Victor Jetspeed Series

ZeroSOFInfinity · Feb 7, 2014

Maklike Tier said: ↑

All rounder rackets - most underrated type of racket ever.
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Sounds like the type of racket for me

Sgt_Strider · Feb 8, 2014

Ch1k0 said: ↑

Hohoho the postman visited me today View attachment 155415 View attachment 155416 View attachment 155417 View attachment 155418 View attachment 155419 View attachment 155420 View attachment 155421
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I don't know if Victor's VS850 comes in blue or not, but I think Yonex's BG80 comes in a baby blue colour. That should be a good match with the JS 8ST.

Ch1k0 · Feb 8, 2014

850 comes in blue but it's a darker blue more like the SW37's color

Sgt_Strider · Feb 8, 2014

Ch1k0 said: ↑

Compared the PS to the 11 and the ST to the blue 12 and blue 12KRP

The PS isn't as head heavy at the 11 but stiffer by a bit.

Honestly the ST feels a lot like the blue BS12 in terms of balance but stiffer. The 12KRP is much head heavier with a similar stiffness.
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Are you referring to the first generation BS12? A friend of mine have a blue BS12 and IIRC, that is the first gen and now the red BS12N is the second generation. Are there physical differences between first 1st and 2nd generation BS12?

When you say the ST is stiffer than the blue BS12, is it noticeably stiffer or it's ever so slightly stiffer?

Ch1k0 · Feb 8, 2014

I was referring to the first generation blue. Tbh with the multiple BS 12s and 12Ns I used to have. I could feel a noticeable difference in the head weight distribution between both. The 12 was more towards the t joint area while the 12Ns were all at the sides of the frame.

And I found the ST to be noticeably stiffer but not so much that it would be a big jump from the 12.

Sgt_Strider · Feb 8, 2014

Ch1k0 said: ↑

Alright. Review time. Had a 4 hour session today where the last 3 hours was pretty much play with only water breaks in between games so in the end I ended up playing 9 games in a row which translated to 3 full matches going the distance. Never had to play so hard and long before so suffice to say I'm pretty sure I put both JetSpeeds through their paces thoroughly enough.

Foreword:
For today's session I brought out only the JJS and both JS's. I'm honestly too lazy to bring out any other of my collection of BS and MX rackets So any comparisons to other rackets will all be from memory.

Design:
Honestly both the 8PS and 8ST are really really pretty rackets. I think the color choices are great and they really complement each other well. Some might find the silver areas on both rackets kind of bland but personally I think they're awesome. I really like the pattern on the shaft above the JETSPEED S wording as it feels futuristic to me. It's like Victor is trying to tell you they are always constantly trying to develop a great new racket for us fans to use in the future.

Now this I'm sure a lot would be glad to hear. The paint quality is superb. As much as it broke my heart my 8PS had its virgin clash in game. Upon inspection I could see the clash area had a small bit of paint damage and the frame does have a minute dent on the sharp edge but this is is no way as horrendous as clashing ANY brave sword. The paint held together really nicely and I only have a small little chip about 0.5mm wide and 3mm long. Fret not because the paint job won't fall off just by breathing on it! XD

Warming Up:
I started out with the JJS for the day to establish a baseline just to remind myself just how solid and accurate the JJS is for a stiff stick. Since it was a weekday game there were enough opportunities for me to be able to help others warm up so I got to rotate in the PS and ST.

Like anyone with a new racket, especially the fast frames that Victor is so famous for, I had timing issues from the get go even with my extensive experience using BS and MX rackets. Had trouble with finding the sweet spot more than getting the appropriate length on clears and defensive clears. Long shots were the only troublesome thing during warm up.

Also as I noted earlier in my first impressions, the tension on both rackets are lower than my JJS but they are at my lowest level of tolerance so I must stress that although it did affect my play at first it does not affect my overall game and review.

Warming up with the 8PS was pretty much really bland to be honest. The lower tension threw me off a bit. I was having trouble finding anything special about the racket aside from it being my exact ideal spec on paper.

Warming up with the 8ST however was more fun. The balance is really reminiscent of a 3U nanospeed 9900 to me which basically means it's the perfect balance I like for a head light racket. During warm ups I felt myself getting more in to the zone of your typical head light racket. The enhance speed on defensive shots and the better accuracy in shot placement just because you can get to the shuttle that fraction of a second earlier.

