Zelm PP or Panda Power Ultra???

my best advice is to try any racket you want before buying.
the two you mentioned may be a bit tough where you are... why not go to a local shop or court to try out a super stiff yonex first?

two ultra cons: mishits and chips.
ultra pros: durable, powerful and smashes like a typhoon.

 

there is the Zelm PP10000, which is a tad bit stiffer and a little less head heavy than the PP9990. Its hard not to like.

 

It's probably better to compare the Zelm Trixon 8 with the Panda Power Ultra and the Zelm PP10000 with the Panda Power Trinity 2.

 

The Zelm Trixon is mid-flex to stiff while the PP Ultra is stiff-ultra stuff isn't it?

 

PP Ultra 1 - stiff stiff stiff, dense, very solid. Not fast at all, but it was very strong, very powerful, and due to the massive stiffness, deep power potential. But very slow.

PP Ultra 2 - Stiff stiff, not nearly as dense or solid as the U1, but still more solid than the PP9990, though not as dense feeling as my PP9990. Faster than the U1, as fast as the PP9990, maybe a little faster. Still quite powerful, would be interesting to see a power battle between this and PP9990.

Zelm PP9990 - stiff and a half, dense, solid (not very solid). Faster than the U1, but heavy. Mine is 92g with strings, no grip. Powerful, and as agile as an old man. My smash defense goes to hell with this and the Ultra rackets, but because of that, my smash defense has improved!

Trixon 8 - not stiff at all, a wiggly medium flex, head heaviness is greatest out of all of the rackets listed here to make up for the loss of power with the medium flex. Much more agile than the PP9990, despite a higher swing weight (IMO) so faster on defense and drives, less control though than the above rackets.

Trinity 1 - stiff stiff, powerful and much more agile than the ultras. Still has very good power, but the least power in the Panda Power series, but that doesn't mean its weak at ALL. Defense is better than the Zelm rackets and the Ultras.

Trinity 2 - stiff and a half, unbelievable power for a 3U, but still very very light on its feet. Defense is easy, and its sweetspot is actually larger than most rackets interestingly enough, making it the most forgiving out of the bunch.

Power: U1 > U2 > T2 > PP990 > T1 > Tr8
Speed: T2 > Tr8 > PP9990 > T1 > U2 > U1
Forgiveness: T2 >>> the rest, they all are similar in this catagory
Control: U1 > T2 > PP9990> U1 > T1> Tr8
Defense is governed by speed
Arm Players: All
Wristy Players: All but Tr8, the Trixon 8's shaft is too flexy for the quick acceleration generated by wristy players, they will find the shaft will tend to overflex.

All ratings, comparisons, and opinions are solely my own and subject to change without notice, using a setup of original grip removed, one karakal PU applied up to, not over, the cone, and a string setup of BG66 @ 24lbs or ZM67 at 21. Also, because I am not you, YMMV when taking these reviews into account.

 

singnflip, excellent comparison and summary, especially of the Panda series!

My experience with the T2 has surprised me also with its unusual combination of speed, forgiveness, power, and defence.

 

Great review singnflip4life. Do i conclude that, U1 for power/control, T2 for speed/forgiveness, and pp9990 is an all-rounder? As the 9990 stands in the middle of all power, speed, control, forgiveness?

 

Thanks singnflip4life, I only have the PP10000 and T2 and I'll have to say you've gotten it spot on with this short review and comparison. Credit goes to you

 

IF you have the ability to flex the Ultra 1 constantly, and the stamina to do so, it has ridiculous power to it, and its solidness will provide your arm with more than enough feedback to ensure you can control the birdie.

The T2 is a great racket, quick and forgiving, but powerful and very stable. Usually a racket is only two out of the 3 (quick, powerful, stable) well, or does all 3 at a mediocre level, but somehow Sir Dink has come up with a racket that does all 3 well. The T2 has good control, but its relative lightness (low 3U) does not provide as much feedback, which is easily solved by a "hard" or "medium-hard" string. I'd say the T2 is more of an all rounder than the PP9990.

The PP9990 is good all around, but it gives a bit of its defense away for more attack. So its more of a balanced attacker for me.

The Trinity series is a true All-Around series, can be used for either Attack or Defense.
The Ultra is an all out Attack series, sacrificing almost everything to crack the opponents defense.
The PP9990 is the Balanced Attack, able to defend at will, but for more offensive minded players.
The Trixon 8 is a hard one, but I'd have to say Balanced Defense. Able to snipe an attack here or there, but the head-heaviness makes smash returns easier in terms of controlling the power, and its easier to hit rushed "reset" lifts and clears with the more flexible shaft.

Of course, this is for the average player. For example, for someone who is very fast and very good at defense, the Ultra might be worth it because he is lacking a bit in the offense side, but the sacrifice in racket defense is offset by his latent huge defensive ability. So keep in mind the kind of player you are when reading my views on the rackets.

I have my new PP10000 all strung up and waiting to be unleashed, I'll post added thoughts later.

 

Also, thanks for all the compliments, I really don't deserve them.

 

Apparently your (even balance) Carlton is rated a medium flex stiffness. What makes you so sure it's not the extra stiffness that makes you dislike the yonex you've tried?
ZELM 9990 is sold out as far as I know, as is the Ultra I, to make the choice a little easier . Not even sure how many Ultra II's there are left.

Oh yeah, the baseball thing in the other thread ... Maybe you should try out the ArcSaber 10 like Koen Ridder.

 

Yes the whole of the arcsaber series is a love-hate kind of series. Either it fits you like a glove or not at all. Except the Arc9

 

Maybe you just didn't like it at that tension, could be plenty of reasons. 9.5 kg isn't exactly high, maybe the Arc10 had a much higher tension or a uselessly low one. Like they say in the other thread you could try a higher tension first. Is cheaper than a new racket as well.
As for Panda Power Ultra versus ZELM: which Ultra? I will finally give the ZELM 10000 a go next week. Haven't been able to put the Panda Trinity I down and need a thinner grip for my 9990 and give it another go (I can see though why there was a demand for a stiffer version).
Also when reading Panda reviews you might want to enquire what the exact balance point and weight was since they have a fairly large range, especially for the 1st gen's.
Compared to Yonex though the price for these two brands won't exactly burn a hole in your pocket so doesn't hurt to try it no matter what.