New Xiom Novus blades (Redesigned)

Xiom Novus blades (Redesigned)


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The Novus blades are what initially made Xiom famous aside from the Vega Series. As early as 2009
or 2010, blades like Stradivarius has been selling great in the market. They have added blades in
the series like Offensive S and Extreme S about 2 or 3 years ago. They decided to remake the handles
of the 8 blades listed below for extra comfort and add a fresh neew look. I can guarantee everybody
that the quality and finish are excellent. I have measured all handles in flared and they are at this
dimensions. Length = 100mm; Middle part of handle = 22.4mm x 28.4mm cross sectional diameter,
bottom of handle = 23.5mm x 33.7mm. Overall I can say that the flared handles have a narrow
flared design. It almost feels like a conic handle so even teh Aigis at with flared handle can be
twiddled easily but still maintains the grip of a wider flared handle. The all wood blades have a
brown top on their handles while the pure carbon onees have a blue top. The Stradivarius has
a red top on its handle.




Aigis


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Weight: 81 grams
Thickness: 4.8mm
Blade head: 166x156mm
Plies: 5 (limba top)
Speed: Def+ to All


This is one of the best defensive blades in the market. This is already a classic and people love this
blade for having good control and at the same time the ability to attack. The Aigis can chop really well
whether far or near the table especially using with long pimples. It is slow enough to chop but at the
same time if you attack with it, the Aigis can give you good amount of power. Honestly, this blade is
not slow for a defensive blade.




All Around S


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Weight: 81 grams
Thickness: 5.2mm
Blade head: 158x151mm
Plies: 5 (limba top)
Speed: All+


This is the go through blade for beginners or for intermediate players to some extent. This blade
has been one of best suggested blades in several forums due to its good feel, high control and is
excellent in learning all the basic strokes. This slightly faster compared to other all around
blades in the market with the exception of Stiga Nostalgic ALL. I gave this to a friend of mine
who is a chopper and mind you, he can chop really well using this blade. This is not just an all
around blade for its speed but a truly all around blade since you can do everything with it - from
defensive chopping to attacking.


Offensive S


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Weight: 84 grams
Thickness: 6mm
Blade head: 158x151mm
Plies: 5 (limba top)
Speed: Off


My kind of blade! This has been my favorite blade ever since I got hold of it. Along with the All
Around S, this has been the most suggested blade in the forums due to its good speed, feel and
control. If people like Petr Korbel as an offensive 5 ply all wood blade, the Offensive S is
slightly better because of its better feel and does not feel rough like the Korbel. This is a
fast 5 ply blade, not as fast as some other stiff 5 ply blades but still fast enough for
offensive shots. A beginner can still use this blade to develop his strokes BUT with slower
rubbers like those cheap Chinese rubbers in the market.


Extreme S


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Weight: 84 grams
Thickness: 6.9mm
Blade head: 157x150mm
Plies: 7 (limba top)
Speed: Off+


This is a beast for a 7 ply blade. If you want to maintain using an all wood blade but need more
speed then this blade has everything you would like for an offensive blade. Despite being a 7
ply blade, it has some flex to enable you to loop or spin well. This is a powerful blade near or
far from the table and might not be suited for beginners.This is a pure offensive blade that is
excellent for smashing or driving. It blocks well with good amount of control and is forgiving
for a fast blade. This is very underrated yet IMO one of the best 7 ply all wood blades in the
market.


Ignito


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Weight: 84 grams
Thickness: 6.51mm
Blade head: 158x150mm
Plies: 3+2 (kiso hinoki+carbon)
Speed: Off+


This is the slowest and has the most control among Xiom's pure carbon blades. What I mean is that
it has lesser speed compared to other pure carbon blades but the level of its speed is already at
off+. This has a high rebound effect and you can feel its liveliness with every bounce of the ball
on your shots. More or less, this is the Primorac Carbon of Xiom. It has good feel despite being
a stiff blade. This was made for advanced level players. If you have the skill, you can have very
fast shots while maintaining a good amount of spin on your counter loops and initial spin.


Strato


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Weight: 86 grams
Thickness: 7.03mm
Blade head: 158x150mm
Plies: 3+2 (kiso hinoki+carbon)
Speed: Off+


This is the thicker version of the Ignito. You can actually see the increased thickness of the
kiso-hinoki top ply as compared to the Ignito. For a thick blade with carbon, it has some softness
in it. The core is also thicker in this blade. This was made entirely for just smashing and spin
drives that overpowers opponent's attacks. It is very fast and is faster than a Gergely or
Primorac Carbon but offers better control because it does not feel as stiff as the 2 mentioned
blades. This is designed especially for hitters or for players who love staying away from the
table.


Stradivarius


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Weight: 83 grams
Thickness: 5.7mm
Blade head: 157x149mm
Plies: 5+2 (koto+carbon aramid)
Speed: Off+


This is the best selling composite blade of Xiom since 2009 or 2010. Although this has carbon
aramid as its composite material, this has been the best alternative to Timo Boll Spirit or
Timo Boll ALC in the early years it was released. Its soft carbon-aramid composite layer insures
a somewhat balanced feel of softness and hardness. It has the hardness to produce fast speed but
at the same time the softness to offer better control. I love the feel of this blade and the
vibration is very minimal. I am using a Xiom Tau II on the forehand with this blade and it loops
amazing and at the same time counter loops and smashes are great. i have come to love carbon
aramid over the years more than ALC and pure carbon because of its good amount of feel and balance
between speed and control. This is both a looping and hitting blade despite the good amount
of speed.




Axelo


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Weight: 88 grams
Thickness: 7.6mm
Blade head: 158x150mm
Plies: 3+2 (kiso hinoki+carbon)
Speed: Off+


This is the 2nd fastest Xiom blade in the market (Ice Cream AZX is the fastest IMO). Although
this was built to match Sardius or Schlager carbon, this is slightly slower and feel softer. This
is in its own right an all out, very fast blade. It is slightly forgiving compared to the 2
mentioned blades but this is just pure speed in and away from the table. This is only for expert
level players that can consistently handle this blade in order to spin, loop or drive the table.
If you have the skills you are rewarded with amazingly fast shots. This is also the thickest
carbon blade in the Xiom line of carbon blade. Let me point out that most of the
carbon blades released now in this series seem softer compared than their old versions.
 
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Hi Yogi, are all of these using hollow/carved out handles?

I'm really impressed they can make a 6.9mm 7 ply blade 84g without being undersized!

My Extreme S weighed 92g.
 
nice, will be waiting for the tau II review!

do the blades have a cpen version?

Yes all have cp version.

I corrected the error due to copy pasting. The Axelo is at 7.6mm thickness.
 
Nice re-design, even the boxes look nice.

I wonder what the "T" stands for in the crest/shield logo for these blades?

Also, what are the overall specs of the Tau II rubber? Chinese type, hybrid...?

Hmm I have not asked the meaning of the "T" symbol but I will.

I will post my review of the Tau II this week. Initially, I like it! It seems a tad slower than Vega China but the spin is way much more than Hurricane 3. It does not have so much tackiness as Vega China or H3.
 
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Hi Yogi,

Do the handles resemble those of the "feel" series? Could you compare handles with other brands perhaps?
 
Hi Yogi,

Do the handles resemble those of the "feel" series? Could you compare handles with other brands perhaps?

yes they do feel like it except that the neck or wing part is different and smaller like the original Novus.
 
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Hi Yogi/Langel, is there a compilation for all the Xiom charts? Looking for something on the: Repulsive, short "ball grab", and "clear and solid".
 

mky

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mky

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Is the new Offensive S faster than the original one?
 
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