Xiom Hayabusa ZX

All-wood 6 reviews

Blade description:

The Xiom Hayabusa ZX is a 7-ply table tennis blade designed for aggressive, all-around players. It features a combination of speed, control, and consistency, making it suitable for a wide range of playing styles. The blade is composed of a limba outer ply, kiri core, and limba inner ply, resulting in a medium-stiff feel. The Hayabusa ZX boasts an impressive speed rating of 8.9, allowing players to generate powerful shots and execute quick attacks. At the same time, it offers a high control rating of 8.9, ensuring that players have precise ball placement and excellent touch.

The blade's stiffness rating of 4.4 and hardness rating of 5.2 contribute to its overall balance and responsiveness. The limba outer ply provides a crisp and direct feel, while the kiri core adds elasticity and helps absorb vibrations. The limba inner ply enhances the blade's stability and helps generate consistent shots. With a thickness of 5.7mm, the Hayabusa ZX offers a good balance between speed and control, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced players.

Based on forum reviews, players have praised the Xiom Hayabusa ZX for its exceptional consistency and feel. Many reviewers have noted that the blade provides excellent feedback, allowing them to fine-tune their strokes and improve their overall game. The blade's all-around nature makes it suitable for various playing styles, from aggressive attackers to controlled defenders. Players have also appreciated its durability and longevity, highlighting that the blade maintains its performance even after prolonged use.

Overall, the Xiom Hayabusa ZX is a well-rounded and versatile blade that offers a combination of speed, control, and consistency. Its balanced construction and high-quality materials make it an excellent choice for players of all levels, from beginners to experienced competitors.

Recent Reviews

#1 — February 2023

My favorite of 6 blades, I tend to rebuild the setups of my favorite pros, but in this case, I wanted to make my own using this blade. I paired it with new Xiom Jeckyl n Hyde Rubbers, and it’s very good to me. It offers much control while having loads of speed.

It handles everything you want to do with it, including looping, blocking, on-table play, off-table play, fishing, flicking, and smashing. It all feels great and consistent. For its price, this blade is a clear winner in the ZLC world of blades. To make it short, it’s a hidden gem!

#2 — June 2015

One of the best blades in the table tennis market today. Many people don’t know this!

Blade composition: limba-limba-zephylium carbon-ayous-zephylium

#3 — April 2015

Physical:

The Hayabusa ZX is a well-crafted blade with an average-sized head and a slightly small handle. While the finish is not of premium quality, it is still acceptable. The top plies exhibit uneven thickness, discernable to the naked eye. Despite this, Xiom provides a sanding stick to address this issue. The fiber layers are positioned close to the core. With rubbers attached, the blade becomes noticeably head-heavy. Its weight without rubbers is approximately 85-90 grams.

Feel:

Near the table, the blade has a solid wood-like feel with minimal to no flex. It possesses a medium-soft sensation. At low speeds, the blade does not rebound the ball instantaneously. Control is relatively good for a modern blade when playing close to the table.

However, when playing further away (2m or more) and engaging in looping and harder hitting shots, the blade’s characteristics change significantly. It exhibits slightly more flex, although still not to a great extent. The flex feels stable, and vibrations are kept to a minimum. The blade’s speed increases dramatically when playing away from the table. At this point, it showcases its true nature as a modern blade designed for heavy topspin play. It took me a week to adapt to this blade’s power and adjust my playing style accordingly. Reviews had led me to believe that the blade would be significantly slower, especially at mid-distance and beyond. Once acclimated, control is acceptable, but it does not offer the same level of control as a traditional 5-ply all-wood blade. I believe the blade’s head-heaviness and the innovative materials used contribute to its power.

Pros and Cons:

The blade’s most significant advantage is arguably its price. It provides comparable performance to BTY blades but at a much more affordable cost. A major downside is its production quality. As a premium Xiom product, it should be impeccably crafted. Personal preferences and individual blade requirements determine the rest of the pros and cons.

I welcome any questions you may have regarding this blade.

Have fun and enjoy your table tennis!

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