some booster were all I needed.
But with this rubber I saved all the hassle and even though it requires good technique, it is not as demanding as the H3.

This rubber was designed for spin but don´t let that fool you, you will be able to blast the ball with proper technique.
Since I am not a Ma Long, I rather start with more spinny shots to keep attacking and find my winning ball.
I try to do this at least with good blockers. Against other player I can just power loop or a spinny loop can end the point.

For blocking this rubber is a lot more easier to control than the Hurricane 3. This rubber has helped me improve my blocking skills which I have tried to improve.
I am mostly an attacking player. Therefore I find more pressure when I am not the first one to attack. This is why I have been working on my blocking skills to stay closer to the table instead of trying to start a counterloop rally.

You can push the ball easily and when reading the spin properly you can add a lot of backspin as well.

To help the durability of the rubber, I use a wide edge tape.

It is definitely a good rubber and for the price is just perfect.