Xiom Jekyll & Hyde C55 vs Andro Nuzn 55 

Two Modern Rubbers for Topspin and Counterlooping

 

  Hello again, fellow table tennis enthusiasts!

  This time I am testing two 55-degree rubbers, i.e., the Xiom Jekyll & Hyde C55 and the Andro NUZN 55. As the game has slowed down and become more physical following the introduction of the 40+ ball, manufacturers have been developing increasingly harder rubbers that allow for more efficient energy transfer. The C55 and NUZN 55 are two modern takes on this approach.

  Xiom Jekyll & Hyde C55

  Xiom describes the German-made C55 as a “New generation Chinese sticky rubber [that’s] easy-to-adopt” and asserts that the C55’s “dual tension” technology doesn't require additional boosters. According to Xiom, the C55 has a thicker, specially coated topsheet with shorter and more densely arranged pimples. Supposedly, the low pimple geometry enhances energy transfer from the sponge, allowing for more powerful hits and a clearer feeling when striking the ball. Xiom claims to have maximized the rubber’s power and precision, rating the C55 at 8.4/9.8/8.9 in the speed/spin/precision categories. The Xiom Vega Pro H, Vega Asia Hybrid, and Xiom Omega VII China Guang are rated at 7.4/8.4/8.2, 7.6/8.2/7.8, and 9.0/9.0/9.5, respectively. These ratings suggest that the C55 slots between the Vega and Omega VII rubbers in terms of speed, is vastly more spinny, and more controllable than the Vega rubbers.

  The C55 is delivered in an interesting-looking cardboard wrapper. The shiny, multicolored cover looks like a cross between an oil-in-water emulsion and a celestial body. Technical information, such as sponge hardness, and descriptions of Xiom’s H-, V-, X-, Z-, and C-series, are provided on the back of the cover, which features a gold-on-black color scheme. Inside the wrapper, you’ll find the rubber covered by a milky non-adhesive plastic film. The C55 has a sweet, rubbery smell, indicating that it arrives factory-boosted. The matte red topsheet is grippy but only minimally sticky, i.e., the topsheet can only lift the ball for a fraction of a second. The pimples are not visible below the surface. The black medium-hard sponge, which has a high density of tiny pores, produces a stark contrast with the red topsheet. The C55 weighs ~73 grams uncut (169 mm x 169 mm, width x height) and ~53 grams when cut to the 158 mm x 151 mm test blade, which renders it as an above-average heavy rubber.

  Playing impressions

  Initial Impressions 

  The C55 feels a couple of degrees softer to the touch than its 55-degree hardness designation would suggest, and also feels softer than 55 degrees on strokes executed with an open bat angle.

  Driving 

  The C55 feels like a relatively fast (low-to-mid OFF) and moderately bouncy rubber on FH warmup drives. The rubber produces a very distinct clicking sound and crisp feeling when the ball is struck. FH drives executed with an open bat angle were moderately long and had enough net clearance to be played with excellent consistency.

  Looping 

  Warm-up FH loops felt crisp and had a moderately long and medium trajectory. While I enjoyed outstanding shot consistency, spin levels seemed only average, judging by the ease with which my practice partner was returning the shots. The less bouncy nature of the C55 compared to rubbers like the Victas V > 22 Double Extra (V22), which I recently tested, meant I was less worried about suddenly activating a strong catapult and overshooting the table.

  It is easy to overcome backspin with the C55. Thus, my 3rd ball FH attacks against long pushes were relatively fast with a medium to medium-high throw angle but lacked spin. However, the C55 performs very well on 5th and 7th ball follow-up attacks executed with closed bat angles, as this results in very flat and dangerous shot trajectories that proved difficult to return for my high-level practice partner. The C55 also neutralized incoming topspin effectively and allowed me to redirect the shots with exquisite control of placement, including some crazy, angled shots. The C55 is one of the best counter-looping rubbers that I have tested (spoiler: the Nuzn 55 might be even better).

  The C55 also performs really well in FH-to-FH loop rallies far from the table as it is plenty fast, sufficiently high-throwing, and quite predictable. I enjoyed excellent consistency, though the shots were not truly dangerous due to somewhat modest spin levels.

