Xiom Vega Intro

I've been trying this in 2.0mm on my FH. It is a medium hard rubber that does everything well. I especially enjoy chopping with it. My chops and pushes are very controlled and stay very low. Decent speed and spin is achievable when you fully engage the sponge in looping and hitting though only marginally more than the popular non-tensor classics like Mark V & Sriver. It is a good inexpensive all round alternative for those who don't like soft sponges and don't want the additional catapult of the higher energy tensors. Since it is very controllable I think 2.0mm or Max thickness will suit most players.

Thickness 2.0 on a viscaria blade. Intermediate rubber good for players in the early stages of learning to play competitively. Needs a lot of effort to put good spin on the ball. Lots of dwell time but still not able to bring heavy spins. It's not incoming spin sensitive - however the sponge has a lot of added bounce and springyness that it decreases the control. Not very good for blocking because the combination of the springy sponge and the soft topsheet makes it lose a bit of control. It's not a bad rubber - but compared to top-performing rubbers like tenergy series or even from the xiom line it has a huge difference. If you're in the process of learning rallies and drilling - then this is a good starting rubber. But if you're aiming to play competitively there's probably a lot you'd be looking for that's not in this rubber.

I started with faster tensor rubbers with bigger catapult effects. Switching to intro gave me control and confidence in my game. I was no longer overshooting as much as before, and misreading the spin on the serve didn't mean I lost the point automatically anymore. One major benefit of reduction in speed is pushing and short game. The ball doesn't bounce away as quickly, and you can guide your pushes safely where you want them to go. I started making a lot less unforced errors with this rubber. As for attacking strokes, with the fast bouncy rubbers I'm always reducing my strokes in fear of overshooting. But with intro I'm able to swing confidently, and therefore also swing harder making up for the lack of speed if any. It's quite grippy, decent spin. Keeping the ball on the table won me many more points than any extra speed from faster tensors. Loving the rubber, using 1.8 on both sides of an allround 5w blade. Agree with other reviews that it's like a slightly sped up classic rubber. Cheap price too.

Very forgiving and easy to play with, decent spin, low speed and not many gears. It's a good alternative to classic rubbers like sriver or mark V. Good value for the price!

IT IS A TENSOR! It feels like playing with spring instead of sponge. If you have never used a tensor before you will not like this! Drive: Okay Loop: Good Block: Very good Push: Okay, but it can add more spin than classic rubber Chop: Good spin, but the bounce makes chopping hard Serve: not better than classic rubber Update: After 3 more hours, I'm starting to like this rubber more than Mark V on my backhand side. Its speed allow better aggressive direct shot.