Li Ning Woods N80

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by Blitzzards, Nov 14, 2011.

  1. drew tze en

    drew tze en Regular Member

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    I suggest you try both of the rackets out before making a final decision
    Based from experience, It is tricky....
    I own a Voltric 80 (4UG4) and the weight in the head helps with overhead shots but if you string at high tensions and mishit the shot a lot, you might get shoulders pain, which I get.
    I tried the Li-ning N80 and enjoyed it, the frame is aerodynamic and simple cuts through the air easily, I found that sometimes I was hitting simple clears out of the court, but smashes felt really nice.
     
  2. j4ckie

    j4ckie Regular Member

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    Hard strings+mishits=pain. Always, and with every racket ;)
    For me, there's an obvious question - why do you wanna change from the N90? If you are happy, stay with it. If not, what's not ideal?
     
  3. Accordaz

    Accordaz Regular Member

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    I absolutely would not choose N80 to replace a N90, which is probably one of the head heaviest racket.
    N80 is head heavy too, but I VT80 is a tad more head heavier and also gives more punch to your smashes.

    N80 might be a good doubles racket, but for me, it's definitively not a singles racket.
    In contrast to dre tze en's posting: It was not easy for me to make clears like my main racket (N55). It's quick, but I think you have to hit harder with N80. Please notice: I'm not a professional player. Maybe the weak clears are caused by wrong swinging techniques. But I really believe N80 is not that powerful as other head heavy rackets. On the other side it's quick as Brave Sword series rackets from Victor.
     
  4. Brandon141

    Brandon141 Regular Member

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    i love my n90 it really gives me the edge on overhead shots and gives me a booming smash :cool:
    however i need a similar head heavy racket that will give me more speed and defense as i noticed i really lack in that area
    so i would now be leaning towards a VT80 but if i can't then i will buy the N80 :)
     
  5. j4ckie

    j4ckie Regular Member

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    In that case, the VT80 should be better. I have not had a chance to play with the N80, but it seems it's on the quick end of things and would thus be rather different from the N90. An N55 would also be worth some consideration. The VT80 should play quite similar to the N90 concerning the head-heavyness to stiffness ratio, but be faster as it's not as HH.
     
    #145 j4ckie, Nov 11, 2012
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2012
  6. Fzforze

    Fzforze Regular Member

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    If your looking to play more singles then the N80 is not for you, not sure if all N80s are like mine but mine is 92g total weight and i feel that in singles there is just not enough weight behind it to perform shots like pushes or clears without having to put more effort into it. Its a great weapon for doubles though, aerodynamic frame makes really quick swing speed + Head heavy = deadly smashes and as the racket is quite light the defence is no prob! :)
    Doubles racket!!
    (Thats why i love it, I only play doubles ^^)
     
  7. Fzforze

    Fzforze Regular Member

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    (Did play a best of 3 set singles game with the racket thats how i know)
     
  8. Accordaz

    Accordaz Regular Member

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    It's nice too see that someone can confirm my findings about the N80 in singles.
    Because I have already a head heavy and fast racket (BS LYD), I see no reason to get a N80 at the moment. Unfortunately.

    I'd like to see a new N9X with similar specs as VT80 / VTZF.
     
  9. j4ckie

    j4ckie Regular Member

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    Pst! The BS LYD isn't head heavy...also, whether you have to put in effort or not is a subjective feeling and depends both on technique and what rackets you're used to. When I changed from Li Ning rackets to Bravesword, it felt as if I couldn't produce any power and had no weight in the head. When I play with a Li Ning now, it feels as if the head is lagging behind half a meter and the weight is insane. It's all about preference and swing style!
    N80 sounds more and more intruiguing.....too bad I just bought enough rackets to last me a year! Would've loved to test it out, but it's probably at least twice as expensive as my current choice :D And when push comes to shove, I'd rather have 4 of the same in my bag than 2 from a bigger company^^
     
  10. soulsync

    soulsync Regular Member

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    Hmmm meaning the N80 feels very similar to BS-LYD ?
    Already own a 3U LYD and thinking to try out N80 as well.
    Play mostly double games and preference on fast pace drive shots / placement instead of smashes.
    I do find hard to clear with LYD at times. Not sure if is the stiffness or lack of weight ... or simply technique issue hahaha
     
  11. alana07

    alana07 Regular Member

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    pls go find a chance to hold both rackets and have a few swings in hand if possible, i'm sure you'll lean towards N80 if you do that.

    also when someone says BS LYD is a head heavy racket, then u need to really look into what he means, as BS LYD is never a head heavy racket at all, compared to VT80/N80/N90
     
  12. blindfury

    blindfury Regular Member

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    is it just my imagination or there's actually a N80 limited edition coming out? "N80TD"
     
  13. soulsync

    soulsync Regular Member

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  14. blindfury

    blindfury Regular Member

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    that picture looks like the same racket tho, I'm talking about the one that has not, but will come out in 2013, as N80TD not N80LTD.

    I saw that chinese promo image somewhere, or maybe I'm just imagining things.
     
  15. Accordaz

    Accordaz Regular Member

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    According the official specs: Balance:HH○●○○○HL
    So, BS LYD is head heavy...
    I have never said it's head heavy like VT80. If you would have read my posts before, you'd know that I rate VT80 and N90 as "real" head heavy. While N80 and BS LYD are head heavy but not that heady heavy like the N90 at all. BS LYD also has a HH-balance point.
    Whatever. BS LYD doesn't feel really head heavy, but it is.

