My first post, so here goes... I would like to hear suggestions about which racquet to buy. I play quite a lot and although I'm pretty sure that the racquet is not the weakest part in my game I would like to try one of the racquets mentioned in the title. I play 50 / 50 singles and doubles and consider myself as a player who likes to attack. So far I have played wit Karakal Sl-70 which is incredibly light and with Victor Artery Tec Ti99 which (so it seems to me) brought a HUGE improvement to my game. I was thinking that if a Yonex-racquet would bring the next "huge improvement", then it would definitely be worth the money. I cannot decide between Armortec 500-800, MP 100 and the three Nanospeeds. Although the price of the racquet is not the most important thing, I would like to hear opinions how the price correlates with the goodness of the racquet, so to speak. And perhaps somone is interested to here what the prices here in Finland are, if only for the reason to realize that they are expensive. MP100 130 euros (discount) Armortec 500 127 euros Armortec 700 154 euros Armortec 800 176 euros Nanospeed 7000 199 euros Nanospeed 8000 209 euros Nanospeed 9000 185 euros Thanks in advance!
do you like flex or stiff rackets? do you like head heavy or head light rackets? (or even) Are you a wrist-players? or are you more an arm-smasher? are you a control or a power player? as for the rackets, I think the at500 is nice, but the ns8k suited me better...cannot say anythign for teh rest.... but whý do you need a new racket? every considerd restringing your current racket?
Good questions! I'm not sure if I am able to answer them, but let's try. Victor racquet seems to suit me well and it is very stiff. I would say that I am more of an arm-smasher than wrist player and therefore I think that a head heavy racquet would be the best choice for me. As for the question why I need a new racquet...well...as I said the Victor racquet was a great improvement over the Karakal which is very flexible but too light. I was just thinking that if one of the racquets mentioned above is even better for an attacking player than my Victor racquet, then I should consider trying palying with it.
ok, you past the test: you know what you want I'd say: go for an mp100, It felt very powerfull when i swung it some time ago... but is there an option for you to try out any of these rackets?
The Victor racket is a "huge improvement" over the Karakal, is not because this racket is much better than the other. The reason is, this racket seems suitable for your playing style, well the karakal SL70 is simply not. Of course, from another player's point of view, his/her answer might be exactly the opposite way. Based on your information, I think NS7k/8k should be out of the list, as they seems to be head light. My best guess is to choose among MP100, AT800OF and AT700. All three have quite stiff shaft, and more toward the head heavy balance. The best way to choose a racket, is to test it yourself. Maybe borrow/rent from fellow club members or local stores. Do some drills, or at least take several swings with it, you will come up with your own decision in no time.
Based on my experience with NS, it will take a long time for you to adjust to NS rackets. Though they are headlight, they still provide good power if swung correctly. They perform excellent in doubles, but very fragile in doubles. If you want a high speed, powerful,and precise racket, I would recommend Wilson Npro st. Though this racket is extrem powerful, it require extrem powerful arm in the mean time. However, if you can master this racket, it can be excellent in both single and doubles. Along with the power and speed, this racket is strong in structure. Hard to break it! 94 +/-3g, BP>290mm, super-stiff ( stiffer than mp100) Use it carfully, if you hit your teamate with this racket, they might bleed in no time.( As what I did )
Yes, I completely agree with you Lazybuddy that the Victor racquet is an improvement over the Karakal because it fits better to my playing style. In fact, the Karakal racquet is very good in doubles when you have to return smashes. Yet, I definitely notice that my smashes and clears are less powerfull when playing with the Karakal. Also my partner in doubles kindly informed me of this when I went to a tournament with him last weekend. I was quite satisfied wit the Karakal until I got the Victor racquet. It is also possible that I have changed my playing style to a bit more offensive now that my racquet makes it easier to attack. So, I'm hoping that MP100, for example, would fit even better to my style than the racquet which I am currently using. I hope that I can try the racquets before I buy one. I am just not sure whether that is possible.
Well, try hard to look for it. If you see someone in ur club using it, kindly ask if you can do a few min drill with it.
The AT500 is more head-heavy and more flexible than the AT800. The Nano Speeds are head light, although NS8000 is less head-light than NS7000.
Off-topic: Lazybuddy: I noticed that you are a member of the Brooklyn Badminton club. If I only had known the existence of such club when I lived in New Jersey. Perhaps there would have been some challenge....I won the intramural championship of Rutgers University which tells MUCH more about their level of skills than mine.
So, if I want a head-heavy and stiff racquet, it is somewhat difficult to choose between AT500 and AT800. Or?
I dunno, I ahven't measured, but bear in mind the at800 Def and Off differ in stiffness and balance.... however I think the at800Off is more head-heavy and stiffer than teh at800def. do a search, i don't know
AT800 is still head-heavy (both OF & DF), but less then AT500 & AT700. However, AT800 is a very powerfull racquet . @ Jerby: DE is also head-heavy, but slightly less stiff (it was examined by cooler) and it has a more aerodynamic frame
For the sake of beginners maybe someone would like to write about the pros and cons of head heavy, stiffness and balance of rackets since it seems to the area of differentiation among these rackets.
restring if you want to see 'improvements' on a cheaper scale. you might want to try toying with restringing your rackets. karakal-70 is not a bad racket, but there're lots of diff having it strung at 28lbs vs 22lbs (just an example). you might want to try that before actually buying a new racket. oh you might want to ask the shop to let you try the racket first that'll definately answer all your questions
Yes...it would probably be interesting to try my Karakal with higher string tension. It has always been strung around 22lbs. It would obviously be a good thing to try the rackets first, but if I have to buy one from a regular sport shop, trying is not an option. I think, however, that the clubs which sell rackets would let me try one before I buy. So, I'll have to check what the situation is.
head heavy: great for smashing, but defense is not so good even: allround racket, between the two head light: great for defense, more wrist power is required for smashing stiff: better control, more precise shots, better for smashing if you're technique is good flexible: better for defense, easier to use, less power required
Off the topic But dam that was as funny as it was clever lol If you are as quick on court as you are with your wit---->Look out
