Yonex Voltric 80 ( VT80 )

[jasonkok7]

if im not mistaken, and if i do pls forgive me, this is also the first time he has beaten LD in straight games apart for the swiss open in 2009.

He did win in straight sets also I think in the Thomas Cup 2008 match

[drew tze en]

love the color way....yellow and yellow jersey! Malaysia Boleh haha

I was cheering Lee Chong Wei on !!
It was good that he won.
I would buy those shoes but then I'll need to buy a new set of badminton clothes.
I wear black and red clothes you see it wouldn't match.

[drew tze en]

Lee Chong Wei the Champion of All England MS using Voltric 80

Mathias Boe ---> Voltric 80
Carsten Mogensen ---> Voltric 70
and they are winner of All England MD

that's the best advertisement for Yonex
I really think that the sales will go up significantly

At the tournament
Lots of people were curious to know what racket Lee Chong Wei was using and I saw quite a few people buying the Voltric 80 although it is very expensive £190

[lordisis]

He did win in straight sets also I think in the Thomas Cup 2008 match

yes, thank u for that. he did win in straight sets, the one held in indonesia.

[Babyface]

lol...im sure the switch wasn't as "suddenly" as u described. im not discrediting LCW of his skills and composure for winning against LD yesterday. what i was trying to point out is he has never won as comprehensively as he did against LD as he did last night. he was dictating the pace and direction of most of the game. if im not mistaken, and if i do pls forgive me, this is also the first time he has beaten LD in straight games apart for the swiss open in 2009.

surely the new racket did something for him. some say that its an endorsement effort because of contractual obligations, i guess its at least worth it cause it landed him the title. all said and done if in the next open he opts to to go back to AT900P then mayb the racket didn't really matter...

Apologies mate, didnt mean to come across like that... i know what you meant... what i find funny, and this includes me when i started to play and was searching for a racket a couple of years ago, on how people think a racket can change a players stroke instantly, and make them play better.
LCW was awesome last night and he most probably is very comfortable with his new weapon.

[Jonster]

At the tournament
Lots of people were curious to know what racket Lee Chong Wei was using and I saw quite a few people buying the Voltric 80 although it is very expensive £190

What is funny is that, that is the normal price in Ontario, Canada. Well, I suppose I can only speak for Southern Ontario. Although I do know a place to get it for £157. Anything cheaper you pretty much have to ship it from elsewhere.

I need a decent review to know if I should pick one up D:<

[Babyface]

I was cheering Lee Chong Wei on !!
It was good that he won.
I would buy those shoes but then I'll need to buy a new set of badminton clothes.
I wear black and red clothes you see it wouldn't match.

lol.. i bought those yellow shoes and used them today and they are very comfortable. i also wear red and black lol.. doesnt bother me..

[drew tze en]

lol.. i bought those yellow shoes and used them today and they are very comfortable. i also wear red and black lol.. doesnt bother me..

haha!!
I bought the Yonex SHB-85EX

[Babyface]

nice.. the 92s have a little more support than the 85 (FYI) but regardless, 85s are really nice shoes.
you have a go at the smashing speed gun?

[drew tze en]

nice.. the 92s have a little more support than the 85 (FYI) but regardless, 85s are really nice shoes.
you have a go at the smashing speed gun?

I wanted to !
But I don't think im strong enough
If I go next year Ill try it so this year i can practice.
did you ?

[drew tze en]

you have a go at the smashing speed gun?

If Tan Boon Heong had a go no one will bet it

[Babyface]

lol... Fu would of won it lol...
TBH, the numbers were low, but considering the racket given, the area in which you had to hit the shuttle, and the plastic shuttles, nathan robertsons 101 mph was understandable .. i saw a lot of people/kids, getting there badminton shoes out just to smash lol

[drew tze en]

lol... Fu would of won it lol...
TBH, the numbers were low, but considering the racket given, the area in which you had to hit the shuttle, and the plastic shuttles, nathan robertsons 101 mph was understandable .. i saw a lot of people/kids, getting there badminton shoes out just to smash lol

haha I saw that too !!
What was the highest you got ?
I didn't like how the people were serving the shuttle, how can you smash if the shuttle is too far back and there is a door behind you ?
You will break the racket.
Do you do jump smashes ?

