So here is my low-down on Xiom Vega. When Geoff Henry called me up and said 'I've got another German rubber for you to try, this one is supposed to be really good' I groaned and thought 'not again...'. Every one of these copies I had tried had been a hotted up Tensor. But yes, just another Tensor.

 

So many players love Tensors. I do club visits around Victoria and Australia where I take along a big bag of made up rackets with all sorts of different blades and rubbers for players to try. Tensors are always the most popular (Yasaka Pryde, Joola Tango and Xiom Omega 3 more so than others) as they are comfortable, easy to play with and open up a whole new world to club players that they've never experienced. The rubbers are soft, have a high throw over the net and are forgiving of poor timing and technique. Guys whose topspins normally went into the bottom of the net with the old-style Japanese rubbers could suddenly get spin and dip on the ball. You can topspin, block, slap, chop and whatever else you like. But for top-level play? Not really. The softish, springy sponge doesn't have enough oompf to send the ball out with sufficient power and does not stand up when put under a lot of tension. You can understand my apprehension.

 

As soon as I took the rubber out of the packet I noticed it was different. The sponge is black and is really quite porous. I was amazed by the top sheet - it looks exactly and I mean exactly like a sheet of Yasaka Mark V. If you get a new sheet of rubber and try to hold it horizontally on one side, you feel the rubber sag. Vega Pro sagged differently to any of the other Tensors I've tried and felt much stiffer. It takes a lot for a new rubber to excite me but Vega Pro had done it and I was eager to give it a test run.

 

I decided to put Vega Pro up against the toughest of competition and had a sheet of Tenergy 05 (max thickness) on one side and a sheet of Vega Pro (max thickness) on the other. These rubbers were on a Yasaka Ma Lin Carbon blade. Tenergy 05 has been the market leader for top level play since the speed glue ban and the other manufacturers have been working tirelessly to create a rubber that can compete.

 

I can safely and confidently say that Xiom Vega Pro is an outstanding rubber and is as good, or better, than Tenergy 05. I'm willing to put my equipment reputation on that. More importantly I will be putting my rubber where my mouth is and will be personally using Xiom Vega Pro from now on.

 

Xiom Vega Pro feels similar to Tenergy 05 in that it has stiff, firm sponge (as any top table tennis rubber should). The ball does not sink through the rubber and sponge on impact like all other Tensors. Basically, it feels nothing like a Tensor.

 

Here are my main observations:

 

- Xiom Vega Pro has a low throw over the net which is absolutely crucial for me in my game. Much of my game is built on keeping the ball low over the net and out of harms way. Vega Pro gave me exactly what I need to do this.

 

- Vega Pro is slightly harder than Tenergy 05.

 

- Vega Pro is a little slower than Tenergy 05 and I'm happy about this. I want control in my game and I want my rubber to give me as much time to play my shot as it can. I play close to the table and am often late to the ball. I'll love any rubber that can help compensate this. A couple of years ago, I was using Yasaka V-Stage and was happy with it. Then I tried Yasaka Mark V and felt how much more control I had with the slower Mark V. The difference between Tenergy 05 and Xiom Vega Pro is smaller than that but you get the idea.

 

- Vega Pro felt better for counter-topspins than Tenergy 05 on both my forehand and backhand. I think this has to do with it being a touch slower. This is the area that Tensors have ALWAYS fallen down in the past. Counter-spinning a dropping ball puts the sponge and rubber under immense friction and pressure. The ball often just slides off with Tensors which is a mortal sin for any top level rubber. I absolutely loved the control and meaty feel that Vega Pro gave me on these shots.

 

- Vega Pro has good spin. Whether it has more or less spin than Tenergy or other rubbers is impossible to say and frankly is irrelevant. It has enough and more.

 

- Vega Pro is not going to let down any part of your game. It has enough speed, spin, control, tension, friction and everything else for a world-class player to use.

  

- A week of everyday use had very little noticeable effect of the top sheet. This appears to be a very durable rubber.

 

I'm going to have to admit I was wrong. I did not think the Germans would be producing a rubber that could match Tenergy 05 anywhere near as soon as this. Xiom Vega Pro came out of the blue for me and is very, very different to any other Tensor I have tried. I've heard that it will be much cheaper than Tenegry 05 but do not know what it will be retailing for in Australia yet. Do not be surprised if you see the price of Tenergy drop soon as there is no longer any point shelling out that much more money for a rubber that now has an equivalent.

 

I will be following up this review in the near future. By then I will have had a chance to use Vega Pro in hot conditions, cold conditions, humid conditions and during the pressure of competition.