Xiom Hayabusa ZLX

The blade is quite fast with great control. I had a ZL Pro before it, which was slower, but with even better control. For now, I have glued hard 55 degree XIOM Omega VII Tour and XIOM Jekyll & Hyde rubbers to the ZLX—it works amazingly with them. The handle is very comfortable, the feel is soft, you can play at any distance with it, without a problem. Its forehand arc is high, and the backhand is easy and gives you great confidence. It is easy to cut the ball, and the block is unique. This is the type of blade that, even after hitting a few balls for the first time, you fall in love with it. At a decent price, it has many more qualities than much more expensive blades. I recommend it to everyone!

Firstly, the blade looks beautiful and has a comfortable ergonomic handle; I got the AN. The blade is fast, yet very controllable. The decent delay allows for high-arc topspins, which reduces errors. I played with the MX-P for the FH and the D05 for the BH — the combination produces a lot of spin. The chop is also quite controllable for an OFF+ racket. When settled, it produces a fast loop and a very cool sound; I haven’t experienced this sensation from any other racket, and I’ve played with many: Viscaria s.ALC, Lin Yun-Ju, Mizutani, PG7, Zhang Jike. I might replace the MX-P with a JOOLA Tronix ACC, Rakza 7, or G1 for FH later. I think this is the best wood I’ve played with in the last 10 years. :) Well, and in addition, with strong blows the whip starts to work, a feeling of incredible inertia, this is not an ephemeral whip, but a real centrifugal acceleration.

My first blade upgrade. If u dont like any vibration feeling then dont take this. So far for me, great upgrade from my previos all wood blade. Not too fast blade, can feel the ball. Xiom omega FH, neo 3 BH.

I have played a Hayabusa Zxi for over 10 years, and it is a fabulous close to the table offensive + blade. Over time it has taken some knocks, and I have been looking for a replacement, but nothing seemed like it would fit the bill until I saw the new Hayabusa ZLX on TT11. The ZLX marks the return of the Zephilium blade, and it appeared to be of similar construction to the Zxi. When I received mine, I built it with the same rubber (Omega IV Europe), so I could do a side-by-side comparison. The only differences I could detect were that the ZLX was very slightly less bouncy when I bounced a ball on it, and the sound was a slightly lower frequency, but when playing it allowed for more dwell time so I could load up on the spin a bit more. The handle is a bit rounder, typical of the handles Xiom now uses in its line.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with the blade after several hours of use. There was absolutely no transition period. Playing the ZLX was just like with the Zxi. Enough speed when needed, loops well, blocks well, chops and pushes well, all with great control. The fact that the blade is made in China, as opposed to Korea, is not a concern, because the build quality and finish were as good as any Korean-made Xiom blade I have ever owned, and the price is considerably lower. The ZLX has now become my go-to blade.