I'm planning to get a Li-Ning racket and I love to smash a lot. Can anyone classify the following racket for me? N50 N50II N90 N90II Thank you
N90 gives you powerful smash but your wrist will be exhausted very soon. That's why no men double use this racket. N50 may not give you powerful smash (unless your proper technique is as good as fu hai feng) but you can continously smash through-out the match without feeling exhausted on the wrist. I am not sure about the version II of each of these rackets. But i think old version is much better than new generation. Old version are kinda ugly in term of color thus version II comes out with more colorful. Durability are pretty much the same but not sure about BP, flex, etc. If you don't care about color, then old version is definetely must have (price is a bit higher than new generation due to who-knows-the-reason!)
Because I'm currently using AT700 2007 series (my only racket) and my string just broke a few days ago. One of the uncles I played with said my racket has some cracks and might not be able to resist high tension (All the while I'm using 25lbs), and now I'm planning to get a backup racket. But N50 is even balance while AT700 is head heavy. To be frank, I have not tried any other good rackets before, so I'm not sure if even balance works for me though. Well, I hardly play singles and I enjoy controlling the court from behind in doubles, especially smashing. So, it's just my tentative plans on getting a Li-Ning racket. Do you guys have any recommendation on Yonex instead?
LN N90 is the logical upgrade if you like AT700 balance etc. If you want a new YY then VT80/3U is the commn YY-alternative.
Thanks for the info. VT80 did come across my mind. But as the same time, I VTZF and ArcSaber Z-Slash caught my attention too. I I browsed through the forum and found out that VTZF is very hard to handle if you are not an advanced player, is that true? What about ArcSaber Z-Slash or maybe ArcSaber 10?
Arcsaber Z-slash is a piece of crap imop. Arc-10 is great but more even balanced than N90/AT700 if thats something you like. VTZF is very different. Personally I love the racket, but it is stiffer and lighter than the other so swing speed and snappy wrist is crucial to tap some power from that one.. for longer arm movements N90 will be the most powerful one of the mentioned. Thats my 2 c.
LOL, why do you say Z-Slash is a piece of crap? Do you mind to clarify? So does it mean, VTZF needs stronger player to deal with? Do you mind to explain the role of even balance and head heavy? Thanks!
Get the N90. I just ordered one. Can read a bit more about Li-Ning rackets here: http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php/115058-Li-Ning-Rackets
OK.. I think I have ranted about the problems with Z-slash maybe enough on the BC But in short. 1) Narrow frame = small sweetspot, more or less back to "classic"-oval-head feel in headshape.. Its one step backward form ISO frames for most players. 2) Too flexy shaft.. overflexes and sacrifices control for a slight advantage in speed. 3) Tends to overflex and therefore loose its shaft properties. But thats a minor gripe for pros who can change the racket to a new one weekly. 4) Pretty bad reception amongst pros and poor results from pros switching to it (Tago may be the exception, if you discount this OG, as I think he has done fairly well with it.. But I feel sure he would have done better with other models.). Most other players abandoned it quickly once YY came with another "newest" model. It's biggest problems are in flat-play/defence.. YY has tried to fix the "bugs" of it with the latest Voltrics but in my book it was an experiment for YY (when they tried to set a new smash-speed record) that ultimately proved to be a flawed design. I am not sure what you want to know about the role of balance.. Generelly less head-heaviness leads to a quicker more agile racket, easier to defend with, but usually asacrificing that extra power, that you get from the bigger mass and momentum from a more head-heavy (think hammer here) racket.
You're coming from the AT700 second gen which is slow and head heaviest out of all the Yonex lines. From your description, your style sounds quite similar to mine and I highly recommend you buy the N90 or a VTZF as I can use any of those interchangeably with my AT700LTDs. The ZF is different in that it requires more swing speed, but the power is there and it's not that hard to adjust to. The N90 is really something else. Essentially when Li Ning began sponsoring the Chinese National team, they asked Lin Dan what he wanted improved on his AT700 First Gen to make it better. We all know that he used white athletic tape at the top to make it more head heavy. The result was the N90 which requires no further modifications and you can really feel the punches in this beast if you're used to using the AT700 line. Compared to the AT700, it offers you similar power, but it adds speed and faster recovery into the mix. What you get is something that doesn't feel sort of perfection. Watch out for fake N90's... there's so many on the market that even I'm scared to order it online and only trust a few sites like MBS. Li Ning USA and Canada do not offer the N90 for sale and locally, there was a store that imported the N90's from overseas and they turned out to be all fakes.
Why not get a at700pre? IMO its the closest to at700 but its more aero. Cuts through air a lot faster.
Thanks for the information, they are very helpful!! I just realized all the while I JUST KNOW HOW TO HIT THE SHUTTLE and "underestimated" the technology and specification of the rackets. My problem is, I'm using AT700 all the time and have not tried any other racket. I have tried some other brand of rackets (from my friend) but not with their popular model and I found out I can generate more power with my AT700 than others (maybe because I'm not fit to use even balance racket). Occasionally, I found that my playing speed is a bit slow, for instance, when hitting the shuttle horizontally and fast during a warm up session (hope you know what I mean) and I just can't hit for long. Is that my personal skill problem or the racket does affect me a little bit? Is there any racket which are listed as double player racket? Because bother N90 and VTZF are used by single player LCW and LD. How bout VT80 compare to VTZF? Sorry for all the questioning.
I feel like trying something else to see if I could play better with other racket. I have been using AT700 since 2007 until now and haven't tried out any other good rackets. Currently I'm considering VT80, VTZF and N90
You've essentially played for 5 years relying on sacrificing speed for power. Sure you can switch to an even balanced racket to gain speed, but when you want power, they'll leave something to be desired. In my opinion if you want more speed, get the ZF as the N90 is only marginally faster than the AT700. The VT80 doesn't feel anything like the AT700 and timing is completely different. Yes these are more singles rackets, but you're mostly powering up from the back like you said.
thanks for the info, Optiblue. May I know how head heavy between VTZF, VT 80 and AT 700? Because VTZF is extra stiff and it's not easy to handle if you are not a pro, am I right? And I will be getting only one racket, I'm afraid of getting a wrong one and regret for years. Unfortunately, I don't have any friend who owns VTZF or VT80, therefore, I can only gather information and try to imagine it with my AT700 myself. I saw plenty of good reviews with VT80 and it seems intriguing to me. Sounds pathetic huh? LOL..
VTZF is a unique racket, it is quite head heavy when you grip it, however when you swing it in the air and hitting the shuttle, it is quite fast and does not feel as heavy head as you think it would be. Thanks to the slimmer shaft and frame which is a little bit smaller as compared to the normal ISO. VT80 is a head heavy racket, when you swing it, it gives a head heavy feeling and it is slower as compared to VTZF. VT80 is slightly more packed with raw power as compared to VTZF, however the trade off between power for speed in VTZF is something which is worth to try. If you are playing double most of the time, i suggest you to pick 3U VTZF, since you will gain advantage by having faster racket yet still has head heavy character. If you really want something new from AT700 series, i suggest you buying another AT700 2nd gen or AT700 Premium 2012.
Thanks. But I would like to try out something new other than AT. Do you mind to explain 3U and 4U VTZF?