Panda Power: A Racket That Can Take 40lbs. String Tension!

[Teebs]

Some of us did find out too late that the paint job went down to a vote and weren't sure what was wrong with the original red theme...

[yingchai]

is there any website showing the lists of panda racquets? i would love to buy one.

[Poseidon1985]

Here you go:
http://www.dcbadminton.net/

[DinkAlot]

Some of us did find out too late that the paint job went down to a vote and weren't sure what was wrong with the original red theme...

Nothing was wrong with the original red.
Panda does not know where some of you get your information and/or jump to conclusions.
Just because there are changes or something is different does not mean something was wrong.

Thanks for understanding.

[Teebs]

Not at all meant as a criticism I might add, as long as the rackets play as well as they do I shall never say a bad thing about a PP.

[jamesd20]

Now Dink must know how Mr Yoneyama feels when he reads about the SP/JP/IP/CP/CN coding!

[ormy4]

Time for a bit of a review on the prototype "Woven Precision"


As you may know or not know I sweet talked Dink out of his prototype since he prefers the
Trinity Pro . The Precision was created to be a fast doubles racket specializing in good power
with amazing defense. It lived up to its billing and was a very easy racket to play with as
effortless. It had a flexible shaft and Dan had various weights and Bp which is one of the great
things about DC products. For myself I like 85g unstrung rackets when strung and an overgrip
about 94g and bp about 290. Like many we found the Precision was faster than it's weight suggested by about 2 grams. I ended putting victor weights on the head to compensate the benefit could increase the bp for more power.

Prototype was heavier coming in at 98g strung after taking off the original grip and overgrip and putting on a king grip from Eric at squashmart. It was also slightly longer and noticed the grommets seemed a bit better. Tension was probably about 26 when I got my hands on it. Dan does a good job stringing as I was positive I would break the strings out in one or two sessions. Every time I string that high it is short lived that is for sure.

Difference mainly is the woven head and a slightly more stiffer shaft over the original. Since it is a
prototype all I can say the current paint and clear coat was well done and no real marks after a few
clashes. Original was easier to mark up so build quality is up on the prototype.

Playing with it right away you can feel it is still very fast but more solid and refined. The new woven
head and shaft work very well together. Net shots are a real joy and much improved with a more
stable head. Racket still shines on defence and control was very nice enjoyed driving smashes back.
Prototype was 2 grams heavier than my original with the increased bp [weights] but smashes were
notably harder. The shaft being slightly stiffer and the new woven head and shaft combo generate
good pop.

So for people who play doubles and enjoy higher tensions but take a beating using stiffer shafts this
may interest you. Hope Dan makes it down the road as it really fills a void for a great defensive racket
that is super stable with good counter attack punch.

Bit of a review no sense going over board as just a prototype. If you liked the Precision and would love
to see it go woven suggest you pester the Panda accordingly.

cheers

[Fidget]

Nice review, ormy4.
Am I reading correctly that you like the slight increase in rigidity over the old Precision but you are finding a need for a higher BP than your usual for stiffer rackets like T2.

[ormy4]

What I discovered with my original precision that weighed 85g after using was its swing weight felt like 82 or 83 grams. It felt too light and was actually too fast in defense. Meant to me I was losing out on power as not benefiting from the mass I was used to. So I countered that by adding victor weights to bring it back up to what I felt was the swing weight of 85g. They were put on the head at the 10, 12, 2 o clock positions.

Answer is I know what swing weight I like and if the rackets differs have to alter some
parameter to try to meet that. If I can't do it by changing grips or adding weights sell
it right away. If it moves outside a balance point I deem good for defense I sell it. If
after changing the grip to make it work doesn't feel comfortable I sell it.

