Xiom Hugo SAL and 36.5 Deep Impact ALX

[doppelmoral]

some questions i would have to you: what made you change from HAL to ALX? like what playing properties you wanted that the HAL didn’t give you? and is there something that you miss about the HAL compared to ALX?

No , I missed nothing. I had a match in our league yesterday, and I used the HAL. Played great with it.

I like XIOM, and their products. And I love their blades. I got the ALX for 90€, which is a steal in my opinion. Maybe I will switch to the ALX at some point, but currently, I am using it only in training, and for fun. I am not a pro, but a mere hobby player, so I just use what I enjoy on that particular day If I want additional speed with almost the same feeling, the ALX is perfect. With HAL, I still perform better. But I used the HAL for about a year, so I am more used to it.

Nonetheless, I noticed that it is really easy to switch between those blades, because the feeling is very similar. Especially since its basically the same handle, same structure, and similar fiber. These two are from the same generation of XIOM blades and made in the same factory. This is a big plus for me.

BTY blades are great, but the feeling + vibrations are too different even when going from Hugo HAL to TB ZLF, let alone Viscaria. 36.5 ALX to me feels alot closer to Hugo HAL than TB ZLF. And I used TB ZLF for about 6 months, so I am quite familiar with this blade.

For reference, my TTR is ~1550, and I loop on both wings.

Cheers

 

[doppelmoral]

Can some compare the Xiom 36.5 TMX to Xiom Cho Daesong TMX Pro / An Jaehyun TMX Pro?

Havent used them but both of these blades will be harder (TMX has both ALC and ZLC) and significantly faster than the ALX 36.5 (based on measurements of https://ttgearlab.com/)

 

[Silver Server]

*i don't want to confuse you with you choice, but since for me the blade is the most sensitive choice you make, because you mostly play with it over several years and it gives the most feeling, i wanna give you another advice if you want:*
i think a more easy upgrade coming from the acoustic would be a inner carbon blade. then you just need to adapt to the speed and this works easier and faster. when i looked for slower inner carbon blades people said the xiom ALXi or the Fang Bo B2/Ma Long HL5 or something like the nittaku inodori. and if you don't want any carbon, then you have the option between the xiom hayabusa ZLF blade and the Victas Gear-Fiber that are both without carbon but innerfiber blades

Thanks for the in depth response. Reading TTgearlabs HAL review I was in between these two blades, HAL & ALXi and your reasoning is exactly like theirs in that the ALXi would feel like a more natural transition just with a bit more speed. So it def makes sense, and I’ve been confusing myself already 😂. HL5 also seems like a decent upgrade, but their quality control sounds like a crap shoot with what you might get, and the ALXi sounds like a better version of that.

Yes, I mostly agree. Though, I also went from 5 ply limba blade (OG version of samsonov premium contact) to Hugo HAL. It was a big change, but in hindsight, it paid of completly. Therefore, its hard to suggest a blade. He just has to try it out.

I would suggest to just go with what you want to play with the most, but then stick to it for at least a couple of months.

This! Sticking with what one wants to use is always the goal, but I feel like the biggest benefactor in this game (and almost everything in life lol) is the feeling. Thanks for your reviews.

 

[K.K]

when i am in the mist of equipment change, what helps me is to think about what i want from the new stuff.
you play with nittaku acoustic wich is a really flexible blade made for automatic topspin because by their flexibility creates an arc on it's own and so can easy clear the net. but the flex and catapult can sometimes loose control in the faster game and short game.
so, if you just want more speed and more stability without the need to change something in your strategy or stroke mechanics, then a innerfiber blade would be the ideal solution. you will still have some catapult and forgiveness for topspin due to some arc creation by the wood, but gain a faster gear and more dynamic. also more feeling due to the carbon kicking in later.

but if you want to change your stroke or strategy: then a outerfibre, a really stiff innerfibre, or an innerfirbre with hard wood outerply blade can make sense. harder blades help you to take the spin in the direction you want, so they 'follow' your stroke. you need a lot more acceleration to create spin, but then it rewards you with a really heavy spindynamic. also due to less catapult the short game is way easier and you can be more precise with placement. but if you don't have the swing, don't know what you are doing or read the spin wrong it will punish you with net balls or really high popups everywhere, because they are way more repulsive, the ball jumps faster out of your blade. so it really helps a lot with shorter movements and the backhand feels way crisper and faster because of that. but if you coming from a really flexible blade your forehand will feel super shitty first, because your long stroke sends the ball out or directly in the net if you don't know how to open and close the racket (that you don't need so much if you played a flexible blade before) and the feeling will not be so dwelly and just hard and glassy.
that is the reason why a transition can take a long time for some players.

a 7 ply blade are getting really uncommon these days, because they tend to be so thick that they get really head heavy with modern rubbers and therefore they don't get the same benefits as an slower and softer carbon blade. but that is just my opinion

AND:
thanks for this website, it is amazing! and fit's to most of my experiences with woods. i had one full day just reading all the articles <3

 

[Silver Server]

when i am in the mist of equipment change, what helps me is to think about what i want from the new stuff.
you play with nittaku acoustic wich is a really flexible blade made for automatic topspin because by their flexibility creates an arc on it's own and so can easy clear the net. but the flex and catapult can sometimes loose control in the faster game and short game.
so, if you just want more speed and more stability without the need to change something in your strategy or stroke mechanics, then a innerfiber blade would be the ideal solution. you will still have some catapult and forgiveness for topspin due to some arc creation by the wood, but gain a faster gear and more dynamic. also more feeling due to the carbon kicking in later.

