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

[piligrim]

I completely understand that this blade is really particular. It has a really soft feeling while being a fast blade when you input is fast/hard. That's whats amazing about it. It's really linear and has a lot of gears.
If im being honest i prefer the feeling of ALC or SALC but nothing gives me the safety on low gears and the explosiveness of hard hits like this blade.
Tha being said i dont think it is as fast/explosie as Viscaria. Even the Revoldia was faster albeit i think the Revoldia was almost as fast as Viscaria.

Whats the weight of the blade you tested and what rubbers did you use?

86g
I triee Victas V>01, Rozena and LAC
I am not agree about soft feeling. Its feels pretty hard.

 

[golden_son]

86g
I triee Victas V>01, Rozena and LAC
I am not agree about soft feeling. Its feels pretty hard.

I don't normally disagree so strongly with subjective blade assessments, but I'm tempted to suggest you got a weird one-off specimen, or Xiom packed the wrong blade in your box...

My HAL is 86g. I've moved onto another primary blade now but I picked up my HAL again a few days ago in training and there's just no way I could describe it as hard. I've used 45, 47.5, and 50-degree rubbers on it.

I do think it can feel harder at higher impact speeds; which I think is the point of its design, really. But even on loop drives close to the table it feels pretty soft and dwelly to me.

 

[piligrim]

I don't normally disagree so strongly with subjective blade assessments, but I'm tempted to suggest you got a weird one-off specimen, or Xiom packed the wrong blade in your box...

My HAL is 86g. I've moved onto another primary blade now but I picked up my HAL again a few days ago in training and there's just no way I could describe it as hard. I've used 45, 47.5, and 50-degree rubbers on it.

I do think it can feel harder at higher impact speeds; which I think is the point of its design, really. But even on loop drives close to the table it feels pretty soft and dwelly to me.

Everybody different

 

[K.K]

Everybody different

maybe you mean stiff instead of hard, because i played viscaria before i moved to HAL and HAL is way softer and more forgiving for me, but it shure is way stiffer then some inner carbon blades i tried that felt harder but flexier

 

[piligrim]

maybe you mean stiff instead of hard, because i played viscaria before i moved to HAL and HAL is way softer and more forgiving for me, but it shure is way stiffer then some inner carbon blades i tried that felt harder but flexier

Stiff and hard. For me its not softer then Viscaria and Viscaria more forgiving

 

[TampaBayTableTennis]

felt like Hugo out there today playing a little with the HAL at the end of practice, going for some shots and making them (good backhand and forehand finishes vs blocks after the opens)... gonna try it some more this month. i like that i can play with a little more of an open angle with it compared to my Harimoto which gives me a little more security and speed (on a given shot). feels like it holds the ball and squishes it a bit and gives me a little more control. the weight with old 09c's on it is about 8g lighter than my main setup which i like too (86g blade w older d09c x 2 - 182.8g vs my 88g htsalc w fresh 09c - 190.7g), feels more nimble and easier to accelerate and move around. might just be the fun of trying the different setup for a bit, we'll see...

 

[po-stit]

felt like Hugo out there today playing a little with the HAL at the end of practice, going for some shots and making them (good backhand and forehand finishes vs blocks after the opens)... gonna try it some more this month. i like that i can play with a little more of an open angle with it compared to my Harimoto which gives me a little more security and speed (on a given shot). feels like it holds the ball and squishes it a bit and gives me a little more control. the weight with old 09c's on it is about 8g lighter than my main setup which i like too (86g blade w older d09c x 2 - 182.8g vs my 88g htsalc w fresh 09c - 190.7g), feels more nimble and easier to accelerate and move around. might just be the fun of trying the different setup for a bit, we'll see...

How does the 09c feel on the HAL? On the Harimoto SALC the arc of the 09c was huge but considering the low arc of the Hugo HAL maybe 09c feels better on that blade? Im currently moving awasy from the Hal to the SALC but for some reason i love the HAL for my backhand.

 

[Yurifi]

How does the 09c feel on the HAL? On the Harimoto SALC the arc of the 09c was huge but considering the low arc of the Hugo HAL maybe 09c feels better on that blade? Im currently moving awasy from the Hal to the SALC but for some reason i love the HAL for my backhand.

for me, it was actually the best possible pairing. good speed, good control, best feel of all the rubbers I tried (J&H C55, Rakza Z & Z EH, Vega X, Donic C2, a whole bunch of Hurricanes …).

played it on both sides. that’s how much I liked it.

