Xiom Vega Japan arrives in one of the most eye-catching packages I have ever seen for a table tennis rubber – reflective silver with a large “V” on the front. It grabs your attention immediately!
Whilst many, if not all, table tennis manufacturers include scientific terminology to describe what their rubbers have to offer, the synopsis for Vega Japan states it contains “Internal mechanic boost of hyper-elasto IMB generation” – which seems a little bit over the top!
XIOM VEGA JAPAN REVIEW
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Currently retailing on Tabletennis11.com at just under €36, it definitely ranks towards the cheaper end for high-level attacking rubbers.
The Vega Japan possesses quite a hard sponge along with a rubber sheet that has high levels of grip. This means that it is able to generate both speed and spin with relative ease when I start to topspin which, thanks to the grip, are consistent and do not occasionally slip off the rubber in any way.
FULL REVIEW
Due to the combination of the hard sponge and high friction rubber sheet Vega Japan is obviously aimed at players who like to play with an aggressive, attack-minded style of play.When you start to attack first is when the qualities of
When you start to attack first is when the qualities of Xiom’s rubber really stands out. If I got my opponent onto the back foot I could be confident in the knowledge that each shot I played would have the speed and spin required to keep them on the defensive and me in control of the point.
I found that the Vega Japans were most efficient whilst close to mid-range to the table and the rubbers were most effective during opening up off a backspin ball or whilst re-looping the ball. Again, these areas are strong due to the high level of grip that the Vega Japan has.
Where the rubbers come up short is when the user is not on the front foot during the rally. If I was forced to block at all due to my opponent getting an attacking shot in first, then I felt that I lost some feeling during the block. Because of the hardness of the sponge the ball would often drop into the net.
These same downsides are present in greater terms whilst completely on the back foot during a rally. If I was too far away from the table and had to either lob or ‘fish’ the ball back I found it very hard to judge the distance correctly to return the ball. Hard rubbers don’t provide the user with the feeling required to play too far away from the table or in too much of a defensive style.
SERVE & RETURN
Service and return, along with touch play, is another strength for Xiom Vega Japan, however.The grip available means that during touch-play I could easily place enough backspin on the ball to keep it short and low over the net. This actually means that the previous point about how the rubbers fall a bit short whilst blocking or being on the back foot in a rally are not experienced as often as they might otherwise be as being able to consistently keep the ball short and low means that I was able to keep my opponent from getting the first attack in more often than not and instead get an attack in first, myself.
The grip available means that during touch-play I could easily place enough backspin on the ball to keep it short and low over the net. This actually means that the previous point about how the rubbers fall a bit short whilst blocking or being on the back foot in a rally are not experienced as often as they might otherwise be.
If I am able to consistently keep the ball short and low, I am also able to keep my opponent from getting the first attack in more often than not and instead get an attack in first, myself.
Service is a strength due to the same reason that touch play is. The friction of the rubbers ensure that whichever spin is desired can be placed on the ball in considerable amounts and also that the ball is kept low over the net and short on the opponents side of the table.
The Vega Japan grips the ball consistently and, therefore, I was confident that the same service action would produce the same serve each time, as opposed to having to worry if the rubber would grip hold of the ball the same way it had the serve before.
CONCLUSIONS
To conclude, Xiom Vega Japan is a rubber that I feel is definitely towards the top-end of rubbers in terms of performance. The Vega Japan really shines when attacking from not too far away from the table.
The downsides whilst blocking or being more defensive are considerable, so it’s important to consider your style of play prior to choosing these rubbers.
But, if you are an attack-minded player who is always looking to attack early during a point then these rubbers would serve you very well indeed.
THANKS TO TABLETENNIS11.COM!
Once again, we would like to thank Tabletennis11.com for sponsoring this review and providing us with the rubbers to test.
Tabletennis11.com are one of our favourite online table tennis retailers. They have fantastic prices and offer free worldwide shipping on orders over €70. You also get an extra 25% off if your order is over €250!