RKEP PRO6000 PRO9000 badminton racket

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by Squash Eric, Feb 4, 2012.

  1. Swenmtb

    Swenmtb Regular Member

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    Mhm...i agree with you guys. As i said i didn't expect that 5g might make so big change to the racket BP and behaviour. I have never played with 5g because, as soon i saw soo dramatic change, I cut some lead and ended up with only 2,5grams of lead on the en of the racket head.
    I have just returnes from the court and i have to say, that even 2,5g is too much. I will cut it down some more, to around 1,5g.
    Thank you for warning and pleasant advice for another people who might try to change the BP of the racket. :)
     
  2. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    Review update after 8 hours of play:

    Finally strung the XP70 to my new favourite string zm62 at 25 lbs, same as the P Pro and MX70. Pings at exactly 1190 Hz for all 3 rackets.

    Wow, Eric has really hit a home run on this one! :D

    @Eric: which Victor racket is the XP70 trying to emulate? BS9 or BS10?
    My guess is halfway between with the solid 80 hole stringbed of the MX series.

    Frame shape is like a hybrid of BS series (sword cross section, pinched in 10 and 2 o'clock) and MX series (octagonal cross section, 80 holes). Consequently it has more power than a BS frame and swings faster than an MX frame. Very nice for fast powerful doubles games.

    Shaft stiffness is in between MX60 and MX70. Less stiff than P Pro. Very easy to get a good and fast whipping action for effortless power, especially useful for backhand.

    Power AND speed
    : What a nice surprise! You can have both at the same time. :D As mentioned above, the hybrid BS/MX frame has both power and speed, most likely assisted by the not overly stiff shaft. Smashes are deadly, clears are too effortless, backhand clears and smashes are just a snap away. Defensive shots are also easy due to its speed and maneuverability. Surprisingly better than MX70 and P Pro.

    Accuracy: slightly less than MX70 and P Pro. Likely due to slightly flexier shaft. So drive battles are not as good as MX70 and P Pro.

    Feel: surprisingly good feel for touch shots, blocks etc. Strings felt 1 lb tighter tension compared to P Pro, possibly due to 80 holes?

    In summary, a very good racket from RKEP. Especially considering its price point. A unique blend of BS and MX series, both fast and powerful. Very user friendly for accesible power. Eric, please bring out the 3U versions soon! :D




     
  3. soulless

    soulless Regular Member

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    Getting mine soon, will play with it next Wednesday, cannot wait. Although I am getting really comfortable with my MX70, especially in singles games, the pro9000 is just a bit unstable on serves and clears. So it is tough bar to clear for the XP70, hope it does not disappoint. Also got the XP60, no reviews on it so far, but it could get interesting :D
     
  4. dexter980

    dexter980 Regular Member

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    Visor,

    Were you refering to PRO9000 when u call it P PRO?

    Regards
     
  5. j4ckie

    j4ckie Regular Member

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    80 holes don't mean the stringbed gets tighter as long as there aren't more crosses. It just means there's more holes.
    dexter: He means the Panda Power Precision Pro...
     
  6. dexter980

    dexter980 Regular Member

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    j4ckie, thanks for the clarification
     
  7. Robin76

    Robin76 Regular Member

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    After 4 sessions with XP80, 84 g, 290 mm BP with Victor String VS850 at 23 lbs:

    - very fast and easy to handle
    - powerful (9/10) and with a good control (8,5/10); easy and accurate net play
    - only for drives (7/10) the shaft would be better a little bit more stiff (e.g. XP70)
    - clears, incl. backhand are easy an effortless to play
    - overall a very good quality racket for a really very good price.

    May be I will the check the more stiff XP70, because I love the fast drive play in double and the flex shaft is not as perfect for repulsion power. But if you have a long swing the racket will be extreme powerful!

    Thank you Eric, very good job!
    Best Regards from Germany to Taiwan!
    Robin
     
  8. soulless

    soulless Regular Member

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    I think Eric is better off producing 3u versions of XP80, given its suitability to singles play. Of course, make new colors to get these gear freaks to purchase more, hehe
     
  9. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    to me, it definitely feels tighter and crisper on the xp70 and mx70 as compared to the p pro, all of them strung the same zm62 @ 25 lbs ecp, all of them pinging the same 1190 hz
     
  10. j4ckie

    j4ckie Regular Member

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    What rackets do you usually play with? Just asking because my 84/295 XP70s are way too light for me and I only managed to tape them into a playable range a few days ago^^

    Well in that case that might be the superior feedback from those frames (XP70/Mx70) - the stringbed of the XP70 is definitely not tighter than any other standard stringbed. I have my XP70s strung with my usual 29lbs ZM65 setup and the string feels just the same as on my Braveswords (it's the frame that is different). I can't say anything about the Precision Pro, but my Trinity Pro and Ultra Pro were not only severely lacking in durability, they were also rather numb. The feedback felt really muted, as if there was a layer of foam between the frame and the strings - or if the frame was made of rather soft sub-par carbon.
    It also doesn't help that the XP70 and MX frames are rather lively and direct in feedback (don't know about the Mx70 but the Mx80 lets you feel the smallest vibration).

