Xiom - Table Tennis Brand Profile
Xiom is one of the most reputable table tennis brands in table tennis.
Based in Korea, they have a strong reputation for producing many different kinds of table tennis equipment. They are particularly well known for their quality blades and rubbers.
Xiom is known as a very modern brand, after a full rebrand in 2007, and their reputation continues to improve every year.
Xiom is also one of our favorite table tennis brands because they have never disappointed us. We have reviewed and played with Xiom products and we know their quality is always top-tier.
We’ll delve deep into Xiom’s product range and give a concise outlook into why its products are some of the very best out there. We will also recommend Xiom products to you based on your playing style and level. Let’s begin!
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Quick Facts
- Founded: 1976 (“Xiom” since 2007)
- Founders: Philip Kim
- Headquarters: Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- Website: https://xiom.global/
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Xiom Equipment Reviews
We buy table tennis equipment and conduct extensive testing so you don’t have to. These are the most detailed, independent Xiom reviews available online written by players and coaches with years of playing experience. Learn more about how we review table tennis equipment.
Rubbers
Xiom Vega X
The Vega X is the spinniest and one of the fastest rubbers in the Vega line.
The Vega X is one of our favorite rubbers at Racketinsight because of its superb balance between speed, spin, and control. It is also very durable and quite affordable.
Xiom Vega Pro
The hardest feeling and lowest throwing rubber in the Vega line.
The Vega Pro is one of the most popular rubbers in table tennis because of its superb price-to-performance ratio. It is very powerful and durable, and it doesn’t break the bank.
Xiom Vega Europe
The second softest rubber, only surpassed by the Vega Elite.
A very soft, light, and controllable rubber. It’s ideal for controlled attackers and all-rounders because of its moderate speed, good spin, and superb control.
Xiom Vega Intro
The Vega Intro is a was made with the offensive beginners in mind.
This one has a medium sponge, good spin, and adequate speed levels,. Also it has tons of control and it’s ideal for offensive players who are still learning to play attacking shots.
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Xiom's Most Popular Products
Xiom are best known for their Xiom Vega and Omega rubbers, as well as their composite blades.
Xiom Omega line
The Xiom Omega line is Xiom’s flagship product when it comes to rubbers. Xiom has put together a comprehensive Omega site in which they delve deep into these rubbers’ characteristics.
In short, the Xiom Omega line currently has 3 generations. In order of their release date, from earliest to latest, we have the Omega IV generation, the Omega V generation, and the Omega VII generation.
We recommend going for Omega VII rubbers, as these are the most modern rubbers. They are the fastest and spinniest of the bunch.
The Xiom Omega VII line has 5 different offerings. These are:
- Xiom Omega VII China Guang (55°)
- Xiom Omega VII Tour (55°)
- Xiom Omega VII Asia (52.5°)
- Xiom Omega VII Pro (47.5°)
- Xiom Omega VII Europe (42.5°)
The Xiom Omega VII China Guang is a hybrid rubber with a very hard sponge. It is spinny and powerful, but it requires great technique and a fast swing speed from the player using it.
The Xiom Omega VII Tour is the fastest, hardest, and most offensive rubber in the Omega line. It is a rubber strictly for high-level players and for professional players, most notably being used by Brazilian star Hugo Calderano.
The Xiom Omega VII Asia is essentially a slightly toned-down Omega Tour. It’s a bit softer and it’s not as fast as the Tour, but only slightly so. It’s still an extremely offensive rubber.
The Xiom Omega VII Pro is the most balanced rubber in the Omega line in terms of speed, spin, and control. While it’s a markedly offensive rubber, it’s fast and controllable in the same proportions. Its medium-hard sponge is ideal for modern offensive play.
Xiom Vega line
The Xiom Vega line is Xiom’s “entry-level” rubber line. Even though these are their cheaper rubbers, they are still high-performance rubbers made in Germany.
These rubbers boast some of the best price-to-performance ratios in the market. Some, like the Vega Pro and the Vega Europe, can be had for just $35 each, and they are excellent rubbers.
The most popular rubbers in the Xiom Vega range are:
- Xiom Vega Tour (47.5°)
- Xiom Vega X (47.5°)
- Xiom Vega Pro (47.5°)
- Xiom Vega Intro (45°)
- Xiom Vega Europe (42.5°)
The Xiom Vega Tour is the fastest rubber of the bunch. Its medium-hard sponge enables fast, spinny, uncompromising attacks.
The Xiom Vega X is essentially an updated version of the best-selling Vega Pro. I have used it for months and I still enjoy the balance between speed, spin, and control of this rubber. It’s also very durable and it doesn’t break the bank.
The Xiom Vega Pro is Xiom’s all-time best-selling rubber. It was introduced as an alternative to the Tenergy 05 in 2010. We still recommend it to this day, as prices have dropped and you can now find this excellent, top-tier offensive rubber for as little as $30.
The Xiom Vega Intro is a controllable offering from Xiom. It was designed with the offensive beginner in mind. It has a medium sponge, good spin, and adequate speed levels. It has tons of control and it’s ideal for offensive players who are still learning to play attacking shots.
The Xiom Vega Europe is the second softest rubber in the Vega line, only surpassed in softness by the Vega Elite. It is a very soft, light, and controllable rubber. It’s ideal for controlled attackers and all-rounders because of its moderate speed, good spin, and superb control.
Xiom Composite Blades
Xiom also carries a superb range of blades. Xiom specializes in composite blades, which are of the highest quality.
