Hands up who wants a 305mm BP WOVEN Bravesword???

***cobalt*** · 06-11-2012, 12:52 AM

Zulu.
Assegai.

**Maklike Tier** · 06-11-2012, 03:14 AM

After the crap I just copped for Ascalon, you want me to consider Assegai!?!lolz

**Maklike Tier** · 06-12-2012, 06:15 AM

Khopesh is another good one

**Maklike Tier** · 06-18-2012, 05:06 AM

Sample testing time is over. Now it's time for 300mm / 86g prototypes!!

All the same, but all different. Which one will be the winner? Stay tuned to find out!

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**soulless** · 06-18-2012, 05:20 PM

None, except the one on the far right, looks to be sword shaped, or maybe my eyes are fooling me.

**Maklike Tier** · 06-18-2012, 06:24 PM

How many actual 'sword' shapes do you think are available from any given manufacturer?

There's actually two 'aero' shapes and two 'traditional' shapes, mostly for reference.

I'm not closing my mind off to anything at the moment. I have a performance and spec benchmark that I want to reach, and that trumps any preconceived notions or ideas.

**soulless** · 06-18-2012, 08:33 PM

Yeah, I was wondering if you are trying out multiple shapes, probably a good idea. So you are settled on this particular manufacturer?

**Maklike Tier** · 06-18-2012, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by soulless

Yeah, I was wondering if you are trying out multiple shapes, probably a good idea. So you are settled on this particular manufacturer?

I think so, yeah. They're my 'preferred' supplier at least - there are a whole pack of companies out there that really don't seem to know what they're doing. They just follow what others are doing and have little idea about materials and even basic things like playability. This supplier has all the answers and has a handle on which specs and materials work best on what models, so they've done a heap of Independent work and research actually finding out what works and what doesn't rather than buy someone else's latest release and just copy it as best they can.

But hey, we're still talking China here, so there's still a degree of 'me-too-ism' as well as some weird stuff, but it's to a degree I can handle so I'm cool with it. Probably more importantly is that there's no communication barrier and they seem to understand what I'm trying to do, so that's a plus

**Maklike Tier** · 06-23-2012, 05:40 AM

Okay, first two hour test session with this latest batch is done!

Man, I'm so stoked. Four different rackets, all with their own personality, all with a high degree of playability and feel. If I'm honest, I'd be happy to put my name to any of these - they're all just so highly refined - a real testament to the manufacturer being able to read my wish list and produce four different rackets that show a high level of product development. So awesome.....I can't wait to get back on the court again!

So, what have we got here? Here are the specs....

S1- 90g / 307bp / Classic Box frame
S2- 89g / 315bp (!) / Semi Widebody Aero frame
S3- 89g / 305bp / Classic Box frame
S4- 94g / 302bp / Octgonal

All of these rackets were strung with BG66 Ultimax at 25lbs.

To cut to the chase and not bore you all too much with the details, it's going to be a tough ask narrowing these down to only one to produce. I just like them all for very different reasons.

S1 and S3 are your classic small ISO racket shapes. No fluff, no nonsense, just tried and true designs. S1 has a HM unidirectional head and a 40T shaft, whereas S3 has a 30T head and shaft. In all honesty, I couldn't tell the difference between the two. Originally I tried S1 and after swapping to S3 preferred S3, but then when I swapped back I preferred S1!

S2 is an aero style frame similar to the AT900T and Kason C7. I love this racket, despite the fact it has a BP of 315, which sounds unfeasibly high, but it has such great playability that for a paradoxical player like myself (a big dude whose better at the front and has a slow swing) it has that illusive combo of speed and punch. This thing is better than the C7 (better torsional rigidity by a long way) and also better than the 900T which to me feels like a snowball on a stick.

The S4 is essentially an 'Octagonal' frame in the same vain as the Victor Meteors and Fleet 888. This is a great doubles racket, better than the Meteors because it just has better feel, and despite the fact that it's heavier and stiffer than my MX60 I like it better because it has more tactility.

I have to also mention at this point the awesomness that is BG66 Ultimax. This string just rules. Great repulsion, and when you transition to your touch game, the tactility is just there in spades.

So, with less than a couple of games on each racket, over the next couple of weeks I'll be wanting to put some more time into them, as well as get feedback from friends and other players. Would it be an understatement to say I'm happy at this point?

Probably

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**soulless** · 06-23-2012, 04:16 PM

I was envision this as a singles racket, being so head heavy (as least for me), I am eager to hear the feedback you collect from the singles players in your club.

**j4ckie** · 06-23-2012, 04:54 PM

Send me one! I'll make sure to give it many hours on court - singles, doubles, triples....whatever is needed

Do you have a favorite concerning the frame shape yet? Or is it all even so far?

**Maklike Tier** · 06-23-2012, 06:29 PM

I'm pretty blown away by S2 - the semi-widebody aero. Not only blown away by the fact that it's a better racket than the C7, but also the fact that I'm happy playing with something that has a BP of 315. The 30T head and shaft makes it noticeably stiffer than the C7 or AT900T, which does make me wonder what the heck many rackets are actually made of.

And it doesn't concede much speed to the Octagon design either, but has a huge punch giving me more penetration from the back of the court but also making it quite formidable in singles (which I need, because I'm playing singles next season).

**Maklike Tier** · 07-13-2012, 05:31 PM

Breaker of hearts, destroyer of shuttles!

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I should also mention at this point that Ultimax probably wasn't the best choice for testing rackets. Sure it's a great string, but these rackets are getting absolutely hammered and after two weeks all the strings are dead. Pop and repulsion have died a miserable death. Should've used BG80 methinks. Ah well.

**Bucsy** · 07-14-2012, 07:24 AM

Have been looking to see if I can find something that has a Bp of 305 with sword shape of victor.. Weight around 87g.. With a woven material which i have heard so much about... Looks like a winner to me... Cannot wait to hear good news from u...

I vote for either the lime green or gold design

**BlueTornado** · 07-16-2012, 02:47 AM

So, if there are gonna be two designs... does that mean I get one of each?

Am I right in thinking that your reason for having two designs is that you can't decide which one you like better?

(They're both great, by the way). Otherwise you could probably just allow a greater balance point tolerance to get the whole 290-310 range.

**Maklike Tier** · 07-16-2012, 04:49 AM

Well, I actually want to do three, but at the moment I can see that there was a large chunk of people who tried the rackets but couldn't handle anything over 300-305, so I want to have a solid all-rounder as well as an option for the heavy hitters.

**BlueTornado** · 07-16-2012, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by Maklike Tier

Well, I actually want to do three, but at the moment I can see that there was a large chunk of people who tried the rackets but couldn't handle anything over 300-305, so I want to have a solid all-rounder as well as an option for the heavy hitters.

Interesting, what would the specs be for the third one?