Xiom Icecream AZX is a table tennis blade developed by XIOM Company for its contracted player Jeoung Young Sik of South Korea. It adopts a two-sided fiber heterogeneous structure design and was launched in December 2018. It is one of the few double-sided heterogeneous blades on the market. Previously, most of the heterogeneous blades were not very successful.
The so-called double-sided heterogeneous blade means that the two sides of the paddle adopt different carbon structures. One side is arylate carbon(ALC), and the other side is zephylium carbon(ZLC). Whether it is Harimoto ZLC or Lin Gaoyuan ALC, as we have introduced before, the blade is either ALC or ZLC.
Combined with two different carbon fibers in one blade, the distinct performance of the forehand and backhand will provide players with a variety of choices during the games.
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Starplayer Jeoung young sik
Jeoung Young Sik is a South Korean table tennis player. He originally started playing badminton but switched to table tennis when he was in elementary school. Jeoung has been competing professionally since 2006 and has won numerous titles, including the South Korean National Championships and the Korea Open.
Jeoung is known for his aggressive playstyle, which often takes his opponents by surprise. He is also known for his powerful forehand shots. Jeoung has been ranked as high as No. 3 in the world and is currently ranked No. 6.
Jeoung has been to three Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal in the Men’s Doubles at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Jeoung has won numerous titles throughout his career, including the 2015 World Cup and the 2018 Asian Games.
About XIOM Company
XIOM is a high-performance table tennis company that provides products for both professional and amateur players. The company was founded in 2006 by former professional player Jae Hyun Seo, and it has since become one of the most respected sports brands.
XIOM offers a wide range of table tennis equipment, including bats, balls, tables, and nets. The company also produces a range of accessories, such as gloves, shoes, and clothing. XIOM is committed to providing the highest quality products to its customers, and its team of experts offers advice and support to help players improve their game.
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, XIOM has the perfect product to help you take your table tennis game to the next level.
Overview of Xiom Icecream AZX
There are a lot of introductions written on both sides of the front and back, introducing the different fibers of the blade. The front of the grip is orange, the back is purple, and there are also a lot of words written on the logo. Overall, it looks a little bit messy. It seems that the Xiom company wants to tell us loads of things.
Xiom Icecream AXZ weighs 86 grams and has a thickness of 5.76 mm, with a classic 7-layer structure. Overall, this blade is really light and thin. It can be seen from the elasticity test that the two sides of it are quite different, and the elasticity of the ZLC side is greater. So how does this paddle perform in the actual playtest? Let’s take a look.
Speed 3.8/5.0
In the playtest, we have used DHS Hurricane 3 as forehand and Donic F1 as backhand. Generally speaking, Xiom Icecream blade is really strong and has a fast attack in general, the forehand performs greatly in lifting up the backspin balls and flash hits with great speed.
It is good for close-to-table fast attacks and has good control on the ball, the Icecream blade has too much friction, so when I’m far from the table, the ball kind of loses some of its topspin power and power in general.
But the ZLC fiber on the backhand feels significantly different and it has a strong impact. It’s more suitable for players with powerful backhands and who are looking for super-fast strokes.
Spin 3.6/5.0
Forehand: If we compare Xiom Icecream AZX with Zhang Jike ALC, there would be a huge difference. It can be obviously noticed that Zhang Jike ALC is more offensive and powerful but Xiom Icecream AZX can be better controlled in the defense.
Despite the fact that Xiom Icecream AZX has an advantage in speed, it lacks sufficient absolute strength. Perhaps it is because the thickness of the fiber carbon is inferior. Generally speaking, in the continuous topspin rallies in the middle court, I still feel that Zhang Jike ALC is more stable and violent.
Backhand: Xiom Icecream AZX has great control of the ball spin and could make balls spin fast. In terms of the backhand, it performs much better than Zhang Jike ALC. The ALC side can wrap the ball well and generate more spins with great speed.
From a professional perspective, I suppose that the Icecream blade will be stronger in games if we pair it with harder rubbers in the backhand such as Tenergy 05 or some similar ones. We are able to combine the advantage of the strong spin that Xiom Icecream already has and the fast speed of the rubber, so the overall performance would be incredible.
Control 4.2/5.0
This blade definitely gives you the control you need. Compared with Zhang Jike ALC, Xiom Icecream is much more comfortable and has a softer feeling when doing drop-shots and pushes. The arc is rather flat and it can be placed as we expect. However, Zhang Jike ALC is a little bit harder and it’s more suitable to do some long and offensive pushes. I think for the majority of players, maybe Xiom Icecream is much better in this aspect.
Defense 4.3/5.0
Xiom Icecream AZX has a more stable feeling and better control when blocking with the backhand. The softer surface allows the ball to stay for more time, which makes the blade absorb the impact of the incoming loop drives. On the other hand, Zhang Jike ALC can block the back with greater speed as the blade is harder. Overall speaking, Xiom Icecream is more suitable for passive defense while Zhan Jike is more offensive.
Who is it for
It is not suitable for players who are pursuing constant topspin loops in the middle or back court under great power, as the blade fails to provide sufficient support and top power. The backhand is the strength of this blade while the spin and speed of the forehand can’t do great harm to opponents.
It is more suitable for players who lack great strength and prefer to switch between forehand and backhand quickly in the near court. Also, those who are good at backhand loop drives can also consider it as an ideal weapon.
Match Suggestion of Xiom Icecream AZX
1)Advanced version
Forehand: DHS Hurricane 3 NEO (39 degrees)
Backhand: Butterfly T05
2)Ordinary version
Forehand: Butterfly D05, Donic P1, Andro Plaxon 400, Tibhar Evolution MX-S
Backhand: Yasaka Mark V HPS, Donic F1, ANDRO Rasanter V42
Conclusion
Xiom IceCream AZX is a blade aimed at backhand strikes. The speed and rotation of the forehand are not particularly good. But the blade is lighter, so the fast transition of forehand and backhand, as well as quick flash hits, are its strengths. The overall feeling of the blade is not as hard as Zhang Jike ALC and it performs more stable in the control and defense.
