Yonex ArcSaber 10 Review

[virtualkidneys!]

In that first picture it shows the arcsaber as white/red


Isnt it supposed to be all red like mp100?

[Burger_King]

because the first one is a fake some one made on photo shop or paint.

[Fengwei]

Just to make us drool even more, and keep us busy!

[Oldhand]

A few early pictures
My apologies, but...
Sony Ericsson K601i camera + Night = Really Pathetic Pictures

[wocdam]

Oldhand, have you tried it yet? i saw the racket, but was undecided whether to get it or not. do let us know soon

[Oldhand]

By the way, my ArcSaber 10 looks very different from the picture ants posted at the beginning of this thread

[jump17]

that is one sexy racket!

[Athelete1234]

By the way, my ArcSaber 10 looks very different from the picture ants posted at the beginning of this thread

Those were fake pictures . The one you have is the actual racquet.

[stork]

to me that looks very much like a copy of Sotx Diamondfighter series, also the martial name...

[Oldhand]

Those were fake pictures . The one you have is the actual racquet.

Really?
But that was posted by ants

[Oldhand]

Price, Store & Specs:

In all, the Yonex ArcSaber 10 (with Yonex BG-80 string, an ArcSaber racquet cover, a Yonex AC102EX synthetic grip wrap, and free stringing) cost me SGD 298. I bought it from 10+10, Bras Basah Complex, Singapore

By the way, the cone code is 310182SP (so, Yonex took a while to ship it).

It's a 3UG5 model and the stated maximum tension is 24lbs.
These are the same for the ArcSaber 7 as well.
The ArcSaber10 also has the same overall length, shaft length and head width as the ArcSaber7.
And it's got all those important words the Arc7 has... and one more: Ultra PEF.

Sadly, the Arc10 doesn't come with its own stand-out cover... what you get is the same curving (apparently saber-like) cover that Yonex introduced with the Arc7


First Look & Stringing:

The first thing you notice about the racquet is that the Arc10 comes with a red original grip (while the Arc7 has a standard black original grip). It's made of very poor quality rubber... and will easily peel off along with the plastic wrap unless you're really careful.

In any case, there's not much use being careful... shift your grip a few times during play and it begins to come off in slivers (In hindsight, it was a good thing to have added an extra grip to the package)

As with the Arc7 earlier, the stringer didn't bat an eyelid when I asked for one-piece stringing at 29lbs. The Arc10 takes it easily... except that it's not recommended for the squeamish (the frame deforming inwards, though slightly, is quite a heart-stopping sight)


Warm-Up:

I chose one of the better local groups to test-play the Arc10 (for the curious: this is one of the 'heavyweight' Sunday-evening groups at Singapore's Hougang Sports Hall)

The first trial shots were an absolute surprise... the feel was exactly that of the Arc7 Stunned, I switched to a Ti-10 for a few shots... and then picked up both the ArcSabers. Switching them in my racquet hand for every alternate shot, I went through an extended warm-up, comprising mostly forehand-backhand clears and drops.

To put it simply, it was weird... the Arc7 and Arc10 felt the same


The Real Thing:

We began a game.
Now, something was different... the smash and the drive.
With the Arc10, both shots simply deteriorated in power and accuracy

The reason probably lies in my hitting style and the shaft's flex.
I hardly swing for smashes and drives... preferring to either whip or tap furiously. I guess I like 'em stiff However, the Arc10's shaft is less stiff than that of the Arc7 (not by much, but you can see the difference if you hold down the head and hang a dumbbell on the grip).

In other spheres (drops, clears, arcing blocks to the net, etc), if you have the Arc7, you have the Arc10. As for net-play, the Arc7 is the winner


Verdict:

In my opinion, the ArcSaber 10 is poor value for more money. In fact, towards the end of my 3-hour session tonight, I found myself switching to the Arc7 for the second half of the game

Marketing will tell you that the Arc10 has new or improved technology!
Where is that?
What is that?
Ultra PEF?
Gimme a break!

Except for cosmetics and new high-sounding catch-phrases, the ArcSaber 10 feels and plays like the ArcSaber7.

Well, if there's anything special about the Arc10, it's the colour and the paint job. It looks classy (from afar too) and the red coat goes really well with the red grip. (But be sure to stock a few red overgrips... the original isn't gonna last more than a few fast game sessions.)

The only good reason I'd recommend buying the Arc10 is the price.
Since the ArcSaber7 is still selling at close to the ArcSaber10's price, you might as well go get the new toy

[martin8768]

Price, Store & Specs:

In all, the Yonex ArcSaber 10 (with Yonex BG-80 string, an ArcSaber racquet cover, a Yonex AC102EX synthetic grip wrap, and free stringing) cost me SGD 298. I bought it from 10+10, Bras Basah Complex, Singapore

By the way, the cone code is 310182SP (so, Yonex took a while to ship it).

