XIOM C55 Impressions and Comparison with H3N

[Wrighty67]

So, I had a training session and a tournament playing with the C55. Let me say right away, I certainly don’t have the power of professional athletes. But I can share my subjective impressions of the C55, specifically in the context of comparing it to the H3N, as I’ve played with the H3N for many years. Moreover, I always play only with a heavily boosted National version on a blue sponge. So can't say nothing about default unboosted h3n. And after reading this thread, people were comparing the C55 to a boosted Hurricane I was very curious.

So, I’ll say right away, based on my subjective impressions – there is no similarity. Nothing, except for the cracking sound.

Firstly, the C55 is not tacky at all. Shame on Xiom for lying in their advertising, describing their new product as a tacky rubber similar to Chinese rubbers. This is simply shameful. In my video above, I showed how tacky an old, damaged Hurricane is compared to the brand-new C55.

Secondly – dwell time. A boosted Hurricane has fantastic dwell time. I can feel the ball sinking into the rubber and then being kicked out. This gives a very confident feeling of stability. I didn’t feel this with the C55. It’s just a regular hard rubber. The ball strikes it with a noticeable contact point, almost like hitting glass.

Thirdly, the play against underspin is dramatically different. With the h3, I can endlessly loop against strong underspin. Playing with the C55, I couldn’t predict how the ball would behave. Sometimes it got a nice arc, other times the ball would fall off or fly straight.

And lastly – speed. Yes, undoubtedly, the C55 has a distinct catapult effect on passive shots, but the peak speed of the h3 is not lower. Moreover, the Hurricane has an additional range in the short game. Hurricane simply has incomparably more gears.

In the end, I am very disappointed. I thought, could c55 really be something similar to a boosted h3? But no, the C55 is a completely different rubber. And its marketing description is complete nonsense.

Fair points on the comparison with H3 BS. My experience has been fairly similar with my 968 but far less marked difference with my Viscaria. I feel the C55 is by far the closest to boosted H3 than any other hybrid I have tried - it does that job as well as can be done without boosting a rubber in my view.

The H3 has more gears, but in my view this is offset by the challenges of boosting consistently from sheet to sheet - I have had sheets that for whatever reason I have got just right and they they are amazing, but others that have just not had that magic. Could also be related to DHS quality control - the C55 on the other hand is very consistent and quality is high across the two sheets I have (and 3 V47.5)

C55 on the other hand - I have now got a sheet on both my Viscaria's (both same weight) and the feeling is almost identical bat to bat.

My C55 can lift a ball and so can my H3 sheets - but neither can hold it so not much difference there for me.

Dwell - for me the difference is not a marked as you feel. BS is better but not by a huge margin - the extra dynamic/speed at medium power from C55 more than offsets this for me.

Underspin - BS better for sure, by C55 pretty good.

I am torn - like you I love a good sheet of BS when well boosted, and while that performance lasts (it's a drug) but (a big but for me) I love the consistency and quality of C55 across a broad spectrum of shots, and I love the consistency of performance when simply glueing on - it is far less of a dark art.

So I am sure I will keep trying both but for now I will most likely stick with C55 on both my blades.

 

[Draycott old man]

Fair points on the comparison with H3 BS. My experience has been fairly similar with my 968 but far less marked difference with my Viscaria. I feel the C55 is by far the closest to boosted H3 than any other hybrid I have tried - it does that job as well as can be done without boosting a rubber in my view.

The H3 has more gears, but in my view this is offset by the challenges of boosting consistently from sheet to sheet - I have had sheets that for whatever reason I have got just right and they they are amazing, but others that have just not had that magic. Could also be related to DHS quality control - the C55 on the other hand is very consistent and quality is high across the two sheets I have (and 3 V47.5)

C55 on the other hand - I have now got a sheet on both my Viscaria's (both same weight) and the feeling is almost identical bat to bat.

My C55 can lift a ball and so can my H3 sheets - but neither can hold it so not much difference there for me.

Dwell - for me the difference is not a marked as you feel. BS is better but not by a huge margin - the extra dynamic/speed at medium power from C55 more than offsets this for me.

Underspin - BS better for sure, by C55 pretty good.

I am torn - like you I love a good sheet of BS when well boosted, and while that performance lasts (it's a drug) but (a big but for me) I love the consistency and quality of C55 across a broad spectrum of shots, and I love the consistency of performance when simply glueing on - it is far less of a dark art.

So I am sure I will keep trying both but for now I will most likely stick with C55 on both my blades.

I believe this is the most complete F.H rubber I have used in years . I love the fact that you stick on and then leave it till it wears out. I wish it was more tacky , it's such a well balanced rubber with great combination of spin and speed with amazing control!!! I don't understand all the marketing for this rubber but I do know how much I love using it!! So glad I got 2 more sheets while it was on offer!!!