Game Time!:

8PS

Accuracy -
While the 8PS isn't the most accurate racket like say an MX80, it certainly isn't a slouch in that department either. I stand by my earlier first impression when I said I found it to be as stiff as the MX JJS. Combined with the even balance I had a good time pulling off most shots. Mistakes aside most of shots landed in the area I wanted them to. I could aim for the tram lines and expect the shuttle to land in a radius of about 5inches.

Drives -
Drives with this stick weren't really special. Pretty much you can expect similar reaction speeds if you use a BS12. The fast frame makes drives a breeze. You can add pace you can take off pace but don't expect to play a winner with it through drives like one could expect when using an MX80. It just isn't that explosive in these smaller wrist movement situations.

Net Shots -
I haven't really had much chance to really play net spinners with this yet though. Opposition was hard enough for me that I preferred to play safe and keep the rally going instead of trying to force the error in front. But the few net spinners I managed to play were decent but I need to get used to the lower tension to really try good ones.

Normal net shots to force the lift were fine I never really had to add any little extra power to get the shot over. All in all it's really what you can expect from an even balanced racket.

Clears -
Now in game clears were fun with this racket. I consistently got the shots to the back of the court except in the few situations where I took the shot really late and really far back in my own side of the court that the shots were easily intercepted at half to the back third of the court.

Drops -
My offensive play style doesn't usually include drops. I like to smash to force the short return for the front man but today's opposition forced me to really have to dig deep to play deceptive drops which I'm not so comfortable with.

Drops with this racket are good. Above average affair for me. The even balance and stiff combo start to shine a bit here. It allowed me to add or take off pace on my drops shots to keep my opponents guessing. Once again I'm not fully used to this racket so I didn't dare to play really good sharp drops that are really close to the net. But most of the time I got good angles that my opponents couldn't push back and had to lift.

Smashes -
Offence is where I find this racket really shines. I found it very comfortable to keep hitting shuttles down hard and repeatedly. For me the best part of this racket in smashing was that I could vary the smash pace very easily. I could just take off a fraction of the power in a full swing to get a shorter lift before I hit as hard as I could to get a winner or give my partner in front the chance to kill it.

Sure it doesn't hit as hard overall as the JJS but it was consistent. I could keep the power and accuracy going enough to be able to change targets on my shots. I think the new frame is exactly what I myself and others foundd the BS lacking in. Sting. The new aero sword frame although is slightly slower is also beefier. I found that I had far more consistent power in my smashing than what I had in my former go to which is the BS 12 KRP or the normal blue.

Receiving flick serves with this was really fun. It was easy to jump back and just bring the shot down with a hard enough smash to force my opponents to play the flat defence more than lift to buy themselves time to square out.

Defence -
Defending with the 8PS is solid. Fast frame, even balance and stiff. It was easy to return most smashes all the way to the back without wasting too much energy. It was easy enough to change the direction during the smash return to aim for empty spaces at the back to gain the attack.

Blocks with this I found somewhat hard to control though. I wasn't getting the heights I wanted. Kept blocking just slightly too high for it to be effective. But all in all this racket is definitely above average in the defence department. I never felt myself really wanting on the length of returns and lifts unless I reacted far too slow or got played too far out of position.

8ST

Accuracy -
The shaft on the 8ST is softer than the 8PS but the difference isn't very big. It's really just slightly softer. Honestly I don't think many will really feel it much because the different balance changes your play style slightly to adjust for the extra speed.

That being said it still is a stiff racket. Although on the lower end of stiff. I thought it felt stiff like the BS LYD but didn't have the annoyingly long whippy shaft that I so hated about the LYD.

This racket I found to be quite accurate. With this baby I found myself being more daring than with the 8PS. I constantly pushed for the lines more often and found them more often.

Drives -
Driving with this was heaven. Just as fun for me as it was with the NS9900 and MX80. Only downside is that as fast as you can go in drives, this racket will not give you the real ability to add in more pace into your return drive. This racket to me is more for those who like to find openings to counter attack. You keep up the fast furious flat exchange without expending much energy and then you suddenly change the pace drastically or change directions.

Net Shots -
So. Much. Fun. This racket just made net shots in general so much fun. I didn't pull off many net spinners but just a simple net shot alone with this was really easy. I didn't have to add in any extra force to get the desired height on my shots. Cross courts were easier to pull off at the last moment. I could hold my shot for longer before playing it.

