Customer review for XIOM 36.5 ALX

External Review for XIOM 36.5 ALX on November 12, 2021

What an amazing blade, weird but in good sense. Finishing is above everything I've grabbed my hands on, koto surface and handle are nice and smooth. Too bad they've used cheap lens/logos. Mine came in 87 grams, flared handle.

This is my first impression - only one session - and is in comparison with Viscaria. Upfront it is needed to say that comparing this two, in a sense that they have similar behavior, doesn't make justice to neither, IMO. They are two different species! I will refer to Viscaria as it is a benchmark blade.

1. XIOM 36.5
FH: DHS H3 Provincial Orange 39 degrees, 2.2 mm + booster
BH: DHS Gold Arc 5, 2.1 mm
DHS 15 Glue
194 GRAMS

2. VISCARIA U code
FH: DHS H3 Provincial Orange 39 degrees, 2.2 mm + booster
BH: TIBHAR MX-S, 2.1-2.2 mm
192 grams

For me, the most outstanding difference between the two is speed (elasticity). I didn't expect to ALX to be so fast! According to the reviews I've read I was expecting a more captive blade, higher dwell, more oriented towards FH strokes, resembling inner carbon structures, with a good kick provided on higher power strokes by composite layer. These respective to Viscaria.

In reality the blade provides a fast spiny kick upon contact, even at relatively low power strokes (warm-up drives). The kick is not a heavy type (Amulart/Photino) but a crispy one with very good conversion to speed, with balls landing deep on the table. Even stranger is that one can easily tame this wildness, decelerating the ball in an automatic manner. If you go slow it goes slow, if you ramp up it becomes really crazy. Bottom line, I cannot say it is linear.

Review helpful? Yes | No

← Back to All reviews for XIOM 36.5 ALX