 

[doppelmoral]

Played with C55 again today on my 2nd Hugo HAL for fun. Had been using H3 BS for about 10 sessions before.

I mean, of course its a different rubber. But damn, its hella good, such performance without any booster, its awesome

Can anyone comment on lifespan / durability yet?

 

[Tiber1337]

I am looing for h3 neo 37 degree orange sponge replacement. How is c55 on backhand.
Is this faster than 09c?

 

[AndySmith]

I've got 10 hours in the bank with C55 now. It's very spinny, hard, linear. I can see where the H3 comparisons would come from based on that, but I don't think it's a good comparison really. This is definitely more on the hard esn hybrid side of the fence - I think the older hybrids like K1 Pro were tackier and closer to chinese type behaviour than any of the more recent barely-tacky esn rubbers. Of course, if you're looking to move away from H3 specifically to a hard eurojap rubber that (probably) doesn't need boosting then this can absolutely do that job well, but the overall experience is too different to H3 to be an obvious direct replacement. Regardless of what Xiom's marketing is saying....

Compared to Rasanter C53 - it's more direct, much crisper on contact. Very easy to drive, excels when close to the table in terms of getting the ball moving with sharp spin. It's closer to a hard Hybrid K3 (I've not used the K3 Pro version yet to compare directly, but the feel is close to regular K3 with less catapult so I'm guessing somewhat here). I seem to get a higher arc from R-C53 with the same stroke so find that a touch easier when away from the table or pushed out of position and need to pull the ball up from low down. So it feels like I have more options on when looping with R-C53, but C55 gives me a more solid game in other areas (drive, block, smash, close-in counter etc). I seem to play better with C55 overall, with less drama.

I think it's a bit faster than Dignics 09c, with slightly less spin, but similar overall type of rubber.

Too early to comment on durability. Always a worry with this type of rubber, and it's fairly expensive.

 

[merlin el mago]

I'm not sure what you mean by "clicking sound".

It's the sound when you engage the sponge.

 

[Tiber1337]

I just played with a sheet of RED 2.1 c55, mostly on backhand.

Pros:
-Overall nice feeling, spinny and controlled for a tensor rubber. It would be my go to rubber if real tacky or hibrids would not exist.

Cons:
-This rubber is NOT tacky at all, can't lift the ball
- Very sensible to condensation, ball slips if not engaged properly
- HEAVY - about 54-55g cut on a w968 , made my setup 205 grams, (a h3 37 is <49grams)
- Not suited for w968-like blades imo.

Overall I am dissapointed, it was not at all what I was looking for, and I feel like I wasted my money on a hybrid advertised rubber, that's not truly hibrid.
But for those who are already using european rubbers, this might be a better choice than 09c.

 

[Wrighty67]

I just played with a sheet of RED 2.1 c55, mostly on backhand.

Pros:
-Overall nice feeling, spinny and controlled for a tensor rubber. It would be my go to rubber if real tacky or hibrids would not exist.

Cons:
-This rubber is NOT tacky at all, can't lift the ball
- Very sensible to condensation, ball slips if not engaged properly
- HEAVY - about 54-55g cut on a w968 , made my setup 205 grams, (a h3 37 is <49grams)
- Not suited for w968-like blades imo.

Overall I am dissapointed, it was not at all what I was looking for, and I feel like I wasted my money on a hybrid advertised rubber, that's not truly hibrid.
But for those who are already using european rubbers, this might be a better choice than 09c.

I have played most hybrids and none of them could lift the ball but all were tacky, so I dont think thats a reasonable assumption. C55 is as much of a hybrid as K3 / A1 / D09C etc. Most of my sheets of H3 only just pick up a ball now, and they are sticky rubbers not tacky.

Most of the hybrids are also similar weights to C55 in my experience.

 

[Peter93]

If a rubber can hold onto anything I consider it tacky, it's just a matter of what and for how long. If a completely not sticky protector sheet sticks to a rubber, it's tacky.

 

[NextLevel]

I have played most hybrids and none of them could lift the ball but all were tacky, so I dont think thats a reasonable assumption. C55 is as much of a hybrid as K3 / A1 / D09C etc. Most of my sheets of H3 only just pick up a ball now, and they are sticky rubbers not tacky.

Most of the hybrids are also similar weights to C55 in my experience.

C55 is definitely sticky/tacky. If you put on protector sheets for a long time, the tack will increase. The people who love extreme tack love it, they dismiss anything that doesn't have it.

 

[Egon]

I just played with a sheet of RED 2.1 c55, mostly on backhand.

