I have been playing a lot more badminton recently and trying to invest on a good racket. First of all, I want to describe my level of play and the racket that I currently use. I am currently using a cloned nanospeed NanoRay700RP (claimed to be grade A) on ebay. My skill is obviously not even close to many of you so please bear with me. I am possibly a intermediate player (better than beginner). I can probably do basic shots, clear base to base, smash, and drop and etc decently. After practicing for a while, I become better than most regular players in the club (there is only one real pro in the club anyway). But, when I play with the pro. I feel that I am so far behind. I can't even clear shot nicely or even catch up to a normal drop shots as I normally would. I'm sure it would be the same if I play with many of you here. After sometime, I figure that it's not just my footwork, but I have to place the shuttle almost perfectly to where I want it to be in order to play a decent game with him. His return is so perfect, fast, and powerful that I can hardly keep up. So, he let me borrow his racket. Z-slash 2U with tension of just 25 lbs and my game improved significantly. Unlike my racket, it takes much less power to clear, my drop is faster and more accurate. I can feel the shuttle when hitting. I was told that my racket is base heavy and is heavier than most rackets in the club. So, I am used to heavy and bad quality racket. For sometime, I thought it was ok since I train with it. Now, I learn my lesson to not buy clone racket. I guess it's fine since I started with it. Sure, it's all about skill and not the racket. But since I've improved quite a bit, I want to invest on a good racket. I heard that Voltric Z-force 3U is a powerful racket. I was thinking it could improve my play a bit and I can train with it. But, it is pretty expensive. Voltric 80 is slightly cheaper, but I wonder how much better Z force is. I am not a good player yet, so I need some power to clear shots, deliver decent smash, and drop shot at a not so good position. I am a student with limited saving. Sure, I could still afford those good rackets, but it will put a dent on my pocket. I just want to get something nice without spending too much. Now, my questions: 1. I was told that yonex racket is so pricey and that I could get equivalent quality racket from Victor or other company. What would be the cheaper equivalent of Z-force or voltric 80? I need power and decent control. Any suggestions? 2. I heard that string and tension is more important than the racket itself, what do you guys recommend. Can you see significant difference between let's say GB-65 and Nanogy-95? What tension? I honestly don't know the difference. I don't want to keep changing string. So, I thought tension of 25 lbs would be fine. I'm thinking about getting Nanogy-95 with 25 lbs tension. Any thought? My first post. A bit lengthy, but I hope someone nice can help. Thanks
Is there any credible online store that sells genuine rackets? I've looked at badmintonavenue.com or badmintonalley.com and heard good review about them. It's a bit pricey, but might be worth it. Any other online site that you guys can recommend and had good experience with it in the past?
3u vt80 or victor tk8000 is what i'd recommend probably... not z force definitely. mybadmintonstore.com squash_mart on ebay these are one of the best.
if you actually enjoyed the zslash but don't want to spend close to 200 for a racket, i would recommend you look into other yonex arcsaber series rackets that has a medium to flexible shaft. to me, the zslash is quite flexible. as an low to mid intermediate player, you would still want a racket with a relatively flexible shaft to get you out of trouble in a tight rally. once you play more and improve your skills more and getting closer to advance level, then i will assume that you have enough power and touch for all your shots, then you can venture into a stiffer racket for more control. for now, something from the arcsaber series that is 3u and even balance should suffice. string is a whole other discussion and probably will be something you'll think about for a while, like years to come in my humble opinion. for now, i say just start off with the basic bg65. tension is more of a trial and error thing. just a shot in the dark i say start off with 24x25. see how you like the characteristics. then play with the tension a bit when you replace your string. or, you could keep the same tension, and try different strings. since i'm assuming you're only getting one racket, it would take a bit longer to try out different strings. there are rackets i have which i buy in multiple copies so that i can use them to test out different strings or different tension. please understand that there are variables in racket characteristics and there are variables in string characteristics. in order to pinpoint exactly what you want from a racket-string combo, you'll have to keep every other variables constant. with one racket, this will take months if not years. and here are the stores i've visited personally that are legit HK: mybadmintonstore e78 CYF USA: badmintonalley racketsupply asbysports
I have actually tried arcsaber, but I feel like Zslash just give so much more power. It sounds so different when I clear or smash and I can actually feel the shuttle when dropping. With the racket, I can consistently create the crisp and explosive sounds that I normally hear when those pros play. Is it because the Zslash is head heavy? voltric 80 is head heavy too, will it be as powerful or close to? IF Z force is better, why would it be only slightly cheaper? I have no problem clearing back to back with forehand and backhand, the problem is when I am put in a bad position or lag behind, I can't clear as well. I am hoping a good racket might help a bit on this. The guy I played with was able to consistently clear shuttle that almost hit the ground from the corner of the court to the other corner of the court. So impressive I've only tried few rackets so in term of control, any of the high end racket will surely impress me (better than my clone racket). I've read so much good review about Z force. I've been playing with heavy and stiff racket, so I wonder if Z force will surely be better than Z slash in terms of power. Z force is only slightly more expensive than Z slash, so I thought it might worth a try. From the comments, it looks like there is no equivalent to yonex. I might as well invest on Z force in this case. Pay a bit more, but it will stay with me for years to come. Possibly will go for BG-85 25 lbs after reading nice review about it.
Is http://www.badmintonavenue.com legit? What about? http://www.badmintonwarehouse.com/ or USBIRDIE from amazon
i think the crisp sound could and possibly be coming from the string, the way it's made and the tension it's at. the zslash is actually "suppose" to be even balance as a racket in the arcsaber series. the thing with the zslash is the head frame. it's not the conventional isometric shape but a bit smaller. if you're able to consistently make contact with the shuttle in the sweet spot, then that's a very good thing. i personally find the shaft of the zslash a bit more flexible than the zforce, but i also find the zforce flexible since i'm used to playing with the superwave35. zslash and zforce are different rackets and requires different kinds of swing for optimal power and control. ur problem is not in the racket but really your footwork. spend more time on it will make you faster which will benefit you more in the long run and save you $200USD. while having a flexible racke helps you whip yourself out of a jam, but the improvement should be very minimal in a game where footwork gives you the most advantage! the guy you play against is consistent, so you also need to be consistent, which getting a new racket might not help at all, but hitting drills will but if you must, please try out the zforce first before spending the money on a new racket regardless of the price
Thank you for the comment. I agree that it's my footwork, but now I really need a decent racket. As I said, I only have a clone 25lbs nanoray raket and a carbonex racket with really low tension (like one you get from walmart). If I were to spend on $100+ rackets, what should I get? Power and control is what I'm looking for. One that require less power to clear end to end. I was told that Liao ning and Victor is cheaper. Yes, but a good one still costs USD$170-$230 here...
I'd recommend finding a VTZF / VT80 to try out first. It'll be good to try them out for a few games. Many people have purchased the VTZF only to realize that it's too head heavy and too stiff. Note this racket is stiffer/head heavier than the ARCZS. If you insist on buying a powerful racket, go with a moderately head heavy racket with a stiff/mid stiff shaft. Avoid extremes... Recommendation is also based on the fact that you were using a NR (clone); assuming it is headlight as well... just my two cents...
