Choosing NR900 or Arc11

I would reccomend the Nanoray 900. It is well, created for doubles. The arcsaber 11 is also a good choice but the basepoint is a bit high for doubles I would say. 4u will be the great weight for doubles. I would also reccomend the Victor Jetspeed 10. It is a spectacular racket, headlight and so far never heard of a negative comment. The arcsaber flashboost is so far my favourite.(cause I am only twelve) I have been using it for some time now. Although no paint chips or cracks.

4u is the right weight, but the arcsaber 11 is 3u.If I am you, I will just get the nanoray 900. Awesome!

No one really listens to me because I am only twelve but I have been a badminton fan for almost 7 years. Great fan of rackets too.

 

I was choosing between those very rackets a couple of months ago (in my case due to an overworked elbow from a smashing game with an extra stiff and head-heavy racket). I ended up with the Arc11 mainly due to the, at least on paper, slightly less compromised smashes and because it seems like an excellent compromise for both doubles and singles (being used by both top doubles players AND top singles players, amazingly). I haven't used the NR900 though (as much as I'd like to), so I can't really give a fair comparison. All I can say is that I'm very happy with my purchase, my elbow pain is completely gone like magic, and it's helped my technical/placement game a lot without actually compromising power all that much.

 

Difficult questions since all the rackets that have been named already are very good and amongst them, it could be a very personal thing which one fits you best. I would only cross out the ArcFB which is for sure much too whimpy coming from a ZFII. So as always it would be the perfect way to look for test racket and see for yourself which one is best for you. If you don't have a shop which is offering that service, maybe you can find an online shop who does.

Some short and subjectiv comments on the candidates:
I have tested an Arc11 a couple of months ago and it has definitely left a lasting impression. I switch over from a headheavy TK9000 and VT80 to a JS10 and I am still considering to buy an Arc11 as a spare. The Arc11 felt so easy to use with good control and very direct feel and also the power was there. And if Viktor Axelsen can push Chen Long to a 30:29 game in the World Championships with it, it can't be that wrong.

But speaking of the JS10, you should in any case put this one also on your list. At least equally easy to use than Arc11, incredibly fast in drives and defence and despite being 4U and even balanced, it can pack a decent punch if your swing fits to it. It's slighty more flexibel than the Arc11 if memory serves me right which is also not bad if you have some issues with your shoulder.

I haven't played the NR900 up to now so I also cannot say much about it or make a serious comparison to the other two.

 

MX JJS and Arc 11 have a similar balance point and similar stiffness

 

Just had another idea: Have you considered a good old VT80 in 4U? Or maybe the more fancy VT80ET version? Less headheavy than a ZFII and with the E-Tune stuff you would even have the chance to seriously tweak with the head weight.

Toying around with grips to manipulate the BP in fact doesn't change a thing how the racket feels while swinging... please see some of the latest posts in the JS10 thread regarding the same topic...

 

I have no idea how close those two VT80s really are in terms of feel. Haven't had the chance to try the Etune version on court yet.

 

The rackets in question:
BG65 Ti does not work at anything below 26 lb. That's why smashes feel dull. That said, arc 11 isn't the biggest puncher. It's still a very good overall racket and Axelsen uses the original commercial version. It's a little slower on the frame, and seems more like a singles thing.

Nanoray 900 has a little better BP for doubles, good at both attacking and defending drives. As the drive is the most important shot in doubles (along with the serve), nanoray 900 would be the best between the two.

The rackets not in question:

JS 10 is no big puncher, nor good for attacking drives. It's for purely recreational players (recreational version). It's way too flexible for your level if you're gonna win some C grade tourney in MD. JS 10 lacks a bit of power too. That said, it is great for netplay and defending. You don't wanna play doubles by sitting though...bad idea.

My own idea: ZFII would be your ideal choice based on the description you've given. Biggest smashes evarrrrrrrr.....but you got arm injuries so that's a point to consider. Heck, most people have troubles using a 3U ZF II (including me), so if you can deal with that, then use it.

I'm gonna get some haters, but my opinion is ZF II is the best racket ever produced-it just requires a high skill level to manage it properly. When I say hard to manage, I mean some international level girl players would struggle to use it. It is not easy. A huge percentage of top players use the commercial version. I hardly see anybody at the top using commercial versions of say JS 10.

Conclusion: nanoray 900 if you can't hit fast and hard, zf ii if you can hit big time.

 

Well those are very different conclusions on the JS10 than I've read from anyone else.

 

And no hating, but suggesting a ZFII to someone who is currently using a ZFII and wants to move away from it is a bit questionable.

 

There's a team of victor guys, who are either sponsored by victor or work for victor. Notice there are a few members within the exact same group of people who keep pushing the racket on the forums and bashing yonex, and of course always wind up with biased reviews. (Note: Not ALL of them are sponsored by victor, some people do love their products without being affiliated. s_mair is an example.)

There is an advanced badminton coach within the group and top of the end stringers, but I don't see anyone within the category who has won a tournament before. So their opinion shouldn't be worth much for your level at least.

Heck, this forum should describe the bias well enough.
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php/151422-Opinions-on-VT-80-E-Tune/page2

I felt like I did this rant so many times, it's getting boring.
[MENTION=113405]s_mair[/MENTION]
Well yeah, I did recommend to stick to the ZF II. Sometimes switching rackets doesn't work, and his description fit in well with the ZF II. If he's injured, the nanoray's gonna be the better option.

 

I haven't found that to be true, from what I've read. Yes, there have been some glowing reviews of some recent Victor products, but I have seen very positive comments from the people you are referring on Yonex stuff as well.

Paul's (it's fairly obvious that's who you mean) reviews of the ZF2 and VT80 as clear examples.

I asked for a shoe recommendation recently as well, and a Yonex pair was one of the two offered.

It comes across - to someone who has recently come back to this forum having not been here for a while - that it's the Yonex fans who don't like seeing Victor products getting good reviews and are talking them down much more than it is the other way around.

 

Paul was under Yonex sponsorship when he was reviewing the VT80. I still found his review on the ZF II toned down, although it was overall mid-positive.
Honestly, jetspeed 9 and VTZF II on the same rating is a bit too much. That's when my suspicion started.

Well, if you take a look at the first few pages of Jetspeed 10, thruster k9900 and 9000 for victor.
The duora 10, the VT80 Etune, the nanoray glanz for yonex, the bias will be extremely obvious.

People hit Yonex rackets before it's even released, and create a sense of hype for victor. Then follows waves and waves of reviews of positive for victor, and how yonex rackets suck. Story goes exactly like this.

 

I would bet my manhood that if Victor had come up with either the Duora (lol that concept) or the Glanz (lol that name) the reception would have been exactly the same.

 

Honestly the concept of the Duora doesn't seem ridiculous in the slightest bit. What makes you think it's ridiculous? Ok laughing at the Glanz name is fine (although doing it on the first page does have a detrimental effect), but comments on granddaddy racket were too far imo.

There were like 2 comments on the equally ridiculous name (at least imo) Thruster somewhere buried in the middle of the 100 page forum.

 

Too far? It's people giving their opinions on a racket concept made by a multi-national company, not bullying a disable kid.

I can't be bothered getting dragged any more into this, but I stand by what I think.

 

Please, please, please... Let's not go down that road once more. Everything necessary (and a lot more) around that topic has been said in the linked VT80ET-thread. It's so silly when a couple of normal users like us are fighting for multi million dollar companies.

Back to topic - all named rackets are high-end and have the potential to play at world class level with them. To choose the right one for you is a highly personal thing. That's why I said: Try all the candidates for yourself if possible and then choose wisely.