I haven't been able to try any Victor rackets but I have tried Li-Ning Rackets and enjoy using it, but I don't own any Li-Ning rackets
I have only tried out the Victor Mx80, Mx60 and bravesword 15 and the MX London, which impressed me so much it made me buy one. The MX series is a great racket overall but its accuracy speed is where it really shines!
I have only tried the Li-Ning Woods N90 ands N80 I love them but prefered the N80 because the frame cut through the air more and produced alot of power. The N90 the frame was thick and didn't cut through the air as easily.
I really want to try a Li Ning racket but I hear they are hard to master?How would you compare the Li Ning rackets you have tried to a Yonex model.
Well, I own a Voltric 80 and Arcsaber Z-Slash TH When I tried the N90 and I only had the Z-Slash TH to compare it to, I felt that the N90 couldn't cut through the air as easily as the Z-Slash and the Z-Slash had more power. I tried this racket over a year ago and might not remember everything. as for the N80 I compared that with my Voltric 80 I thought that the N80 cut through the air really well, due to the frame was really aero-dynamic which produced a lot of the power, I was playing a half-court singles game to test it out and I kept hitting my clears out, even if I didn't necessarily use a lot power. The Voltric has a slightly box-shaped frame which strengthens the frame but makes it slightly harder to cut through the air but the stiff shaft and string bed produces the power from the racket. I tried this racket a few months ago. I hope this helps
Li Ning rackets are generally a bit heavier than other brands (i.e. a N90, similar BP to a VT ZF, is still a tad heavier). As a result they're more stable than most others, but getting power out of them requires more physical effort than with a softer, lighter racket like a Z-Slash. In comparison, wielding the N90 is more demanding than a Z-Slash (which is pretty beginner-friendly) but it has far more potential for power and control. There are other rackets though that are much more maneuverable (N55-II, N55, N50, N77, N77-II....) and more suited to doubles. They're also softer and easier to get power out of. My recommendation for beginner/intermediate players are the N70, N70-II and N50, intermediate/advanced players will probably prefer the N55, N55-II and maybe N90-II as they're stiffer and thus offer more control. For comparison; When I had the VT ZF over for testing, it came close to the N90 in heaviness, but other than that, there's nothing similar I know of on the market. VT was stiffer though. N90-II is similar to a AT900T, N50 more like a 2nd gen Ti-10 or a softer Arc10 (similar in heaviness, but much softer). N55-II was my favorite when I had it over for testing, it's very all-round with a shaft on the stiff end of medium and slightly head heavy balance. Makes for a nice doubles racket with quite a punch (physically not very strong players might possibly find it a tad slow on defense).
If you guys ever want an alternative for VICTOR gear then check out www.badmintonbase.co.uk. or alternative speak to Paul Stewart - we are always happy to hear from BC members!
I might try that website to order as my friend rates it highly, only issue is rackets are supplied with factory strings i hear. But he's working to restring himself soon.
Take a look around the site and get in contact with any enquiries - as i said - always time for BC members.
Ahhh so your the guy ! My friend is Ant01 I believe you've sold him alot of Victor rackets already and lately he told me you sold him the Carlton Kinesis.
Ha ha - thanks. I am a VICTOR fan and that's how it came about really from chatting to people on here about the lack of availability of VICTOR in the UK generally. In the same way Paul and BWS Sports are excellent stockist in the North West.
Ahh right - yeah Ant is a top guy and yes sold him a few rackets incl an MX London and SW35. The kinesis was a personal sale )
He converted me to buying an MX London ! I first tried it and instantly feel in love with it. My issue with the one i got is the string setup as the tension was too high compared to VT80 which was strung at the same tension (26lbs) obviously string setup is very personal. But how would set up yours? I just dropped my MX London off to the stringers today with Zm65 strung lower this time @24lbs. I wish for the MX London to be an all round defensive racket primarily with a sting in smashes and control around the net.
To me ZyMax always feel tighter than most other strings anyway so when i use them i tend to string slightly lower than i would with VS850 or VS650. I personally don't like mine too tight - My MX60 was strung with NS880 at 24lbs and MX70 with VS850 at 24lb and both suited me fine. Also the 80 grommet string pattern may make it feel slightly tighter so I would knock a 1lb of the tension and try that.
How do Victor strings last tension retention wise? On my Yonex VT80 i use Zm65 @ 26lbs and the tension feels perfect to me, is this down to the design on the Victor rackets ? I asked my stringer to string Zm65 @24lbs do you believe I should drop 1lb lower to be safe ? I myself do not like the strings and too and want a bit of bounce in them.
I find the VS850 tends to lose a bit of tension quite quickly but then settles down. i always tend to go a alb or 2 higher to allow for this. not sure what others think? Problem is stringing is so personal - if you are used to the Zymax at 26lb on your Voltric then maybe try it at 24lb on the MX London. The 80 grommet systems can make it feel slightly tighter so by taking albs off it may make it feel similar. trial and error i'm afraid )
Thanks for the advice, I think i've tried the Victor VS850 on Ants racket and the control and accuracy you get with them is amazing, however once the tension drops on them i found smashing to be more strenuous. I would love to test the Victor strings more at different tensions but restringing is so expensive in UK. So for now I have found my favourite strings in Zm65 as the smash power in that is immense. However I might get a reel of VS850 when I go Hong Kong hopefully.
I often find it cheaper if I buy the string and take it to the stringer to stick on - usually get charged £7 labour plus the string cost. However, now i string my own rackets so it is just the cost of the string )