Pros:
-Overall nice feeling, spinny and controlled for a tensor rubber. It would be my go to rubber if real tacky or hibrids would not exist.

Cons:
-This rubber is NOT tacky at all, can't lift the ball
- Very sensible to condensation, ball slips if not engaged properly
- HEAVY - about 54-55g cut on a w968 , made my setup 205 grams, (a h3 37 is <49grams)
- Not suited for w968-like blades imo.

Overall I am dissapointed, it was not at all what I was looking for, and I feel like I wasted my money on a hybrid advertised rubber, that's not truly hibrid.
But for those who are already using european rubbers, this might be a better choice than 09c.

Thanks for the sobering review. Such a large weight of rubber is not what I need

 

[vvk1]

Thanks for the sobering review. Such a large weight of rubber is not what I need

"sobering" review after 1 session, lol.

 

[vvk1]

Behold! A 92g w968 with unboosted C55/z52.5 totalling only 195g.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with C55 on w968, lol.

 

[latej]

Behold! A 92g w968 with unboosted C55/z52.5 totalling only 195g.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with C55 on w968, lol.

If my calculation is right, your original C55 would be 6 weeks old by now, and this one looks new. Which means
- you changed it
- you like it

So, when did you change it?

Btw. my C55 looks pretty beaten up after cca 22 hours. Cheers.

 

[vvk1]

If my calculation is right, your original C55 would be 6 weeks old by now, and this one looks new. Which means
- you changed it
- you like it

So, when did you change it?

Btw. my C55 looks pretty beaten up after cca 22 hours. Cheers.

I haven't changed it. Different light conditions.

 

[dingyibvs]

Behold! A 92g w968 with unboosted C55/z52.5 totalling only 195g.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with C55 on w968, lol.

View attachment 32122

That looks like a provincial W968 though, which has a smaller head than the national.

 

[Egon]

Behold! A 92g w968 with unboosted C55/z52.5 totalling only 195g.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with C55 on w968, lol.

View attachment 32122

Thank you also for the reviews, we are all different, so what suits one does not always suit another.
I am glad that the C55 suits you and I actually have very warm feelings about Xiom. For a long time I successfully used Vega Pro, Vega Europa and Xiom blades, which I chose for my friends. All this works great and the price/quality ratio is one of the best, but the weight of the equipment is very critical for me. 195 g is heavy for me, so the C55 is not for me.

 

[Tiber1337]

I just played with a sheet of RED 2.1 c55, mostly on backhand.

Pros:
-Overall nice feeling, spinny and controlled for a tensor rubber. It would be my go to rubber if real tacky or hibrids would not exist.

Cons:
-This rubber is NOT tacky at all, can't lift the ball
- Very sensible to condensation, ball slips if not engaged properly
- HEAVY - about 54-55g cut on a w968 , made my setup 205 grams, (a h3 37 is <49grams)
- Not suited for w968-like blades imo.

Overall I am dissapointed, it was not at all what I was looking for, and I feel like I wasted my money on a hybrid advertised rubber, that's not truly hibrid.
But for those who are already using european rubbers, this might be a better choice than 09c.

Update :

- It has extremely little stickyness, 09c is much more sticky ( and I use chinese rubbers for a while and clean them with distilled water and dry with hairdryer before putting protective sheet , to make it as sticky as possible )
-Still Heavy, moved back to h3 37 boosted, and reduced 6 grams on my blade.
-Brushing does not work very well, you need to engage rubber more european style than chinese style , if you brush it will either slip or give a slow loop which will get smashed on higher level.
-Very affected by humidy, more than hurricane I would say, you have to wipe it with your hand or something each point.
-I swear I played with Xiom Omega 7 pro and the loops with this rubber feels very similar, as if they changed 5%.

Overall Conclusion:
-a good forehand rubber , good with xiom blades, bad for backhand, bad for w968 (on backhand)
-Not a replacement for h3 neo
-Rakza Z or new Rakza Rising Dragon might be better choise for those looking to get into chinese-style rubbers.
-Xiom really good at marketing.

I will put it on a harder blade and test again sometime after tournament season, I might like it, but not on this setup...

 

[latej]

-I swear I played with Xiom Omega 7 pro and the loops with this rubber feels very similar, as if they changed 5%.

I have C55 and Omega 7 Pro on my blade right now, and they are night and day. Well, of course, it is my personal feeling, just as valid as yours, but I have to counteract yours, I owe it to the balance... ;-) Cheers.

I better don't start on Rakza Z.

 

[NoSpin]

-Brushing does not work very well, you need to engage rubber more european style than chinese style , if you brush it will either slip or give a slow loop which will get smashed on higher level.

This chinese brushing technics... Can you give an example of chinese pro using it in the tournament play?