As far as I can tell Arcsaber 10, Armortec 900p and Armortec 700 are the racquets that will suit my playing style - offensive singles player. I need your help. Currently I have a Nanospeed 9000x 3U G3 UK strung with some random Head Power strings at 25lbs. I'm looking for a new racquet - had this one for quite a while and its OK but doesn't seem to feel quite right with me. I've spent hours and hours looking through the forums - professional players racquets, strings, statistic charts, racquet reviews etc. I'm looking for a new racquet after Christmas - I want one of the best offensive play racquets I can get to help peak my game. I'm gonna have to buy it from either Amazon or a UK racquets shop - so yes it'll have a UK tag etc. From what I can tell - this is the status of the racquets I'm considering: Arcsaber 10 - The latest racquet. Hard to adjust to, not an extremely powerful racquet, nice colours, QUITE A FEW professionals are apparently switching to it - I really don't know if it's for marketing purposes or not. Armortec 900p - A very powerful offensive racquet with a Stiff but not Extra Stiff shaft for a bit of whip and control to combine with the power. Nice colours, used by quite a few pros - got a bit confusedas to why some players shifted from 900p to favouring 900t, aside from LCW who seems to be the main man advocating this racquet. Armortec 700 - I don't know much about this racquet, but from what I gathered it's very powerful with nice colours - but does it beat the AT900P? I'm torn on this, as LCW uses the AT900P but, as shown below, ALOT of top mens singles players seem to use the AT 700. This list isn't the latest I don't think, but I can't find any clearer one. There is alot of talk about this towards the end of http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2306&page=22 but again it's never clear precisely what racquet the current top players are settling on or if they are switching to ARC10 for marketing purposes, or if they're switching to ARC10 legitly because it's simply a great racquet despite all the "not anything special" reviews. Interesting quotes from http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2306&page=15 are: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bearing in mind all of this - I really need your help to find the racquet that I will truly love and will complement my playing style. Should it be the ARC10, the AT900P, the AT700 or should I even wait until Yonex release another racquet (some time in the future? - could be months or years). In addition to this, G3 grip size seems right for me although G4 is OK, 3U/4U weight suit me - Amazon.co.uk's AT900P is only in G4 grip size and 4U weight, with AT700 being 3UG3, and no specs for the ARC10 (yonex website says it comes in 3U (85.0-89.9 g) / G4, 5 OR 2U (90.0-94.9 g) /G3,4,5). Strings? I'll buy them if you can tell me which to put on the racquet for my setup - new Nanogy 95/BG65-Ti/BG80. (I dunno much about strings) Thanks for reading this, hope you can help me! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you are willing to go for offensive, then choose AT700&AT900P... for all round play,its either Arc10 or AT900T Currently i am using Arc10, and yes it is hard to adapt with it, but once you adapt with it. VERY WONDERFUL RACKET!!!!
Ever wondered why we tend to have a favourite racquet among the many we own? It's because we feel, for some reason, that racquet suits us better than the others. It's the same with most professionals. Lin Dan refuses to let go of the old version of the Yonex Armortec-700 although newer models are aplenty. Jens Eriksen, Park Sung-Hwan and Xie Xingfang swear by the Nanospeed 9000. Lee Chong Wei and Sony Dwi Kuncoro (like the just retired Lee Hyun-Il) don't appear to have ditched the Armortec-900P. Fu Haifeng is determined to stick with the old Titanium-10 until either it runs out of stock or his career is derailed. But then, there are also those who don't really care what they wield as long as they can use it to their advantage. Taufik Hidayat, Bao Chunlai, Peter Gade and, more recently, Lee Yong-Dae, are those who have switched to the ArcSaber-10 without coming to much grief. Professional players are spoilt for choice. That doesn't apply to lesser mortals. The best test is the hands-on test. See if your friends have the models you wish to choose from. Then, play a while with each racquet. You will find your answer without anyone's help
Well said, Oldhand. @ WalzY: Have you ever heard the phrase "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"? It is very relevant to this. As Oldhand says, it doesn't matter what the pros use; it matters what the racket feels like in your hands. I love my MTec 70 with a stupid BP (I think it's somewhere around 350mm, perhaps just shy of 350). Most other people would hate it but I think it's the best racket on Earth. The best advice I can give you is the same as Oldhand, try as many rackets as you can and not just the ones you are considering, any racket you can get your hands on, you may be surprised.
