Right now I own the WS700 and I'm feeling like an upgrade. I love fast paced games and having the ability to quickly maneuver but also quickly return back offensively gives me a great feel of badminton. So my reason for upgrade: the ws700 is too light (81-84g) and it seems like the z speed's reviews and specs are telling me it'll fit my playstyle (not too light, but still has speed). Ive already tried head heavy rackets and they dont seem to interest me (too slow for recovery). My playstyle consist of fast pace returns, careful precision placements, and really fast smashes. Onto the question I have: will there be a significant difference between the two rackets? Or was the z speed just trying to aim for a lighter feel but failed(im sure yonex didnt actually just aim for lightness). Thank you for your reply and advice! Would also love for other recommendations!
Why do you rate your current racket as "too light"? The lack of power? If you read the reviews here, you will know that the NRZS is one of most numb and dull rackets in the current 5 years. If you like numb and dull feel the NRZS fits the bill. Don't get fooled through the marketing. It's not a fast racket if you compare it with a BS or JS. Everybody will attest that nothing can beat a BS or a JS frame when it comes to speed. These rackets don't need any dubious records.
Victor rackets do look very promising. Ive never bothered to take a look but I recently did some research and the MX90 & Jetspeed 10 caught my interest. I'll probably invest more time into these!
Have you thought about the Arcsaber11? Even balanced and therefore pretty quick, but still with a decent punch, very good and direct feel and pretty easy to use. Along with the VT80 the best Yonex racket I have played with to date. If you want to have a go with Victor, you will never be wrong with the JS10. Very quick, incredibly direct feel (so supposedly a bit like the opposite of a Z-Speed) and it packs an enormous punch despite its more even balance. The MX90 should also be a great racket (although I haven't played with it personally) but could be a hard one to get since it has already run out of production AFAIK.
The Z Speed is quite head heavy, and I also found it fatigued me quite quickly to use (fatigued my faster than using a ZF2). Currently I play with the Li Ning N50 III, and it's by far the easiest racket I've ever used.