New Victor Racquet - The Meteor X80 ( MX80 )

**j4ckie** · 09-04-2011, 12:56 PM

As I said, I'm gonna post a short review. I spent about 3 hours on Thursday and 1 on Friday playing and training with it.
Currently, I would say I'm an advanced player - able to stay in the game against state-level players (Lower Saxony, to be precise) in MS, although I only have a good chance of winning against high regional level players (one or two divisions lower).
In MD, I'd say I'm at a low state level, preferring to play at the front where I can use my reach and accuracy. When I'm at the back, I like to vary the pace a lot, using sliced fast drops or disguised drops when I feel I can't penetrate the defense with my smashes.
In XD, I'm probably on high regional/low state level - playing very tactical and accurate, and smashing only when I'm in position.

On to the review: I really like the design of the MX80. The graphics are very detailed, and the finish seems to be of good quality - no scratches or chips despite a few (light) clashes in the first match. What I like most is the woven carbon visible on the head.
It's a 3UG2, unfortunately - I was hoping they had a G3 version in stock, which is what Victor Germany usually provides. G2 means I had to apply overgrip on the wood before putting the towel grip on, which increased the weight a bit and lowered the BP. It now has roughly same BP as my BS10s, being about 2g heavier (110.8g).

First impressions on the court:
Warming up, I was surprised by how effortless clears seemed. I had feared it would be too stiff and the strings too tight (BG80@28lbs) to use comfortably, but the head weight makes it swing through rather nicely. However, this was just warm-up, meaning we were in comfortable position and under no pressure.

Drop shots were very controlled after a short adaption, and rather accurate. I was particularly impressed with the accuracy of my sliced drops, the head weight and stiff shaft are really noticeably here (in a good way). No instability, no unwanted movements of the racket head - this is where the racket shines for me.

Smashes were reasonable - timing was a bit off, as stiffness and balance are different from the BS10 and make for a rather different swing feel on fast shots. When I timed them right, they were very accurate and the racket felt very solid. The stiff shaft was noticeable again - they weren't as powerful as with any of my usual rackets, but the feeling on contact was so crisp and clear that it made up for it.

Drives were accurate and reasonably quick, but in comparison to the BS10 they took more effort and were slower. Players with a stronger wrist will get more power out of it, but it takes a rather quick swing and clean technique to get good results.

Defense was similar to drives - very high accuracy, but it took much more effort than with the BS10 to play a high defensive shot. Blocks to the net were delightfully accurate, though.

Game time!
Under a bit of pressure and still not used to the racket, it did not perform as well as during warm-up for me. Smashes were off, and drives lacked power. Around the net and back court, I felt rather comfortable, around mid-court, I did not.
Sliced drops were fantastic, as the stiff shaft and moderately head heavy balance provide high stability, which enabled me to change directions and angles very late without loosing control. When I had time, the smashes were good as well.

During the following games (more MD and one MS at last), I adapted more and more to the racket. Surprisingly, the backhand clears were rather long for my standards (baseline to baseline longline), and timed better than with the BS10. In MD, I got more power out of it, and felt more and more comfortable. Serves were very tight as well, although flick serves lacked length. One more aspect where the stiff shaft rears it's ugly head - but after Friday's training, they were better and starting to get back to the usual length.

In MS, the racket is nice for a very controlled, drop-based game. Smashes did not feel so great when I wasn't in perfect position, and lacked power. But drop shots and clears felt comfortable, and defense was just superb. Clears were not quite as effortless as during warm-up, but I was still able to get good length&height from most positions (backhand excluded - but this is not because of the racket^^).

In conclusion:
This racket is very controlled, but pretty demanding at the same time. Only advanced players will get the maximum out of it, and beginners should definitely stay away from it. It can pack quite a punch if used correctly, but it requires a very fast swing and good, clean technique to get a hard smash out of it. For sharp, quick drives, good timing and a strong wrist are essential.
I would say it is suited to advanced players who want high control and decent power&speed.

***kwun*** · 09-04-2011, 01:37 PM

thanks J4ckie for the "short" review!

**j4ckie** · 09-04-2011, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by kwun

thanks J4ckie for the "short" review!

Yeah....not really as short as I intended it to be^^ I just felt I could judge somewhat accurately after 2 days as it's somewhat similar to the BS10 (my current/previous go-to racket). I would be very interested in measuring smashing speed and/or filming some shots with a slow-mo cam as I THINK I bend the BS10 a lot more and get harder smashes out of it, but have no way to confirm that. I think a filming session is in order soon, that'll give me at least an indication.

**Maklike Tier** · 09-04-2011, 06:40 PM

Thanks for the review, Jackie.

It's strange - I find the MX80 easier to wind-up and do backhand clears easier than with the BS10. In fact, that was one of the big points that got me off the BS10 and onto the MX80.

Originally, I thought with the 80 hole system that I wouldn't have to drop the tension from what I normally ran, but after the VS850 dropped, I actually liked it more and more. This could imply that I've been running too high tensions initially, but my other rackets which I'd been running at 26lbs I play with just fine.

I think with super-stiff rackets, if you're not a complete pro, running them at slightly lower tensions than you'd normally run is a good idea. You get the torsional stability and directional stability that super stiff rackets give, with the forgiveness of having a more 'trampoline-y' string bed. I've found that I have just as much power, my transitional and deceptive shots are better, and my shoulder hasn't been as sore.

Win!

**j4ckie** · 09-04-2011, 07:09 PM

Originally Posted by Maklike Tier

Thanks for the review, Jackie.

It's strange - I find the MX80 easier to wind-up and do backhand clears easier than with the BS10. In fact, that was one of the big points that got me off the BS10 and onto the MX80.

