Any blades still in production similar to Xiom Hugo HAL or Butterfly Moonbeam?

[po-stit]

Tested the blade today, I like it a lot, the issue is had against the player i played is that sometimes, the ball just died on the block in a way that felt inexplicable vs my Viscaria SALC. I put that down to lacking the Carbon kick. Will give it a whirl tomorrow as promised but likely to uaw my SALC for most matches.

From my humble and short experience with the HAL what you felt is a characteristic of the blade. The lack of "bounciness" on soft touches is what i think its amazing with the blade. It gets a little bit to get used to it, mainly if you come from carbon blades. Give it time and you can have soft touches close to the table and powerfull ones when you unleash the beast =)

 

[doppelmoral]

Tested the blade today, I like it a lot, the issue is had against the player i played is that sometimes, the ball just died on the block in a way that felt inexplicable vs my Viscaria SALC. I put that down to lacking the Carbon kick. Will give it a whirl tomorrow as promised but likely to uaw my SALC for most matches.

Hi NL,
even though I use another blade now, I have played with HAL for a long time. I know exactly what you are referring to. Just open your racket and dont be afraid to really let the ball dwell into the rubber. HAL is really nice for blocking, just requires some small adjustment

BTW, I am glad that you followed through and got the blade after announcing you would get it if XIOM re-released it

 

[NextLevel]

BTW, I am glad that you followed through and got the blade after announcing you would get it if XIOM re-released it

Haha... I am a man of my word lol.

 

[NextLevel]

I suspect the HAL will make its debut in a match i am certain to lose lol...

 

[double-d]

Hey y'all,

My name is Daniel and i am new to this forum.
I just got my hands on a new and old version of the hal. It seems to me that the construction is a bit different. On the one hand the layers seem to differ slightly and the new edition doesn't have a black limba layer. Furthermore the handle of the new version is a big more beefy. I hope i can test both versions next week and post my impressions.

 

[Yurifi]

Hey y'all,

My name is Daniel and i am new to this forum.
I just got my hands on a new and old version of the hal. It seems to me that the construction is a bit different. On the one hand the layers seem to differ slightly and the new edition doesn't have a black limba layer. Furthermore the handle of the new version is a big more beefy. I hope i can test both versions next week and post my impressions.

View attachment 37734View attachment 37735View attachment 37736

wouldn't say it's different, just aged a bit ... layers seem to be the same. as for the handle - I have TMXi and HAL, both FL, and are quite similar in hand. both hold great.
also - limba? isn't top layer Koto on HAL?

 

[K.K]

i took the opportunity and bought myself a third one too. i can confirm the findings of daniel: the newer version is different then my other two older batches. the old ones had dark limba as medialply and the new one look different but might still be limba. the new one has a way rougher finish overall and the handle is wider on the thumbrest.
it plays different too… it feels softer and ‘thinner’ like the core is not as solid as with my other blades. my old ones feel both like the same blade even though they have a their tiny differences, but the new one is not the same. it is overall not a big deal, because it is small enough to adapt too within a few sessions, but if you’re sensitive to stuff like that, then better find one second hand.

all my hal are the same weight +-0,5g

 

[doppelmoral]

i took the opportunity and bought myself a third one too. i can confirm the findings of daniel: the newer version is different then my other two older batches. the old ones had dark limba as medialply and the new one look different but might still be limba. the new one has a way rougher finish overall and the handle is wider on the thumbrest.
it plays different too… it feels softer and ‘thinner’ like the core is not as solid as with my other blades. my old ones feel both like the same blade even though they have a their tiny differences, but the new one is not the same. it is overall not a big deal, because it is small enough to adapt too within a few sessions, but if you’re sensitive to stuff like that, then better find one second hand.

all my hal are the same weight +-0,5g

yea to be honest, I somehow expected that. XIOM was reluctant to re-release this blade and finally gave in to market the hype around Hugo.

Xiom had alot problems with its blade making factory in Korea over the years and one rumoured reason for the discontinuation of HAL was shortage of material (specifically fiber)

So new HAL might be a reinterpretation of the original model

 

[NextLevel]

The "new one" is interesting. I never used the old one so I cant compare. The new one feels like a slower wooden blade. The blocking is consistent in a different way from what I used before so I get a lot of blocks and counters on the table (whether they threaten is another story). The fatter handle increases blocking stability but I had to sand the wings because they cut me. I wish the performance was more consistent but it is a blade I will continue to revisit because the control is very high.

 

[doppelmoral]

The "new one" is interesting. I never used the old one so I cant compare. The new one feels like a slower wooden blade. The blocking is consistent in a different way from what I used before so I get a lot of blocks and counters on the table (whether they threaten is another story). The fatter handle increases blocking stability but I had to sand the wings because they cut me. I wish the performance was more consistent but it is a blade I will continue to revisit because the control is very high.

I havent tried the "new one", so I dont want to make too many speculations. But I think I tried 5 different "old HALs" over the years. HAL never felt like a slower wooden blade. It was for sure faster than a Korbel JP, and it had more gears than a Korbel JP. And I wouldnt say Korbel is a slow blade.

To me, HAL always felt like a light version of Viscaria, more feel and more control. and speciality of HAL was topspin game, so much dwell, long arc, very easy to make speed + spin, stable no matter what

 

[golden_son]

Received my HAL yesterday. TADA!

Weight is 85g on the dot, though probably technically a hair lighter since I had them seal it. 1465 Hz, which suggests it will be a bit faster than my JRE (1348 Hz) and close to my Stuor Long 5 (1453 Hz). I never got around to measuring the frequency of my Viscaria before selling it but from what I understand it's in a similar ballpark (~1440+ Hz). But of course vibrational frequency doesn't tell the whole story so I'm curious to know if in practice it feels as fast as those.

