IMO, both 3u and 4u are OK for doubles. 3u : Hammer with more than OK defence. 4u: Fast racket with decent power. If you are a hard hitter using 3u in the game, you can still have OK defence. Though you may not be able to catch every chance of interception. The frame stability of 3u model is excellent. It's typical rear court hammer. The frame is strong and bouncy. You can easily defend with a lift. Due to the weight in the head, 3u model is not as maneuver as an extension of your arm. Doing all the trick shots in the game might not be easy with 3u model. using 4u in a doubles game is typical like all those fast rackets. ie. NS9900 NR800 FB ... etc. the edge is that ZF2 4u has similar power of 4u AT900P. While ZF2 4u has more speed than 4u AT900P, the frame is not as stable as AT900P. in term of frame stability, I can only give ZF2 4u 3.5/5. It's good but not outstanding. While the 4u model is quite maneuver and precise, you will need to put some more strength in your clears. (typical for fast rackets)
So I'm right to say we are only getting the 3u version like the original z force? If that's the case I think I need to find a friend going to hk to pick up a 4u z force 2 for me. But from what people I've read so far, the 3u z force 2 is as good as the original 4u z force for doubles. Decisions do I get both 3u and 4u or just stick with the 4u? Mmmmmmm..........
I put an order through for a 3u zforce II after reading the same thing P2user. Been using a 4u zforce Ltd as of late so there is less adapting to do (hopefully anyway.) Will keep you posted on how it goes.
well zf2 is definitely less head-heavy than vt80 or vtzf, but it's still a pretty head-heavy beast and in my opinion 3U for doubles is not the best choice. it may be ok in defence but speed suffers a bit in fast flat and quick interceptions.
Flat attacks/drives and dog fights in the mid court seems to be rather weak for 3U zf2. 4U is likely the obvious choice for doubles.
Going by this, I should be fine with the 3u Z Force 2. I didn't really suffer with the 3u Vt80 in terms of flat plays or defense.
VTZF2 is more friendly user than ZSPEED, I just spent approx. 5 hours of play with ZSP, n i need more focus on my shot,, sighh
Actually, when I know that ZF1 going to launched back in 2012, i was training my hand using 160gram training racket, so, handling a 3U racket is not a problem to me, instead handling 6U racket give me a very very very bad timing issue.. Because of strong muscle at my shoulder and back, i didnt have any problems at all.. Instead, playing using ZSP gives me more trouble, sighh
The former VTZF I got was 4U and the frame was quite stable, trick shots weren't an issue and I only gave it away because I wanted to catch every interception possible in mens double. Solid racket that only really showed its downsides when you have to defend a midcourt smash or really fast drives. If you are a tad picky you might have felt a trace of shaft instability when hitting really hard. As awkward it sounds I liked that whippy feeling. You hit it hard, there is this solid bang and with a little placement most likely you have a winner. Yonex claimed the refresh would be a tad faster thus more powerful. I thought I'd go for a 4U again and get the extra speed I wished to have all the time. Now I have it and yeah, it's faster and maybe a slightly bit more powerful. I really have to say the stability is slightly sacrificed though and the weight distribution seems to be different... more balanced. Less weight is distributed at 12 o'clock. More power is accessible when you only have a little time or want to just whip&flick it but the head seems to have less weight that follows through your swing. In the end you end up using more wrist and less arm and shoulder. Furthermore that extraordinary solid feel of the predecessor's 4U version is reduced. I don't know how I should feel now. I really feel Evil Empire felt the need to make an advanced racket more accessible, easier to tame and less demanding so more people can wield it without having injuries or other issues. This isn't really a bad thing since advanced badminton develops into a really annoying "firce and fury flat/net play and no-lift" game. There is not that much strain on the wrist now and trick shots are easier to pull off. What really bugs me now is that the ZFII feels less solid, the frame less stable. The N90III is less speedy since the frame produces more drag, real power needs real work (since there is this aerodynamic issue) but it feels damn solid and stable. Lovely frame. This ZFII seems to be a blend of Z-Speed and ZF I. I'll play with my 4U ZFII for a few days and see whether I love the lessened drag more than the I hate the lessened stability. In the end I humbly say people who loved the ZF I 3U should hurry and buy a few more, ZF I 4U lovers might love the ZF II 3U and Z-Speed owners might take a look at this new toy (ZF II) in search of more power. Personally I appreciate the ZFII more than the Z-Speed but I would only recommend a former ZF I 4U user to get a ZF II 4U if the ZF I 4U put a tad too much strain on shoulder or wrist.