Originally, I thought with the 80 hole system that I wouldn't have to drop the tension from what I normally ran, but after the VS850 dropped, I actually liked it more and more. This could imply that I've been running too high tensions initially, but my other rackets which I'd been running at 26lbs I play with just fine.

I think with super-stiff rackets, if you're not a complete pro, running them at slightly lower tensions than you'd normally run is a good idea. You get the torsional stability and directional stability that super stiff rackets give, with the forgiveness of having a more 'trampoline-y' string bed. I've found that I have just as much power, my transitional and deceptive shots are better, and my shoulder hasn't been as sore.

Win!

Backhand clears were also easier for me. Despite not being fully adapted to the racket, they were at least as long as with the BS10. I really really like the feeling of high tensions, so I'd rather not drop it to 27 or 26lbs. The 28lbs I currently use are very crisp, yet don't usually give me any arm pain.
I'll spend some more time on court with the MX on Monday and Tuesday, where I'll hopefully be able to get some filming done. I'm pretty interested to see whether there's a noticeable difference in smash speed between the BS and MX. Must be very obvious though, 50fps is not much for Badminton - I can usually not even see the shuttle on freeze-frames.
Anyway, if I can get some footage, I'll link it here =)

**57.Christ** · 09-05-2011, 12:43 AM

After reading half of this thread ( about 55 pages i think ), I think i'm becoming more and more interested in X80..

Could someone lives in Taiwan ( In Tainan/Kaoshiung preferably ) knows a good badminton shops with good badminton stringer also that sells this X80 on an affordable price? ( I read that u can get 3,500NT for this racket, but when i browse in the online store, the price is 4,200NT

)

Thanks in advance

**visor** · 09-05-2011, 01:26 AM

^^ Kaoshiung? Iirc Eric from RKEP on eBay is based there. Why don't you email him directly on his eBay store. He's very dependable and highly rated.

***kwun*** · 09-05-2011, 02:45 AM

can owners of MX80 share their experience with what strings they have tried to match with the MX80?

i have tried 2 different strings.

- VS850@25lbs. good feel, good power. but not excellent. tension loses fast.
- NBG98@29.5lbs. incredible power and sound. the crispness this combination produce when hit hard is second to none. i have never felt something like it, ever. however, the feel at touch shots is rather poor. dead. no feeling at all. makes it hard to do push and drives.

i am thinking maybe NBG98@28lbs to see if that improves.

or VS850@30lbs.

or may some other combo?

**Maklike Tier** · 09-05-2011, 03:09 AM

Umm......VS850 also at 25lbs. Same as you

Second one has ZM67 on it at 25lbs, but I've yet to use it because I got sick right before I was supposed to go have a hit with it!!
My plan is to give the ZM67 a fair shake, and if that doesn't work, go back to VS850 at a higher tension. Maybe not 30lbs, but something higher than 25

Just love the feel of the 850 so much, it's really hard to drop it completely.

**visor** · 09-05-2011, 03:09 AM

^^ kwun.... Just hybridize it!

.....my experice with zymax 67 is that it has excellent tension retention, pretty good power but no feel.

***kwun*** · 09-05-2011, 03:10 AM

i tried VS850 at 29.5lbs as well. excellent feel, but not as OMG!!!! as NBG98 when hit really hard.

**Maklike Tier** · 09-05-2011, 03:18 AM

Can't bring myself to use Nanogy. The NBG95 I used once was plain awful.....but I've heard the 98 is better.

So you'd recommend the VS850 at higher tension? How were your net / delicate / touchy-feely shots?

**Yoppy** · 09-05-2011, 04:38 AM

I would recommend VS800 ahead of VS850

**j4ckie** · 09-05-2011, 05:25 AM

Originally Posted by Maklike Tier

Can't bring myself to use Nanogy. The NBG95 I used once was plain awful.....but I've heard the 98 is better.

So you'd recommend the VS850 at higher tension? How were your net / delicate / touchy-feely shots?

NBG95 only works with 30+ for me, feels numb otherwise. The NBG98 is much better, try it with 26lbs...

@kwun: Have you tried the BG80 yet? I have my MX strung with 28lbs, and it feels nice & crisp to me. Haven't tried anything else, as I try to keep my go-to and backup rackets very consistent as the season is about to start.

**Brale90** · 09-05-2011, 06:02 AM

VS850@25lbs. good feel, good controll at the net, but not so powerfull
Bg 66 @26 lbs. also good feel but after 2 or 3 sessions its over, more power, good sound, feels a bit softer

In two weeks i can test bg 80. ( This week trainings camp, tournament )

Another point. After holidays i have really power problems... smashes are quite slow.
No problems with my nanospeed 9900 @ 26lbs. Hard to describe. I dont misshit but
i dont get the power out of my mx80.

**j4ckie** · 09-05-2011, 06:39 AM

Originally Posted by Brale90

VS850@25lbs. good feel, good controll at the net, but not so powerfull
Bg 66 @26 lbs. also good feel but after 2 or 3 sessions its over, more power, good sound, feels a bit softer

In two weeks i can test bg 80. ( This week trainings camp, tournament )

Another point. After holidays i have really power problems... smashes are quite slow.
No problems with my nanospeed 9900 @ 26lbs. Hard to describe. I dont misshit but
i dont get the power out of my mx80.

I would guess your swinging motion is just a bit slower than before, you probably didn't train much during the Holidays, right? Pronation could've gotten weaker...the MX is stiffer and head heavier than the NS, so it's harder to accelerate and bend. Just train with it and you'll get back to your usual power levels. Perhaps restring the VS850 one, the VS loses tension quite easily. BG80 plays similar and retains tension much better.