  Blocking  

  The feeling on FH warm-up blocks, while still crisp, is more muted. The C55 is a reliable blocking rubber against easy warm-up FH loops, but felt softer, bouncier, and therefore more spin-sensitive when passively blocking more powerful loops during match-like situations (i.e., blocking with a relatively open bat angle). However, the C55 excels in aggressive blocking and counter-looping, and can put your opponent under maximal pressure.

  Smashing

  Akin to my observation during passive blocking using a more open bat angle, the C55 felt soft, bouncy, and surprisingly slow when flat hitting, giving off a feeling of incomplete power transfer. I found it to be more useful to power-loop using an extended arm instead.

  Flicking 

  FH flicks are normally my weakest stroke, but I enjoyed exceptional control when using the C55, both when executing mini-loop type or pancake-type flicks. I attribute this to a beneficial combination of relative crisp feeling, lack of spin-sensitivity, moderate bounciness, and sufficiently high throw angle to clear the net.

  Pushing 

  My long FH pushes against short backspin serves weren’t particularly spinny, but they were fast, with an uncomfortably flat trajectory, which meant my practice partner had little time to react.

  While still of decent quality, my short FH pushes against short backspin serves were a little weaker as they sat up a bit, presumably as I couldn’t impart high spin levels. As with the V>22, I found myself focusing more on keeping the pushes flat and slightly longer, rather than spinnier.

  Serving

  A little bit to my surprise, given my perception of the rubber as not being particularly spinny, the C55 proved to work quite well on serves, especially on long side-/top-spin serves, which we fast, controlled, and quite spinny. In that sense, the C55 also resembled the V>22.

  Conclusion

  The C55 is an offensive rubber that caters to the modern “European” playing style, i.e., a direct style that emphasizes speed over spin, and non-stop topspin and counterlooping strategies. This is a rubber that requires a good technical skill level for maximum benefit, as its strength lies in the offensive shot types. The C55 will suit advanced players better than the V>22 due to its harder sponge and improved power transfer.

  Other rubber(s) this reminds me of: A lower-throwing and more predictable version of the Victas V > 22 Double Extra or Nittaku Genextion.

  Andro Nuzn 55

  The German-made Andro NUZN 55 (N55) has been developed using the innovative “Spinsight Training App,” which provides objective real-time measurements of spin and speed. Andro promises that the extremely grippy top sheet increases the spin, arc, and optimal hitting window, whereas the sponge is asserted to produce more power, consistency, and stability due to “optimized energy management”. Furthermore, Andro asserts that the N55 displays significantly improved durability over comparable spin-oriented high-end rubbers. According to Andro, the N55 requires players to have an excellent technique to maximize its spin, speed, and power transfer. Supposedly, the sweet spot is enlarged, enabling players to impart maximum spin and arc on the ball even when under pressure. Andro recommends the N55 for a merciless, ultra-modern topspin game.

  The N55 is delivered in a glossy and modern-looking cardboard wrapper, which features a dark grey, red, and purple color scheme. The reverse side of the wrapper lists brief marketing blurbs in five languages. The inside of the layered wrapper features a picture of French star player Simon Gauzy along with information about the Spinsight Training App and some graphics touting the supposed durability of the N55. The N55 sheet smells sweet, suggesting it, too, has been factory-boosted. The N55 is covered by a high-quality plastic adhesive film that offers excellent protection from the elements. The topsheet is non-sticky (unable to lift the ball) but very grippy and appears to have been coated with a slightly sparkly material. The cream-colored sponge has a high density of tiny pores. The N55 weighs a staggering ~77 grams uncut (170 mm x 170 mm, width x height) and ~55 grams when cut to the 158 mm x 151 mm test blade, which renders it as a rather heavy rubber.

  Playing Impressions

  Initial Impressions

  The N55 feels like a 55-degree rubber both to touch and during gameplay.

  Driving

  The N55 felt slower than the C55 (high OFF-, low OFF) on FH warmup drives and produced a more muted - though still crisp - feeling and a higher throw angle. As a result, my FH drives had plenty of clearance over the net but were relatively short. This, in turn, allowed me to use more physical power on the shots and precisely titrate power input. As a result, I enjoyed outstanding consistency on FH drives.

  Looping

  The N55 imbues supreme confidence on FH warm-up loops due to its moderate speed and high throw angle, but the shots are shorter and not particularly spinny. The feeling is crisp, but more muted than with the C55.

