Xiom Hayabusa ZX

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!

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

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!

Very nice blade. Fast but still very controllable. I think this blade weighs more than 85 grams, maybe 89 or 90, but this is a very good blade.

Cons: — Heavy Head

The blade has excellent top spin and control. It is a very impressive piece of equipment.

Very nice blade. It is fast but still very controllable. It is as fast as my Butterfly Innerforce ALC, but with more control. The looping feels slightly different compared to my Butterfly, but it is better at blocking and chopping because of the increased control.

The only thing I didn’t like as much as my Butterfly is that the handle on the Xiom is not as smooth. The edges by the handle are a little sharp and different. It takes a few hits to get used to.

The reason I use this over my Butterfly is because of the same speed but greater control. I would recommend this to players who play like me; primarily attacking but still able to block and chop easily when necessary.