Legitmeister, no the 4U isn't bad for singles but in singles you might have some more time to prepare for your shots so you can get the heavier 3U racquet to do more of the work for you. Depends how good you are with your movement. If you're fast and can get beneath the shuttle quickly, go for the 3U since you're in a better position to play a powerful shot. I find the weight difference more noticeable between the 3U and 4U for the TK-9000. For other racquets I've tried, the difference isn't as great. I think it's because the TK-9000 is quite head heavy but regular flex which contributes to that bigger difference between the two versions. I do feel it in my shoulder after an hour with the 3U. The 4U is very comfortable to play with yet still powerful and is a fast racquet. The 4U TK-9000 is my best double's racquet that allows me to play for extended sessions.
Is the 4U a lot more faster/maneuverable without losing power? If I can get more speed without sacrificing too much power from 4U that would be great. I've demo-ed the 3U but have no comparison. I play competitive singles and want something fast and powerful, Goin from a 1st gen VTZF 3UG5 and wanted something less stiff
I used the VTZF 3UG5 and it was much too stiff for my liking. There is a lot of power in the TK-9000 and it's easily accessible in the 4U version so yes, it is faster and more maneuverable without that much loss of power. The 3U version requires me to be in top shape to get that extra power out of the 3U version. In saying that, on a social and recreational level, I use the 3U's to keep my wrist and arm trained and used to it for when I singles competitively. When I use the 4U for too long (2 weeks straight) I really feel the tiredness and weakness going up to the 3U.
Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm looking for a TK9000 to try so this was helpful to get me to try out the 4U before buying. One of the staff and the stringer tried to tell me to buy the 3U, and it just so happened that it was the only one in stock and the 4U already sold out lol.
I say go for the 4u. My friends have the 4u and I have the 3u. 3u is very hard to do drives and defense. 4u is not much weaker but more aerodynamic.
I did a few of Shin Baek Cheol's, and the 3U didn't seem that much more difficult to move around than the 4U. Should have taken one for a knock-up - he'd never have known! It's weird, because the 3U TK8000 is so slow... could be the 9000's shorter shaft keeping things tighter.
Do you think it might be because of the longer handle that you end up holding higher on the handle without noticing?
how significant is the difference in length of the shaft between the TK8000 and TK9000? I'm using the 4U TK8000 currently, and thinking of trying a TK9000.
About 5mm iirc. Head size is the same. But the nano fortify alone makes the shaft flex differently along with the shorter shaft and longer handle.
Been playing with tk9000 3u for a number of months now. Absolutely love it and i play it for both doubles and singles. With so much hype on the 4u, i decided to buy one give it a try. Both rackets are strung with the same string and tension 66ultimax at 28lbs. Honestly, the 4u is still a pretty decent racket that packs a punch but i still prefer the 3u as it juz gives tt little more power and tou it may be slightly (very slight if i may say) slower than the 4,u it didn't really affect my game that much in terms of defence and fast net exchanges. So i guess it really depends on your playing style. I like to play an aggressive game and wld lean more towards the 3u and it's really not as unwieldly as many tot compared to the 4u. The 3u is still very much my go to and i now contemplating of selling off the 4u
Which would you say has better smashes and defense, TK9000 4u or VT80 4u? Is it crisp and have good booms?
Oh...it's crispy alrite...but for the boom-boom sound, am afraid u'll have to make the sound manually coz it only emits firecracker noise... 8-p
Can someone give me a comparison between a 3u mx80 and the 4u TK9k? In terms of feel, control and power?