Well well, after all rubbish about being preyed upon and accused of paying over the odds just to have the latest goodies, the ZFII finally arrives on sale online for exactly as much as I paid at the ALL England tournament -- just like I said, didn't expect it to be much cheaper online. http://www.centralsports.co.uk/products/yonex-voltric-z-force-ii-badminton-racket
I have used both the NRZSP and the VTZFII, however I have only gotten the Z Force II for less than 2 weeks. I would say that the transition between the two is not that large. This is mostly due to the similar structure such as the smaller head shape and, at least from my perspective, a slightly elevated sweetspot. The only problem I found when first switching from the Z Speed to the Voltric was the difference in the balance point which initially cause slight mistiming and mishits but it eventually gets less noticeable after a few hours playing with it. In terms of performance, I would say the two are about equal. Though ZF II produce significantly more power in most types of shots, especially the smash, when compared to the ZSP, ZSP is slightly ahead in the defence department due to its faster swings, but that could just be me . In the end, I would at the moment have to say that both rackets are equally good although this may change once I have spent more time with the Z Force II.
This is my first review so do apologize in advance if i dont do it well I was a user of the z-force 1 ltd (4UG5) since the start of its release, that racket really performed for me better than any other ive had or tried, powerful, fast, agile for a head heavy racket of its kind. I play both singles and doubles. Now with a Z-force 2, ive opted to go for a 3UG5 because this currently z-force 2 is similar in weight when compared the 2, both strung and both gripped the same way to try to minimize the variables. On initial feel, the racket does remind me of my ZFltd, though i do feel that ZF2 has a heavier head weight than ZFltd. On initial testing with the racket, i couldnt bring much power out of the racket, it was really frustrating for me and i realized that this racket although is the same head heavy and very stiff shaft, it has a very different timing compared to ZF1ltd though im not sure how to exlpain it. 1 thing that i do notice was that the shaft was alot more whippy when compared with the older generation, feels something like the arc FB that i tried, maybe it was the nanometric material taken from FB that caused it to be whippy which meant a different timing for putting power into a shot though its pure guessing... at 1 point i wanted to go back to ZF1 because i thought i couldnt use it properly Luckily i didnt go back, and the more i use it, the better it became, the power just kept getting bigger and bigger (im talking about when i put a full power smash), it got to a point where it surpassed the power i got from zf1 and its still getting bigger...I feel that it has something to do with the extra whippiness im getting out of the shaft when compared to zf1 4U which contributes heavily to the powerinput, it is not as unstable as some put it but thats just my feeling. Also even though it was slightly head heavier, i am getting used to using it at the front court and mid court and im able to keep up wit the flat fast, sometimes being even faster. Defense wise i still need some time to pick up the pace but other than that, its quite fast for most shots on court for doubles, not to mention singles. Net wise because i string at 28x30lb i cant really put much difference between the 2 generations of zforce, although i do feel that the zf2 does have a more damped feel to it, but it isnt much of an issue for me. Also some people told me that my clears and lifts have a faster initial speed making it tougher for them to keep up but i dont know why it would be like that. anyway this racket does what it was meant to do, improve the z-force 1 , using a smaller head, more aerodynamic, making the shaft more whippy, they made it better, or atleast for me it does the job, im getting more and more addicted to this racket and would probably go for more in the 'near' furture
For those who wanna get ZF2, there is one thing I would like to share with you all. Choose your STRING wisely. I strongly believe that either you go for BG66UM for those who like bouncy string bed and BG80P for hard hitter. I had mine with 0.66mm string at 24lbs, I don't really feel the shaft of the racket is user-friendly. May be I have to go for a higher tension, but somehow ZF1 is still a better choice compare to ZF2. ZF2 is just faster and easier to use.
I think something got lost in translation. A racket can't be not user friendly and easier to use....and if the ZF2 is faster and easier to use, exactly what is the benefit of sticking with the ZF1??