 

[TampaBayTableTennis]

How does the 09c feel on the HAL? On the Harimoto SALC the arc of the 09c was huge but considering the low arc of the Hugo HAL maybe 09c feels better on that blade? Im currently moving awasy from the Hal to the SALC but for some reason i love the HAL for my backhand.

Yes, you are right. 09C feels much more natural on the HAL (and I liked 09C on HTSALC, using it for a year+). They seem to balance each other out. I noticed it immediately when I put the old 09C sheets on the HAL and compared to my Harimoto. Feels easier to play with the arc and the slightly soft/stiff feeling of HAL goes with it well. Maybe a little top-end spin and power trade-off but feels way more consistent across range of shots. Also, the normal sized blade face makes weight balance better.

I ran an experiment the past month with Rakza 7/7 Hard on the HAL, just to see what that would be like since I enjoyed R7 a while back. It worked fine and has its benefits but I am likely going back to 2 x 09C on the HAL and sticking to it. It is a good combo and I have seen other people express that they like HAL/09C. I just wanted something to confirm this so I wouldn't second guess myself.

If you have some old 09C around, put it on the HAL and try it out!

 

[Yurifi]

Yes, you are right. 09C feels much more natural on the HAL (and I liked 09C on HTSALC, using it for a year+). They seem to balance each other out. I noticed it immediately when I put the old 09C sheets on the HAL and compared to my Harimoto. Feels easier to play with the arc and the slightly soft/stiff feeling of HAL goes with it well. Maybe a little top-end spin and power trade-off but feels way more consistent across range of shots. Also, the normal sized blade face makes weight balance better.

I ran an experiment the past month with Rakza 7/7 Hard on the HAL, just to see what that would be like since I enjoyed R7 a while back. It worked fine and has its benefits but I am likely going back to 2 x 09C on the HAL and sticking to it. It is a good combo and I have seen other people express that they like HAL/09C. I just wanted something to confirm this so I wouldn't second guess myself.

If you have some old 09C around, put it on the HAL and try it out!

I found that in order to make HAL work at its best, rubber should be 50+ hardness. softer rubbers are either catapulty as hell or mushy as hell.

btw - how’s R7H - been eyeing it for a while now, waiting for the rubber to come in stock. would love to try it on Donic Waldner Gold Edition and test it on Viscaria.

 

[TampaBayTableTennis]

I found that in order to make HAL work at its best, rubber should be 50+ hardness. softer rubbers are either catapulty as hell or mushy as hell.

btw - how’s R7H - been eyeing it for a while now, waiting for the rubber to come in stock. would love to try it on Donic Waldner Gold Edition and test it on Viscaria.

Yes, that makes sense. The Rakza 7 trial was solid but had its drawbacks, especially being used to 09C. Rakza 7 Hard is very similar to Rakza 7. You feel a slight difference. It has just a little more snap and quicker reaction with the ball, with less sinking in. It doesn't generate spin quite as effortlessly as the regular R7 but they are more or less interchangeable to me (not like R7 and R7S for example). I liked R7 on Viscaria before and that is probably where they will end up for a bit, before going to a slower blade for an allround combo to have around.

Excited to get the 09C and HAL going again.

 

[golden_son]

I've been using an old sheet of Big Dipper 38 on my HAL and the spin generation is nutty. Serves especially are way more deceptive than any other blade+rubber combination I have used. Though to be honest I've gotten that feeling on every blade I've put the (same sheet of!) BD on. Almost to the point where I'm afraid to update to BD V in case it's actually not as good as the OG...

I have one sheet of 09c so I'll try it next when the BD finally wears out. Still looking for an ideal BH that isn't $90...

 

[po-stit]

I've been using an old sheet of Big Dipper 38 on my HAL and the spin generation is nutty. Serves especially are way more deceptive than any other blade+rubber combination I have used. Though to be honest I've gotten that feeling on every blade I've put the (same sheet of!) BD on. Almost to the point where I'm afraid to update to BD V in case it's actually not as good as the OG...

I have one sheet of 09c so I'll try it next when the BD finally wears out. Still looking for an ideal BH that isn't $90...

On the Hal i love the Tibhar Hybrid Mk but im slowly enjoying the MK Pro even more. Curious because i can't stand the MK Pro on the FH.

 

[Nick80]

considering the low arc of the Hugo HAL maybe 09c feels better on that blade?

HAL has a high arc, not low at all. 09c is ok on this blade

 

[Nick80]

Still looking for an ideal BH that isn't $90...

I recommend you to try Fastarc g1. May be it is not ideal, but easier to play than many other
more expensive rubbers.

