Table of Contents1. Overview
2. Performance Indices
3. Comparison by Performance Indices
……. 3-1. Elasticity Indices
……. 3-2. Vibration Indices
4. Field Test
5. Summary

Update Notice (11th October 2023) : The data of ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ has been changed from that of 2018 version to newer 2023 version. ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’s measured in 2023 are thicker, heavier and more elastic than those measured in 2018. TTGearLab will deal with those two versions as different blades.

Correction (11th October 2023) : There has been incorrect description on the handle shape of Xiom ‘36.5 ALXi FL’. It has been described that the FL handle of Xiom ‘36.5 ALXi’ is similar to that of Butterfly ‘Korbel’ or ‘Viscaria’. But, what is similar to FL handle of ‘Korbel’ or ‘Viscaria’ is the FL handle of ‘36.5 ALX’. The FL of ‘36.5 ALXi’ is totally different from that of ‘36.5 ALX’. The incorrect description has been removed from this article.

Xiom ‘Hugo HAL’ is the blade used by Brazilian player Hugo Calderano who is one of the world’s top ranked players. The most important feature of ‘Hugo HAL’ is that its artificial material doesn’t include carbon fiber. Only orange-colored LCP fibrer (= polyarylate fiber) is applied to satisfy Hugo Calderano who doesn’t like the feeling of carbon fiber. Xiom named its own orange-colored LCP fiber as ‘Axylium’ instead of ‘Arylate’ to avoid possible trademark disputes caused by the name of material. Xiom is calling the fiber as ‘Hyper Axylium’ (= HAL) in case only woven LCP fiber is used, and ‘Axylium Carbon’ (= ALX) in case the LCP fiber is woven together with carbon fiber.

In this article, TTGearLab will analyze ‘Hugo HAL’ through Performance Indices and compare it with some existing blades. Further, TTGearLab will also check the actual characteristics of ‘Hugo HAL’ by field testing at table tennis court.

1.  Overview

Fig.01 Xiom ‘Hugo HAL’

‘Hugo HAL’ is one of the top models of Xiom blade range, and was developed to be used by Hugo Calderano. Every blade family of Xiom has its own logo, and ‘Hugo’ series isn’t an exception, although still there is only one model in ‘Hugo’ series. The logo printed on the top of head surface expresses ‘H.C.’ which is the initial of Hugo Calderano.

Fig.02 Blade construction of ‘Hugo HAL’

The construction of ‘Hugo HAL’ is based on general outer-fiber construction with Koto top layer. The artificial fiber of ‘Hugo HAL’ is ‘Hyper Axylium’ which is the woven liquid crystal polymer fiber (= polyarylate fiber), and it doesn’t include carbon fiber. Hyper Axylium is placed directly under the top layer. The top layer is Koto, the middle layer is Ayous and the center layer is Kiri. Overall thickness is average 5.81mm, and it is very close to 5.8mm that is written on the catalog of Xiom. This construction is very similar to that of Butterfly ‘Viscaria’, but there is difference in the kind of fiber.

Fig.03 Shape of ‘Hugo HAL’

The size of head is 157mm (length) x 151mm (width). It is 1mm wider than the catalog specification. The average weight of measured pcs. is 87.9g.

Fig.04 Handle of ‘Hugo HAL’

The graphic design of handle is based on that of ‘Ice Cream’ series, but the accent color has been changed to sky blue.

Both of FL handle and ST handle are available. (Only the pictures of FL version could be taken for this test report.) The width of FL handle is around 26.5mm at the middle and around 34.5mm at the end. The thickness is 22.4mm at thumb and 25.5mm at the end. Its shape is semi-wide type that is similar to the shape of the FL handle of ‘Viscaria’, and provides quite firm grip.

The width and the thickness of ST handle are around 28mm and around 23mm respectively. It also provides very firm and stable grip.

Fig.05 Aluminum nameplate at the foreside of handle

The nameplate on handle is made of Aluminum instead of transparent plastic. The H.C logo, the name of artificial fiber – Hyper Axylium – and the abbreviation of the name of artificial fiber – HAL – are printed on the Aluminum panel. This Aluminum panel is inserted not only at forehand side but also at backhand side.

Fig.06 Aluminum logoplate at the end of handle

Another Aluminum panel at the end of handle has the brand logo printed on it. Interestingly this logo panel is different from the logo panels of the other Xiom blades. Every blade family of Xiom has its own logo panel.

