Hey all, I've played badminton for several years now, just for recreation/exercise at first and then moving into competitive play. I finally find myself with both the funds and the skill to support a good racket. I played with a variety of rackets at first, whatever people would lend me, really. About a year ago when I started moving into playing to win and learning proper technique, etc. instead of just playing for exercise, I received an ArcSaber Delta as a gift, which I've used since then. I still have factory strings on it. Now I want to purchase my first "real" racket. I've read through enough threads and done enough research to decide that I'm probably interested in either the Black Knight Photon, which seems like a tried and true favorite, and the ArcSaber Flash Boost, which is fairly new but seems to be getting largely favorable reviews... I'm also going to have a chance to try a Voltric 80 later this week. I play primarily doubles and I am a fairly versatile player, though I prefer control and precision over power. I prefer to make deep, precise drives when given the option. I have no complaints about my ArcSaber Delta, but I am definitely interested in trying something new that might fit me better. So here's what I'd like to hear: 1. Thoughts on the ArcSaber Flash Boost vs the Black Knight Photon? 2. Other things I should know for my first foray into high-end gear (What kind of strings should I get, and at what tension? Like I said, I've been playing with factory-strung) 3. If anyone has any thoughts on the Delta, those would be interesting to read too 4. Finally, I'm also looking to purchase some court shoes, how should I get started?
I have not yet played with ArcSaber FB however I have played almost exclusively with a BK Photon XL PCV for a few months. If you're wondering XL is the same as Photon PCV but with a 1 cm longer handle. Its good for versatile players. Being as light and fast as it is, its great on defense. However it is definitely designed with attacking in mind. I originally bought it only for singles but it has proven to be very good for doubles as well. Its very different from AS Delta, photon is a bit head heavy and much stiffer. If you do buy photon I recommend re stringing it ASAP. I've bought two and both seem to get loose very quickly. Personally I have them strung at the max recommended tension of 24 lbs. If you have any questions about photon feel free to ask.
The head shapes are different too aren't they? Photo. Being oval would be smaller than your arcsaber. (Although black knight claims the PC technology fixes that). Also if you get the photon I wouldn't go passed the recommended tension on it, I've heard bad things.
That's what I meant, I cant tell any difference in the sweet spot between photon and any other oval racket.