Im seriously looking at the ALXi now. Seems like a better transition, but that’s still a few ways out for me. The only thing making me hesitant is the TMXi being on sale on TT11 for a lot cheaper than the ALXi, but I know it’s stiffer, faster, and less dwell than anything I would need lol.

 

[K.K]

Im seriously looking at the ALXi now. Seems like a better transition, but that’s still a few ways out for me. The only thing making me hesitant is the TMXi being on sale on TT11 for a lot cheaper than the ALXi, but I know it’s stiffer, faster, and less dwell than anything I would need lol.

a friend of mine has the ALXi and is a huge fan of it. says it has amazing feeling like a normal wood blade and a lot of power. but i never tried it myself.
but i played with the normal TMXi of my clubmate and it felt really stiff, had a really low throw for a inner carbon and was way too fast for me. felt a bit like the ovtcharov alc with less catapult. nice quality blade finish like all those newer xiom blades. this person played with two vega pro on it.
i hope this helps

 

[kapahoo]

Old and long thread. Sorry for digging it up but… how is the balance of the ALX? Is it on the head heavy side or more to the handle? From what I’ve read the FL handle is pretty much like the Viscarias size wise. Perhaps not that head heavy then?

 

[doppelmoral]

Old and long thread. Sorry for digging it up but… how is the balance of the ALX? Is it on the head heavy side or more to the handle? From what I’ve read the FL handle is pretty much like the Viscarias size wise. Perhaps not that head heavy then?

its not a head heavy blade, just normal balance

 

[sanittf]

its not a head heavy blade, just normal balance

doppelmoral , hi . How would you rate these four rackets in terms of - speed, control, vibration, elasticity. Just rank them from 1-5 in your opinion. 1. Hayabusa zlx 2. 36.5 alx 3. Jaehyun TMXi PRO 4. Hugo TMXi Pro Surpreme 5. Hugo ALX Pro Surpreme ​

 

[Table10Ice]

I'm thinking of getting either or both of ALX 36.5 and Joola Vyzarys Freeze, since both(?) are discontinued.

Right now I'm using the Xiom HAL 2nd gen and also own the standard Xiom ANJ TMXi.

Which one would you recommend? Mind you, that the ALX 36.5 is available for little more than 80 € and Joola Vyzaryz Freeze around 120 €, so the Joola is almost 50 % more expensive.

​

 

[TTWiz]

I'm thinking of getting either or both of ALX 36.5 and Joola Vyzarys Freeze, since both(?) are discontinued.

Right now I'm using the Xiom HAL 2nd gen and also own the standard Xiom ANJ TMXi.

Which one would you recommend? Mind you, that the ALX 36.5 is available for little more than 80 € and Joola Vyzaryz Freeze around 120 €, so the Joola is almost 50 % more expensive.

​

Before I offer a recommendation, I have to ask: Why are you looking to replace your current blades (Xiom HAL 2nd gen and ANJ TMXi)? Is there something specific you feel is missing or something you want to improve in your game that you hope a new blade can provide?

I can only give you my personal experience, which might differ from yours, especially given your current setup. I myself switched from a quite fast blade, the Joola ZQH90, and the transition to the ALX 36.5 was noticeable. My feelings about the ALX 36.5 may be different from yours if you're coming from a slower blade than the ZQH90.


I personally think the ALX 36.5 is a fantastic blade, and I've bought three because I know they are discontinued.

Speed and Control: Compared to the ZQH90, the ALX 36.5 is quite slow. However, this difference forced me to generate the speed using the correct technique in my strokes.

Touch and Block: Where this blade really shines is in the short game and defense. The touch play and feeling for the ball are fantastic, making dropshots and pushes very reliable. Furthermore, blocking is superb; the control helps redirect fast shots with ease.

Looping Arc: In exchange for top-end speed, the ALX 36.5 is much more controlled. What I really love is the higher ball arc/curve. Many shots that used to go long with the ZQH90 now land deep on the table because the ball "ducks" sharply at the end. This has made my topspin attacks safer and more effective.

 

[Table10Ice]

Before I offer a recommendation, I have to ask: Why are you looking to replace your current blades (Xiom HAL 2nd gen and ANJ TMXi)? Is there something specific you feel is missing or something you want to improve in your game that you hope a new blade can provide?

Not trying to replace my current blades, just happen to like Xiom blades and would like to sample what Joola could offer. I got my eyes on both the ALX 36.5 and the Joola Freeze from reviews on this forum by Yogi Bear.

Only normal EJing in search for the Holy Grail of blades. A quest no human in the recorded history of table tennis have been able to find an answer to.

 

[Table10Ice]

One more question about rubbers for the ALX 36.5.

On my Xiom HAL 2nd gen I use Xiom J&H X47,5 on FH and on the standard Xiom ANJ TMXi there's Xiom Vega Pro H on FH. Both blades have Xiom Vega Korea on BH.

This time I'm thinking of placing an order with tt-japan.net and their pricing is a bit different compared to my regular shop Tabletennis11. At tt-japan.net Xiom Omega VIII Hybrid is actually cheaper than J&H X47,5, 36 € vs 40 €, so I'm tempted to try that one out. Or do you think it will be too fast (or hard?) for me considering the combinations I'm used to?

So of these three rubbers, which should I choose for FH on ALX 36.5: Omega VIII Hybrid, J&H X47,5 or Vega Pro H?

Thinking of getting Omega VIII Euro on BH since tt-japan.net doesn't seem to carry Vega Korea at all. Any other suggestions? How is Vega Pro H on BH?