Xiom Vega Asia DF

Rubber description:

Xiom Vega Asia DF: A High-Performance Table Tennis Rubber for Versatile Play

The Xiom Vega Asia DF table tennis rubber offers an exceptional balance of speed, spin, control, and feel, making it suitable for a wide range of players, from recreational to advanced. It features a medium-soft sponge with a hardness of 4.3 degrees, providing a combination of power and control.

The rubber's tacky surface, rated 1.2 on the tackiness scale, enables excellent grip and spin generation, allowing players to execute precise and devastating topspin shots. The Vega Asia DF's high speed rating of 9 allows for dynamic and offensive gameplay, while its impressive control rating of 9.1 ensures consistent and reliable performance.

This rubber's unique combination of speed and control makes it ideal for a versatile playing style, allowing players to transition seamlessly between aggressive and defensive strokes. It excels in generating spin and creating deception, making it challenging for opponents to predict the trajectory of the ball. Additionally, the rubber's consistency rating of 10 indicates its ability to produce consistent shots, even under pressure.

The Xiom Vega Asia DF is slightly heavier than average, with a weight of 3.2 grams, which contributes to its stability and power. Its throw angle rating of 5 results in a medium-high trajectory, allowing players to execute both looping and flat-hitting strokes with ease.

While the rubber's durability rating is slightly lower at 7.5, it still offers a reasonable lifespan, especially considering its high-performance characteristics. Overall, the Xiom Vega Asia DF earns a well-deserved rating of 9.1, making it a top choice for players seeking a combination of speed, spin, and control in their table tennis game. Its versatile nature allows for a variety of playing styles, enabling players to adapt to different opponents and strategies.

Recent Reviews

#1 — September 2021

Based on the reviews of this rubber on various sites, I was persuaded to purchase a set. However, they proved to be somewhat disappointing.

The primary reason for my disappointment is that this rubber is heavily boosted, and the boosting effect diminishes noticeably even within a three-month period. Despite its relative sturdiness, the topsheet does not appear to be particularly durable, and I anticipate a loss of grip over time. In its pristine state, the rubber is exceptionally bouncy, making precise play near the table challenging. It performs better at a distance of around 2-4 steps. While it is easy to generate highly spinny balls, the trajectories are relatively low due to the high base level of catapult and the sparse, thin arrangement of topsheet pimples. This also increases the likelihood of balls going too long. Despite its bounciness, this rubber lacks a top gear.

Harder impacts easily penetrate the rubber (although the topsheet is thick, it is relatively soft), creating difficulties in finding the proper stroke during the period when the tension effect is still active (it becomes much more controllable later). After three months of infrequent use, I observed a significant reduction in bounciness, making the rubber more manageable, but the ball spinning ability also diminished slightly. From the fifth month onward, I have noticed no further changes in the rubber’s playing properties. The depletion of the boosting effect is also visually apparent as horizontal topsheet shrinkage around the edge of the bat (resulting in a raised edge).

On the positive side, this rubber is exceptionally lightweight. If you intend to wear out the rubber surface faster than the boosting effect diminishes, it could be a suitable option if you require a fast, low throw rubber (with frequent rubber replacements due to extensive training hours per week). Subsequently, it can be repurposed as a control rubber with a medium throw.

#2 — February 2020

Tensor Rubber

I have been using this tensor rubber for three months. With proper technique, you can produce impressive speed. It offers a direct angle, making it less bouncy on short games and an excellent choice for smashing. The rubber produces a pleasing sound, reminiscent of speed glue. Despite being lightweight, it feels comfortable to use.

The rubber provides excellent spin, making it ideal for backspin lifts. It is durable and resistant to chipping, ensuring its longevity. In my country, it costs around 30 euros, which I believe is good value for the money.

#3 — April 2017

I have a playing style where I impart a lot of spin on my forehand, and the evolution of my blade has been a 42-degree hardness on average, with a 1.8mm thickness. The rubber transmits moderately, quite linearly in all strokes, whether in the small game or in acceleration.
The limit of this rubber is playing with a plastic ball on slow tables and in halls with soft floors.
With the use of the plastic ball, I recommend a change of hardness of five degrees higher, i.e. 47 degrees for those who already play in 42, so this coating would be suitable for those who currently play in 37 degrees, this avoids tennis elbow.