 

[po-stit]

HAL has a high arc, not low at all. 09c is ok on this blade

I recommend you to try Fastarc g1. May be it is not ideal, but easier to play than many other
more expensive rubbers.

I actually tried the Fastarc G1 on the Hal but didnt enjoy it that much. Much prefer D05 compared to it. Felt it was too fast on low gears for me. Its still a nice rubber + blade combo and im sure i would got used to it if i continued training with it.

Regarding the arc/throw angle i think the HAL has indeed a low arc that is hidden by the imense dwell that blade has and has already been said before, the ball feels the path of your movement with this blade. However compared to a blade like the Harimoto SALC or even the ALC you can clearly undestand that the natural arc of the blade is really low. At least thats my understanding from experimenting between a lot of rubbers between those blades.

 

[Yurifi]

I actually tried the Fastarc G1 on the Hal but didnt enjoy it that much. Much prefer D05 compared to it. Felt it was too fast on low gears for me. Its still a nice rubber + blade combo and im sure i would got used to it if i continued training with it.

Regarding the arc/throw angle i think the HAL has indeed a low arc that is hidden by the imense dwell that blade has and has already been said before, the ball feels the path of your movement with this blade. However compared to a blade like the Harimoto SALC or even the ALC you can clearly undestand that the natural arc of the blade is really low. At least thats my understanding from experimenting between a lot of rubbers between those blades.

yes, HAL has medium / mid-low arc ... but it has so much dwell that you really get a feeling like it has a very high throw.

I couldn't play with D05 on HAL - it was just too much dwell. I made the stroke and at the end of the stroke I still had a feeling the ball is on the blade, if you understand me.

also - it doesn't work well with sub 50ESN hardness rubbers, it's either too springy, catapulty if you want or too mushy ...

 

[Nick80]

This is from the PONG PROFESSOR review of HAL. I think it does not matter why throw is high. It is high and this is it)))

I actually tried the Fastarc G1 on the Hal but didnt enjoy it that much. Much prefer D05 compared to it.

You asked for the rubber which does not cost 90$. So i offered good 2 times cheaper option. If you want similar to d09c and cheaper rubber. You can look for XIOM Omega 8 CHINA. I have tried it before d09c, which im using now.
It is very similar. But none of them have the feeling of the ball being gripped by rubber. I think that's unique feature of the G1, which i like. The downside to this is that the rubber surface is softer and more elastic, which feels like you're touching jelly, which I don't like on this soft blade. But that gripping feature allows great control and precision on fast shots. I think if you have found it bouncy you could try thinner version.
Im playing now with d09c on backhand and 80 on forehand. Pretty good. But anyway for me this blade is too soft, and require long moves. Im thinking try some harder 7ply wood or may be inner zlc in future.

 

[po-stit]

yes, HAL has medium / mid-low arc ... but it has so much dwell that you really get a feeling like it has a very high throw.

I couldn't play with D05 on HAL - it was just too much dwell. I made the stroke and at the end of the stroke I still had a feeling the ball is on the blade, if you understand me.

also - it doesn't work well with sub 50ESN hardness rubbers, it's either too springy, catapulty if you want or too mushy ...

That's exactly my impression but with the Hybrid MK Pro. I use the Hybrid MK on backhand and tried it on the FH, liked the feeling but was expecting a little bit more speed, tried the MK Pro expecting the same feeling but with more speed but the rubber felt completely different like the ball was glued to the blade and didnt let go. Weird feeling but its exactly how you feel with D05.

Regarding hardness generally i also agree with you. My minimum is 47.5º but also enjoyed the Vega Korea.

 

[po-stit]

This is from the PONG PROFESSOR review of HAL. I think it does not matter why throw is high. It is high and this is it)))View attachment 41600

You asked for the rubber which does not cost 90$. So i offered good 2 times cheaper option. If you want similar to d09c and cheaper rubber. You can look for XIOM Omega 8 CHINA. I have tried it before d09c, which im using now.
It is very similar. But none of them have the feeling of the ball being gripped by rubber. I think that's unique feature of the G1, which i like. The downside to this is that the rubber surface is softer and more elastic, which feels like you're touching jelly, which I don't like on this soft blade. But that gripping feature allows great control and precision on fast shots. I think if you have found it bouncy you could try thinner version.
Im playing now with d09c on backhand and 80 on forehand. Pretty good. But anyway for me this blade is too soft, and require long moves. Im thinking try some harder 7ply wood or may be inner zlc in future.

Maybe you are confused. I didnt ask for a cheap rubber. I was comenting about my findings regarding this blade and rubber combinations, nothing more. And i completely disagree with that review.