Ouch!! Hope it gets better for your road trip to Calgary. Thought about getting a 2nd VT80 but that would mean I wouldn't get other rackets like the MX80 or MX70 (cuz I'm not rich ).
CD: don't get 87g mx80, would be too demanding. Mine is 85.4g naked, 96.1g playing wt and it's already pretty demanding.
@CD, thanks. 2 weeks left for a serious rehab. @CD, Visor. We need to do a "group testing" once the next order is done
I didn't have the BS10 for very long, and it was TW coded so different to the other codes. For me I guess the MX80 is a bit more 'alive' feeling and packs more punch than my BS10 did. It's maybe a tad slower but that didn't really translate on court for me. All-round the MX80 for my style is a better performer, but the 10 is no slouch by any stretch, as arguably the picks of the Victor bunch are the MX80, SW35 and BS10. (I have to preface anything I say in regards to product reviews with the fact that I'm a large and slow Caucasian, so my preferences are definitely not going to be particularly relevant to anyone that's not. )
@j4ckie I played the BS10 for a year. DE coded, 3U G3, towel grip direct on wood. Then it breaks and I bought a MX80 as replacement. Honestly I loved the BS10 for it's quickness, but in terms of power it was a bit lacking, and the racket felt overall to light for me. I don't like light rackets. The Meteor X80 is a good mixture. It has more power, but is a bit slower. But don't get me wrong. The MX80 isn't sluggish! It's fast enough for doubles, really quick at defence and at the net. I don't need a faster and lighter racket. The shaft is a tiny bit stiffer. This racket is top of the edge and the best doubles racket for me which I tried ( YY: AS 10, AS Z-Slash, AT 900 P, LN: N 55, N 33, V: SW 35, BS 10, SP 22) so I ordered yesterday a second MX80.
Thanks. The tall&slow caucasian part applies to me as well, although my hitting action isn't too slow anymore. Since I got used to it, I really like the BS10 - it has some head weight to swing through, and I've slightly adapted my swinging action to get as much power out of it as I get out of the N90 at the same tension. Although, to be fair, I'm not used to that one anymore and just play it for fun every once in a while. Thank you! I was a little worried the MX80 might be noticeably stiffer, which would probably cause a drop in power for me. If it's just a little, I won't worry - if it's a little head heavier, it should be at least as powerful as the BS10 for me. Hopefully, the hitting action will be a tad slower - stopping the fast swing of the BS10 has caused aching back muscles.
Damn right sir. But the SW 35 is my first love. It's for me the best singles and best attacking / backcourt racket in doubles. Next month I will buy 1 or 2 more SW 35. It's a unforgetable wife and the MX80 is my second love. No reason for a divorce. We will stay together
played with MX80 for 5 hours.. first impression: it's amazing it is a little bit faster than my Tpro makes me need to adjust my swing (need around one hour to adjust) also it is stiffer than Tpro which makes a little bit harder to generate power from it smash is nice, drive is actually the best thing I get from this racket but that is when I am in pretty fit condition last week, I'm on diet and eat less carb food, I played with the MX80 and it's just.. hard to generate any power from it satisfied with this racket, but will switch to Tpro when I'm tired
Got my first MX80 some hours ago, 3UG2, regrettably. Had hoped for a G3 one - or rather, two G3s. Some mistake at badmintonshoponline.us resulted in me getting just one yet, let's hope the other one's delivered just as quickly and without further problems. MX80 (BG80@28lbs) weighs 110,8g with overgrip+towel grip on wood and has roughly the same BP as my BS10s (just towel grip on wood, BG80@27lbs) which weigh 108,1 and 108,9 respectively. Can't wait to test it out at today's training, dry-swinging it feels noticeably heavier/head heavier than my BS10s, but not so much as to cause undue timing problems. I'll probably get it down by just warming up normally. Stiffness is also noticeably higher, but the added head weight should make up for the loss of power caused by it. I'm gonna post my first impression after the training, and wait with the review until I'm 100% adapted =)
Nah, that weight is pretty normal for my rackets. I apply a lot of towel grip (cover up to an inch of the shaft, normally like 1-1,5cm)...and the string is not included in dry weights either. Towel grip's also a lot denser than rubber grip. I've never weighed any rackets w/o strings and with original grip - normally I get them strung, and when I take off the string, it's already gripped to my preference Anyway, my racket weights range from 97,4g (83g PP Precision w/ overgrip and towel grip halfway up) up to 114g (LN N50II, labeled W3=3U, towel grip 1,5 inches up the shaft). My guess is that with my usual setup, 3U rackets should be roughly 104-111g, as the string weight and grip weight vary slightly.
