It just seems to be the shaft wasn't strong enough .. I can see some layers of carbon in there and it doesn't look very solid
good luck and hope they take up us case, MW! btw, i like your grip pattern...close grooves at the bottom and wider where the fingers go... does it have any specific advantages?
Actually I started off putting it on closely spaced and then realized I was gonna run out of grip, hence the wide spacing towards the end. I would probably prefer having the thicker grip nearer to the top as that's where I hold it. It does make it nicer to hold .
a very nice racquet to use. my friend strung it up to 38x40lbs with bg65 on this racquet. the feeling is just superb and good control
can any guys comment on comparing this racket to Lethal90? is has the same frame and almost the same specs, as the performance is 5mm headheavier or so. But the L90 was a bit too light for me, it's so fast I couldnt time my shots normally.
Even though I have no experience with L90 so take what I say with a grain of salt. I think the biggest different between these two will be the stiffness. L90 will be stiff and the AVP is slightly less stiff. Even though I haven't strung mine up yet I can already tell this racket is going to be pretty damn fast swinging it. If quickness and lack of weight are the concern would L70 do the trick? 2 cents.
I have two rackets now, the AVP and theLethal 90 which is at 88-90g. I bought the AVP first and then the Lethal 90. The L90 feels a lot heavier than the AVP, head heavier too. Funny when the L90 is measured at 290mm bp and the AVP at 295mm bp. The L90 shaft is stiffer than the AVP, but its nowhere near as fast as the AVP. Shuttle control on the AVP is incredible, wherelse the L90 is a little better in the smashing department. If you dont like fast rackets, the AVP is not for you. It is so fast and precise it will shock you. Till this day, i havent played with a racket as precise as the AVP including Yonex's top of the range rackets. Also i find it easier to clear the shuttle with a backhand with the AVP. I think the newer tech on the AVP makes the racket handle the way it is. Its one of the best all round rackets i have tried and beats the legendary Tantrum 200/300 by quite a long shot.
Btw, you will get used to the timing... the shuttle was all over my stringbed when i started using the AVP. But of you get the sweet spot, you will be amazed by what a light racket can do. Not really light at 87g, but the speed of the racket makes you think it is.
ooh, that's good to hear. i wanted to try it, but i thought i'd try the finapi 8 first.... almost tempted now, once again haha
Zymax 65 at 26 pounds. I have to say this racket swings the fastest out of all the rackets Ive tried ever. I also tried a Yonex nanoray z speed, a z force, a nano 9900 and a LCW armortec racket tonight for a couple games and rallies. Also tried before that a Vt-70, Bravesword 10, a Muscle power 100 which I own and a Z slash just for reference. The AVP stiffness wise to me is slightly stiffer then the Z speed but less stiff then the Z force. I would say the stiffness with the AVP would be a stiff rating equivalent to yonex from what I have tried. For some reason Yonex I find the shafts on some of their rackets to be very bouncy. A quality which I love sometimes but for reference the AVP does not have that quality. The shaft of the AVP acted very similar to my MP100 but less stiff. The racket is pretty damn fast. I was returning shots I was not with my other rackets and with ease. The head weight you can slightly feel but is no where near overbearing like the ZF and the LCW armortec felt tonight. It felt like a Vt-70 in head weight. My friend tried it and also commented on how light is felt. I also gave him one of my rackets that was a 288 BP racket to play with then after told him they weighed around the same. To me the racket has a perfect weight and head weight and feels lighter then its weight. The feel of the racket is pretty nice. No where near as nice as the Z speed though. To me that just felt perfect. Crazy Solid feel. But very damped. Same with the nano9900. Touch shots with that are just rediculous with the nano9900. But the AVP still had a nice solid contact. It is easier to tell if you have hit it off center too just by gauging the feel. A lot of sigh moments just after I hit the racket knowing that it was not going to go far enough into the corners. Me being bad not the racket. Smashes I have no idea on this because with the 26 pound tension it just did not seem like I getting the big fat bombs that I usually do so for now I blame the string and me not the racket. Generally though I was getting good speeds though and shaft did not feel like it was lagging behind at all. Compared to the nano9900 though the AVP was clearly a better smashing racket. The best smashes I had were with the Z speed, and the Z force. But AVP was not far behind. String tensions for the Z speed were lower the 26 and bg 65 and the Z force was maybe a pound less and zymax 67 red for reference. Touch shots were much easier with the higher tension. It was also pretty bad how crappy I was tonight lol. Some of the rallies though my accuracy was dead on when I hit it properly. But one thing to note this racket does not twist almost at all on off center hits. Which I had a lot tonight lol. My energy levels just DROPPED during my second match for some reason. Very weird but to note when I picked up my other racket with BG85 at 21 pounds I had a better time of it. So new racket plus first time trying 26 pound tension = L2P ego deflating night lol. So to sum it all. A great all rounder racket that I do not think anyone in the intermediate and advanced range of players could find serious or any fault with other then it not being extra stiff yonex rating like the Z force. It does not do anything spectacularly but performed everything well tonight aside from me being me lol. So 4 out of 5 for me for a first impression but I have definitely noticed that only playing with a racket one night does not ever tell the whole story. For example the Z force felt noticeably stiffer and harder to lug around and hit then the other night I tried it. So 2 cents hope it helps And I like the string. Very crisp and pingy. I just think it at the moment is strung too tight for me.
have to agree with mr magic here. when i first tried avp i was hesitant but once avp is in my hands and started playing. i have not look back since. just bought another avp and for me it is really an all rounder racket whether for singles or doubles. it does nt disappoint. cheers
Because the AVP is such a fast racket, timing will be way off if you come from other rackets. In time you will self adjust and those smashes will improve over time. Apacs has done it again, creating a racket that is as good or better as Yonex's high end ones... its very hard to find a racket of this caliber anywhere else.
Yea I agree with you mark. I think everyone who will try the AVP will like it or love it and very few will not. The AVP will take some getting used to as I've been using rackets that are much slower and generally more heavy and always bg 65 at 20 pounds. Recently I got a cheaper racket with bg 85 at 22 pounds so the jump to 26 was definitely an eye opener. The quality is on par with everything else unless you love the feel of the racket damping of yonex rackets, extreme head heavies/headlights or ultra stiff/flexible shafts. It sits right in the middle. Even if I buy another racket this one will be a great backup in case strings break or someone else forgot their racket or something. But yea timing was an issue lol. I was always hitting the top part of the string bed when smashing it.
i may be getting mine in the next couple of days. the store guy said 'we're getting about 500 rackets early tomorrow' and i was like 'when do u want me here? i can be here by 2am? no? 3am? 5am and i can help you stock? won't work? fine, 7am' and finally he was like 'get here by noon, ill let you wade through the unsorted stock' minor win for me! but.... in the excitement i forgot to ask how many of them were apacs-es !
I finally bought my AVP yesterday at Permai Sports in JB, Malaysia. Strung with Zymax 65 at 28/30lbs. Cant wait to try this.
