Well, last nighT was Sotx-night for us. Our shipment came in and we have had the chance to play/test: -Sotx A1 and A2 shuttles - the woven 9, 10, 11, 12 13 -the bs-963 string at 23-24 lbs The Testers Me and my dad have played with all rackets. The game was doubles bit I had the chance to go threw all my strokes with each racket. I´m what you might call an attacking player. Not a power/animal, but my game is to keep attacking (smashing/placement + intercepts). My dad is a bit more passive but ‘court-smart’ and is a dinker. The Bias Before I start reviewing the rackets I have to say I’m a bit biased to head-heavy rackets with a 3U or 2U weight. My dad searches for a racket with ‘feel’. The shuttles …were good, playing with AS-30 most of the time both the A1 and A2 performed excellent. Some lasting an entire set (rarely), flight was good (common), a satisfied customer concerning shuttles… The Rackets All racket were strung with BS963 between the 23 and 24 lbs (10/12/13 at ~23, 11/9 at 24. I strung the 9 myself at 24 lbs. the rest came in strung) And I have to say: even though they were all wovens and some stats look very much alike: each racket ‘feels’ different when you hit. Though all rackets made that ‘punch’ feeling when you hit. I/we really felt the racket ‘punch’ through the shuttle. Underneath each model there are the specs listed as: Weight(grams), length (mm), stiffness (8,5-9,0 is stiff, 8,0-8,5 is extra stiff) balance point (mm) Woven 9 84g, 675mm, 8,5-9,0, 293mm Honestly, the 9 didn’t impress me a lot. The feeling very distinct, even though it’s a 4U it felt reasonably solid (not as much as the 10/11 though). Mobility is good and power is reasonable. (I just don’t swing faster with a 4U as with a 3U…so might be me as well) overall I’d say this is a doubles-racket: It’s fast enough for the net-game and performs OK from the baseline. Power: 7 (still, not bad) control/feel: 7 (didn’t feel alright for me, but that’s personal, other may like it. Or tension/string needs changing..) manoeuvrability: 9 Woven 10 89, 680, 8,0-8,5, 293mm The 10 isn’t a very heavy racket (3U) but certainly plays like a 2U racket. It’s long and reasonably endloaded, making this an offensive racket. I liked playing with it, it’s not a slowcoach and packs a good punch. The stiffness was nice. It’s a great feel when you flex it on a smash/clear. I’d say this racket is for aggressive players, single or doubles, who can sacrifice some defence. Power: 9 (good!) control/feel: 7,5 (it feels nice, solid and has a good touch) manoeuvrability: 7 (not bad, but not the fastest, gripping higher up the shaft solved my initial problems in defence…) Woven 11 91, 680, 8,0-8,5, 295 The infamous woven 11 is everything I thought it would be. Comparing to the 10 it’s more head-heavy and heavier to play with. But defence wasn’t bad: it’s a very fast racket, for a 91grams beast. In this review though it’s the slowcoach of the 5, which is rewarded with a really big increase in power. I’d say the 11 is a more extreme racket than the 10. I played about 6 games with it, no tired arm…yet… Power: 10 (best. I hadn’t told my dad any specs, the look of surprise on his face when he smashed, great stuff) control/feel: 8, same as the 10, but a bit more solid. manoeuvrability: 6,5 Just a tad slower than the 10, but still satisfactory considering the up-side this racket has Woven 12 86, 670, 8,5-9,0, 290 The 12 is not a bad racket. It’s very allrounded and performs good in every category. The ‘shortness’ didn’t mess up my timing at all. The problem though: after playing with the 10 11 and 12 it just feels blend. It hasn’t got the power of the 10/11 or the touch of the 13 (will get to that). The defence is as good as the 9, maybe slightly better. Power: 7 (not the best, but satisfactory) control/feel: 9 feels good, control is nice manoeuvrability: 9, good defence, an agile racket. I can’t say it’s a ‘bad’ racket. It’s first-rate stuff. But I just don’t like it. My dad liked it, un til he played the Woven 13 89, 675, 8,0-8,5 292 You always mess up the first hit with a racket, you never get tit right the first time. But you adjust and get a good feel after a couple of hits. Well, not the 13. I loved it from the word go. So did my dad. Sotx claims to have used ‘supercarbon’ in the racket. While I have no idea what it is, but the touch on this racket is great, cause-effect? Who knows, all I know is the result. Like I said, control and feel was top of the bill, the best I’ve ever felt. I felt confident on my shots and feedback from the racket was great. Power: 8 (less than the 10/11 but still quite good) control/feel: 10, unique feeling, second to none manoeuvrability: 8, slower than the 12 (it’s heavier ánd head-heavier) and also slower than the 9. but quite good (better than 10/11 and my at500) Just a side note: By these ratings: At500: P:8, C:7m M: 6,5 ns8k: P:6, C:9. M:10 In the end all I can say is all rackets were first-class stuff And I chose the 11 (10 as back up: in case too tired/on the defence) mainly for the power and good feel. And my dad couldn’t resist the feel the 13 provided. Bs963 performed great, possibly a culprit in the great feel all rackets had, and held tension nicely. it would've been nice to test a D-series of AK-racket, but all turned out great. Like the fat kid in baseball: I'm out -Sotx jerry ()
