Xiom Vega iSwitch Rubbers

Xiom Vega iSwitch Rubbers

https://imgur.com/ktkwq72

https://imgur.com/lzw9q8W

https://imgur.com/rRzlbKO

https://imgur.com/rvcKqS1

https://imgur.com/A8z3rnM

https://imgur.com/ZaKKyvu

https://imgur.com/PoOG2FB

https://imgur.com/Lzn0iNI

https://imgur.com/rPCQvzv

https://imgur.com/4KWIGA6

https://imgur.com/MM9QRn2

The Xiom Vega iSwitch rubbers are the new innovation from Xiom this year. The Vega rubbers have been famous all throughout the world for the past 10 years and the Vega Series rubbers in the market are always on top of the list when it comes to suggesting rubbers to beginners or intermediate players. Despite the ball change, the Xiom Vega Pro, Asia and Europe continue to sell very well in the market and also being used by a lot of players. The iSwitch technology has been researched and designed by Xiom for a few years now and only now has it been perfected and released in the market. The iSwitch technology was designed to enable players attach the Vega iSwitch rubbers to their blade directly without using water-based glue or VOC glue. Before, the concept of direct attachment of rubbers were limited to double-sided adhesives for OX or no-sponged pimpled rubbers. Xiom saw the need of ready-to-glue rubbers and decided to release this in the market. Upon closer inspection of the backside off the rubber, there is a thin semi-transparent sticky layer on the sponge. After you remove the film you will notice this layer immediately. I have tried adding booster to the sponge without removing this but it makes the sponge almost non-permeable to the booster oil. Unlike the layer in a Hurricane 3 sponge which can be dissolved by the booster or allows the booster to be absorbed, the glue layer in the iSwitch rubbers is hard to absorb the oil.

These are the steps I made to attach the iSwitch rubbers:
  1. Seal your blade! This is the number one precaution when using the iSwitch rubbers. Imagine the double-sided films for OX pips out rubbers are very sticky, the iSwitch glue are at least as sticky or even more sticky than the former. The Xiom Vivid blade is designed to be glued with iSwitch rubbers and there is a thin protection on the blade surface that can withstand the stickiness of the iSwitch glue layers. For blades with no built-in sealants, I suggest using a thin layer of varnish for protection. I sanded the blade surface with a fine sandpaper after the varnish dried.
  2. After attaching the rubber partially to the blade surface, use a roller gently to fully attach the rubber to the blade. It is important to note that I have observed the rubber having resistance to
Stretched from being pressed by the roller. I would have to give it time to fully check if there is shrinkage on the rubber but now it seems I am seeing the iSwitch rubbers not having great shrinkage due to the layer of glue in the sponge preventing it from being stretched too much.
  1. I used a common office disposable box cutter to cut the rubber with no problems at all.


Can the built-in glue rubber be removed and re-used?

It is a big YES! The iSwitch rubbers were designed to be removable for the convenience of players. I would suggest removing the rubber sideways in a slow and gentle manner for protection of your blade surfaces. After removing the iSwitch rubber, I suggest cleaning the blade surface before reattaching the iSwitch rubbers. I have done experiments on removing and reattaching the iSwitch rubbers. I did the process 5-6 times with no problems on the glue having reduced stickness but starting at 4th or 5th time that I removed the rubbers, I can see the varnished layer thinning out so I would suggest re-varnishing the blade. If you play regularly and use the rubber for a long time, 5 or 6 times removal of the rubber is enough in my opinion but Xiom said this is good until 10 times removal and re-attaching.

Does the Vega iSwitch rubbers have any differences from their regular counterparts?

I did feel a little difference with both series in which the Vega iSwitch rubbers seem to have a more firm sponge due to the added layer of iSwitch but does not seem to affect play at all. The Vega Pro is still the spinniest but a bit slower than the Vega Asia which has a more balanced speed-spin ration while Vega Europe is the slowest among the 3 but with a more controllable output.

The iSwitch Innovation is good for players who do not want to go through the process of messy gluing their rubbers, waiting for it to dry and attaching it to their blades. This comes in handy at times and who knows if this will have a good reception in the market, Xiom can maybe apply the iSwitch to other Xiom rubbers. Overall, a good innovation!
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Mar 2015
248
79
362
Read 1 reviews
Great innovation, this could be a real game changer if other companies adopt a similar technology. There are a lot of players who hate gluing process or don't know how to glue at all. I have abandoned regular glue for a long time now and been using glue sheets. Looking forward to test iSwitch!
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Mar 2015
248
79
362
Read 1 reviews
Xiom Vega iSwitch Rubbers