As I said, I'm gonna post a short review. I spent about 3 hours on Thursday and 1 on Friday playing and training with it. Currently, I would say I'm an advanced player - able to stay in the game against state-level players (Lower Saxony, to be precise) in MS, although I only have a good chance of winning against high regional level players (one or two divisions lower). In MD, I'd say I'm at a low state level, preferring to play at the front where I can use my reach and accuracy. When I'm at the back, I like to vary the pace a lot, using sliced fast drops or disguised drops when I feel I can't penetrate the defense with my smashes. In XD, I'm probably on high regional/low state level - playing very tactical and accurate, and smashing only when I'm in position. On to the review: I really like the design of the MX80. The graphics are very detailed, and the finish seems to be of good quality - no scratches or chips despite a few (light) clashes in the first match. What I like most is the woven carbon visible on the head. It's a 3UG2, unfortunately - I was hoping they had a G3 version in stock, which is what Victor Germany usually provides. G2 means I had to apply overgrip on the wood before putting the towel grip on, which increased the weight a bit and lowered the BP. It now has roughly same BP as my BS10s, being about 2g heavier (110.8g). First impressions on the court: Warming up, I was surprised by how effortless clears seemed. I had feared it would be too stiff and the strings too tight (BG80@28lbs) to use comfortably, but the head weight makes it swing through rather nicely. However, this was just warm-up, meaning we were in comfortable position and under no pressure. Drop shots were very controlled after a short adaption, and rather accurate. I was particularly impressed with the accuracy of my sliced drops, the head weight and stiff shaft are really noticeably here (in a good way). No instability, no unwanted movements of the racket head - this is where the racket shines for me. Smashes were reasonable - timing was a bit off, as stiffness and balance are different from the BS10 and make for a rather different swing feel on fast shots. When I timed them right, they were very accurate and the racket felt very solid. The stiff shaft was noticeable again - they weren't as powerful as with any of my usual rackets, but the feeling on contact was so crisp and clear that it made up for it. Drives were accurate and reasonably quick, but in comparison to the BS10 they took more effort and were slower. Players with a stronger wrist will get more power out of it, but it takes a rather quick swing and clean technique to get good results. Defense was similar to drives - very high accuracy, but it took much more effort than with the BS10 to play a high defensive shot. Blocks to the net were delightfully accurate, though. Game time! Under a bit of pressure and still not used to the racket, it did not perform as well as during warm-up for me. Smashes were off, and drives lacked power. Around the net and back court, I felt rather comfortable, around mid-court, I did not. Sliced drops were fantastic, as the stiff shaft and moderately head heavy balance provide high stability, which enabled me to change directions and angles very late without loosing control. When I had time, the smashes were good as well. During the following games (more MD and one MS at last), I adapted more and more to the racket. Surprisingly, the backhand clears were rather long for my standards (baseline to baseline longline), and timed better than with the BS10. In MD, I got more power out of it, and felt more and more comfortable. Serves were very tight as well, although flick serves lacked length. One more aspect where the stiff shaft rears it's ugly head - but after Friday's training, they were better and starting to get back to the usual length. In MS, the racket is nice for a very controlled, drop-based game. Smashes did not feel so great when I wasn't in perfect position, and lacked power. But drop shots and clears felt comfortable, and defense was just superb. Clears were not quite as effortless as during warm-up, but I was still able to get good length&height from most positions (backhand excluded - but this is not because of the racket^^). In conclusion: This racket is very controlled, but pretty demanding at the same time. Only advanced players will get the maximum out of it, and beginners should definitely stay away from it. It can pack quite a punch if used correctly, but it requires a very fast swing and good, clean technique to get a hard smash out of it. For sharp, quick drives, good timing and a strong wrist are essential. I would say it is suited to advanced players who want high control and decent power&speed.
Yeah....not really as short as I intended it to be^^ I just felt I could judge somewhat accurately after 2 days as it's somewhat similar to the BS10 (my current/previous go-to racket). I would be very interested in measuring smashing speed and/or filming some shots with a slow-mo cam as I THINK I bend the BS10 a lot more and get harder smashes out of it, but have no way to confirm that. I think a filming session is in order soon, that'll give me at least an indication.
Thanks for the review, Jackie. It's strange - I find the MX80 easier to wind-up and do backhand clears easier than with the BS10. In fact, that was one of the big points that got me off the BS10 and onto the MX80. Originally, I thought with the 80 hole system that I wouldn't have to drop the tension from what I normally ran, but after the VS850 dropped, I actually liked it more and more. This could imply that I've been running too high tensions initially, but my other rackets which I'd been running at 26lbs I play with just fine. I think with super-stiff rackets, if you're not a complete pro, running them at slightly lower tensions than you'd normally run is a good idea. You get the torsional stability and directional stability that super stiff rackets give, with the forgiveness of having a more 'trampoline-y' string bed. I've found that I have just as much power, my transitional and deceptive shots are better, and my shoulder hasn't been as sore. Win!