Fig.07 Printing on the foreside of blade head

The description of Hyper Axylium is printed at lower left side of blade head. And, at lower right side, the signature of Hugo Calderano is printed.

Fig.08 Backside of ‘Hugo HAL’

Above picture shows the backside of ‘Hugo HAL’. The H.C. logo printed at the top of head and the Aluminum plate at the handle are the same ones as those on foreside. The difference from foreside is that three icons those expressing the technologies of this blade and the slogan – Future from another future – is printed at lower side of head. It is difficult to tell which side is which at first glance, because both sides are very similar with each other.

Fig.09 Backside of ‘Hugo HAL’

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2.  Performance Indices

Performance Indices are measured objective values to represent the characteristics of table tennis gears.. Concerning the detail of four performance indices, please refer to following articles in ‘About TTGearLab’ section :

The performance indices of ‘Hugo HAL’ are as follows:

Hugo HAL (average weight = 87.9g)

                    Ep = 1.62

                    Ec = 1.52 (Ec/Ep = 0.94)

                    Vp = 1.17

                    Vl = 1.18 (Vl/Vp = 1.01)

Fig.10

‘Hugo HAL’ is an outer-fiber blade. However, because its artificial material doesn’t include carbon fiber, it isn’t as fast as ordinary outer-fiber blades whose fibers are ALC or ZLC. Its Ep is close to those of inner-ALC blades. And, because it isn’t a very fast blade, we can expect that it provides very good ability of ball control.

Ec is lower than Ep. But, the difference isn’t significant. Because Ec/Ep (= 0.94) isn’t lower than 0.9, its behavior concerned with elasticity is close to ‘linear’. When the player hits the ball very strongly, it holds the ball. But not deeply.

The Vp of ‘HUGO HAL’ is just 1.17. It isn’t that high value, and is on the level of the Vp’s of inner-ALC blades or some 7-ply wood blades. And, Vl is 1.18, and it is very close to Vp. As a result Vl/Vp (= 1.01) is very close to 1.0. It means that the distribution of feeling almost uniform throughout the blade. We can expect that the feeling transferred to index finger isn’t especially sharper and more comfortable than the primary feeling transferred to palm.

Fig.11

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3.  Comparison by Performance Indices

Then we can compare ‘Hugo HAL’ with some other blades in the market. Two outer-fiber (outer-ALC) blades, four inner-fiber blades, four modern 7-ply wood blades and three 5-ply wood offensive blades will be compared. Among inner-fiber blades and 7-ply wood blades, thicker and faster ones are not selected.

Following is the list of the blades to be compared :

Outer Fiber blades (two outer-ALC blades with Koto top layer)

  • Butterfly ‘Viscaria’ (avg. weight = 87.1g) : Similar to ‘Hugo HAL’ but the fiber isn’t Arylate fiber but ALC
  • Xiom ‘36.5 ALX’ (avg. weight = 86.2g) : Outer-ALC blade of Viscaria type

Inner Fiber blades (inner-fiber blades in standard speed range)

  • Butterfly ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ (avg. weight = 91.2) : The standard of inner-ALC blades – 2023 version which is thicker, heavier and faster than older version measured in 2018
  • Xiom ‘36.5 ALXi’ (avg.weight = 87.1g) : Inner-fiber variation of Xiom ‘36.5’ series
  • Yasaka ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ (avg. weight = 88.6g) : Fiber is Fleece Carbon

7-ply wood blades (modern 7-ply wood blades with reduced speed for topspin)

  • Tibhar ‘Bernadette Szöcs Signature 1’ (avg. weight = 84.9g) : 7-ply wood blade of Clipper type
  • Butterfly ‘Korbel SK7’ (avg. weight = 87.1g) : Clipper-type. Reduced elasticity for topspin players
  • Stiga ‘Clipper CR (New 6.5mm)’ (avg. weight = 81.7g) : New lightweight version of ‘Clipper CR’
  • Donic ‘Persson PowerPlay’ (avg. weight = 83.9g) : Thinner than above three. Top layer is Koto

5-ply wood blades (Offensive 5-ply wood blades in standard speed range)

  • Butterfly ‘Korbel’ (avg. weight = 88.7g) : The standard of 5-ply wood offensive blades
  • Nittaku ‘Acoustic’ (avg. weight = 90.6g) : Standard 5-ply wood offensive blade made by special glue
  • Butterfly ‘Timo Boll W5’ (avg. weight = 81.8g) : Top layer is Koto

3-1. Elasticity Indices

Fig.12 Comparison by Elasticity Indices

Fig.12 shows the comparison graph of Elasticity Indices.