since you are from holland... might as well ask you a question holland is now officially called netherland right? what constitute that change anyways? thanks for the review btw
well, besides being a review, I'd like to ask people to give there opinions on the racketss,a nd feedback on the review. well, it's a double story. In our own language we mostly call ourselves 'the netherlands' (well, the dutch word 'nederland') the name came from the the words 'nether' meaning low. because I'm currently conversing with your from 4 meters below sea-level.... Though in a patriotic sense (like the WC soccer) it's mostly 'holland'. For english it's even worse, since 'dutch' is also thrown in... name for the country: Holland, The Netherlands the people: The Dutch, dutchmen (nót neanderthals) language: dutch hope it helped, but it really doesn't matter much what you call it...as we mostly listen to every possible variation. as for the review...it seems i spelled 'Through' as 'Threw', again....
Nice review “SOTX Jerry”, do I get a discount for coming up with your new name? You finally contributed something pertinent and valid! Some miscellaneous ramblings... ...I need to get some SOTX shuttles... …glad to see your father and I are of the same ilk; dinking is an art-form. …of course you can’t compare the Woven 9 to the 10/11, it’s a much lighter racket. If you compare the 9 to similar rackets (4Uish), you’ll find it’s a very good racket, one of the best. …agree on the 11. It’s very fast for a 2U racket. Stick with the 11 if your arm can take it. …I agree with your side note ratings of the AT500 and NS8000 so I’m confident your ratings on the other rackets I haven’t tried (Woven 10, 12, 13) will be similar to mine. …If you really like the 11, you will love the D600. As I've said before in another post, it's faster, more mobile, sacrificing minimal power. …though the AK rackets are powerful, they lack control because of the “rattlesnake” beads. It’s hard to transition the AK rackets consistently as you don’t know where the beads are and that can mess up your timing. ...though the BS-963 is a very good string, after testing it more, I can't say it's the best. I'm starting to get partial with Ashaway MicroPower. For me, the jury is still out on what's the "best, relatively durable string". Candidiates: Ashaway MicroPower, Ashaway PG65 Neon, Yonex BG80, and SOTX BS-963. All play a bit different in terms of feel. If you like a stiffer, crisper string, go with BG80 and MP, if you want a softer string, go with PG65 or BS-963.
Now this is the Jerry I know. You get a another new name, "OT Jerry". OT as in "Off Topic." OT but I have to admit, I learned one new thing...I think.
Thanks Dan I'm a born 'n raised Dinker, I'm just startign to get the hang of smashing. (aren't we two opposites ) Another positvie aspect is my dad is now just as enthausiastic (..spulling error...) as I am about Sotx I can't wait to try out the d600/900 alos on my list: ak8 (just because it says "thunder wrath: on the shaft ) the ti-17 (680m, 290mm, 85gr, 8,0-8,5) and maybe the stb-9080: 100% woven! tension up to 35lbs, 90gr, 295mm, 675mm, 8,0-8,5. Dink-proof perhaps? I agree with you on the 9. I had bene hitting the 10, 12, 11, 13, 9 In that order, so that might explain why it felt 'yuck'. also nice to notice: the 12 feels lighter than the 9...must be the balance and length kicking in... BTW: I know I own a 7p duh), and didn't include it my review, because the grip is shabby and the strings are different. as to compensate I started dicking around and strung it to 31lbs. without problems...the sound is insane...the look on my dad's face when I gave it too him " 31lbs?" that's it for my ramblings
there's an OT in SOTX..so it will be sOTx-jerry but then, Hydro asked me, and I have no moral problems derailing my own thread. besides: the review is still being discussed anyway as you might've noticed: I'm in a very good mood today
nice review, some spellings errors but didn't compromise the points you were trying to get across. hmmm, can someone explain to me what dinking really means??!!?? other than that, if you could add a similar rating by power, control and what naught for the 7, that'll be great. also, has anyone tried the 16?? i'm curious how such an expensive racquet performs ...
