Thanks for the review Paul. I couldn't help noticing though that you compared the z-speed smash power to "Mark's racket" but never mentioned what racket that actually is. Since most of the information listed about smashing is a comparison to this other racket, I'm not really sure what to make of it. Obviously that section would mean something completely different if say Mark's racket were a 4u Nanoray or if it were a 3u Z-Force. I am sure there is some polite reason you left the name of the racket out, but I'm sure more than a few of us are curious what that racket might be since a comparison to an unnamed racket is pretty ambiguous.
A a few things I forgot to mention Although the racket is considerably lighter and easier to handle than my previous ones, it seems to take more toll on me. During the actual game it is fine, but after I paused or break, I suddenly feel exhausted very quickly. Instead of previously being able to play 2-3 hours of medium/fast-speed sessions easily, I now can barely get through 1/1.5 hours. Guess I will have to train more with the racket and become fitter physically and the effect should reduce. Again, this shows that the Z-Speed does take quite a long time to get used to. Even though I can now hit the shuttle consistently, I still cannot aim properly for the sweet-spot for smash and the power and speed varies quite a lot, depending on where you hit it.
After reading through review of this NR-ZSP I think I will not proceed to buy it. Been using 4U VTZF for almost 2 yrs now and really love this racket. Just thinking to change racket since my ZF encounter many clashes (only 1 major paint chip as result). Maybe try to find any VTZF LTD available in store
It is not an easy racket to play with. Requires focus and discipline. The end result is rewarding if one can play it well. Head frame speed no doubt is fast but timing it for a clean shot when under pressure is tricky. Contact point is crucial to generate the right amount of power and control. Personally feel this racket suits single play more than double. There are better choices out there for speedy double games. My 2 cents having said that i'm still having a lot of fun with it especially on defense. Just the arm felt extremely tired after 2 hours game hahaha.
Personally feel that playing with a racket for 2-3 hrs shouldn't tire ur hand that much. Imagine how would it feel the next day... I would normally give myself 10-12 hrs of testing a new racket to determine whether it*suits me or not. Anymore than that will b a waste of time as I want to have fun while playing comfortably with what suits me. Not the other way round. As many badmtn sages have commented here in BC, there is just too much ego n too much $ chasing around the latest high-end rackets which probably only suit*the top 5-10% of the recreational players here (nope...me not in there...yet). Just my thoughts...
It's definitely a challenging racquet to use. I find I've been using mine less and less since I picked up my Gosen Ryoga Shiden and Li Ning N90. Still fun to pull it out for a short 15 minute session here and there to see just how much my technique's improved.
I would've loved to keep mine just for novelty purposes but I couldn't justify such an expensive racquet collecting dust in my bag. As it is still a hot commodity currently, I decided to sell it and recover some money for another racquet!
that's true but i'll probably wait till another guinness record holder has risen. It's probably going to be the Z-apocalypse
I'm also new to the badminton forum and would like to add my experience with the Nanoray Z-Speed to the forum. I have been playing badminton as a regular recreational player for the past two years and mainly playing in doubles. I have been using the Z-Speed racquet for past three months and was quite happy with it coming from Yonex Carbonex, NanoSpeed, ArcSaber and Armortec line. This head-heavy Z-Speed racquet (3UG5) was strung with BG80 with 26 LB tension and my first impression was the astounding power of smash, ease of effortless clear and drop. Though the head of the racquet is relatively smaller compared to standard isometric head, defense did require extra effort but can be adjusted accordingly overtime. Compared to ArcSaber Z-Slash, Z-Speed, to me, does not suffer from timing issue. In my opinion this racquet excels in attacking than defensing. I do agree with majority of the forum that this is a head-heavy racquet and does belong to Voltric line than Nanoray line. To maintain the playability or the attributes of the Z-Speed, I would recommend restringing as soon as the string begins to weaken. Overall, I'm quite happy with Z-Speed and does work well for me.
Well well well.... Sunrise Click is now having a sale on the Z Speed. .. 570 without string, and 605 with. Not just any string though... its the JP version.
yes its a lot less numbed compared to the 3u counterpart. the wet weight of my racquets.. you wont wanna know man.. its ridiculous. i needed a g4 but since it was a g5 i had two overgrips over the stock grip to get it to size. as such the wet weight now is 109 grams. headweight by visor's method is 45.4g on the other hand, after toying with it for more than a month now (about 7-8 sessions) i figured one thing, you will only benefit from the NRZsP if you can get the upper half of the frame to "flex" or to "snap", that is the reason why they had that interesting flex zone on the frame. as such for most regular hitting styles, the nrzsp wont work. you know the "feeling" when you try to hit the string bed against the lower part of your palm just to hear the pitch of the string bed? if you can incorporate that when hitting a shuttle, then you will start seeing benefits of the nrZSP. the overall swing feel of the racquet still feels rather speedy (the only NR trait present) despite the balance and the headweight, but the only avenue where it had failed, was the requirement for one to change and adapt to it. definitely not for everyone, but if you are willing to commit to it for a period of time, there can be possibly good returns.
Why so complicated? For me is a matter to get use to it, just like I got use to Zslash. Just buy and whack it hard...
4-5 sessions (2hrs each). but it still depends on individuals, could be faster/slower for some. its not something that is "pick from store" and allow one to use it to its maximum potential immediately. the structure and design is different.
That's bout 8-10 hrs...time which could have been spent in a better way. The racket should suit the master not the other way round. If after 1-2 sessions, I don't feel the racket bonding with me then it's just not meant to b...
a matter of preference. 8-10 hours is nothing. there's just so many ways a "standard" racquet can be made. if there are no extreme designs, there wont be any "new" achievements. its like being a good badminton player, you need to combine both training and racquet at 50% contribution each. one cannot expect not to change, and keep doing the same thing all over, making the same moves etc, ahd hope that one day.. bam!, that he will achieve something extraordinary.. one has to go beyond the comfort zone to be able to have the chance to improve, that is if he/she is interested in taking the sport to that level.
Let me get this straight: . Spent $$$ to get hi-tech racket . Expect new tech to contribute 50% . Spent 10 hrs to adapt Errr...don't believe any of the above : )
that's small $$? dont make it sound like a car or home mortgage. its just a toy. and you probably need to brush up on your interpretation skills. the implication of the previous post suggests the necessity to combine both training and racquet choice/preference at equal contributions simple experiment. there are some of those wierd quirks that tout that "racquet doesnt matter" and all that, and then they seem so selective about what they use and the weight class. when offered a headheavy 3U/2U, they comment in the local form of english : "wah, like this how to play? so heavy how to defend?".. so much so for "racquet doesnt matter". if you are given a new tool to do something, and if you wish to make the best out of it, dont be lazy and work on it.