Xiom blades are so special because they are made in Korea. Unlike other blade manufacturers, they have their own blade factory, which lets them play around and experiment with different constructions and materials.
Xiom’s quality control is superb, and their blades are always consistent. We have a couple of favourites to recommend, in the HAL Huge Calderano and the An JaeHyun TMXi
Xiom Hugo Calderano HAL
The Xiom Hugo Calderano HAL is Hugo’s personal blade. It is a modern offensive blade with great power reserves.
It’s a very controllable blade for its speed levels, and it produces tons of spin as well.
The material used in the Hugo Calderano is Hyper Axylium (HAL). According to Xiom, this new composite has “a slightly stronger repulsion, improved vibration damping effect, a clear and clean feel, and the best control after impact.”
The Calderano HAL is a superb blade for players who want a slightly softer and more controllable variant of the traditional outer carbon blade.
Xiom An JaeHyun TMXi
The Xiom An JaeHyun TMXi is An JaeHyun’s personal blade. Its composite blade is Xiom’s own Trimetrix, hence the name (TMX). It’s a mix of X-carbon, Axylium, and Zephylium.
The i in TMXi stands for inner, which means the An JaeHyun TMXi is an inner composite blade (the composite layer is located around the core of the blade). This inner construction gives the blade the power of composite blades and the touch and control of all-wood blades.
The Xiom An JaeHyun TMXi is an excellent choice for modern attackers who want power, spin, and excellent touch. It’s not too stiff nor too hard, so it’s better for spinners. Hitters would probably benefit from a stiffer blade than this one.
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The History of Xiom
Early years
The company we now know as Xiom was founded in 1976. Initially, Xiom’s name was Champion, and, over the years, they established themselves as one of the best-selling brands in South Korea.
Champion was very popular in South Korea when it came to premade rackets, but their blades and rubbers didn’t sell too well.
According to Xiom, they only had around 5% of the market share within Korea when it came to blades and rubbers (before their rebranding). Most enthusiasts preferred equipment from other leading brands such as Butterfly or Nittaku.
Takeover and a new beginning
In the year 2000, Philip Kim, the son of Champion’s founder, took over as the new CEO of the company with a view to changing things for the better.
Champion was a profitable company, but Philip wanted to take things further and make Champion a world leader in terms of sales.
Philip felt that as long as the company stayed in its comfort zone and didn’t put much effort into exporting goods and investing in quality equipment, the brand would never progress.
This is why Phil took the decision to invest more money into machinery and research and development, and he hired experts in the field to create table tennis products that no other manufacturer could.
Rebranding and present
In the year 2007, Xiom was already producing really high-quality equipment, but they felt that the name Champion wasn’t very strong. It also conflicted with the fashion brand Champion, so they decided to rebrand the company.
The name they chose was Xiom. The name Xiom comes from the word axiom, meaning ‘new paradigm’. This represented their desire to excel with new products and ideas.
More than 15 years later, we can see the effect that these new ideas had.
Xiom is now producing superb, unique equipment, especially when it comes to their composite blades, with materials such as Hyper Axylium and Trimetrix.
Since the rebranding to Xiom, they were able to accomplish the following:
- #1 in Korea for rubbers and blades.
- #2 for sales in rubbers in the world.
- #6~7 for sales in blades in the world.
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Xiom Sponsors
Most brands use player and team sponsorships as a major part of their marketing efforts. This generally involves supplying equipment and funding players’ expenses for tournaments, although the exact terms of sponsorship agreements are often unknown.
These are the major players that Xiom sponsors:
Xiom Sponsored Players
HUGO CALDERANO
Hugo Calderano is one of the strongest players in the ITTF circuit right now. He has won virtually every Latin American tournament he partook in, as he’s the continent’s best player by far. His highest ranking was 3rd in the world, and he’s one of the top contenders in every important competition.
AN JAEHYUN
An Jaehyun is one of the most promising Korean table tennis players. His biggest achievement so far was winning the bronze medal at the 2019 World Table Tennis Championships at the age of 19. He’s a very strong player who can beat anyone on the circuit on the right day.
JEOUNG YOUNGSIK
Jeoung Youngsik has been one of the strongest male table tennis players for years. He achieved his best ranking of 7th in the world in 2017, and he’s won 6 World Championship bronze medals and 1 bronze World Cup medal.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Xiom is a superb brand. It’s one of our favourite brands, in fact. Xiom Omega rubbers are very spinny and powerful, Xiom Vega rubbers are affordable and have great performance, and Xiom blades have great playing characteristics and build quality.
All in all, Xiom is a very reputable brand and one that never disappointed us.
The name XIOM comes from the word AXIOM, meaning ‘new paradigm’ or what you call a ‘self-evident truth that requires no proof’.Source: OOAK Table Tennis Shop
Xiom is based in Yongsan-Gu, Seoul, South Korea.
Xiom’s most popular products are their Omega and Vega rubber series, and their whole range of blades, including the Xiom Calderano HAL and the Xiom An JaeHyun TMXi.
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Related Xiom Articles
The Xiom Vega Intro is an offering specially tailored for beginning players, putting emphasis on control above everything else.
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Looking for a top-performing table tennis rubber? Check out our review of the Xiom Vega Pro! Find out why it's a favorite among players around the world.
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The Vega X is one of the newest offerings by Xiom, advertised as the “best rubber in the Vega line”. We review it in detail with 10+ hours of playtesting.
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Xiom Vega Europe is the 6th most popular rubber currently available. I thoroughly tested its capabilities and identify who should buy this rubber.
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