well, yeah, some bad spelling...like "threw" which should be 'through'....sorry bout that... as for the woven 7. Id say rouglhy P9,C7,M7 but then, don't forget how subjectvie this all is. well, the 13 was a sorta last-minute added to our list. I thought it wouldn't be that great "just a middle road between the 12 and 10" but it was so much more. if the 16 is made out of something special it might perform good...also remember that the 16 is $300 everywhere...Selling it for 190usd is a lot more apropriate.. and a dink is a dropshot, also known as a 'sissy-smash'
Actually, a "dinker" is a person who does that act of "dinking", which is hitting very softly, usually reserved for a beginner. When a beginner that doesn't know how to hit properly, hits the shuttle, it goes "dink". I hit the W16 way back in the day and was completely unimpressed. It felt numb and powerless but that could have been the string and tension.
dinking is just a sissy-hit? I thought it was just a regular drop-shot...my bad hmm, pitty about the 16, maybe someone is crazy to wnat to buy one, so maybe I'll get a chance to hit one..I'm not ordering it out of my own, that's for sure... did you ever hit the STB-9080? I was reading through a brochure of sotx and saw it. lemme drum up the specs: STB-9080 100%carbon+woven 90gram 295+-5mm <35lbs 675mm 8,0-8,5 the 100%woven really tickeled my fancy....but unfortunatly it costs more than a 13....I don't know if it's worth a try...
yes yes, of course all these ratings are subjective, most things are anyways. but bear in mind though, even a subjective rating is useful as a comparison between racquets, as long as it's done without bias. so, a dink is a sissy shot eh? i'm assuming then that a dink can be a weak smash, clear, drive, etc etc .... as long as it's not hit with enough power to make it a decent shot?
I'll leave the 'dinking' for Dan to explain. I thoguht it was just doing drop-shots... The bias is exactly the problem...I like heavy-hitters with good feel/feedback... as an example: just being me, attacking biased for heavy-hitters. Racket: Power, Control/Feedback/feel, Manoeuvrability/defense Woven 11: 10, 8, 6,5 woven 12: 7, 9, 9 if I was biased for light headlight/even balanced rackets my rating could've been 11: 8, 7, 4 12: 7, 10, 10 so, off course I'm biased, but I did the best I could...
The term has evolved a bit, when you say were "dinking" can that mean you were hitting lightly, and/or not attacking, just keeping the shuttle in play.
then he is.... with the new scoring he's got this new thing: lead 20-16 and try to go to 30-29... so far we got up to 25-23 (won) and 26-24 (lost)....nice partner eh? but then, I've only once had 30-29 (won) in a mx-doubles. brilliant (I Know OT-jerby) anybody try the woven 2/4? any comments? (relatively to my review?)
After reading through a lot of Dinkalot's reviews, I finally decided to buy a Woven 9 three months ago. I am now an official Sotx convert. The beauty with Sotx is that they weigh all rackets so I asked the shop to give me the heaviest Woven 9 they got and with the longest balance point. My Woven 9 weighs 86 g but I forgot the balance point. It is head heavy, though not in the league of AT700 or MP100. All I can say is, I love this racket's power. It's currently strung with BG68Ti at 29x30 lbs and my smashes are way way faster. Control is also very good. I have a 4U AT800 Off with BG68Ti at 27x29 lbs. and it beats Yonex hands down. My rating is P:9 C:10 M:8. As I agree with your assessments of AT700 and NS8k, I wonder...
I have to be honest... if you rate the power of the w9 as 9..then you've never tried a 3u/2u sotx like a woven 7/10/11 wich are (imho) more powerfull.... but then my woven 9 was 83grams or something. I think I'm going to play with it a bit more...see what happens...
I'm not casting any doubts on your review. I think it was well written and you tried to be as objective as possible. I have to admit that I haven't had the opportunity to try out other Sotx models extensively. As I have a 2U MP100 that is just gathering dust somewhere, I don't think I will ever go out and buy a >90 g racket again. Hehe. I was able to test though the Woven 7 and Woven 11 about 2 years ago. It was just a series of smashes and clears to see what they were capable of. Yes, the Woven 7 and 11 are definitely more powerful than the 9, esp. 11, but I find that I smash better with the Woven 9 (86 g and balance point at 295 mm - I found the sticker ). And as I'm primarily a doubles player, which pays more emphasis on speed and maneuverability than a singles game, I just decided to forego some power (and arm and shoulder pain ) for the two. My next target (maybe December this year) is Woven 12.