Stiffness is another issue all to itself, can you guess what happens if I don't enjoy it, lol. For myself too stiff a racket limits how tight it can be strung so lose out of the
joy of tight net drops. Too flexible I am not benefiting from my power, lose control,
and drives are no fun. Have tried and seen too may people buy a racket too stiff for
them try to string it 25 lbs plus. All they end up doing was hurting their arm and
generating no power at all. I liked it because they now cleared half court and I
pounded it back at them.

goal

feels comfortable
not tiring using
made well
great defense
correct stiffness, means good power all of the time not some of the time.
decent looking
good bang for the buck

If not sold, could explain why I have sold over 50 rackets lol

Hope that covered it.

Buy what works for you not Lin Dan or Kenny the guy at the club who
hits really hard.

[Teebs]

I don't suppose by any freak coincidence there are any of the recent batch of TPros heading to Australia, spare maybe with a balance point of 285 and weight of 85.5g? Tragedy has struck and some uncharitable ******* has cracked clean through half the racket to the grommet around the 12 o'clock position on one of my two, to the point that the racket visibly bends at that point and is thus not safe to play...

[j4ckie]

Another compliment to Dinkalot for the great work on the T2. I had put mine aside for a long time because they were too light and the BP too low, but recently I thought I'd give them another go.

I lead-taped and re-strung them, so the 283/83 (dry) became 266/107,5 and 270/106,3 (wet). I put on a lot of grip, so for comparison: my N70, gripped similar to T2#1, ends up at 266/113,8 (303/88 dry).

I had a few relaxed hits with one of them last week and was pleasantly surprised, so I decided to re-string the other one to a more suitable tension as well.
I had two sessions with these bad boys now, and they're amazing. Because of the softer shaft, I strung them 1lbs tighter than my BS10 and the result was a crisp, clean feeling on contact with the shuttle, and near effortless clears. The high tension made net shots and drops very tight while the medium stiff shaft helped with drives and clears. It also enabled me to hold the shot longer, making me more deceptive at the net.
Smashes were pretty much the same as with my BS10, the string is a bit too tight for maximum power but the racket 'helps' a bit more. I could just feel it bend when I took a big swing, but it didn't feel unstable like many others do (e.g. N70, VT70).
Defense was also nice, accurate and still quick enough for most MD opponents, and annoyingly accurate in singles (enough to make one opponent complain slightly. He still wiped the floor with me, but as he plays in 4th division/league, I didn't mind.)

I must say, I'm indeed impressed with this racket's qualities. While I did switch back to my Bravesword for Mixed Doubles and the second game of singles, I had nearly no problems adapting to the T2 (apart from hitting a few drives long). With lower tensions, it's very forgiving and thus enjoyable for intermediate players, while accurate and powerful enough for advanced players using higher tensions.
It's neither defensive like the Precision or Nanospeed series nor as offensive as the Armortecs. It's really an all-around racket, which is why I find it so enjoyable.


Both T2s, gripped to similar thickness - although I'll re-grip #2 soon. Feels just weird after using towel grip.

T2#1: 27,5lbs NBG98 with towel grip over one overgrip and modded with abt. 1,7-1,8g of lead tape.

T2#2: 28lbs BG68Ti, gripped with 2 overgrips over one replacement grip. Abt. 2g of lead tape.

[CanucksDynasty]

The Revelation is targeted for all-around play, max stability at higher tension (up to 34lbs.), BP285-295.

The Titan is targeted for offense and singles, BP295-305, tension up to 32lbs.

Oooo....can't wait.
BTW...nice update on the website. Much better than when I first glanced at it earlier this year.

Love the sexy Revelation pic http://www.dcbadminton.net/r1.htm

Need a pic of Titan please.

[dimcorner]

Do any of the Panda's use a slim shaft?

[DinkAlot]

Do any of the Panda's use a slim shaft?

Not yet...the Titan may. Testing soon.

[Teebs]

Do we know how long till the next shipment of tpros say to australia?

[DinkAlot]

Do we know how long till the next shipment of tpros say to australia?

Soon, "my preciiiiiiiiiiousssssss".

ETA to US: December 12th - 14th.

[Teebs]

Oh my god they may just be the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Will make nice company for my now lonely first batch TPro assuming there are the right specs spare flying/sailing to Aus.