The head light balance just made me want to try play at the net a little more even though it isn't my more natural environment on the court. Being at the front with this really makes you want to try and intercept every shot possible with it. And when you do intercept and manage to push the shuttle in a downward direction, it is really only a matter of time before you make it land on the floor.

While even at the front court the head light balance makes the 8ST lack in raw penetration, it more than makes up for it with a great recovery time and superb accuracy. I found myself intercepting shots that within 3 strokes I would get the shuttle on the floor with the last shot being a drastic angle change by just clipping the shuttle to the floor in front of my opponents with great speed.

Clears -
Clearing in game was what really gave me a surprise. Be it a fresh shuttle or used shuttle I think for one or two of the 9 back to back games I played. I lost 10 point simply because I cleared all the way out by a foot to a foot and a half. Even on underhand defensive clears I kept finding the outside of the lines without using much force at all.

Drops -
Deceptive drops with this racket are really recommended. I caught my opponents several times doing that with this racket that I couldn't pull off with the 8PS and JJS. The lighter head just made it so much easier to control the pace. You can really feel with this that at the last moment you stop the smash motion to push the shuttle instead of blast it downwards. I can't comment so much on drop height and accuracy as I played more safe drops as I'm still not confident enough with this racket.

Smashes -
This was the part that surprised me. I thought that maybe since even though it had a similar balance feel to the NS9900 but with a softer shaft it probably wouldn't be able to produce as much speed in a smash. Boy was I wrong.

Sure, no matter what a head light racket will probably never be able to match the JJS in sheer power and speed in a smash especially the big power plays. But you recover so quick you can just keep hitting the shuttle down over and over again and you're more accurate in your smashes too. I actually found myself hitting more winners with this than the 8PS.

I don't want to compare it to the JJS as when I use my JJS I play a slightly different game which plays towards the JJS's strengths and that can't be applied the the 8ST. I will only say with the JJS I don't try to hit as many winners but I try to force short lifts for my partner in front.

I find that the most effective way to smash with the 8ST is to keep changing your target. It may not be a really powerful smash but it does have speed.

Defence -
Defence with this was a total breeze. Returning smashes with this actually made me feel bored hehe I don't remember once when I actually took a smash too late e.g. when the shuttle is parallel to you at the side.

This thing gives you some serious enhancement on your reflexes even if you normally use even balanced rackets (like me). Well placed attack from my opponents, like shots to my shoulders I found myself being able to return. If I wasn't able to return them flat to the mid court I was almost always able to at least block the shots to the net area and they were really tight and close to the net which meant my opponents couldn't kill it and were forced to net instead.

Conclusion:
Both the 8PS and 8ST are fantastic rackets. But the one for me that really stood out is the 8ST. The 8PS although great and does everything above average, it just may not be what you might expect.

Also I found that contrary to my earlier first impressions, the new aero sword frame swings faster than the octable but slower than the sword frame. I guess that dang shark tec actually works..

If I were to recommend either racket as upgrade options I would say all rounded players who use the BS 11 and 12 should give the 8PS a shot. It may not feel as head heavy as the 11 but it certainly doesn't have a shaft that is as whippy and you may just find yourself appreciating it more. 12 users who want a power upgrade can definitely look to this. Similar balance but stiffer shaft will surprise you if you let it.

It may sound strange but I would actually recommend the 8ST for BS 12 users as well. Especially the ones who use the blue one and like that weight near the T joint feel. NS9900 users who are perhaps looking at trying out a Victor racket I would suggest you try this as well. It may not be as stiff but it certainly is more forgiving while still retaining the benefits you find in the 9900. I was really hoping that the 8ST would at least be similar to the 9900 in most departments but the overall power and I wasn't disappointed at all.

Any questions do fire away. I'll try to answer them but...I think you'll be bored of reading the whole wall of text anyway
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I notice that you used the word may at the end. Do you have a NS9900 with you? Can you say with absolute confidence that the 8ST is less stiff than the NS9900? I would like a bit more details about this comparison. I felt the NS9900 was a tad too stiff for me.

Sgt_Strider · Feb 8, 2014

Ch1k0 said: ↑

850 comes in blue but it's a darker blue more like the SW37's color
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I just found some pictures and you're right, it's a dark blue colour. Do you think the dark blue VS850 matches the 8ST well?

