Thanks to everyone who replied. I was also seriously considering the Versa Max but was a little cautious on whether the ball would be as strong as the Alpha on the backend.
Lately, there has been a shipment of 2nd quality(bubbles, scratches) Versas into Japan sold very cheaply, hence I took the plunge and ordered myself one.
Versa is sold here but 1st quality NIB costs around USD200 over here, too expensive...
I actually got my alpha from the US and brought it back to Japan during the rebate period. Price in Japan was ridiculous.