The only time I have bought my own rackets was many years ago when Yonex was by far the best. Since then I have always been sponsored by various brands and have chosen rackets by trying out their entire range and seeing which one 'feels' best for me. Unfortunately now I am no longer sponsored but I think all the competition has all but caught up with Yonex and I was wondering about all the variables in a racket. As far as I can tell the important variables are flex, balance and weight. These are all quantifiable so couldnt work out what suits you then compare all the brands and just pick the best value? Or is there something else different between the brands?
Those 3 (flex, balance, weight) are a good starting point. You'll be able to trim down the list to a manageable size. Other considerations could be material used, frame shape, shaft thickness, handle length, hole/string pattern, and construction (ie, meteor, bravesword, voltric shape).
Imo those other considerations you mentioned make so little difference that they may not be worth the $50 price premium you could pay. Has anyone ever tried to measure the flex, balance, and weight of yonex rackets and tried to find other brands with similar values then compared their 'feel'?
After going through what must be more than 30 different rackets from different makers, I can honestly say that grip size, length and frame shape do make a difference to your game, enough to be noticed. I've tried a variety of rackets and tried to write up as much reviews for them as possible so that I can make a reference one day to see how each racket feels now compared to when I wrote them. Even between the same maker, rackets with similar specs can feel different because of these other qualities (i.e. for Victor's rackets, the Bravesword 15 and Super Wave 30 both are 4/5 in balance and stiffness, but they play very differently because of the frame shape). Just my two cents'.
Thanks Desouled for your insight! I have to admit I have not tried these new shaped rackets. In what way does it feel different? However most rackets still use the standard isometric shape so comparison with this shape is possible. As far as grip size goes it make no difference to me since i add custom grip so it is always the right size for me. Changing between rackets of different length, I find that initially you hit off center a bit but you soon adjust and the trade off in terms of smash angle vs agility is very marginal.
They're not totally new shaped. We're talking about the sword frame shape of the Braveswords where the edge is tapered like a sword's blade to "cut through the air". Compared to the thick and bulkier frame shape of the Super Waves, which tend to complement the stiffness of the shaft to add more stability and power into the smashes. The Yonex Voltrics and the Toalson Camblades experiment with adding thicker amounts of carbon fiber at various points of the rackets to increase head-weight and thus smashing power. They're named Tri-Voltage and Camblade respectively. Yonex went on to translate the selectively thicker head frames onto the Nanorays, which features a higher-kickpoint (NR700RP) or a lower stabilizer (NR700FX) depending on where the weight is placed. Basically head frames are still either isometric or conventional (oval). There are a few "hybrids" where you have a more oval shaped isometric head. Carlton calls theirs optimetric. There's also the Oversize (OS) racket heads, that gives a more satisfying attack due to the (this is my assumption here) larger sweet spot that allows more repulsion "kick-back" from the string bed. I've observed that the Li Ning N90-II, along with a few of the Prince rackets have OS heads. To top it off, Carlton has a new racket called the Kinesis, where the head frame is twisted at the 2, 5, 7, and 10 o'clock areas to allow less air resistance. I'm really trying to get my hand on one of these to test it out... Talking about kick-points earlier reminded me of the Gosen rackets, which feature shaft technology of a two-kick-point system where a groove is cut into the shaft near the t-joint to that you get a sharper angle. Pro-Kennex also has a shaft technology called the Y-Joint (I forgot the marketing term), which stabilizes and stiffens the racket head while smashing to give more accuracy and power. One last one - the Carlton Powerblades from 2010 have Mitsubishi Rayon tech in the shaft. Basically golf shafts that can give flex and unflex faster to give long swingers a nice snap. I agree with your comment on the length. It's usually about 2-5mm anyway; nothing time can't fix. Hope this helps! Anyone please correct me if I'm wrong in any of the above. I'm no pro, but that's what I observed from using my rackets.
I didn't see anybody mention flex point when I was skimming through... And 'materials' is a bit vague ... you're more likely to notice the amount of repulsion or stability or whatever else the newest alloys are supposed to do