Ep (Primary Elasticity Index) is directly concerned with the rebound speed of blade. Ec (Central Elasticity Index) is concerned with additional ‘kick’ when player hits ball very strongly.

The first group to be compared is ‘Outer Fiber (Outer ALC)’ group that includes two blades. The two blades of this group – ‘Viscaria’ and ‘36.5 ALX’ – are very similar to ‘Hugo HAL’ in construction, but the difference is that carbon fiber is included in the artificial material of these two models. As a result, these two blades are noticeably more elastic than ‘Hugo HAL’, and more elastic than the blades of any other group in this comparison.

The second group to be compared is ‘Inner Fiber’ group that includes four blades. Among three blades, ‘36.5 ALXi’ shows similar Ep (= 1.62) as that of ‘Hugo HAL’. However, the Ec of ‘36.5 ALXi’ is noticeably lower than that of ‘Hugo HAL’ even though this blade is an ALC (= Arylate Carbon) blade. It is expected that ‘36.5 ALXi’ will hold ball more deeply when the player hits the ball very strongly, while ‘Hugo HAL’ provides more additional kick in the same situation. ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ (2023 version) is noticeably more elastic, and ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ is noticeably less elastic, when compared with ‘Hugo HAL’. The higher elasticity of ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ is probably because of its thicker construction and included carbon fiber. And, the lower elasticity of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ is because of the kind of artificial material and the gap between two artificial material layers. The Fleece Carbon of ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ is less elastic than the Hyper Axylium (= Xiom’s own name for woven Arylate fiber), and the gap between two fiber layers is narrow due to inner-fiber construction.

The third group to be compared is ‘7-ply wood’ group that also includes four blades. The most elastic one in this group is ‘Bernadette Szöcs Signature 1’, and its elasticity indices (Ep = 1.75 & Ec = 1.59) are higher than those of ‘Hugo HAL’. Butterfly ‘Korbel SK7’ and Stiga ‘Clipper CR’ are less elastic than ‘Hugo HAL’, but the differences aren’t significant. The last one – ‘Persson PowerPlay’ – is noticeably less elastic than the other three. That is because ‘Persson PowerPlay’ whose avg. thickness is just 5.43mm is much thinner than the other three. (Note : This ‘Persson PowerPlay’ isn’t ‘Senso’ version but original version without Senso. ‘Senso’ version of ‘Persson PowerPlay’ is a bit thicker than original version, and as a result its characteristic is somewhat different from original version.)

The fourth group to be compared is ‘5-ply wood’ group that includes three blades. We can see that the Ec’s of the blades in this group are noticeably lower in general than the Ec’s of the blades in the other groups. We may be able to consider that low Ec is the important character of 5-ply wood blades. (This is almost truth as long as we just observe the ‘standard type’ 5-ply offensive blades. Those are very common blades, and don’t have extremely unique characteristics.) And, all three models are less elastic than ‘Hugo HAL’. The most elastic one among three blades is ‘Korbel’. Its Ep is not much lower than that of ‘Hugo HAL’. But, there is big gap between the Ec of ‘Korbel’ and that of ‘Hugo HAL’.

Examining Ec/Ep is an easier way to understand the characteristics of blade concerned with elasticity. Fig.13 shows the relationship between Ec/Ep and Ep.

Fig.13 Ec/Ep vs. Ep

Ec/Ep expresses the ‘tendency’ of the elasticity of blade. By examining Ec/Ep and Ep at the same time, we can easily understand the behavior of blades.

On the graph, all blades except for two (including reference blade) in this comparison are in ‘Hold’ range (Ec/Ep < 1.0). And, we can observe that each group is placed at specific place on the graph. ‘Outer ALC’ group is at the right side of graph, ‘Inner Fiber’ group is at the center, and the other two groups are at left side. Between two groups at left side, ‘7-ply wood’ group is at the top, and ‘5-ply wood’ group is at the bottom. ‘Inner Fiber’ group lies between ‘Outer Fiber’ group and ‘5-ply wood’ group. Within a group, the Ep’s of blades are widely distributed from left to right. However, the difference between the highest Ec/Ep and the lowest Ec/Ep in a group is not significant, when compared with the distribution of Ep. Additionally, we can observe that the average Ec/Ep of ‘Outer ALC’ group is similar to that of ‘7-ply wood’ group.