You're over your ARC10 already??? I like my AT900T in 4U...but it has a balance point of 325mm (no lead tape, and with overgrip and strings)...and my AT700 in 3U with a BP of 310mm.
I see what you're saying but theres an extent to which the "beauty" is in the eye of the beholder. I don't know anyone around me with those racquets and I therefore can't try them out without buying them both - which I certainly won't do. The AT700 and AT900P are the ones I believe I will have to choose from - there must be differences and that's what I'm going to have to decide from, such as which has more power.. if anyone can help me further - please do contribute!
It depends because he uses Armortec 900T for smashing and playing offensive but the armortec 900T is only a all around playing racket so doesnt matter. Armortec 700 is a rreally good racket but the 900 power has more power.
Walzy, a racket is a dead carbon frame attached to a wooden handle. it doesnt generate power on it s own. its design gives it the POTENTIAL to have greater power. if you have a strong player play with a Nanospeed 9000X, and a Weak player play with a AT 700 or 900, and both players are adjusted to their rackets fully, the stronger player will probably have the faster smash.
Dear lord my head hurts... I simply can't decide what to do now - stick with my 9000x, change to AT900P - which i can't find in G3 in a shop, or go to an AT700 or even wait for a new racquet to come out. I'm a strong player and I want to dominate games, but I can't seem to find someone who can tell me exactly whats what between the racquets - so if I have a really powerful arm and I wield my 9000x well it's more powerful than any other racquet?, and then what's the difference between AT700 and AT900P... 900P has more power? Ahhhhhh help me! Edit: given up on the ARC10, doesn't seem to have the potential for my aggressive play - seems too *all roundy*.
no. its you that inputs everything into the racket. the power comes from you. if you feel that you and the racket are not compatible, then let it go, and get a new one. Its your choice.
Best racquet for me would still be NS8000 even though I own Arc10 and AT900T. My NS8000 is self-modified to have BP of 295mm, which is weird for a headlight racquet. Despite the weird BP, I can move the racquet very quick. I don't know how to say it, NS8000 just feels right to me.
Walzy - you sound like you want something hardcore.... Flip a coin, heads AT700, tails AT900P and then buy it, get use to the timing and start bringing down some powerful smashes. Both are fantastic rackets. Not hardcore enough? add lead tape =)
3U is definitely more durable. Think about it.. 3U is heavier because its frame/shaft is denser, thus it's more durable. 4U is faster because it's simply lighter. Less powerful though, because say if your swinging speed is X. F = MA, and if you have greater mass with the same acceleration ( swing ), then you'll get more power out of the more durable 3U. I have the AT700 3U and I absolutely love it.. I like it more than the SOTX Woven7, Yonex Ti10, AT900P, ARC10..
fyi taufik is currently usin arc 10 too. it is a vry smooth racket, u can feel all the power is focus on the birdie when u smash hard. feel like all ur energy is beautifully transfer to the birdie. it is stiffer than at900. when u 1st use u'll feel the stiffness, once u adapt to it u'll feel like u r drivin a ferrari on court. i jz love arc 10. it is irresistable.
I still use the Arc10 as a plaything, but I'm in the process of becoming sponsored by Karakal so I've got to use Karakal rackets most of the time. This isn't a problem as I love Karakal but the Arc10 has had to take a back seat which is a shame as the Arc10 is an awesome racket too. @ jhirata, I can see where you're coming from, but chances are, you can't swing a heavier racket as fast as a lighter racket so the whole momentum thing isn't the only thing to consider. I would say it depends on the person. If they can swing very fast with all rackets (no matter the weight), then a heavy racket is probably best. But if they can't swing that fast, a light racket might be better to encourage more swing speed.