Ch1k0 · Feb 8, 2014

Yes I do have a 9900 which I keep as a collection piece now. The 8ST is definitely less stiff.

Ch1k0 · Feb 8, 2014

Nah. In my experience and seeing blue 850 up close..I really don't think it matches any rackets at all...the blue is just top dark for anything..

Sgt_Strider · Feb 8, 2014

Ch1k0 said: ↑

I was referring to the first generation blue. Tbh with the multiple BS 12s and 12Ns I used to have. I could feel a noticeable difference in the head weight distribution between both. The 12 was more towards the t joint area while the 12Ns were all at the sides of the frame.

And I found the ST to be noticeably stiffer but not so much that it would be a big jump from the 12.
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Noticeably stiffer? So it's not something that any player not notice if they were to use both the BS12 and the 8ST? That may be a deal breaker for me.

Ch1k0 · Feb 8, 2014

Yes noticeably stiffer. But to me it was a very comfortable level of stiffness. I didn't think it was harsh at all. But then again I have at one point used the SW 35 and MX 80 as a secondary to my former go to rackets which were the BS 09 and 12.

Sgt_Strider · Feb 8, 2014

Ch1k0 said: ↑

Nah. In my experience and seeing blue 850 up close..I really don't think it matches any rackets at all...the blue is just top dark for anything..
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In your opinion, what colour string and grip goes well with the 8ST?

I'm probably going to give another week or two before I make a final decision. I could probably use a few more reviews to help guide my purchasing decision. I'm leaning on picking up both the BS12 (tried a friend's racket and it have piqued my interest) and the 8ST.

Sgt_Strider · Feb 8, 2014

Ch1k0 said: ↑

Yes noticeably stiffer. But to me it was a very comfortable level of stiffness. I didn't think it was harsh at all. But then again I have at one point used the SW 35 and MX 80 as a secondary to my former go to rackets which were the BS 09 and 12.
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Have you tried any other Yonex racket? Besides the NS9900, can you think of any other Yonex racket that is about as stiff as the 8ST? I don't have much experience with Victor rackets so I'm trying to get an accurate idea of the stiffness of the 8ST. Please bear with me!

Sgt_Strider · Feb 8, 2014

Maklike Tier said: ↑

Because I'm slow, can we just refer to them and "the orange one" and "the blue one"? I still can't remember which is the ST and which is the PS. Haha
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Maybe I'm getting old, but I was getting confused too. Victor's naming scheme is a bit weird. Not that Yonex is any better...

Sgt_Strider · Feb 8, 2014

visor said: ↑

Just received the 8PS. Interestingly on dry swings, quite stiff yet has a slight flex to it. As Ch1k0 puts it, slightly stiffer and less head wt than the LYD or 11.

Coincidentally, compared to my 4U JJS and my go to XP70, 8PS is in between them in stiffness and head wt. Will weigh and bp it when I get home later. Will play with it tomorrow and post my impressions then.
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lol! I was hoping you would order both the 8PS and 8ST.

visor · Feb 8, 2014

Jetspeed 8PS (orange) review

After 2 solid hours of playing with it solely, here's my review.

In a few words... Wow! Love it! I've found my new go-to racket!

But if you want to read more, let me first back up a bit...

I play MD with feather birds, at high intermediate level with a technical counter attacking style. Preferring to out maneuver the opponents with tactical placement and accuracy over raw power, I get more satisfaction winning points from soft shots like pushes and net plays, but of course when it's time for a mid court kill...

Specs of my current favourite rackets.
As luck would have it, the head wts are quite similar.

[TABLE="class: grid, width: 500, align: left"]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Weight[/TD]
[TD]Head wt[/TD]
[TD]BP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]8PS (3U) dry
w/ G10 and ZM62@21x23lbs[/TD]
[TD]85.3g
94.6g[/TD]
[TD]37.5g
40.9g[/TD]
[TD]297mm
292mm[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]XP70 (4U) dry
w/ G10 and ZM62@21x23lbs[/TD]
[TD]83.9g
93.2g[/TD]
[TD]37.6g
41.0g[/TD]
[TD]300mm
295mm[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MXJJS (4U) dry
w/ G10 and ZM62@21x23lbs[/TD]
[TD]84.6g
93.9g[/TD]
[TD]37.5g
40.9g[/TD]
[TD]298mm
293mm[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Frame design:
Aero sword is very very similar to the XP70. Except for the slight pinching in at 11 and 1 on the XP70, cross section and frame edge are very similar. Even the swishing sound they make as they cut thru the air are similar. However BS is slightly faster.
Speed thru the air: BS>JS>MX