Here we can notice that 7-ply wood blades can be the solution in case the player want to give more kick to the ball while keeping the basic elasticity of the blade in moderate level. Probably that is the reason why some top players didn’t select fiber blades but are using 7-ply wood blades in this poly ball age. Of course the energy loss of a 7-ply wood blade is greater than that of a fiber blade. However, for those players the more energy loss of the 7-ply wood blade isn’t a big problem, and the more additional kick that the 7-ply wood blades provide is more important. Especially if the players play only at close-to-table area, they will not feel any insufficiency of the power.

By the way, we need to pay attention to the location of ‘Hugo HAL’ on the graph. ‘Hugo HAL’ is placed in the area of ‘7-ply wood’ group in this comparison. It means that ‘Hugo HAL’ behaves as a 7-ply wood blade, although it isn’t a 7-ply pure-wood blade. On the graph, the two blades near ‘Hugo HAL’ are ‘Bernadette Szöcs Signature 1’ and ‘Korbel SK7’, and both of those two are much thicker (= 6.8mm and 6.5mm respectively) than ‘Hugo HAL’ (= around 5.8mm). In general thinner blade is easier to handle than thicker blade, especially when the player performs small technics on the table – for example stop or flip. However, if we reduce the thickness of the 7-ply blade its elasticity is reduced significantly. The good example is ‘Persson Powerplay’ that is placed at the left end of ‘7-ply wood’ group. The thickness of ‘Hugo HAL’ is also under 6.0mm. But its primary elasticity is as high as those of much thicker (= 6.5~6.8mm) blades. That may be the most important reason why the blade like ‘Hugo HAL’ exists.

Additionally, it is worth to compare ‘Hugo HAL’ with ‘36.5 ALXi’ from the same brand – Xiom. The Ep’s of those two are close to each other. However, The Ec/Ep of ‘36.5 ALXi’ is much smaller than that of ‘Hugo HAL’. The difference may be small, but some players will think that it is a big difference. If a player needs more additional kick, ‘Hugo HAL’ will be better for that player. On the contrary, ‘36.5 ALXi’ will be better selection for the players who needs deeper hold. If we just observe Xiom blades, for the player who likes the behavior of 7-ply blades but wants to reduce the thickness of blade, ‘Hugo HAL’ can be the solution. On the contrary, if the player who has used 5-ply wood blade such as ‘Korbel’ so far but needs faster blade, ‘36.5 ALXi’ is seriously considerable.

Then next, let’s compare Vibration Indices.

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3-2. Vibration Indices

Fig.14 Comparison by Vibration Indices

Fig.14 shows the comparison graph of Vibration Indices. Vibration Indices are concerned with feeling. Vp indicates primary feeling which is transferred to player’s palm. And, Vl is the feeling at the edge of the wing – the lower side of blade head. It is felt by player’s index finger or middle finger.

The two blades in the first group (= ‘Outer ALC’ group) shows noticeably higher values than ‘Hugo HAL’. That is because the artificial materials of those two blades include carbon fiber. The constructions of ‘Viscaria’ and ‘36.5 ALXi’ are very similar to each other, but ‘Viscaria’ shows relatively higher Vp and ‘36.5 ALX’ shows relatively higher Vl when we compare between those two blades. That is probably due to the difference in the weaving method of ALC.

In the second group (= ‘Inner Fiber’ group), the Vl of ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ (2023 version) is same as its Vp. So the shape of the graph of ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ looks similar to that of ‘Hugo HAL’, although the values are a bit higher. The other two blades – ‘36.5 ALXi’ and ‘Ma Lin Carbon’ – show different shapes. For those two blades, Vl is much higher than Vp. The vibration characteristics of ‘Hugo HAL’ is close to that of ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’, but is much different from those of two other inner-fiber blades in this group.

In the third group (= ‘7-ply wood’ group), the Vibration Indices of ‘Korbel SK7’ are very close to those of ‘Hugo HAL’. And, the indices of the other models are somewhat different from that of ‘Hugo HAL’, but the difference isn’t huge. In both of Vibration Indices and Elasticity Indices, we can observe that the character of ‘Hugo HAL’ is not much different from that of the 7-ply blades (except for ‘Persson PowerPlay) in this comparison.

