XIOM Jekyll and Hyde H 52.5: The Flagship ESN Rubber You've Never Heard Of
Featured Item: XIOM Jekyll and Hyde H 52.5
Quick Thoughts
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The XIOM Jekyll and Hyde series is one of XIOM’s most elite flagship lines, ranking alongside the Omega VII series—yet it is far less known. Honestly, very few people even know it exists.
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Classic black sponge, a familiar surface tuning you immediately recognize as XIOM. This Jekyll and Hyde is rated “H” (Hard) at 52.5 degrees, with a bare weight of 67.2 g—surprisingly light. Retail price is around 300-plus RMB.
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Tacky top sheet. Based on hardness the positioning is forehand, which makes the 67.2 g weight from a flagship ESN German rubber genuinely unusual.
Side note worth knowing: Light weight means the sponge’s actual feel is softer than the stated hardness suggests—think of the Yasaka mid-hard Flying Dragon for reference. My assessment is that this rubber can work on the backhand too and won’t feel overly hard. The customer at the end of this article is indeed using it on the backhand side.
- According to the packaging description, the Jekyll and Hyde achieves a strong balance of power and precision, speed and control—hitting a relatively high standard across the board.
Note: The content of this review reflects the author’s subjective impressions. Rubber characteristics vary from unit to unit and will also differ depending on the blade it is paired with. Comments and corrections are welcome.