Plies
5-ply
Material
Hybrid
Head Shape
Standard
Balance
Balanced
Speed
Xiom Speed is a hybrid blade built for aggressive, close-to-table offense. It combines Kiso Hinoki outer plies with a special carbon layer to deliver high speed and a sharp, distinct sound on impact. This construction is optimized for fast topspin and powerful smashes, making it ideal for players who dominate rallies near the table. While designed for speed, it offers a surprisingly balanced feel with good control, making it manageable for skilled attackers seeking a destructive edge in quick exchanges.
This 5-ply construction features Kiso Hinoki on the outer layers for feel and speed, with a core of Kiri wood for lightness and flexibility. The inclusion of a carbon layer between the Hinoki and Kiri enhances stiffness and speed, creating a hybrid blade optimized for offensive play.
TT Sensei Ratings
✦Our expert analysis of this blade's performance characteristics
Xiom Speed is consistently described as a very fast blade, particularly suited for close-to-table offensive play. The combination of Kiso Hinoki and carbon layers generates significant speed, enabling aggressive topspin and smashes. Its speed rating is high, reflecting its offensive design, though it's optimized for power generated near the table rather than from a distance.
Despite its high speed, Xiom Speed offers a good level of control, making it manageable for offensive players. Players report that it's easy to control for offensive shots, and its softer feel compared to some other carbon blades aids in directing the ball and placing shots accurately during fast exchanges.
Xiom Speed has a softer feeling compared to its sibling blade, the Xiom Strato. This medium-soft feel provides a good connection with the ball, allowing for effective spin generation and controlled placement, while still maintaining a crisp sound and fast rebound characteristic of carbon blades.
The combination of fast wood and carbon layers, along with its suitability for aggressive topspin, suggests a medium-high throw angle. This facilitates effective looping with good height and arc, allowing the ball to dip sharply onto the opponent's side of the table.
The combination of Kiso Hinoki outer plies and the carbon layer provides a medium dwell time. This allows for sufficient ball contact to generate spin on topspin shots, while the carbon ensures a fast rebound for powerful attacks. It's not excessively long, which aligns with its close-to-table, fast-paced design.
As a hybrid carbon blade designed for speed and close-to-table play, Xiom Speed is relatively stiff. The carbon layer significantly reduces flexibility, allowing for a direct transfer of power on smashes and drives. While not completely rigid, it leans towards the stiffer side to maximize speed and reactivity.
The blade produces a clear and sharp sound on contact, indicating a moderate level of vibration is present, which is typical for hybrid blades designed for speed. This vibration provides useful feedback without being uncomfortable, contributing to the blade's feel and control during aggressive strokes.
While specific quality ratings are scarce, Xiom blades are generally known for good manufacturing standards. The Xiom Speed's historical popularity in Europe and Asia suggests consistent quality and reliable performance that appealed to a wide player base, indicating a well-made product.
Technology
Xiom Speed utilizes a hybrid construction combining Kiso Hinoki outer plies with an internal 'new energy' carbon layer and a Kiri core. This specific combination aims to deliver exceptional speed and a distinct, sharp sound upon ball contact, optimizing it for aggressive, close-to-table offensive play. The design emphasizes a fast rebound for powerful topspins and smashes, while the Hinoki outer layers are intended to provide feel and control, balancing the blade's high-speed capabilities for dynamic attacking play.
Similar Blades
Xiom Strato
Xiom Strato is mentioned as being similar to the Xiom Speed, but with more power and a slightly different feel. TTSensei experts note the Speed is sometimes described as a 'junior version' of the Strato, suggesting a comparable aggressive playing style but with a slightly reduced power level or a softer, more manageable feel in the Speed.
Xiom Offensive S
While the Offensive S is an all-wood blade and the Xiom Speed is a hybrid carbon, both are positioned as offensive blades. The Offensive S is noted for its good control and feel, making it a potential alternative for players who prefer more control and wood-like feedback over the raw speed of a carbon hybrid, or for those developing their attacking technique.