Finally, the fourth group (= ‘5-ply wood’ group) shows totally different characteristics from those of ‘Hugo HAL’. The Vp’s of the blades in this group is very low, but the Vl’s are very high. It is ‘Inner-Fiber’ group that shows characteristics closest to those of ‘5-ply wood’ group. Probably that is the reason why many top players replaced their former 5-ply wood blades such as ‘Korbel’ with inner-fiber blades such as ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’.

Examining Vl/Vp is an easier way for the comparison of the tendency of feeling. Fig.15 shows the relationship between Vl/Vp and Vp for easier comparison.

Fig.15 Vl/Vp vs. Vp

On the graph, all blades except for two (including reference blade) in this comparison are placed in upper parts of the graph – ‘Relatively sharper at finger’ range. However, the range of each group is clearly distinguished.

As we observed in the comparison between Ec/Ep vs. Ep, the ‘Outer ALC’ group is placed at the right side of graph, and the other three are at the left side. But, the differently from the comparison of Elasticity Indices, the other three groups are not arranged vertically but diagonally from upper left to lower center. ‘5-ply wood’ group is placed at the top left of graph, and the ‘7-ply wood’ group is placed at the bottom of graph. ‘Inner Fiber’ group is at the center of graph, but is overlapped with ‘7-ply wood’ group due to the position of ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’. However, if we don’t consider ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ (2023 version), ‘Inner Fiber’ group lies between ‘7-ply wood’ group and ‘5-ply wood’ group.

Again, the position of ‘Hugo HAL’ is in the area of ‘7-ply wood’ group. The Ec/Ep of the blades in this group is close to 1.00, and it is same for ‘Hugo HAL’. Therefore, we can conclude that ‘Hugo HAL’ is similar to modern 7-ply wood blades both in elasticity and in feeling. Like the 7-ply wood blades in this group, ‘Hugo HAL’ doesn’t provide relatively sharp feeling or relatively more comfortable feeling at index finger. The distribution of the feeling is almost uniform throughout ‘Hugo HAL’.

Xiom is explaining that ‘Hugo HAL’ provides very natural feel like pure wood blades. However, we can observe that the feeling of ‘Hugo HAL’ is definitely different from the feeling of 5-ply wood blades like ‘Korbel’. When compared with ‘Korbel’ or ‘Timo Boll W5’ those provides soft primary feeling and very sharp feeling at index finger, the feeling of ‘Hugo HAL’ is basically harder but more comfortable at index finger. So the players who expected the feeling of 5-ply wood blades from ‘Hugo HAL’ may be embarrassed by the significant difference of feeling. But, please remember that it doesn’t mean that the feeling of ‘Hugo HAL’ is not natural. ‘Hugo HAL’ certainly provides natural feel, but it’s not the same kind of the feeling as 5-ply wood blades, just a feeling closer to that of 7-ply wood blades.

In ‘7-ply wood’ group, the one that is the closest to ‘Hugo HAL’ is ‘Korbel SK7’, although it is thicker than ‘Hugo HAL’ by 1mm. Thanks to the artificial material, ‘Hugo HAL’ is providing similar characteristics with that thick 7-ply wood blade from noticeably thinner construction. And, ‘Bernadette Szöcs Signature 1’ and ‘Clipper CR’ are harder than ‘Hugo HAL’ in primary feeling. Therefore, ‘Hugo HAL’ can be recommended for the players who want to reduce the hard feeling of those thick 7-ply wood blades a bit.

In ‘Inner Fiber’ group, the one that is the closest to ‘Hugo HAL’ is ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ (2023 version). If the player who is currently using ‘InnerForce Layer ALC’ wants to reduce the hard feeling while keeping the relative feeling at finger, ‘Hugo HAL’ will be good solution, and vice versa. And, if the player is currently using ‘36.5 ALXi’ but wants to reduce the sharp feeling at finger, ‘Hugo HAL’ is seriously considerable although there is difference in construction and top layer. And, if the player is currently using an outer-ALC blade like ‘Viscaria’ and likes the outer-fiber construction with Koto top layer but thinks that current blade is too hard and too fast, the replacement to ‘Hugo HAL’ can be seriously considered. Finally, ‘Persson PowerPlay’ and ‘Hugo HAL’ can be interestingly compared because both of those two are thin (5.4mm and 5.8mm respectively) and have Koto top layers. Those two shows similar values of Ec/Ep and Vl/Vp, but ‘Hugo HAL’ shows significantly higher values of Ep and Vl than ‘Persson PowerPlay’. Therefore, if a player who is using ‘Persson PowerPlay’ (original version without the adjunct ‘Senso’) but wants to replace it by harder and faster blade, ‘Hugo HAL’ can be direct solution.

