I just strung it last couple days ago, then first time used was yesterday for 4 hours. Do you think how long would it take NBG98 to loosen the tension by 1~2Lbs? or is there any faster way to loosen the tension a bit?
Hitting your bent knee on the racquet sweet spot a few times should loosen the tension. I do that with tennis racquets as well.
I just have another 5 hour session with the VT80. Now Im used to it and I LOVE IT!!!!!! The smashes are nice and drives were fast drops were right at the spot and good control. Defense I don't find a problem. IMO I love it.
Played an hour with my 3UG5 VT80. All Mens Doubles games. Excellent racket, plays differently to my Lethal 60/70 and Tantrum 300, as it is much more head heavy. Really enjoyed playing with it, and as most people have already commented, it's an extremely powerful and solid racket. I also found it to be a very fast racket with excellent drives. As I said in the apacs fan club thread, it's all about technique and adapting to the racket specs. Is it better than my Lethal 60/70 or Tantrum 300? No. At this point, they are all excellent rackets. I could get just as powerful smashes (probably more powerful) with my Lethal 70 when compared with the VT80. However, I suspect that once I get more used to the VT80, it may turn the other way. I think my swing speed (while smashing) with the Lethal 70 is slightly faster than the VT80, but that's just a technical issue I think (and also keep in mind that I've been using the Lethal 60/70 for 1.5 years now, so I'm obviously more used to it). Oh, and by the way, just want to say that I didn't get any "wrist pain" or "shoulder pain" or "found it too demanding". I think those who are getting these problems probably should work on their fitness and technique, or if they can't be bothered, give me the racket instead hehe. And again, just want to emphasise that for me, the 3U VT80 is just as good defensively and with fast drives as any other high-end (much less head heavy) Yonex/apacs rackets that I've tried in the past. Again, it's all about timing, technique and good reflexes!
AT900T has been my go to racket. Today I have tried my new VT80 4UG5 for the first time. It was a 2 hours session. In my very first game I have no problem with timing and mis-hitting issues. After 3 games with the VT80 I switched back to my good old AT900 3UG5 for one game to find out if there is any major difference between the two. I can conclude that they feel really similar in terms of smashing power, defensive prowess and drive. It might be too early to tell. So I shall do this test again on my coming badminton session.
Clashed and broke my V80 3UG3 a couple of days ago...now waiting for my replacement to come in. Gone back to my A900P and not missing a beat. Same as when switching from that to the V80 a few weeks back...smooth transaction. The only difference has been more power in smashing and driving with the V80. Am getting 2 this time,... for back-up as well.
Because the way Barca plays (destroy Man Utd) requires speed and agility hehehehe..............go Barca!! Messi is the best!! LOL
Hi Raksasa, I bought it when I was in Bangkok last week. ssj100, only 4U is available for VT80 in Thailand. They only have the lower weight version for their Yonex range. VT and AT (3U & 4U) - 4U NS and ARC (2U & 3U) - 3U If I eventually want to get a 3U, I will either have to go for SP or JP coded over here in Malaysia. Yoppy, to beat their opponents, high possession % has always been the crucial factor in Barca's game. No other team has better possession % when they play against Barca. In football the team who controls the ball for 60~70% of the time for sure has a much better chance of winning. Too bad that this game plan does not work for badminton.
How bizarre. I would have thought 3U is the more popular weight (perhaps not so for beginner-intermediate players).
Not really. Depends on what is more popular, doubles or singles. I'd imagine most doubles players would prefer to play with a 4U VT80 over a 3U version. Because the small movements that are based more on instant reaction than timing, technique or strength count just as much as power and smashes. Hence why so many pro doubles players use head light rackets instead. They are far more "advanced" than any of us on these forums, yet many opt for lighter rackets.
Oh yes you can translate that to: tempo control, creativity, technique, deciving and trick shoots, space creation, foot work, net domination, positioning and movement etc etc and all this is to create an oppotunity to excecute a killer blow, you know just like the one Messi Pedro and Villa did LOL
Hi Barca, how much did you buy VT80 in Bangkok? where? did you happen to check out the price of ARC-ZS TH?
do let me know if you found any as I haven't been able to locate any TH VT80 3U suppliers since it was launched...
I'm really not convinced about this whole "3U is for singles" and "4U is for doubles". If that's the case, then why don't we see Yonex producing more 5U or 6U rackets? I own an apacs 6U racket myself (5U equivalent in Yonex terms I think, as it's about 77g "dry weight"), and I don't find any advantage with it in doubles. In fact, I personally find/found that the 6U racket was a disadvantage when it came to fast drives and instant reaction. Of course, it's all about personal preference in the end. I think it's finding a happy medium for yourself. For me in general, a 2U would probably be slightly too heavy, while a 4U is too light. With regards to the pros, I'm still waiting for an answer about which pro uses 3U and which uses 4U, and whether the 4U is more commonly used in doubles or not. I'd guess that most of the pros use 3U, but I wouldn't be surprised if a significant proportion use 4U, even in singles. There are just so many variables in badminton - a few grams in weight probably doesn't make any significant difference to players who have sound technique and fitness. EDIT: oh by the way, I don't think the pros "opt for lighter rackets". I think what you meant was that some of the pros "opt for head lighter rackets".
Its obvious that no 5U or 6U racket can NOT be made without sacrificing stifness, 5U and 6U rackets are like jelly so where we get power from? But with 4U its totally different story, I think top manufacturer have the technology and material to make 4U racket as stiff as 3U, and hence maintain the power, BP and at the same time having less weight.
Good points, but I wasn't really talking about power. I was just saying that for me (and probably many others), a lighter racket than 3U (eg. 4U) doesn't give better defense/drives/speed. I didn't think so until I personally tried it. Who knows, perhaps I'm just technically flawed when it comes to lighter rackets hehe.
