Extracted from ajc00's larger review in another thread: -------------- Following many requests from friends eager to find out about these two rackets before their official launch here in the UK, I’ve been granted “permission” shall we say to post the reviews: (Normally my employer does not allow me to do this!) Apologies in advance for the rather generic-style of review but when I get rackets to test, I send back a report on them, so this may read like more like a report than a review. Yonex Armortec 600: Summary: The MP88 has returned but with different looks! A wise addition to the Yonex range – a head-heavy racket with a mid-flex shaft – I can’t think of many rackets with those user-friendly properties. Flex: Advertised as having a mid-flex shaft and that’s more or less correct – the flex feels very similar to the Arcsaber 7 and Arcsaber 9. (In fact this racket generally feels/performs like the Arcsaber 9 but with a head-heavy balance). Balance: Advertised as having a head-heavy balance and it indeed does – less of a head-heavy balance than the AT700, AT900P or AT900T though – but still definitely head-heavy. Performance: Over-head shots flow nicely – head pick-up speed is good. Racket manoeuvrability is very good for a head-heavy racket; it reminds me of the AT900T in that respect. It responds well to defending the shuttle, the head glides well through the air, which leads me on to the element of control. It’s not as pinpoint accurate with shuttle placement as the Arcsaber 10 but it feels a little easier to move, so any player who finds the Arcsaber 10 too cumbersome but still wants a head-heavy balance racket should find this racket to their liking. Smash trajectory/repulsion is good; the shaft flexes nicely to allow the head to come through fast on contact with the shuttle. Conclusion: Again, I like this racket. However, unlike the advertisements of the NS9900, I think this does indeed fit the bill. It’s very responsive, got a head-heavy balance and the shaft is mid-flex. It seems to be a good racket for those players who like a racket to retain its head-heavy balance without having to compromise too much on responsiveness. One final thing I would say is this, it does feel extremely similar to the old MP88 racket and the new Arcsaber 9, just with a more head-heavy balance than either of them. Given this, I think this racket will do well in the UK market, just as the MP88 did before its production ceased. --------------
Oldhand, Thanks for moving the AT600 here. Now , it has it own thread and not buried under Ns 9900 review. Great job.
Good if MP88 is back, but sadly a friend of mine who is in the business told me that new Yonex stuff for 2009 won't be available in France before May, so I ended up buying an AT 700 which is good but a little stiff for me I think
Well you can always get the other coded racekts because at times the more popular weight/grip size is not available for your region.
Shuttle house has it listed (not sure about stock or anything though). It's very expensive at JPY 22,050 (£159) plus shipping plus import duty (charged at 15%, I believe). So by the time you've got it in to the UK, you'll be looking at nearly £200 - a big price for a midrange Yonex MBS has it for £115.63 and if you were feeling tight, you could opt for free shipping. I think MBS is based somewhere in Asia so again, it is likely that import duty will apply. All things considered, if you wanted it, you could get it for £133 which is still quite a lot. This site also has it. It's based in the UK - I've no idea about shipping but list price is £122.67. Oh and LOL at the typo - that's one heavy racket. £109.99 here although pre-order only.
hmm dont forget about the different codes, like shuttle house is JP UK probably sells the UK coded one so that could also be a reason of the price range
True but JP is the code for Japan. Would that mean it is the normal code and normal price over there? Anyway, there's no real difference between cone codes so it doesn't really matter (other than you could get it cheaper elsewhere).
I was lucky enough to see and feel this racquet in person, I was at a tournament and this guy (probably some yonex geared representative) brought a load of racquets for trials. To my dismay at600 wasnt there, but he specially got his own one out of his own bag to show me. Its a G4 U4 racquet, so same as 900T; tho sadly he wouldnt let me try it But yea he said it'll be released at All England Open for £110 as thats apparently its RRP. So yea if that is the case, not bad at 110 rrp, hopefully it'll drop even more
Yeah, the RRP is £110 but I would imagine, like most Yonex rackets, that the actual shop prices will drop dramatically soon.
Oldhand, where can I find it in SG? 90 GBP about SGD 200? Called 10/10 but they're not aware about this.
Well, I don't know if '10 & 10' has it. But if you want one, let me know. I will try to arrange one for you
Hmmm, thought that it'll be available at the shops for me to 'touch & feel' first before making any decision. Anyhow, thanks for the offer Oldhand! Think I'll wait till it's available at the shops. Wouldn't want to trouble you in the event that I decide not to buy.
you can go to any of the shops in queensway to "touch n feel" for all you like, they have it there since last week...
i had a feel earlier but noticeably, the cone is very much different from the existing AT900 - AT500. i like the fact it was a 2G but somehow, the cone didn't attract me.