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4.  Field Test

‘Hugo HAL’ has been briefly tested at table tennis court. The test wasn’t an intensive one, and not many kinds of rubbers were combined. However, it was sufficient to find out the basic characteristics of the blade.

The hitting feeling of ‘Hugo HAL’ is quite soft and comfortable. The feeling of ball contact is clearly transferred, but it is definitely different from that of well-known offensive 5-ply wood blades such as ‘Korbel’, and the index finger doesn’t feel that it is sharp. Because the first deformation is large, there is clear initial vibration. However, that vibration is quickly absorbed thanks to the polyarylate fiber that provides high level of damping effect. Nevertheless there isn’t the sense of incongruity that can be felt from some light units of outer-ALC blades. Although the feeling is different from that of 5-ply wood blades, it is much more natural than that of outer-ALC blades. (By the way, the feeling Nittaku ‘Tenor’ is quite similar to that of ‘Hugo HAL’ although it is also an 5-ply wood offensive blade. Its feeling is totally different from that of ‘Korbel’. ‘Tenor’ isn’t included in the comparison of this article. Its Vp is 1.21 and Vl is 1.21. Vl/Vp is 1.00.) And, testers noticed that there is noticeable difference between the feeling of ‘Hugo HAL’ and that of ‘Clipper CR’. But, testers felt that there is similarity between the feeling of ‘Hugo HAL’ and that of ‘Korbel SK7’ or ‘Bernadette Szöcs Signature 1’. (Please note that the result on feeling can vary by player.)

Fig.16

In light hitting at close-to-table area, the speed of the ball is moderate. It isn’t especially high, but it isn’t that slow. And, in this situation the ball control is excellent. There has been some outer Arylate blades those are too fast or too slow. (For example Butterfly ‘Keyshot’ or Butterfly ‘Baselart’.) However, ‘Hugo HAL’ seems to hit the right balance point, neither too fast nor too slow.

When performing continuous topspin, the best results were achieved when conscious of ‘dragging’ the ball by the surface of racket rather than enlarging the hitting angle. When doing so, there is a feeling that the surface of the blade is strongly engaged with the ball. Probably that is thanks to the good harmony between Koto top layer and polyarylate fiber inserted directly under the top layer. That is especially noticeable when ‘Hugo HAL’ is combined with the rubbers whose characteristics are focused on spin performance while the speed is a bit reduced. (For example Butterfly ‘Tenergy 05’.) The result is better if the sponge density of that rubber is high (= 50 degree or higher). If ‘Hugo HAL’ is combined with that kind of rubber, on-table technics are very effective and easy to perform. Also, it is very easy to use by distinguishing various technics – for example dragging the ball and hitting the ball. On the contrary, the combination with the rubbers whose characteristics are focused on speed and whose sponge density is low. The result isn’t bad, but lacks something. Probably there are many players who will like the combination of ‘Hugo HAL’ and that kind of rubber. However, TTGearLab didn’t feel any reason why the players should combine that kind of rubber with ‘Hugo HAL’. For the combination with ‘Hugo HAL’, TTGearLab recommend the rubber whose performance is extremely biased to spin and whose sponge density is high.

When playing at mid-distance area, performing high loop is very easy thanks to the feeling that the surface of the blade is strongly engaged with the ball. And, the feeling and the performance of fast topspin by opening the angle or racket in some amount is quite good. Probably that is because of the harmony between the soft feeling and the sufficient additional kick. As we expected from the Performance Indices, ‘Hugo HAL’ provides higher performance of mid-distance topspin when compared with ordinary 5-ply wood offensive blade such as ‘Korbel’. Of course the mid-distance performance depends on the skill level of the player. However, even in case the skill level of the player is low, the performance achieved by ‘Hugo HAL’ will be definitely higher than that by 5-ply wood blade such as ‘Korbel’. In general, it is the advantage of 7-ply wood blades when compared with 5-ply wood blades that some level of power can be achieved even if the skill level of the player isn’t sufficient. And, that is also the advantage of ‘Hugo HAL’ whose character is similar to that of modern 7-ply wood blades.

