Yonex does not have an equivalent racket to the N90 or the N90-II. The N90 is a very heavy racket and the AT700 was the former racket from Lin Dan. But the N90 is even more heavy. The N90-II is less heavy but very stiff. Even stiffer than the N90. Yonex does not have such a stiff racket in his collection. Just to save you some disappointment.
The N90 was designed after the 1st gen AT700 which Lin Dan has been using for such a long time in his career, for his usage when he switches to Li-Ning racquets. Naturally this would logically mean that the closest equivalent Yonex racquet to the N90 is the AT700, although from my experience with the N90, I find that it has slightly more overall repulsion than the AT700, which could be what Lin Dan has mentioned as the factor that makes him like smashing with the N90. I also find that the N90 has actually very similar balance point, overall weight and the shaft flexibility to the AT700. For my usage I can switch between either racquet anytime without having to recalibrate my "playing senses" to get the best out of the racquet.
So it actually means that the n90 is made for his use solely and no other brands include yonex came close in making one similar to it?
Do you use Old AT700 CP Coded racket for your reference with N90? Because, i have used Old AT700 SP Coded, & when i test N90 at the same time, it is quite different to AT700. Compared to N90, AT700 is slightly more forgiving & less head heavy. In nature, both are head heavy racket, but when i use N90, it drains my stamina more than AT700.
Which year is your old AT700 SP made in (please refer to the cone date-code)? I have two "batches" of the old AT700 (SP and IP versions), one batch made in 2004 and the other in 2006. What I notice is that the 2004 ones are overall lighter (average 2g) and head heavier (average 2-3mm) even though all of them are 3U (all G4 and G5 have almost the same specs within each batch). For reference, the AT700 used by Lin Dan especially during All England 2006 (as verified by forum member Baderz_Jas), is of the 2004 batch. But since the old AT700 was produced till the end of 2006 and was readily available, if LD has access to the newest, why would he stick to the old 2004 stock? The one which I find most similar to the N90 is the 2004 batch old AT700, which is probably Lin Dan's own favourite that he based the N90 on.
It is from towards the end of 2003, the racket is not with me, but i do remember the production year, it is from 2003.
I agree it may be the closest from Yonex, but it's not the same so I would not call it equivalent. I also agree with Licin that the N90 is more demanding. Just don't expect the same. That's all.
My main racket is the AT700LTD which is quite different from the gen 1 At700. When I used the N90, it felt like most of the weaknesses of At700Ltd had been addressed. Don't even compare the N90 to the At900P or the VT80. Yonex currently doesnt make anything close to what the At700's once were.
All of the AT700 which are produced by Yonex, say Gen1 AT700, Gen 2 AT700, & AT700LTD are all have different characteristics. IMHO, AT900P's raw power just slightly more than Gen 1 AT700, whereas, AT700 is slightly more maneuverable compared to AT900P. Both are 3U. Gen 1 AT700 quite user friendly. The closest bet to Gen 1 AT700 from Yonex would be AT900P, IMO. Although they are both not identical, but they share in a way same characteristics with differences described above.
I can't confirm that N90-II is less heavy than N90. No, I think N90-II is heavier. Especially its extremely head heavier than every racket I've ever hold before...
I can confirm what most people here say.. YY currently has nothing similar to neither N90 nor N90-II.. N90 is like a Lin Dan tailored improved version of AT700 (similar balance but, heavier, stiffer and more rigid frame. Overall it s lika an AT700 on steroids YYs has gradually moved to more mid-range racket-designs even for the top series (Voltric/Nanorays), probably for marketing reasons selling these racket to recreational players predominately. so we can see some pros switching back to old at700s and arc-10s as they where more kind of pro-designs. /T
Right on the money~ I was actually amazed that the N90 actually played better than the AT700's. Yonex is definately targeting the main masses as is the N90II. Most of my friends do prefer the N90II over the N90 and AT900P's over AT700's which sucks for me since I struggled to find a decent replacement for the longest time. I would be upset if they discontinued the N90
I think it will be around as long as LD is around anyway.. And from what I've heard from some of my pro friends, the N80 is even MORE of a headheavy beast than N90 !!! Exiting if that is true.. have not got one to test yet.. but I have one on order :-D
Can anyone of you give me some info on how the VT80 compares to the AT700 and the N90? I'm surprised by those comments saying that the Voltrics are more "for the masses" since from what I've read so far, a lot of users here seem to have huge difficulties with the heaviness of the VT80, so how much worse (or better, depends on your preference) can AT700 or N90 be?