  Similar to the C55, the N55 has zero problems overcoming the backspin of long pushes for effective 3rd ball attacks. While the N55 is slightly slower than the C55, it does produce more topspin and allows for more precise ball placement, ultimately resulting in more dangerous opening shots. And even when my practice partner could return my 3rd ball attacks, I was able to respond with insanely efficient and extremely angled 5th and 7th ball counter-loops. As hinted above, the N55 is an even better counter-looping rubber than the C55, as it is slightly more reliable given its harder nature. Be it as it may, I was able to find the lines of the tables with very high consistency and produce shots of a higher quality than my normal level.

  The N55 is quite capable in FH loop-to-loop rallies far from the table. There is plenty of power and throw angle for the shots to pass the net and land comfortably without overshooting the table. The shots seemed slightly spinnier and more consistent than with the C55, and also put my practice partner under slightly more pressure.

  Blocking

  The N55 absorbs the energy of incoming warm-up topspin shots quite effectively. Its moderate speed and lack of a strong catapult meant that I enjoyed good consistency on passive FH blocks – high enough trajectory to clear the net, yet not so fast and bouncy that the shots had a tendency to go too long. Just like the C55, the N55 shines on aggressive blocks played with a closed bat angle. The rubber seems to grip the incoming topspin very effectively and effectively re-direct the energy in a flat, but not too flat, trajectory, producing aggressive blocks that can be placed in hard-to-reach places.

  Smashing

  The N55 is fast enough to help finish off any loose balls using an open bat angle smash. However, this is a rubber that has its strengths when using a flat bat angle.

  Flicking

  The characteristics of the N55 on FH flicks closely resemble those of the C55. Thus, I enjoyed excellent control of FH flicks, which I attribute to the spin-insensitive topsheet and moderate bounciness of the rubber. I had no difficulties attacking short pushes, using either the mini-loop technique, the side-swiping technique, or, on pushes that sat up more, the pancake-type flicks.

  Pushing

  Akin to the C55, the N55 produces fast, long pushes, but unlike the C55, it seemed that I was able to impart considerably more spin on the ball, rendering the pushes even more difficult for my practice partner to return.

  The N55 is slower than the C55 on low-impact shots. Accordingly, my short FH pushes were of better quality than with the C55, being lower and spinnier. The harder sponge of the N55 enabled me to more precisely titrate the power on the shot.

  Serving

  The N55 seemed to produce a respectable amount of spin on short serves (greater than with the C55), but was slower and less surprising on long side-/top-spin serves than the C55.

  Conclusion

  The Andro NUZN 55 is an excellent topspin and counter-looping rubber for those of you with a modern European playing style, and super fun to play with. I prefer the N55 over the C55 due to its harder and more predictable nature and greater number of “gears”, i.e., the ability to more dramatically change between fast and slow shots. I also preferred the N55 in the short game. The N55 requires players to have a good technical level and be able to generate more power themselves. Players who fit this profile will be rewarded with a predictable direct rubber that allows them to execute some wildly impressive shots.

  Other rubber(s) this reminds me of: An improved version of the Andro Hexer Powergrip.

  Final Thoughts

  The C55 and N55 rubbers share many similar characteristics. Both rubbers will suit topspin-focused players who loop, flick, and/or counter-loop most of the time. The N55 is a little more reliable and predictable, and allows for a more efficient power transfer, rendering it slightly better suited as an FH rubber, whereas the slightly bouncier nature of the C55 might render it the preferred BH rubber.

  Testing Procedure

  I evaluated the C55 (red, 2.1 mm) and N55 (black, max) using the Tibhar Samsonov Force Pro Black Edition 7-ply all-wood blade with Spinlord Waran 2 short pips in my BH. I attached the brand-new rubbers to the blade as received, using two layers of the Revolution 3 normal viscosity glue. I tested the setups over 2-3 sessions each, playing a mix of regular and match-like drills against my regular high-level practice partner (two-winged looper), using Neottec Neoplast Pro 40+ training balls throughout this test.

About the Reviewer

     Patrick 'Pong Professor' Hrdlicka is a table tennis enthusiast with a Ph.D. in chemistry who combines his analytical and experimental skills with his love of table tennis in order to test and review a wide range of table tennis equipment.