XIOM Amadeus SpinMantra
I love pure wooden table tennis (ping pong) blades. Next to the balsa wooden table tennis blades that I have tried before, the hinoki blade is my second favorite. I have been tempted for a while to try XIOM Novus Swedish Amadeus. I’m not an attacking player, so I’m unlucky to try some offensive blades. But I’m glad I have tested an offensive blade now.
After three days of play, I have felt the XIOM Novus Swedish Amadeus is an ALL (allround) blade. The XIOM Amadeus is not a highly offensive blade. I have played against many different styles of players, and the blade favored me playing close to the table with a combination of defense and offense shots.
I have run away from the table few times to find its power to play mid distance. I would say the blade favors more “touch shots” with top spin or smash being away from the table. I have not found it more attractive to do power loops away from the table, but I was able to very spinny top spin loops. The compact size of the blade does not favor looping off the table, but it is great to block on the rise as well as hit or smash it as soon as the ball rises. The hinoki blades can generate good power, so you may notice the ball bounces with an arc.
I have tried Omega III 2.0 and Yanus DF 1.5 on the forehand and longs pips rubbers like XIOM Guillotine S and TSP Curl P1R on the backhand on XIOM Amadeus. I have tried low sponge sizes to understand the blade’s potentials. I have felt the best sponge size that fits XIOM Amadeus is MAX. I would recommend rubbers like ZETA for a close to the table play and Omega III if you go further from the table. A power looper should go for rubbers like Omega II Asian in Max sponge.
I compared this blade with other blades for it’s the vibration. I would say the blade handle and face have no vibration to notice except the face vibrations while the ball rebounds. The XIOM Amadeus is medium stiff, so “touch shots” are appropriate for a top spin play.
The blade is very compact also. After using many defensive blades in the past, I have felt I’m hitting the ball with my palm. If you like extreme control from the wrist, you would love this blade.
There is an amazing thing I have noticed about this blade is its ability to generate curves (or loops) while playing close to the table. I have always depended on my strokes to generate loops or curves. But the XIOM Amadeus generates its own curves, and that helps blockers who use this blade very much. Based on where you hit the ball, the ball curves to the direction where it is hit. Beware, when your opponent blocks such shots, the ball will curve to you in the same direction also.
The XIOM Amadeus is good for defense too. I’m not talking about chops or cuts. The Amadeus is a compact blade, so cutting is very hard. But blocking with long pips can slow down the pace of the ball and can drop the ball short over the net. I have tried long pips of different sponge sizes on this blade. I have found a pips-out rubber with sponge size of 0.5 is the best partner for this blade. I have tried different hit strokes with pips. This blade with a long pips will work against underspin. I never had a fear of hitting the net whenever I have hit against the underspin – the blade generated its own curve while hitting. That was something I was able to do without a lot of failures – this stroke is hard with a defensive blade because I have to generate the loop myself. I think the XIOM Amadeus with a defensive rubber on the backhand will be an asset to a controlled top spin player.
A great amount of spin can be generated while serving. The additional rebound curves this blade generates make it difficult for the opponents to return the serves easily. There is tremendous control while serving to keep the ball low. I have felt it is easy to hit the ball rather than looping when the ball returned from the opponent. It is because of the stiffness this blade has. If you play “touch shots”, that is something you can try while doing the third ball attack.
I have tried XIOM Amadeus with TSP Actor MAX on the forehand and Yanus DF 1.5 on the backhand. There was tremendous top spin I was able to generate with the forehand. I could brush loop very good with that combination. I have used the backhand primirily to play defensive shots like blocks and chops. I don’t say it is good for advanced defensive shots like chops. But I have noticed there is a great deal of power comes from the blade since I have used the 1.5 mm sponge rubber. The Yanus DF 1.5 has a soft top sheet as well as soft sponge too. The blade did a great amount of work. If you are a player who would like to smash as well as loop, you can use this combination of Yanus DF on the backhand and a looping rubber on the forehand. I twiddled the paddle and have used Yanus DF on my forehand. I was able to smash the ball with so much power. I did not find any difference in speed of both forehand and backhand. The XIOM Amadeus generates high throw angle with good top spin. I have played to close to the table with that combination, and have found there is tremendous control for a close to the table play. You don’t have to do much risky shots close to the table - the blade has good rebound for very “touchy shots” close to the net. I have not found this behavior in my TSP Yanagi DF. This low rebound measure and medium high speed play is the characteristic of kiso hinoki and that has been very well utilized in this blade.
The XIOM Amadeus is made of kiso hinoki from Japan. I have sensed it’s strong smell after opening it from the box. The XIOM Amadeus fits an allround player who mixes offense and defense. Do you want to beat someone by placements and blocks, the XIOM Amadeus is a great fit.
The XIOM Amadeus costs $115 in North America.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the nice review. I wonder if you could give me some advice? So far I have only played with 5-ply wooden blades (Xiom Fuga and Donic Appelgren Allplay Senso, both with C-Pen handles; importantly, both of these are quite light). Rubbers I know and like are Xiom Yanus DF, Donic Vario Big Slam, and Andro Plasma 380. I asked a coach about 7-ply, and he suggested that I’d find them difficult to play with; same for composite blades. I assumed he meant that they’d be too fast for me, but your review here makes me think that perhaps the Amadeus isn’t as fast as the blades he has in mind. I also note that he’s been suggesting I should move to faster rubbers such as Tenergy.
So I guess my question in a nutshell is: How different am I likely to find the Amadeus from the blades I already know?
The XIOM Amadeus is made in Sweden. The Swedish blades have good touch and feel. Unlike other Swedish blades, XIOM Amadeus outer layer is Kiso Hinoki. That improves the feel.
Skuld be better to hear an review from a pure attacker. It is deffinitely not an all-blade. I’d rare it typical off with a sharp feeling.