As a result of the frame design, JS feels less solid on strike than MX, but slightly more solid than BS. So this is how I rate the
Meatiness on shuttle strike: MX>JS>BS

Specs comparison:
Definitely noticeably flexier than JJS, perhaps even a smidge flexier than XP70. What's most noticeable is that it's slightly whippy. I've hit with BS10, 11, 12, LYD before, so I can easily say that it's not as whippy as 11, 12, nor LYD, but it's whippier than 10. Not as head heavy as 11 or LYD, but head heavier than 10 and 12. Quite similar to MX60, but much faster and slightly stiffer with less whip.

Playing time:
The slightly whippy shaft with slight head heaviness and fast frame is a very nice combination by Victor, making it very incredibly easy to use. Very easy to generate power.

Clears: With a whipping style, this racket is incredibly easy to play lifts and clears, forehands and especially backhands baseline to baseline. Backhand clear is the gold standard test for me to see if a racket is too stiff for me (that I don't get enough power and length), and the PS aces this test with flying colours. I repeat, it is very easy to generate power from this racket. Too easy, in fact, so much so that I had to hold back some power to avoid hitting out. JJS and MX80 for example fail this for me due to it's rather stiff shaft.

Drives: This is the gold standard test for me to see if a racket is stiff and stable enough for me (for accuracy playing power shots very close to the tape), and the PS just passes this test. For me, I notice care must be taken to not input too much power into the shaft, otherwise it'll lose accuracy from overbending and head lag. Previously finding the 11 and 12 too flexy, I'm glad I didn't order the ST, as I know I'll overcome the shaft too easily. JJS and MX80 for example aces this due to it's pretty stiff shaft.

Smashes: Again, instead of powering down from the shoulder, this racket can get some really steep angles and powerful smashes, if I remembered to incorporate a whipping action. Quite accurate unless I go for a 110% kill smash, in which case I mistime it either due to head lag or the fast frame speed. Will need more time to adapt to this. More powerful than 12 and XP70, but ultimate power goes to JJS.

Defence: Not as ultimately as maneuverable as my XP70, but still quite fast in counter attacking drives or smashes. With a lazy wrist flick, easy to lift to baseline all day and accurate in keeping inside the side lines.

Feel: Like the JJS, slightly number than XP70. Needs more attention when playing drops, touch and net shots. But then not as much vibration as XP70 if mishit off centre.

Summary:
In summary, a very nicely spec'd racket with a nicely synergistic combination of power and accuracy making it a very successful user friendly racket in the inaugural launch of JetSpeed, a new line of "Speed" series from Victor that is supposed to replace the BS line in the upcoming year.

Anyone wishing for a fast racket that is more stable less head heavy than 11 that can hit harder than the 12(old) but find the 10 too stiff, will love this racket. Count me as one of those.

I'm really looking forward to the next JS release (9 perhaps?), hoping for just a tad more stiffness. That would be just perfect for me. Meanwhile I'll have to increase my string tension by 1-2 lbs to compensate for the new found power and to improve feel and accuracy.

Attached is the racket chart for 2014 and 2013, so that you know where Victor places the JS8 PS and ST.

Maklike Tier · Feb 8, 2014

Good review mate, nice work.

ZeroSOFInfinity · Feb 8, 2014

Does anyone know which store in Malaysia is selling the rackets now? Might pay a visit to see the rackets and have a swing or 2....before deciding whether to buy

visor · Feb 8, 2014

ZeroSOFInfinity said: ↑

Does anyone know which store in Malaysia is selling the rackets now? Might pay a visit to see the rackets and have a swing or 2....before deciding whether to buy
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well... after Ch1k0 and my reviews, you have a general idea of the swing of both rackets relative to the others in the bs series

visor · Feb 8, 2014

what i don't understand though, is how victor rates the ps as balanced and st as head light, when in fact they are slightly head heavy and balanced respectively...

Victor Jetspeed Series

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