Fig.17

The overall impression of ‘Hugo HAL’ is a soft blade that focused on dragging the ball. But, nevertheless it provides better performance than expected when performing hard smash as close-to-table area or fast topspin from mid-distance area. It is a blade suitable for all-round play using various techniques.

Some players who have been accustomed to 5-ply wood blades such as ‘Korbel’ may feel that the feeling of ‘Hugo HAL’ isn’t as good as expected, especially when performing close-to-table topspin. That isn’t definite disadvantage of ‘Hugo HAL’, but the period of adjustment may be required for those players. It is good to keep in mind that it is different from ordinary 5-ply wood offensive blades before choosing ‘Hugo HAL’. It is a blade closer to 7-ply wood blade than 5-ply wood blades. (Note : There are some 5-ply wood blades those are close to ‘Hugo HAL’ in feeling. One example is Nittaku ‘Tenor’.)

Below is the testers’ opinions on the ‘Hugo HAL’. Testers are distinguished by the color of indicator. (Red and green.)

Fig.18 Evaluation by subjective testing

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5.  Summary

Xiom ‘Hugo HAL’ is the blade being used by Hugo Calderano. It is a fiber blade of outer-fiber construction, and its artificial material is the woven arylate fiber called ‘Hyper Axylium’ that doesn’t include carbon fiber. The characteristics of ‘Hugo HAL’ can be summarized as follows :

  • Although it is an outer-fiber blade, its feeling is soft because there isn’t carbon fiber in its construction. Its primary elasticity is close to that of some inner-ALC blades, and is just a bit higher than that of ‘Korbel’ which is a 5-ply wood offensive blade. So it provides very good ability of ball control.
  • However, it gives better additional kick than 5-ply wood blades or inner-fiber blades when the player hits the ball very strongly, because it doesn’t hold ball as deeply as 5-ply wood or inner-fiber blades. Therefore, ‘Hugo HAL’ provides higher level of power when needed. For example, in the situation of rally by topspin.
  • Its primary feeling is as soft as that of inner-ALC blades, and somewhat harder than 5-ply wood blades.
  • Differently from most of 5-ply wood blades or inner-fiber blades, the distribution of feeling of ‘Hugo HAL’ is almost uniform throughout the blade. So the feeling transferred to the index finger isn’t especially sharper or more comfortable when compared to the primary feeling.
  • The woven arylate fiber in the construction of ‘Hugo HAL’ absorbs the vibration quickly. But, it doesn’t give the player the feeling of incongruity. So the feeling is quite natural like, as Xiom explains. However, ‘the natural feeling like pure-wood blade’ doesn’t mean that ‘Hugo HAL’ gives the feeling like that of 5-ply wood blades. Overall characteristics of ‘Hugo HAL’ both in elasticity and in feeling is very close to that of many modern 7-ply wood blades those are softer and less elastic than traditional thick 7-ply wood blades.
Fig.19

The most important advantage of ‘Hugo HAL’ is its excellent balance. It isn’t too hard or too soft, and isn’t too fast or too slow. It doesn’t hold or kick the ball too much, and it doesn’t give too sharp or too comfortable feeling. Because of its optimum balance in all aspects, it can be recommended for all-types of players in all skill levels. Although it is the blade made for top player, it can also be recommended for entry-level players because of its excellent ability of control. There will be players who think that its character isn’t interesting because there isn’t any factor of stimulating. However, that is the ‘character’ of this blade distinguished from many other blades in the market. One actual problem is that there are many 7-ply wood blades whose characteristics are similar to ‘Hugo HAL’ but are much cheaper. But, when compared to those 7-ply wood blades, the advantage of ‘Hugo HAL’ is its significantly reduced thickness thanks to the artificial material. It is much easier to handle in many situations thanks to the reduced thickness. Further the artificial material – woven arylate fiber – absorbs the residual vibration quickly without making the feeling unnatural. For that reason, ‘Hugo HAL’ can be strongly recommended for the players who are searching for well-balanced blade but at the same time want to keep the thickness of the blade under 6.0mm. Finally, if the player likes the outer-fiber construction of ‘Viscaria’ or similar blades but doesn’t like the feeling of carbon fiber, ‘Hugo HAL’ deserves serious consideration.

Fig.20

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