    The N80 can't generate enough power for singles. Like the BS LYD. (Little) head heaviness doesn't mean automatically more power.
    It's just a fact, but not a guarantee for more oomph.
     
  16. Jasonvan

    Jasonvan Regular Member

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    N80 is nothing like the BS LYD... I have both racket, rather had since I've sold off my LYD... N80 wins hands down compared to LYD in terms of power, I had them both strung with the same string and tension and clearing for me takes effort with the LYD while the N80 takes no effort at all, smashes with the N80 is much much better than LYD... The only thing LYD is superior to the N80 is defense as it's faster but keep in mind the N80 isn't slow... But N80 wins in all other aspects hands down...
     
  17. soulsync

    soulsync Regular Member

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    Thanks for sharing and appreciated the info. I did consider N80 before getting LYD last time.
    Juz that N80 price is kinda steep and hard to find a used ones.
     
  18. j4ckie

    j4ckie Regular Member

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    You know Victor's specs are a bit random, dont you? The BS09 is rated 3/5 for both - and when I measured the BP, it was 5mm head heavier than the BS LYD. Might have been an untypically head light LYD, but at the most, it's just as head heavy/light as the BS09.
    And once more - there is no such thing as 'can't generate enough power for singles'. It just means your swing style is not suited to a head light/balanced racket. There are many players using NS or Arc7 rackets in singles, which aren't head heavy either. You just gotta have the technique and a suitable swing style to get the power out of them.
    Not to question your judgement, but weren't you the guy who started playing like 6-8 months ago? In a club, I mean, not doodling around with friends. In that case, it's highly unlikely you'll already have the necessary technical skills to use lighter rackets comfortably (as they require better timing and more pronation/gripping action than heavier rackets). Once more, this is not to question your skills or judgement, but rather an explanation why you might not get the most out of even balanced rackets.

    (Btw, for those who think they don't offer enough power - have you seen Xu Chen and LYD smash with those things? :D)
     
  19. Accordaz

    Accordaz Regular Member

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    Well, you're right. It's wrong to say "racket xyz can't generate enough power". Of course N80 and BS LYD can generate power.
    I should have said something like: "I can't generate enough power with it in singles." But don't leave out my earlier posts about its performance in doubles. It's a very good racket in doubles. It's just not my cup of tea when using it in singles.

    So, I'd like to see some respect(?) to opinions from every individual person here.

    It's okay to question about someone's skill - as long as you're questioning it in a normal way how you did it, j4ckie :)
    You're absolutely not wrong. But I wouldn't rate me that low :) No intention to say how good I am, but we already did pretty good before we began badminton seriously. Whatever, there's no point I want to mess with someone here, because I'm pretty sure that I'm not above average here.
    But to swap back to the topic, it's not false to review a racket as an intermediate player, isn't it?

    What I also like to mention is: If a racket is slightly head heavy, it is still head heavy, right? so if BS LYD slightly head heavy, what's wrong if I'm saying head heavy BS LYD? I absolutely know that the head heaviness of BS LYD is absolutely nothing compared to N90, because I own both of them. But it's still head heavy, isn't it? I know, nitpicking...

    I'm not alone with the opinion about N80's performance in singles: Click

    However. There's nothing I have or should add to this. I just wanted to share my opinion to some members here. I hope at least some members will appreciate the different opinions about the N80. No matter what the writer's skill is as long he can judge objectively and as long he's writing for the community here.
     
  20. j4ckie

    j4ckie Regular Member

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    Okay, so I did remember right.....anyhow, glad you responded so honestly and didn't take offense.
    You're totally right, it's actually great to have people of all skill levels judging rackets (as Pro really don't give much honest feedback as they're sponsored by company XY and wanna promote that company, and also are on a completely different level).
    The important thing, however, is that you should always mention your skill level/preference as soon as you're not talking about objective data like stiffness/balance/... anymore. Even then, people of different levels and preferences can feel different about those things that should be objective.
    Alright, nothing to add to this, I think. Didn't have a problem with your judgement of the racket, but it should always be seen in the right context. I can pretty much guarantee you that my judgement would be rather different, as I'm leaning towards head lighter rackets than you seem to, and probably have a pretty different swing as well. My BS12 is actually ranking towards the top concerning power for me, which is not true for a large portion of players :D

    Oh, and concerning the HH-issue with the LYD - have you measured the BP without added grip/strings? Pretty much all rackets these days are between 285mm and 310mm, so a head light racket doesn't really have the BP near the handle. The BS LYD I had over for testing was, as I mentioned, 5mm head lighter than the BS09, and would thus be even balanced or even head light. It's possible I got a rather head light piece, as production isn't 100% accurate and there are variations to both weight and BP, but quality control should ensure that there's a 5mm difference only between the head heaviest and head lightest pieces of one model.
    The LYD is really not head heavy. Victor's official specs have been rather inconclusive - there has been a real armada of 4/5 HH 4/5 S rackets lately, still they are (or should be^^) rather different. As most of the players are leaning towards slightly head heavy rackets these days, maybe they think they can sell more rackets this way. No idea. But fact is that you can't trust those specs, as they can be very misleading. (an example would be the BS LYD vs BS09 vs SW36 - both LYD and 36 have two 4/5 ratings, but are completely different. The BS09 should be noticeably head lighter than the LYD, but is head heavier....)


    Alright, now that I got that out of my system, we should really get back to topic....if you wanna discuss this further, pm me rather than filling up this thread with non-N80 discussions ;)
     

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