[Babyface]

i can do jump smashes.. but i didnt... had boots on.. and wasnt wearing the appropriate clothing lol.. i got 109 mph
the shuttle feeding was bad.. but like i said, it wasnt the ideal place to be testing..

[drew tze en]

i can do jump smashes.. but i didnt... had boots on.. and wasnt wearing the appropriate clothing lol.. i got 109 mph
the shuttle feeding was bad.. but like i said, it wasnt the ideal place to be testing..

I know !!
That is good you got more then Nathan Robertson haha
I was wearing jeans !! I can't jump smash with jeans but im still good doing a normal smash.

[kwun]

so here is my review on the VT80.

In a gist. the VT80 is the AT900Power done right.

Having used it for around 3 days in both games and practice, i have identified which racket it is closest to, and it is the AT900P. which many would then ask, does that make it difficult to use for most people? and the answer is, yes. but not totally, and that's where the "done right" part comes from.

The demo racket i got from SynergyBadminton.com was strung with BG66UM@26lbs on a ES5Pro.

The VT80 is a head heavy racket with a BP of around 305. at the same time it was fitted with a super slim, 6.8mm shaft which it claims to be stiff. despite the 4U weight, the head heaviness makes it a medium speed, but not a fast racket. on the hand, it feel weighty with the balance.

VT80 is a racket that has good solid repulsion. drives with it is a pleasure. super stable racket face combined with a lively shaft give it very good drive control at drill speed. a tightening with the finger and the shuttle goes fast and tight across the net. torsional stability is well controlled and as a result, control is very good.

The racket start to give trouble when speed goes up. it requires strong wrist and finger and solid technique to propel the racket faster and faster. after a long fast drive drill i cannot help but to feel a bit fatigue on the forearm.

The natural speed of the racket is not great. Unless you have very fast stroke and powerful fingers, you will likely feel that you are getting slowed down by it.

Dampening is a tad bit too much to my taste. even though the shuttlecock bounces off fast with the lively shaft, the resulting feedback is dull and dampened. for someone who prefers more feedback and used to racket with more feel, that took me a while to get used to. it was as if the shuttle went off without letting me know it did! that makes touch shots like net shots and placement in mixed doubles a bit more time to get right. and that’s why it took me long to really get the feel of it.

The combined head heaviness and stiffness of the racket really shows when hitting overhead shots. it take that little bit more effort to propel the VT80 and that bit extra effort for it to feel alive. but when one puts in the effort, it rewards back with a extra omph that feels good. this unfortunately makes it the most unsuitable racket for beginners and maybe even the weaker of intermediate players.

Smashing is really quite good with the VT80 as one would expect. this racket likes to be hit hard and harder. the harder you hit it, the better it feels. clears are the same, requires a high entry fee but the payback is a shuttlecock that goes deep and high into enemy territory.

Drop shots are ok but falls into the same issue with touch shots. the feedback is slightly more dampened and harder to judge and adjust strength.

Defense is a dilemma. the liveliness means that when one has enough time to swing the racket fast enough on incoming smash, it will happily bounce the shuttlecock high and deep. but the issues it that the racket has a lot of angular momentum and is slow to swing. only strong defender will be able to take advantage of it.

The liveliness and stability and power hungry nature of the VT80 is why i say this racket is the AT900P done right. AT900P is also heavy and head heavy balance but the draw back is the racket isn’t very lively which makes it hard to use for most people. the VT80 fixes that. like the AT900P, the Voltric 80 is still a power and hard hitter racket with the added spice of a solid and lively response and good racket stability.

Overall though, the VT80 is still a racket for strong intermediate and advance badminton players. Beginners really shouldn’t get anywhere near this racket as it is too demanding. but for stronger player, esp one who like to smash super hard, you might want to give the Voltric 80 a look.

[kwun]

and after i wrote that, i realize that, hey, who was the player who used to use the AT900Power, and just this weekend won the AE with the VT80???

Lee Chong Wei.