It's a 3UG5 model and the stated maximum tension is 24lbs.
These are the same for the ArcSaber 7 as well.
The ArcSaber10 also has the same overall length, shaft length and head width as the ArcSaber7.
And it's got all those important words the Arc7 has... and one more: Ultra PEF.

Sadly, the Arc10 doesn't come with its own stand-out cover... what you get is the same curving (apparently saber-like) cover that Yonex introduced with the Arc7


First Look & Stringing:

The first thing you notice about the racquet is that the Arc10 comes with a red original grip (while the Arc7 has a standard black original grip). It's made of very poor quality rubber... and will easily peel off along with the plastic wrap unless you're really careful.

In any case, there's not much use being careful... shift your grip a few times during play and it begins to come off in slivers (In hindsight, it was a good thing to have added an extra grip to the package)

As with the Arc7 earlier, the stringer didn't bat an eyelid when I asked for one-piece stringing at 29lbs. The Arc10 takes it easily... except that it's not recommended for the squeamish (the frame deforming inwards, though slightly, is quite a heart-stopping sight)


Warm-Up:

I chose one of the better local groups to test-play the Arc10 (for the curious: this is one of the 'heavyweight' Sunday-evening groups at Singapore's Hougang Sports Hall)

The first trial shots were an absolute surprise... the feel was exactly that of the Arc7 Stunned, I switched to a Ti-10 for a few shots... and then picked up both the ArcSabers. Switching them in my racquet hand for every alternate shot, I went through an extended warm-up, comprising mostly forehand-backhand clears and drops.

To put it simply, it was weird... the Arc7 and Arc10 felt the same


The Real Thing:

We began a game.
Now, something was different... the smash and the drive.
With the Arc10, both shots simply deteriorated in power and accuracy

The reason probably lies in my hitting style and the shaft's flex.
I hardly swing for smashes and drives... preferring to either whip or tap furiously. I guess I like 'em stiff However, the Arc10's shaft is less stiff than that of the Arc7 (not by much, but you can see the difference if you hold down the head and hang a dumbbell on the grip).

In other spheres (drops, clears, arcing blocks to the net, etc), if you have the Arc7, you have the Arc10. As for net-play, the Arc7 is the winner


Verdict:

In my opinion, the ArcSaber 10 is poor value for more money. In fact, towards the end of my 3-hour session tonight, I found myself switching to the Arc7 for the second half of the game

Marketing will tell you that the Arc10 has new or improved technology!
Where is that?
What is that?
Ultra PEF?
Gimme a break!

Except for cosmetics and new high-sounding catch-phrases, the ArcSaber 10 feels and plays like the ArcSaber7.

Well, if there's anything special about the Arc10, it's the colour and the paint job. It looks classy (from afar too) and the red coat goes really well with the red grip. (But be sure to stock a few red overgrips... the original isn't gonna last more than a few fast game sessions.)

The only good reason I'd recommend buying the Arc10 is the price.
Since the ArcSaber7 is still selling at close to the ArcSaber10's price, you might as well go get the new toy

great review oldhand, after reading that i've made up my mind, im gona stick to me ns9000

[Oldhand]

great review oldhand, after reading that i've made up my mind, im gona stick to me ns9000

Lemme know if you wanna trade

[HKChua]

Price, Store & Specs:

The only good reason I'd recommend buying the Arc10 is the price.
Since the ArcSaber7 is still selling at close to the ArcSaber10's price, you might as well go get the new toy

Hi Oldhand,

Thanks a lot. I almost bought the racket. I think I will stick to my AT700 (28LBS X 28LBS).

Thanks.

[Dreamzz]

Lemme know if you wanna trade

so, at the end of the day, it wasn't the dog's bollocks after all eh? shame really, but maybe we've run out of technology at the moment to improve on badminton racquets. looks like the old favourites such as the cab20, at700 and ti10 will continue to be go to racquets for some time.

[Matt]

It seems like Oldhand's review is too early because the was only for a very short peroid of time. The racket has to go through at some break-in peroid before the racket's peformance shows up. Interpreting by the way I am reading the review seems to indicate the racket's performance was not to its optimum.

As when I tried the Arc7, I didn't like it at first because the way the racket was responding but like the next time I tried it which was a week later, the racket started to get better.

[Oldhand]

Well, I took the same route with the ArcSaber 7.

I've had it for over two months now (and I play every day).
It doesn't seem to have ripened or withered with age

Nevertheless, should the ArcSaber 10's characteristics change for the better, I shall duly post a revision