    Anyway, a difference in feeling caused by the stringbed can only be achieved by
    a) additional or fewer strings, like Babolat [fewer] or Forza [more], increasing/decreasing the density of the stringbed
    b) a smaller or bigger head, like the Z-Slash [smaller], once again increasing or decreasing the density of the stringbed [same number of strings as on a normal racket but smaller face]
     
    #490 j4ckie, Jan 20, 2013
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2013
  11. Bucsy

    Bucsy Regular Member

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    After 5 hours of play on my XP80 86g 295mm with BG66UM @24.5. When I got the racket, it was stated that it was a 4U racket. Found it strange how come a 86g racket is 4U. But no matter. When I measured the BP with string, it was 300mm.
    Removed default grip, put on overgrip, the final BP I got was 302mm. About the same as my BS09. The racket looks like a cross between a voltric and BS.

    Initial play

    Really disappointed with the racket. Very dull feel to the racket when the shuttle hits the racket, swings too fast, No power to the offense, clears were difficult. After the first game, I decided to drop the racket and not use it anymore and had used it for some light hitting or warm up session.

    Sometime later (the next week or so)

    I brought along XP80 and BS09 for this trip as it was a short 1 hr game. Broke the string on the BS09 and had to use the XP80. Same feeling, the racket was disappointing but as the game worn on, I could feel a gradual difference during the game. As the game progressed, the racket started to feel better and better. My game was sharper, Racket feels alive, feedback was great, drop shots were accurate and power from smashes were starting to get the OMPH on the shots. So I was thinking to myself, maybe the racket needs some breaking in time(this would be a first for me) or I have gotten use to the racket or the string may have settled.

    Restrung with AP62 @24.5

    Now I have strung it to my current favorite string which is AP62. Rackets a joy to play with now. Although I still need some more time to get use to the swing and the flex of the racket, But I am really enjoying playing with the racket. The control and power of this racket is a beast. Feedback is great. Will post feedback after I get enough time on this string…

    If there is a heavier and slightly less flexier version of this racket, i may really be tempted to try it out...
    Eric has really produced a racket that i have been looking for..
     
  12. soulless

    soulless Regular Member

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    I think every rackets feels dull at the beginning because the frame and shaft need to be broken in. I am sure you see the pros twisting the new rackets after they break strings on the old one.

    I wonder what is the usual amount of play that does that? I am afraid to wring my racket like a damp towel which is how Jung Jae Sung does it.
     
  13. j4ckie

    j4ckie Regular Member

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    Wanna know the real reason he does that? It's actually to apply and distribute the grip powder and sweat so that the towel grip is stickier. Notice how the Pros using rubber grip never do that...and how they don't actually twist the racket but turn the grip in their hand...
     
  14. soulless

    soulless Regular Member

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    Thanks, there goes the myth
     
  15. llpjlau

    llpjlau Regular Member

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    My opinion is that, it's not so much that the XP80 needs to be "broken in". It is a FAST racket and timing is considerably different from other rackets that we may have used. I have problems timing my shots during the initial stages too.
     
  16. Robin76

    Robin76 Regular Member

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    @j4ackie
    Usually I play a Victor BS09 and I also own a Victror Slim HG70.
    For my personell play style the light weight is okay, but I think I need a little bit more stiffness to generate drive speed.
    But overall the XP80 is a really nice racket with a good price-performance-ratio...

    Regards
    Robin
     
  17. betazone

    betazone Regular Member

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    Ordered over the weekend, waiting for XP70 to arrive at my doorstep.....keen to know how good it is versus my go-to racquet PRO9000!
     
  18. LD rules!

    LD rules! Regular Member

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    Eric,

    I think I will echo what others have said so far.

    I think the XP-70 is a great racket and I'm more than happy with it, however some minor changes that I hope you can take into consideration is this:

    Slightly more overall weight, I think another 3-4g will really benefit this racket. I don't personally see it losing any handling ability, but it will add power (not that it lacks)

    I think the balance point and stringing pattern is fine. I think my only "complaint" is weight...

    So for the next batch, more head weight and a new paint scheme for the rackets, but please no blue :p

    Regards
     
  19. j4ckie

    j4ckie Regular Member

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    3-4g will always have a HUGE impact on maneuvrability. Making those weights available would be nice for the heavy preference players, but 3-4g aren't "a little" more weight in badminton ;) It's actually a whole other racket with that much weight added (try adding 2g lead tape on the head....).

    I'll have another long session with mine on Monday to finish my review. With matches coming up this weekend I'll need to use my go-to in training tomorrow, and since I have tournaments the next 2 weekends after that I'll only be able to use it in the Monday/Tuesday sessions anyway.
    To get a final opinion one 86g model would be nice, but sadly not something I can afford. If I can tape some of the training with it, I'll post the link here (plan on doing that next Monday, let's see if I manage to organise it though :D).
     
  20. LD rules!

    LD rules! Regular Member

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    Really what I think the target weight should be 87g (give or take 1.5g) obviously that's quite specific and won't always happen, but it's what I feel is the ideal weight for this frame.

    In my own opinion of course :)
     

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