https://imgur.com/ktkwq72

https://imgur.com/lzw9q8W

https://imgur.com/rRzlbKO

https://imgur.com/rvcKqS1

https://imgur.com/A8z3rnM

https://imgur.com/ZaKKyvu

https://imgur.com/PoOG2FB

https://imgur.com/Lzn0iNI

https://imgur.com/rPCQvzv

https://imgur.com/4KWIGA6

https://imgur.com/MM9QRn2

The Xiom Vega iSwitch rubbers are the new innovation from Xiom this year. The Vega rubbers have been famous all throughout the world for the past 10 years and the Vega Series rubbers in the market are always on top of the list when it comes to suggesting rubbers to beginners or intermediate players. Despite the ball change, the Xiom Vega Pro, Asia and Europe continue to sell very well in the market and also being used by a lot of players. The iSwitch technology has been researched and designed by Xiom for a few years now and only now has it been perfected and released in the market. The iSwitch technology was designed to enable players attach the Vega iSwitch rubbers to their blade directly without using water-based glue or VOC glue. Before, the concept of direct attachment of rubbers were limited to double-sided adhesives for OX or no-sponged pimpled rubbers. Xiom saw the need of ready-to-glue rubbers and decided to release this in the market. Upon closer inspection of the backside off the rubber, there is a thin semi-transparent sticky layer on the sponge. After you remove the film you will notice this layer immediately. I have tried adding booster to the sponge without removing this but it makes the sponge almost non-permeable to the booster oil. Unlike the layer in a Hurricane 3 sponge which can be dissolved by the booster or allows the booster to be absorbed, the glue layer in the iSwitch rubbers is hard to absorb the oil.

These are the steps I made to attach the iSwitch rubbers:
  1. Seal your blade! This is the number one precaution when using the iSwitch rubbers. Imagine the double-sided films for OX pips out rubbers are very sticky, the iSwitch glue are at least as sticky or even more sticky than the former. The Xiom Vivid blade is designed to be glued with iSwitch rubbers and there is a thin protection on the blade surface that can withstand the stickiness of the iSwitch glue layers. For blades with no built-in sealants, I suggest using a thin layer of varnish for protection. I sanded the blade surface with a fine sandpaper after the varnish dried.
  2. After attaching the rubber partially to the blade surface, use a roller gently to fully attach the rubber to the blade. It is important to note that I have observed the rubber having resistance to
Stretched from being pressed by the roller. I would have to give it time to fully check if there is shrinkage on the rubber but now it seems I am seeing the iSwitch rubbers not having great shrinkage due to the layer of glue in the sponge preventing it from being stretched too much.
  1. I used a common office disposable box cutter to cut the rubber with no problems at all.


Can the built-in glue rubber be removed and re-used?

It is a big YES! The iSwitch rubbers were designed to be removable for the convenience of players. I would suggest removing the rubber sideways in a slow and gentle manner for protection of your blade surfaces. After removing the iSwitch rubber, I suggest cleaning the blade surface before reattaching the iSwitch rubbers. I have done experiments on removing and reattaching the iSwitch rubbers. I did the process 5-6 times with no problems on the glue having reduced stickness but starting at 4th or 5th time that I removed the rubbers, I can see the varnished layer thinning out so I would suggest re-varnishing the blade. If you play regularly and use the rubber for a long time, 5 or 6 times removal of the rubber is enough in my opinion but Xiom said this is good until 10 times removal and re-attaching.

Does the Vega iSwitch rubbers have any differences from their regular counterparts?

I did feel a little difference with both series in which the Vega iSwitch rubbers seem to have a more firm sponge due to the added layer of iSwitch but does not seem to affect play at all. The Vega Pro is still the spinniest but a bit slower than the Vega Asia which has a more balanced speed-spin ration while Vega Europe is the slowest among the 3 but with a more controllable output.

The iSwitch Innovation is good for players who do not want to go through the process of messy gluing their rubbers, waiting for it to dry and attaching it to their blades. This comes in handy at times and who knows if this will have a good reception in the market, Xiom can maybe apply the iSwitch to other Xiom rubbers. Overall, a good innovation!


Have you measured the weight difference between normal and iSwitch rubbers?

 
says The trick to lose the sight of big picture is to focus...
says The trick to lose the sight of big picture is to focus...
Member
Aug 2013
376
224
1,038
Read 3 reviews
Xiom Vega iSwitch Rubbers

https://imgur.com/ktkwq72

https://imgur.com/lzw9q8W

https://imgur.com/rRzlbKO

https://imgur.com/rvcKqS1

https://imgur.com/A8z3rnM

https://imgur.com/ZaKKyvu

https://imgur.com/PoOG2FB

https://imgur.com/Lzn0iNI

https://imgur.com/rPCQvzv

https://imgur.com/4KWIGA6

https://imgur.com/MM9QRn2

The Xiom Vega iSwitch rubbers are the new innovation from Xiom this year. The Vega rubbers have been famous all throughout the world for the past 10 years and the Vega Series rubbers in the market are always on top of the list when it comes to suggesting rubbers to beginners or intermediate players. Despite the ball change, the Xiom Vega Pro, Asia and Europe continue to sell very well in the market and also being used by a lot of players. The iSwitch technology has been researched and designed by Xiom for a few years now and only now has it been perfected and released in the market. The iSwitch technology was designed to enable players attach the Vega iSwitch rubbers to their blade directly without using water-based glue or VOC glue. Before, the concept of direct attachment of rubbers were limited to double-sided adhesives for OX or no-sponged pimpled rubbers. Xiom saw the need of ready-to-glue rubbers and decided to release this in the market. Upon closer inspection of the backside off the rubber, there is a thin semi-transparent sticky layer on the sponge. After you remove the film you will notice this layer immediately. I have tried adding booster to the sponge without removing this but it makes the sponge almost non-permeable to the booster oil. Unlike the layer in a Hurricane 3 sponge which can be dissolved by the booster or allows the booster to be absorbed, the glue layer in the iSwitch rubbers is hard to absorb the oil.

