APACS fan club

[Mark A]

Thanks to APACS I now have a Tantrum 300, so I shall review it at the end of the week.

[jerby]

I tested out a T500, what a lovely racket. It's weight and balance is similar to the Lethal 60, but it's a tad more flexibel.

The result for me is a stable and solid attacking racket that doesn't have that just-a-bit-too-stiff feeling I have with the L60. it's very comfortable if you ask me

[kingskawn]

Jerby, where do you buy all your Apacs rackets?

[jerby]

Sorry, they're not mine, so I can't help you there,
but I heard there's an Apacs buisness starting up in Switserland, maybe they already have a website?

[demolidor]

Last I heard, the stock hasn't even arrived yet ... Maybe the ship was hijacked by pirates .

But indeed it should become one more source for Apacs in Europe , couldn't possibly take much longer so maybe we will see a website in the near future???

[kingskawn]

I hope it will open very soon. And that the prices will be as low as in Asia :-)

[dbswansea]

I've got a spare Nano 9900 unused in the UK if anyone's looking for one.

http://www.badmintoncentral.com/foru...ill-in-wrapper

[dsmbooster]

just got myself a Tantrum 200 after reading thru hundreds pages of Apacs fans and racquet recommendation, first feeling was awsome, light, fast respond, and good feel, clear easy drop shot perfect. nice smash and little or no head vibration. I paid $55 US in VietNam with string and double bag, best bang for the buck, this is my first Apacs will get more in future.

[dbswansea]

Loving my Apacs Edgesabre Z slayer. Played hours with it last night and 2 hours on tuesday and it feels really stable, nicely weighted and very little vibration. Bargain.

[Mark A]

APACS Tantrum 300, 88-90/G2.

Zymax 70 @ 28/31 lb.

A gratuity from APACS, so the least I can do is review it for them.


Looks – 7/10

Pretty much the same as the T200, but the apple-green is now a more anodyne tan/bronze - would have preferred something less conservative.

Paint quality is largely good, but the decals are a bit tenuous and there are small dents in the silver at the top of the frame.

Frame and Shaft – 9/10

Frame is similar to the T200 but with less pronounced Power Armour grooves. The T200’s frame was very strong, and so is the T300’s; it’s one of the strongest stringers I’ve seen since the Panda Revelation prototype. I just hoped APACS had sorted out the T200 rattle that came with frame hits.

Shaft felt like a mid-high 7, and sure enough it said 7.5-8.0 on the racket. Similar to the NS9900.


Power – 8/10

Very good. Smashes (when I timed them right – more on that later) came down very quickly, but the tight strings left me a small sweet spot. Lifts were almost too good – I was hitting long for the first fifteen minutes, and I’ve had to make a conscious effort to control myself ever since – it reaches the back with the slightest nudge. It clears extremely well on the backhand side (I took it for some games of singles), and this is a mainstay “test” shot for me.

It also drives very well off a short swing, keeping a lot of power, but felt a bit cumbersome when the rally went “Chinese” (sustained and varied drives).

Defense – 7/10

Falls down a bit here because of the extra weight, but I got it under more control as the session went on. Driven defense went away pretty much as fast as the attack that came in, but transitions needed a firm hand. 85-86 grams and it would have behaved itself better.

Based on the above the T300 is a technically a hybrid, but with a definite bias toward attack.


Feel – 9/10

Felt like I was hitting shuttles with my own hand. Has all the connectivity of the T200 but, crucially, none of that tinnyness when a shot came off the frame; a few times I caught 12 o’clock and got a sound that set my teeth on edge, but no vibration. Perfect example of the addressing a flaw.

Stability/Control – 10/10

Like its elder brother, almost brutally stable: the T300 simply cannot be knocked off line. Possibly the least torque I’ve seen since the FZ Ti550.

(This does come at the cost of some aerodynamics, though, which meant I was dumping a lot of smashes in the net until I adjusted to the new timing. Swings and roundabouts.)


Value for Money – 7.5/10

Had I paid the advertised price for the T300 I would have considered it very fair – there are plenty of dearer and weaker rackets from “stronger” brands.


Conclusions

+
Everything good about the T200, and nothing that was bad;
Pretty powerful for the short balance;
Strings very strong and immensely stable;
Excellent feel – sharp and composed;
Good value for money against the likes of Yonex and Li Ning.

-
Could do with being more aerodynamic (but definitely not at the cost of that stability);
A bit too heavy to be a true all-rounder – three or four grams lighter for easier movement;
Looks are a bit boring – needs a “signature” colour like the old T200. (Tan isn’t a colour; it’s what you use when you can’t decide on a colour.)

[paulstewart64]

Good review Mark.

Glad the racquet continued to perform with a higher tension.

Paul
www.badminton-coach.co.uk

[Sajiu]

Which one shud I buy?

Lethal 9
Lethal 10
Edgesaber 10

I'm not a pro player nor semi pro, just play for fun. Not much power on my arm, but I want a good smash and easy for net play + can do a clear baseline to baseline.

Any suggestion?

[Mark A]

Glad the racquet continued to perform with a higher tension.

Yeah - I think the T200 would have been a tuning fork at 31. It's not just that the T300 is so good, it's that it's such an improvement over its predecessor.

[Thompson]

So many Apacs rackets I don't know where to begin to look.
Which is the stiffest and most head heavy apacs racket?

[wuzent]

Which one shud I buy?

Lethal 9
Lethal 10
Edgesaber 10

I'm not a pro player nor semi pro, just play for fun. Not much power on my arm, but I want a good smash and easy for net play + can do a clear baseline to baseline.

Any suggestion?

lethal 9 is the most heaviest in those three rackets.

[johnnxiv]

The only thing I love about Apacs is that they have lot of 4U rackets with very cheap price compare to other brands, I live in US, I like it when I buy the racket and get the string tension I want.

I havent find any Apacs 4U racket with really head heavy, if you know please let me know, ty

[leo11]

Lethal 70 4U

The only thing I love about Apacs is that they have lot of 4U rackets with very cheap price compare to other brands, I live in US, I like it when I buy the racket and get the string tension I want.

I havent find any Apacs 4U racket with really head heavy, if you know please let me know, ty