Weekly Equipment Watch: XIOM Signs Wang Hao, Saving the Brand the Roundabout Way?
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XIOM just announced yesterday that it signed Chinese men’s head coach Wang Hao as image ambassador and brand adviser. As an adviser, will blades come out? They can. Speaking of “adviser,” I think of Zhang Jike. Between him and Butterfly, November 1, 2009 to October 31, 2018 was a player contract; November 1, 2018 to October 31, 2024 was an adviser contract. In those later years, besides the original Zhang Jike series blades, limited editions still came out.
Since Hugo was poached by JOOLA, people often cannot recall who else XIOM has. Signing Wang Hao this time, I have to say, is another form of saving the brand the roundabout way. Of course, that is a fairly exaggerated way to put it. After all, just selling the VEGA series rubbers, XIOM does fine.
Why do I call it saving the brand the roundabout way? Back when Ma Lin was still a Yasaka endorser, over a decade ago, the Super League had a wave of using Yasaka RAKZA X on the backhand. A few months before Tibhar announced signing Ma Lin, the K3 Pro rubber appeared on several national players’ backhands, like Wang Yidi and Chen Yuanyu. And everyone knows, before this, Wang Hao was always a LOKI endorser. Former national player Zhou Yu, current national players Liang Jingkun and Yuan Licen, plus the retired Xu Chenhao and Zhao Zihao signing LOKI, was not unrelated to Wang Hao. XIOM signing Wang Hao this time is, on one hand, because of Wang Hao’s influence — after all, a singles world champion who nearly completed a Grand Slam, with a large fan base. On the other hand, Xiang Zhuang dances the sword, his intent on the Duke of Pei. The rivers and lakes are not just fighting and killing; they are also human relationships. This is a big chessboard.
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The second part of this watch is some tacky rubbers. Before, although XIOM released high hardnesses like the Jinghai C57.5, the most famous is the Jinghai C55.0 that Hugo uses. It is quite like boosted blue-sponge Hurricane — better speed, but a similar energy-storage feel. And after Hugo signed with JOOLA, the now-released Trinity Charged is also 57.5 degrees. I will compare it with the Hurricane ZGR that Zhou Qihao and Pitchford used. Tibhar released the 59-degree K3 VIP Guobiao; I will see how this differs from the custom K3 Pro. I will also compare with the national-team-special version of D09c. Let us see the gaps between brands. Now, releasing harder tacky rubber has become a big trend.
The Gaobo Power AMG is more solid than the original Gaobo Power, with more thorough built-in-energy processing — more punch and springier than before. The Guobiao 3 high-tier version Sanwei released plays more porcelain-firm than ordinary Guobiao 3. The friction is still quite good, but the sponge hardness is higher. More solid, but also harder to drive through than before. Maybe it works better with boosting. Ordinary Guobiao 3 should be easier for amateurs to pick up.
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Many players have asked me to write an advertorial for the new Mozaiti blade. Its structure is actually nothing new. Similar to the Super Vis and Fan Zhendong SALC, it is an outer SUPER ALC, kiri-core structure. But some players who have played it report it is easy to play. The root is, first, the fiber is also a more densely woven blue aramid carbon imported from Japan’s Kuraray. Second, this core is very punchy. I chose the most expensive grade-A kiri core I could buy on the market, the same as Butterfly flagships, exceptionally solid. Overall thickness about 5.8mm.
The handle inlay — you can spot the deformed letters M, Z and T. The three red lines are M, the middle one is also T, and the gold nameplate is a variant of Z. MZT is Mozaiti. It is also the work of a well-known designer. As for why this name? Past affairs, love and grudges — let them scatter with the wind; do not bring them up. The price is 299 yuan. A touch pricier than the Miao, just because the kiri core grade went from B to A, costing a bit more. Of course, the fiber is also slightly updated. The bulk shipment arrives this weekend. And if you find the Mozaiti too cheap, the second batch of the Super Heima, the Yinhe Heima-tuned MAX ZFC, has also arrived.