These are the steps I made to attach the iSwitch rubbers:
  1. Seal your blade! This is the number one precaution when using the iSwitch rubbers. Imagine the double-sided films for OX pips out rubbers are very sticky, the iSwitch glue are at least as sticky or even more sticky than the former. The Xiom Vivid blade is designed to be glued with iSwitch rubbers and there is a thin protection on the blade surface that can withstand the stickiness of the iSwitch glue layers. For blades with no built-in sealants, I suggest using a thin layer of varnish for protection. I sanded the blade surface with a fine sandpaper after the varnish dried.
  2. After attaching the rubber partially to the blade surface, use a roller gently to fully attach the rubber to the blade. It is important to note that I have observed the rubber having resistance to
Stretched from being pressed by the roller. I would have to give it time to fully check if there is shrinkage on the rubber but now it seems I am seeing the iSwitch rubbers not having great shrinkage due to the layer of glue in the sponge preventing it from being stretched too much.
  1. I used a common office disposable box cutter to cut the rubber with no problems at all.


Can the built-in glue rubber be removed and re-used?

It is a big YES! The iSwitch rubbers were designed to be removable for the convenience of players. I would suggest removing the rubber sideways in a slow and gentle manner for protection of your blade surfaces. After removing the iSwitch rubber, I suggest cleaning the blade surface before reattaching the iSwitch rubbers. I have done experiments on removing and reattaching the iSwitch rubbers. I did the process 5-6 times with no problems on the glue having reduced stickness but starting at 4th or 5th time that I removed the rubbers, I can see the varnished layer thinning out so I would suggest re-varnishing the blade. If you play regularly and use the rubber for a long time, 5 or 6 times removal of the rubber is enough in my opinion but Xiom said this is good until 10 times removal and re-attaching.

Does the Vega iSwitch rubbers have any differences from their regular counterparts?

I did feel a little difference with both series in which the Vega iSwitch rubbers seem to have a more firm sponge due to the added layer of iSwitch but does not seem to affect play at all. The Vega Pro is still the spinniest but a bit slower than the Vega Asia which has a more balanced speed-spin ration while Vega Europe is the slowest among the 3 but with a more controllable output.

The iSwitch Innovation is good for players who do not want to go through the process of messy gluing their rubbers, waiting for it to dry and attaching it to their blades. This comes in handy at times and who knows if this will have a good reception in the market, Xiom can maybe apply the iSwitch to other Xiom rubbers. Overall, a good innovation!

Hi Yogi,
Did you notice any weight difference between the new iSwitch and older Vega Pro rubbers? Also, are these rubbers factory tuned.

 

Hi Yogi,
Did you notice any weight difference between the new iSwitch and older Vega Pro rubbers? Also, are these rubbers factory tuned.

All ESN rubbers have always been factory tuned ever since. The newer ones are heavier but not that noticeable.

 
  • Like
Reactions: latej
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Mar 2015
248
79
362
Read 1 reviews
Theoretically however, you can turn any rubber similar to Xiom's iSwitch: You just use glue sheets gluing the "strong" side of the sheet to the rubber and the weaker one to the blade to avoid splintering.Then you can easily unglue the whole rubber and reglue it to another blade.

I'm saying that because some glue sheets (like Tibhar Duo) have different gluing intensity in each side
 
Theoretically however, you can turn any rubber similar to Xiom's iSwitch: You just use glue sheets gluing the "strong" side of the sheet to the rubber and the weaker one to the blade to avoid splintering.Then you can easily unglue the whole rubber and reglue it to another blade.

I'm saying that because some glue sheets (like Tibhar Duo) have different gluing intensity in each side

I am aware of the presence of unequal sides of the glue sheet but it defeats the purpose of convenience of just putting it on the blade directly. Also, I think the glue sheets will have an effect on the rubber's playing characteristics and gluesheets are more suited for OX rubbers.

 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Mar 2015
248
79
362
Read 1 reviews

I am aware of the presence of unequal sides of the glue sheet but it defeats the purpose of convenience of just putting it on the blade directly. Also, I think the glue sheets will have an effect on the rubber's playing characteristics and gluesheets are more suited for OX rubbers.

I agree i-Switch is more convenient than using glue sheets, but I'm just giving an alternative for players who use other rubbers than Xiom and want to make something similar like i-Switch.
While glue sheets do have the reputation for being used only in OX-rubbers, I've been using them for years now with normal rubbers and find no effect to the playing characteristics of the rubber.

 
says Fair Play first
says Fair Play first
Well-Known Member
Jan 2012
1,279
405
1,752

It is a permanent sticky layer, one cant get off the layer from the blade. Inpenetrable to the booster
 
Top