It looks like the fake Yonex counterfeits are going up a notch in terms of likeness. This time, the clone is almost dead on with even small details such as the 3 bulges at 6, 11 and 1 O'Clock which makes the "Tri-Voltage System (tm)" The grommets seems to be much smoother than my counterfeit VT80, not sure about mishit durability though. On my old fake VT80, after a few mis-hits, the grommets starts to chip to the vibrating string near the grommets of where ever I mis-hit at. Also the shiny green flashes and other decals seems to be dead on too. The butt end color and font seems to be very similar to the genuine Z-Force... The painted tribal patterns on the background seems to be very softly blurred like the real VT-ZF... ***I have seen some low quality counterfeits with pixelated edges on the background blurred tribal paint on the racket*** Even the racket bag seems to be dead on in terms of the shape, and the material used on the outside.. No wrinkles on the outside. *The newer counterfeit seems to have much better quality racket bags than the older counterfeit I posted last year on the Counterfeit Yonex Voltric 80, though even on the bag of the fake VT80, it does not have any wrinkles nor bad print quality, only the shape of the bag was wrong* (Link to Counterfeit VT80 thread) http://www.badmintoncentral.com/for...841-COUNTERFEIT-YONEX-VOLTRIC-80-Racket-VT-80 This fake is a 3U version (that is what it claims on the cone, but I have not weighted the racket as I do not have a scale at home) I purchased from a club member for around $60. ***Not shown due to 3 layers of overgrips*** It is JP coded, 3887848 (shaft), and 130722JP (cone). The recommended string tension information is stamped on like the genuine VT-ZF, it is not laser engraved nor printed on a sticker like older counterfeits. The authenticity sticker looks very similar, with the reflected smaller "Yonex" behind the rainbow Yonex logo looking a little bit off when examined closely under a well lit environment. 0----0 I do NOT have access to a Yonex Authenticator Card at the moment, so I cannot test the sticker logo on the fake VT-ZF. but most likely it will fail due to the reflective portion of the sticker being a bit off from the genuine VT-ZF 0----0 I have compared to a genuine 4U Voltric Z-Force a friends, and looks almost identical, until you flex it or examine the code and the sticker on the racket carefully. The fake VT-ZF flexes a little bit more than the genuine. Also the code on the shaft is easier to read in a fairly lit environment on the counterfeit, and the code is barely visible on the genuine unless you look at it in a very bright environment. I did a comparison of the shaft length/handle length as well with a 4U genuine, and the counterfeit has a slightly longer shaft (few millimeters) The head heaviness seems to be 310mm+, I do not have a 3U genuine to compare to, but with a 4U genuine VT-ZF, the counterfeit feels more head heavy... I wonder how long will the fake "slim shaft" can last with this kind of head heaviness and more flex... Below are pics (Sorry for camera phone quality, Galaxy S3) Here is the racket bag from my fake Voltric 80 for comparison:
The counterfeit VTZF plays much better compares to my counterfeit VT80. The fake is head heavy at around 315mm without all those overgrips. After several layers of overgrips, the BP became to around 295-300mm. The reason I use so much obergrips is because the original grip underneath is extremely small and thin.. i need to build the grip considerably to have a good thickness. I see so it seems the counterfeit serial numbers are getting upped a notch as well. Tahnks conosen, good to know.
There have 'always' been close to perfect copies even with regards to serial numbers (well for several years for sure). But maybe not so in the bag department. What the heck are you doing getting all those fakes anyway ??? And where did you get this one, for some more useful info?
I never knew counterfeits paid that much attention on the serial # and the shaft batch #. This particular counterfeit was offered to me by a club member for $60 CDN I only purchased 2 fakes in my life, the fake VT80 from early last year, and the fake VTZF from late last year. The previous fake VT80 was from eBay for $25 As for why I purchase fakes, main reason is for burrowing purposes to friends (low level who clash a lot, counterfeit is cheap ~$20-30 for all carbon racket in Canada) Also, it is cheap way to let me know if I like the head balance or not.. From the two counterfeits I owned (VT80 and VTZF), I measured the head balance to be quite similar to genuine. Compared with genuine BP after I purchased it.. As for the bulges that makes the "Tri-Voltage System", it seems the fake VTZF is using a more custom molding compared to the fake VT80... The molding on the fake VT80 was just a generic shape, as I compared the racket head of the fake VT80 to a real VT80, the fake has a slightly wider head (this comparison was done after I purchased a genuine VT80 though). In the above fake VTZF, the racket bag that comes with it looks very good on the outside, but still cheap on the inside. It is the same black colored "paper-like" material for the interior material.. Compared to my genuine VTZF 4U racket I purchased a week ago, the genuine bag has the gray colored mesh material for interior surface. The above counterfeit VTZF post was written before I received my genuine 4U VTZF a week ago... As for the counterfeit VTZF, it is a 3U, I do not have access to a genuine 3U VTZF, so I cannot do a weight comparison between the genuine "3U" weight and the counterfeit "3U" weight...
