What an amazing blade (36.5 ALX), weird but in good sense. Finishing is above everything I've grabbed my hands on, koto surface and handle are nice and very smooth. Too bad they've used cheap lens/logos. Mine came in 87 grams, flared handle.
This is my first impression - only one session - and is in comparison with Viscaria. Upfront it is needed to say that comparing this two, in a sense that they have similar behavior, doesn't make justice to neither, IMO. They are two different species! I will refer to Viscaria as it is a benchmark blade.
1. XIOM 36.5
FH: DHS H3 Provincial Orange 39 degrees, 2.2 mm + booster
BH: DHS Gold Arc 5, 2.1 mm
DHS 15 Glue
194 GRAMS
2. VISCARIA U code
FH: DHS H3 Provincial Orange 39 degrees, 2.2 mm + booster
BH: TIBHAR MX-S, 2.1-2.2 mm
DHS 15 Glue
192 grams
For me, the most outstanding difference between the two is speed (elasticity). I didn't expect to ALX to be so fast! According to the reviews I've read I was expecting a more captive blade, higher dwell, more oriented towards FH strokes, resembling more inner carbon structures, with a good kick provided on higher power strokes by composite layer. These respective to Viscaria.
In reality the blade provides a fast spiny kick upon contact, even at relatively low power strokes (warm-up drives). The kick is not a heavy type (Amulart/Photino) but a crispy one with very high conversion to speed, with balls landing deep on the table. Even stranger is that one can easily tame this wildness, decelerating the ball in an automatic manner. If you go slow it goes slow, if you ramp up a little it becomes really crazy. Bottom line, I cannot say it has a linear behavior. There's a certain degree of built in safety and finesse.
Viscaria, on the other hand, is rather fast/bouncy even on low power shots, but there's no sense of kick, or ramp up. Blade is captive type with high speed. This is true until 50-70% power output. From there, with good conversion, it switches to beast mode (core activation), providing heavy, fast and spiny cannon balls. There's a clear feeling of magnification. Viscaria is raw and brutal, with little sense of finesse .It can be said the behavior is rather linear.
I haven't followed power aspect with ALX, didn't feel the need to go above 60% due to high acceleration from kick. Back court loop to loop required less effort comparison with Viscaria. There's a a good feeling of unload with a certain built in safety. I'm inclined to say that it's less powerful than Viscaria. It's like comparing a lower caliber fast machine gun with something of a higher caliber. One can produce high quality balls with lower body power demands with ALX.
Control and feeling are great, for me clearly higher than Viscaria, both close and far from table. Ball can be kept really close to nets in closed type points, serve receive is great. Defense is also very good with balls landing deep on the table, good feeling on blocks due to less low frequency vibration compared to Viscaria. In terms of hardness and stiffness they are in the same ballpark, with XIOM at the lower end of spectrum. At a close look, mine at least, ALX has a thicker KOTO layer, a thinner LIMBA layer and thicker core. (VISCARIA ~5.70 mm, ALX ~5.76-5.78 mm). This, I theorize, makes the two blades different in terms of wood to composite ratios, making Viscaria harder with a more perceived stiffness. OK, this doesn't consider wood and composite densities. All in all surface hardness delimits the two (higher composite influence on Viscaria). ALX seems bouncier but, strangely, with higher capabilities of keeping balls short in closed type situations.
The "vibration free/no vibration" declarations on blades always blew me off. I always wanted to try XIOM Icecream AZX but didn't make the leap as in the past I've tried a blade that, without being very stiff, it had very little vibration (arguably due to higher density wood used for handle construction), thus making a somewhat disconnecting feel. Anyways, with ALX there's a clear feeling of vibration, but a very pleasant one, with warmer tones (low frequency) on loops (feeling of deformation) and crisper tones (highe pitch) on blocks, smashes, power shots. It's as if the blade solidifies at higher power.
I cannot say much about back-hand as it is the first time I use DHS Gold Arc 5. It is physically and technically more demanding than Tibhar MX-S. Control & feeling are great. Flicks/flips are great.
Topspin and loop capabilities are great. With my rather low power output and low efficiency, forehand topspins and loops were problematic, to the point that FH became a vulnerability, slowly loosing confidence on FH strokes. Slowly I migrated from a FH dominant to a BH dominant player. ALX provides great dwell, feeling and safety. It has a high margin of error and enables good quality shots with great consistency at lower power outputs from user.
In terms of strategy I will risk to say that ALX can shine in the hands of a fast, not very powerful player using a modern of the bounce technique near the table and mid distance, pace/rally oriented game. This is not to say that it is not good further away from table. The built in safety margin allows for development. On the other hand, Viscaria favors a more skillful and powerful player, with good footwork and well established technique, that relies on quick/short rallies.
I will get back with further impressions.
Second look.
All of the above hold.
Backhand also works great, good confidence. The Gold Arc 5 doesn't produce the ball quality of Tibhar MX-S on topspins in terms of speed and kick, but with ALX offers superb control, great brush topspins and great foundation for technique development. It is less automated, so it requires more body involvement and good form. I wouldn't say this blade favors BH or FH style. It is well balanced, offering very nice, warm crispy feeling on BH too, with high control.
In conclusion XIOM 36.5 ALX is a very well behaved speed control oriented blade providing good space for development. It's doesn't have the spices and fireworks of a Viscaria - not giving exuberance - but highly compensates with other high value ingredients. It can definitely tame a flamboyant user with improper technique, as myself. Generally speaking it allows more time (for reading spin, preparing stroke, stroke itself ). It is always a matter of compromise, there's no such thing as perfect equipment. Using Viscaria some aspects of my game improved (BH flicks, BH to BH counter topspin rallies) while other degraded (serve receive, FH, timing) or stood on a hold. Probably it is early to say, but ALX just might have higher compromise value for me.
I will get back in a month for further impressions.
Adi