Now comes the hard part...deciding what rubbers to slap on it first.

FH...

...and BH

I'm thinking the Vega Pro H on both sides to start, though maybe the AK47 would give me the most "unadulterated" feel for the blade since they're pretty basic.

 

[andzejgolot]

Dignics 09 c and tenergy.

 

[andzejgolot]

I havent tried the "new one", so I dont want to make too many speculations. But I think I tried 5 different "old HALs" over the years. HAL never felt like a slower wooden blade. It was for sure faster than a Korbel JP, and it had more gears than a Korbel JP. And I wouldnt say Korbel is a slow blade.

To me, HAL always felt like a light version of Viscaria, more feel and more control. and speciality of HAL was topspin game, so much dwell, long arc, very easy to make speed + spin, stable no matter what

Yeah, I had one slow hard Hal and it was a Brick, I stopped using this blade .
And I had Viscaria lite which was soft and very good.

 

[Yurifi]

Received my HAL yesterday. TADA!

View attachment 37804

Weight is 85g on the dot, though probably technically a hair lighter since I had them seal it. 1465 Hz, which suggests it will be a bit faster than my JRE (1348 Hz) and close to my Stuor Long 5 (1453 Hz). I never got around to measuring the frequency of my Viscaria before selling it but from what I understand it's in a similar ballpark (~1440+ Hz). But of course vibrational frequency doesn't tell the whole story so I'm curious to know if in practice it feels as fast as those.

Now comes the hard part...deciding what rubbers to slap on it first.

FH...
View attachment 37805

...and BH
View attachment 37806

I'm thinking the Vega Pro H on both sides to start, though maybe the AK47 would give me the most "unadulterated" feel for the blade since they're pretty basic.

Dignics 09c is a match made in heaven for HAL. definitely, in short time I have it, it needs to bee a rubber above 50ESN hardness, 47.5 if it is a harder feeling rubber (Vega Pro H fits the bill nicely). I have Dignics09c on FH and it is a great combo, on BH I started with Dignics05 but it is a bit too bouncy for my liking ... I guess MX-P50 would fit nicely, too, but curretnly I have Xiom J&H Z52.5 and it looks really promising after 1 practice session.

like I said previously, nothing like my trusty old Moonbeam was - the layer of Arylate was also much thicker back then, but the feel is similar. and some say, it is the same as all-wood - sorry, it is not. the fiber layer adds the much needed support I miss in all-wood blades and it takes away that signature all-wood vibration that I really do not like.

to me, speed-wise, it is close to TMXi, but has completely different feel. both blades have amazing feel, but HAL is more amazing. if anything, TMXi vibrates a tad bit more, HAL has much more crisp and sharp sensation. I can actually feel again the very point of where I hit the ball on the blade, it's fast when you want it and slow when you need it. TMXi was similar, but was still quite bouncy in slower speeds which bothered me a little. plus - I always said weight of the blade is really not important or if it is, it is better to have a heavier one. well, my HAL is 84g, but is such a nice blade to play with, 185g with rubber fitted, TMXi was always around 192g and AZXi always around 195-200g ... and the difference is substantial! but it is the blade, because ALX I had prior to the HAL, was also 84g and it was ... well, I couldn't play with it ... but HAL, I don't know, it lives to the hype, to be honest.

 

[disaster3]

I thought that I will keep my new one untouched but was much more tempted to try with Dignics and glued today. Waiting for my evening training session to test it.

 

[Yurifi]

I thought that I will keep my new one untouched but was much more tempted to try with Dignics and glued today. Waiting for my evening training session to test it.

View attachment 37828
View attachment 37829

Dignics05 both sides?

 

[disaster3]

Nope, D80 + D05

 

[disaster3]

D05 is my „go to” rubber currently testing d64 on Golden Vis with d05 and now D80 on HAL

 

[TampaBayTableTennis]

awesome! ready to see some more reviews/feedback... i am one step closer to using mine.

 

[piligrim]

Dignics 09c is a match made in heaven for HAL. definitely, in short time I have it, it needs to bee a rubber above 50ESN hardness, 47.5 if it is a harder feeling rubber (Vega Pro H fits the bill nicely). I have Dignics09c on FH and it is a great combo, on BH I started with Dignics05 but it is a bit too bouncy for my liking ... I guess MX-P50 would fit nicely, too, but curretnly I have Xiom J&H Z52.5 and it looks really promising after 1 practice session.

like I said previously, nothing like my trusty old Moonbeam was - the layer of Arylate was also much thicker back then, but the feel is similar. and some say, it is the same as all-wood - sorry, it is not. the fiber layer adds the much needed support I miss in all-wood blades and it takes away that signature all-wood vibration that I really do not like.

to me, speed-wise, it is close to TMXi, but has completely different feel. both blades have amazing feel, but HAL is more amazing. if anything, TMXi vibrates a tad bit more, HAL has much more crisp and sharp sensation. I can actually feel again the very point of where I hit the ball on the blade, it's fast when you want it and slow when you need it. TMXi was similar, but was still quite bouncy in slower speeds which bothered me a little. plus - I always said weight of the blade is really not important or if it is, it is better to have a heavier one. well, my HAL is 84g, but is such a nice blade to play with, 185g with rubber fitted, TMXi was always around 192g and AZXi always around 195-200g ... and the difference is substantial! but it is the blade, because ALX I had prior to the HAL, was also 84g and it was ... well, I couldn't play with it ... but HAL, I don't know, it lives to the hype, to be honest.

I think you should be banned )))