As my genuine VTZF is a 4U, and the fake is labelled as 3U, i feel the fake racket is indeed more heavy than the 4U (without all those overgrips I build on both the fake and the real VTZF) As mentioned before, the head BP of the real is similar, and the exterior designs looked almost dead on. I also mentioned the more flexible shaft of the fake compare to the real. I have not compared both fake and real at the same time that many times, so it may be a bit biased. The fake racket is slightly less stale than the real VTZF.. My drops and smashes are more accurate with the real compared to the fake. The manuverbility for thr fake is so so, as the head is pretty heavy, and the frame is not as aerodynamic as the real one. (the real one has a very smooth high pitched swoosh sound while the fake has a louder air swoosh and I can feel more air resistance.) As for the power, the fake one can generate good power, which makes sense since it is a head heavy balance. Also the fake more flexible shaft can help lower level players to generate power. The only question I have now is whether the fake VTZF has a T-joint or not. For now, i am going to say that the fake I have might not have a T-joing due to the less frame stability when making a shot (this might also due to the frame lacks in reinforcement materials like a real VTZF in the three bulges that make the TriVoltage System. I am pretty sure fake racket manufacturers would not go to their way of actually implementing real reinforcements, but the physical appearence of the bulges on the fake looks and feels really authetic. The fake might not have very good dampening and foaming in comparison to the real VTZF. At 22lbs, there should not be too much vibration, and feels good. But once you are in the 25+lbs territory, the vibration increases. Not a good thing in my book.. As for the real 4U VTZF I have tried the most at 25lbs (warranty purposes), I have not had the vibration issue. The fake vibration issue may be addressed with better strings such as BG66/UM... Both my fake 3U VTZF and my real 4U VTZF are strung with BG65. Last note, all the things I have described above applies only for the counterfeit I currently possess. Do not assume the results of the above for the counterfeit you might encounter as counterfeits are graded by "classes" (I recently found out about the different classes of fake racket lol)
Note with thanks. Yours fake racket look much better quality than below .... http://www.lelong.com.my/yonex-voltric-z-force-alanhkll-108457943-2013-04-Sale-P.htm
Yes, I was aware that I am buying a fake since the club guy told me straight up it is a counterfeit. And as others have mentioned, a low price of $60 would not get you a genuine Voltric Z Force used nor new. The main reason I bought my fake VTZF last year was to try the heavier head balance and adjust to it. Also the fake when I inspected looked so good to the genuine I had to try. About a week and a half ago, I ordered a new genuine VTZF 4U
i bet the paint on the fake VTZF is more durable than on the genuine one! incredible that manufacturers can make these fake racket so much like the real one but still able to sell it at such low price. i wonder how the feel differ though, as most of the time fake racket uses the cheapest carbon fiber which doesn't have the stiffness and solid feel as the genuine ones.
You are absolutely right kwun. My genuine VTZF already has the "Z" sticker slightly peeling off at one of the sharp corners. You can see the slightly peeling off when holding it at a bright light or you can somewhat feel it when you rub with your fingers. It turns out that only the soft blurred tribal design is actually paint, the green flashes, the logos and the Z symbols are all just thin decals. The Made in Japan and Tri-Voltage system logos are laser etched though. Now this is on my genuine CD coded VTZF The fake VTZF has the older Yonex matte finishes. The matte finish is somewhat similar to my Yonex MusclePower 21, as the graphics are still decals like the real VTZF since you still can feel it, but the fake does not peel off like the real one. I suspect there might be a thin layer of spray coating on the fake. As for the paint chipping, I have noticed the fake one chips a bit more easily than the real one (keep in mind this is paint chips, not decal chips). The feel of the fake as I have mentioned a few post earliers is that there is more vibration of you string your racket 25lbs+ I suspect the foaming is not as good. The thing really perplexes me is the fact that the fake is using more flexible shaft, which in turn should dampen more vibration. But the genuine more stiffer shaft does a much better job with vibration.
Sorry forte i no longer own this racket and this cannot provide any more photos But from what i remember all the laser etching, color, decal design, as well as the cap are very much identical to the real deal With exception of those won't batch numbers Thanks
