Xiom Vega Elite

This rubber has a low throw, unlike the Vega Pro which has a high throw. It is a good choice for backhand if you prefer soft rubbers.

Muy buena goma para divertirse, muy similar a la Andro R37 pero con mejor arco. Aunque le falta velocidad, es una gran goma. Mi compañero de equipo la monta en una madera de dureza media, y su juego es muchísimo mejor ahora.

Good on forehand (serves, loops) on a stiff blade. Didn’t like it on the backhand side.

Vega Elite Max

Sponge and Topsheet:

Vega Elite Max boasts a butter-soft, highly bouncy topsheet with a very soft, springy cream sponge. This combination facilitates close-to-the-table play and offers an extended dwell time.

Spin and Throw:

The spin generated by this rubber appears inconsistent, resulting in topspins ranging from highly spinny to floaty. It also exhibits a high throw on drives, making blocking effortless but potentially too high to control when spinning down aggressively.

Service:

Vega Elite Max excels in service due to its exceptional grip and high dwell time. It allows players to create impressive curved arcs. However, its slow speed can hinder effective rallying against aggressive opponents.

Durability:

Vega Elite Max can endure long-term use if properly cared for. Neglect can lead to rapid deterioration of its grip, while the edges remain durable.

Recommended Player Profile:

This rubber is ideally suited for topspin-oriented players who prioritize close-to-the-table play. Its soft, “glue-effect” properties provide substantial support, making it an excellent choice for players seeking a rubber to enhance their performance.

Review for Hobbyists

As a hobbyist table tennis player, my review aims to provide insights for fellow enthusiasts. The rubber features a soft sponge, ideal for the “hard blade-soft rubber” combination. However, I encountered a significant challenge with the top sheet, which lacks grip or tackiness.

The low tackiness of the rubber, coupled with the speed of the ball bouncing off the sponge, hinders spin generation, particularly when serving. While it excels in “catching” the ball for topspin rallies due to its dwell time, applying spin remains a concern. This aspect may require adjustment for players seeking greater spin performance.

I have tried this rubber as I wanted a low throw rubber for my backhand. I got a low throw but not much else.

This feels like a first-generation tensor. It’s springy all the time. Serves and pushes pop-up, and it does not allow you to get proper spin on them.

Speed is linear, and there are very few gears. It’s okay if you only want control. It’s not okay if you want the occasional strong hit to catch your opponent off guard.

It’s good at blocks and not much else.

Go for Vega Europe if you want a backhand soft rubber because it is a much better rubber from all points of view.

Quite disappointed in this 2mm red rubber. It proved bouncy up close to the table, which caused control issues on blocks and lacked speed and spin back from the table. Things improved when I used it on the backhand, but not enough for my liking. I prefer to use something faster and spinnier, like HexerPS or Hexer+.

I tried this rubber as a possible alternative to 05fx. It’s a nice rubber and a lot of players in my area are using it. However, it doesn’t come close to 05fx for me.

I found a lower throw, less spin and arc, and it’s not as good in chopping and pushing. The feel is softer, though. It does improve with a couple of layers of Falco booster. However, the Tenergy still gives me more of a cutting edge in everything.

Review

This rubber is good, but I would recommend Tenergy instead.

This rubber has great spin possibilities. It is also good for blocking. When you block, you can keep the speed given to the ball.

Review:

Physical:

Great packaging, as expected from Xiom rubbers. Grippy top sheet with a very soft sponge. The sponge is highly porous and lightweight, with no sheen on the top sheet. 100% grip with no tack. Good amount of grip when dragging fingers over it.

Spin:

Spin capabilities are limited. In slow games, spin is adequate, but it diminishes rapidly with increasing speed. The extreme softness of the rubber results in blade contact even at medium speeds, reducing spin significantly. Opening loops are passable as you have the first hit, but spin on serves is below par due to the rubber’s bounciness. The low reactivity to incoming spin is a positive aspect, but overall spin performance is mediocre.

Speed:

A significant issue with this rubber is its excessive softness, making it too slow for advanced play. Blade contact is frequent, hindering point execution and throw angle judgment during attacks. However, it excels in blocking opening loops due to its bounciness and low spin reactivity.

Control:

Control is not exceptional in short games, but it improves significantly when playing at a distance from the table. The bouncy nature of the rubber makes short returns challenging, potentially leading to vulnerability on the third ball return. However, from a distance, control is enhanced due to the rubber’s slow speed. Ball placement in terms of width and depth is relatively straightforward.

