Victas ZX-GEAR IN

Victas have some of the most well made blades I've ever seen, and the ZX-Gear In (ZXGi) is no exception. Every inch of its surface is sanded silky smooth, including the handle and the wings. I suspect the top plies have been coated with some kind of varnish, giving them an unnatural smoothness and shine. I'm happy to say that ZXGi has great synergy with Chinese tacky rubbers, unlike the other Victas blades I've tried. I used a boosted 40 degrees commercial H3 on FH and the result is quite amazing. The last inner structure composite bladed I used was Hurricane Long 5x, but HL5x was way to fast for me. I couldn't quite control the prominent catapult effect of HL5x, especially when it comes to blocking more powerful shots. ZXGi is much slower compared to HL5x, and its catapult effect is much more manageable. The blade makes blocking precise and consistent. I have to mention ZXGi's obscene amount of dwell time, and it allows you to easily load up massive spin on each shot. Coupled with a high throw angle, you have plenty of safety over the net when playing over the table or opening attacks against backspin. ZXGi has very decent top gear speed as well, which shows up readily when you put in more power. I'm still surprised that a blade with such good control and soft feeling could rally so easily away from table. Because ZXGi is a softer blade, compared to outer structure composite blades like Ovtcharov true carbon or Viscaria, drives and smashes are slower and less deadly. Instead, ZXGi makes your shots more spinny, with higher arcs. So you trade a bit of speed for more spin and consistency, which IMO is well worth it. In summary, ZXGi is a looper's dream blade. If you find HL5x a bit too fast for you, then I recommend you try ZXGi. It pairs well with both Chinese tacky rubbers and tensor rubbers (I use Vega Pro on BH).

Coming from a DHS 301Z, the build quality and weight distribution of this blade are on another level. Even at 200g total with heavy hybrid rubbers (rakza z eh/ rakza z), it feels perfectly center-balanced and light in the hand. The handle and wings are flawlessly sanded right out of the box. ?The stand-out feature is the massive dwell time and an 'extreme grab' on the ball. My backhand relies heavily on wrist acceleration, and this blade makes the stroke feel completely loose, natural, and effortless. The inner Zexion carbon completely eliminates muddy or hollow vibrations, giving a crisp, short, and highly connected feedback. ?It is a brutally honest, linear blade. The ball lands a bit shorter on passive blocks compared because there is zero artificial trampoline effect. Depth and power are strictly proportional to your own biomechanics and stroke acceleration.

My second paddle. I glued Rakza ZEH and Ventus and became my favorite training tool. Compared to B Harimoto ALC, ZXGi is slower but it grabs the ball better when hitting hard. Strong shots are more safer and stable. It feels like Korbel with more punch.

I have two of these blades and they seem identical. I usually prefer 7 ply wood, but wanted to try an inner carbon blade and this is what I got. I play with LP on the backhand side and I will say the control, ability to chop and place the ball are all exceptional for a blade of this speed. On the forehand side it is mainly a control blade, until my opponent hits hard or I try to open up and then the speed kicks in. The feel is not as good as a most of the 7 ply wood blades I own, but the control on my BH side is as good or even better than 7 ply wood. Fit and finish are good, but not superior. I definitely recommend. I wonder about the playing quality of the gear fiber only version of this blade. Recommended for LP players for sure.

Harder than traditional inner carbon fiber, it is more Like a long 5 with better in backhand and slight worse is forehand, very good backhand control