Hi there, I'm looking to buy a new racket around the price of 220 dollars or lower. The rackets I currently use are both yonex. One is an "isometric lite" at 3u G4, the other which I just bother is an "Voltric z-force" at 3u G4. I presume the Voltric is actually a fake, considering I won it on an ebay auction for 40 dollars, with free shipping to canada, and no duty at the door. I had a varsity tournament at school today, and I thought I would go to test out the new racket and it was alright. I bought it because it was only 40 dollars and it is head heavy which is nice since smashing is what I am best at. I found it extremely difficult to smash, as in the strain it put on my shoulder made me drop it a few times ( especially when I jump smash ) With that said, I think it safe to say that head heavy rackets are not for me currently(maybe I'll do some weights later on). I am a doubles player. Honestly, I'm not the greatest, but I am a power player. My net play is pretty good, but I'm garbage at dropping the back. I am not confident at dropping from the back yet, but I will practise. I was thinking of getting like a Arcsaber FB, I haven't read many good reviews about them when it comes to smashing because its so light. So I was thinking why not string it at a higher tension? Does that make sense? In conclusion, I am looking for a racket that is -Lightweight -Clears well -Good for smashing, but still have nice control -Favours a doubles player -Nice to handle PS, It doesn't have to be a yonex. Yonex is just the brand I have played with for a while. Thanks so much for your help, and maybe I can do the same for you
Yeah, when I play at my club we use the plastic shuttles. Does it make that much of a difference? If so, why?
The difference is night and day. This is more anecdotal than anything but for me personally my shot choices are basically cut in half if I'm playing with plastic compared to feather. (I can play the shots but they'll just get killed, too loose. Also as a side note, are you actually sure that your (fake) voltric is really head heavy? It might not actually be head heavy if it is indeed fake.
If you are considering a Yonex FB, you should also look at the Apacs Featherweight 200 and 300. Both very light, and you could get two for your price range (not that you need two). Ultralight rackets can be fragile, so I wouldn't want to pay Yonex FB prices for something that may break the first time you clash rackets with your partner. The Apacs are great for fast defense and smashing over and over. Neither are the most powerful, but they do OK. Because of the light weight, they are not super stable so slow drops and similar "tough" shots can be a little inconsistent compared to a heavier racket. But fast drops are great and it is quite easy to mix up fast drops with smashes and half smashes because the light weight makes it easy to be deceptive. However, if you are used to a 3U racket, switching all the way to 6 or 7u might be a big jump. I'm currently trying to switch the other way (from a 7U Apacs to a 3U Z-force II) and finding that gap is pretty big.
Strange... I always switch to a lighter racket for plastics. I always feel that my usual racket is too stiff for plastics (being lighter), and I use a head-light racket to compensate. If I don't, I can't smash properly and clears are a bit awkward. Perhaps this has something to do with using a very stiff racket (MX 80)?
FZ FORZA N-Forze 6000 i-Power I have been using FORZA N-Forze 6000 i-Power for a while and I feel this racket is one of the best racket I enjoy to play with in double. its a well built racket and It may not be the lightest in the world but I think with the i-Power feature it giving this racket a good snap gives me great driving power and also a power smash. My touch shots feel really good with this guy. A great all round racket!