Other Characteristics:

This rubber is extremely soft and bouncy with a medium-low throw. Its longevity is limited as the top sheet wears quickly, losing grip after approximately 20 days of play, followed by rapid deterioration.

Recommendation:

This rubber is only recommended for beginners who are transitioning to tensors, blockers with limited physical capabilities, or older players.

Enjoy the game of table tennis and life!

Blocking and counter spin are nice and good for both forehand (FH) and backhand (BH). Vega Elite is a topspin weapon for intermediate players. It also has plenty of lifetime for a soft rubber.

In my opinion, it deserves better ratings. Someone destroying all the database is unfair. The spin is over 9.

Edit: I got used to the rubber. It’s light, loud, fast, controlled, very spinny, and has an amazing feeling. What else could I want from a sheet from the best soft rubbers?

I’ve tested Vega Elite, Europe and Asia. Also Omega 4 Elite, Europe and Asia. Out of these, Vega Elite is my choice due to its gears and excellent control. Other rubbers like Tenergy 05 or DHS Skyline Neo have more spin, but Vega Elite offers plenty of spin as well.

I play RPB and use Vega Elite on both sides of a carbon blade (Spintech Carbon Phenom) close to the table. For my style and playing close to the table, it provides enough speed.

The most important thing for me is how well the rubber “grips” the ball. The best rubbers in this category (which I have personally tested) are Tenergy05 and OmegaV Tour. Vega Europe/Elite and OmegaIV Elite are not as good.

However, what I like about the Vega Elite is the sound. It is the loudest rubber I have ever played with, if you hit the ball correctly. Fantastic!

And just because Vega Elite is not as grippy as Tenergy/OmegaV Tour, doesn’t mean you cannot produce spin yourself. Of course you can!

Hard to control in the short game due to excessive spin, making it too uncontrollable for my taste.

Very good rubber with great spin, feel, and trajectory.

However, it may not be suitable for all players due to its high bounciness. It performs exceptionally well away from the table, both on forehand and backhand.

Due to its tensor and non-tacky surface, it requires direct serves, which may not be ideal for some playing styles. It needs significant wrist work and a high throw or hard contact to generate spin. However, when hit correctly, it produces spinny, fast, and low serves similar to a full-tacky rubber, but with a different technique and feel.

Although it’s a great rubber, it would require significant practice to master. It may not be the best choice for the current playing style of some users who prefer slightly tacky to half-tacky rubbers with medium sponge, which provide more spin possibilities and control, especially in close-to-the-table scenarios.

Overall, it’s a suitable option for all-around players and pairs well with softer blades like Blue Thunder 550 and 555. However, combining soft tensor rubbers like Vega Elite with soft blades is not recommended as it can create a bouncy and unreliable feel.

Good, controllable rubber. A step-up for any classic rubbers, such as Sriver or Mark V. I used it for my backhand. It has a medium throw arc, which is good for backhand strokes.

This rubber can produce a wonderful ‘click’ sound.

Have used this rubber for 14 months on my 5 plies Chinese Penhold (CPEN). It provides good blocks and hitting. Its looping ability is more suited to a control style, so follow-up shots are often necessary. I do not use this rubber for serving, as it is a backhand rubber. The topsheet appeared durable for the first six months, but the edges started to chip after a few knocks.

I’ve been using Vega Elite on my backhand for over a year now. It’s great for blocking and passive play, and it also performs well for looping in close-range games. However, it’s not as effective for shots played from further distances.

Very good rubber. I’m surprised this hasn’t received as much press as the Europe and the pro. I’ve tried the entire Vega series and am quite confident this is the best. I have it on max on my forehand and am thinking of adding it to my backhand as well. The speed surprised me; you can really hear a click sound and generate speed with a good shot.

This rubber is fast, soft, spinny, and bouncy but still has good control. I was used to Tenergy 05, but due to the high Butterfly prices, I tried this and do not regret it. Of course, Vega Elite is not better than Tenergy (at least for me), but it costs almost half as much.

Amazing all-round rubber! One of the best for me.

It is a very spiny gum with reasonable speed and has the best control of all tensor rubbers that I have played with so far. It is good to play in a mid-distance as well as a passive game, close to the table.

As for me, it is even slightly better than Vega Europe (a little slower but with more feeling).