I've got a few things to say as well about the Nanoray 800 Weight: 4U Grip Size: G5 String: Nanogy 98 at 24 Pounds Looks: 9/10 Speed: 10/10 Power: 8/10 Best Feature: The extremely fast drive speeds and defensive capabilities. Fist Impression: When I first recieved the Nanoray 800, I though the visual components were really cool. Except for the grey cone near the grip. This racket felt really responsive and extremely quick, I could also hear a sharp hitting sound from the Sonic Metal positioned at the top of the frame. During the Game: During the games that I played with this racket, I felt that it was extremmely fast when close to the net but lacked some power at the back court. The smashes were weaker than for example, a Voltric 80s but the smash speed was pretty fast. This racket had very good control and was very lightweight.
I will be completing my review over the weekend and launching it next week. Paul www.badminton-coach.co.uk
Recommended tensions are 19-24lbs for 4U and 20-25lbs for 3U, but the frame can go up to 28lbs with correct stringing and professional stringer...
Review on my NR800: This is a very fast swinging racquet, on the first day i used it i did not have a good feel for this racquet as it produces a different sound compare to the NS9900. I have my NR800 restrung with BG66 Ultimax and 25lbs. Even with the good strings and good tension, the NR800 lacks power in my opinion over the NS9900. Other than that, the NR800 also has a different feel compare to my NS9900. The NR800 however feels faster than the NS9900 ( I haven't tested this far enough yet), and when i do dropshots with the NR800 it feels very light and agile. However, the NR800 lacks power and no matter how many times i used it, i cannot seem to do great smashes with this racquet. This However, is only my opinion on my NR800 and i think it has potential to be a good racquet in the right hands.
just like to add that i have two nanoray 800's. I have played with the 700rp and this was a very nice racket, the 800 is very similair power wise.....just a little bit lighter in the head i feel. I used to have a nanospeed 8000 and the nanoray 800 is almost identical but with a tad more power....if you like the 8000 then you will love the nanoray 800. I personally am not a fan of the nanospeed 9900.....i think the head is too light and as a consequence i think the racket bounces back when you hit the shuttle. Rackets can be so individual though.....what works for one person will not suit someone else. The shaft stiffness on the 800 is really stiff which i favour aswell, i have tried medium flex rackets and i could feel the head bending when i was smashing. One of my nanorays is a 4ug5 and the other is a 3ug4, one has a germany (gr) code and the other is (UK) code. Both are strung at 28lbs, one with bg65ti (favourite string) and the other with bg68ti, which i had never used before and not that fond of. It feels a bit soft and doesnt give the "ping" that the bg65ti does
I'm really surprised by the lacklustre reviews on this racquet. I'm not a very advanced player by any means but I have accumulated a few racquets to see what suits me over the past 3 months. I currently have in order of purchasing Arcsaber I-Slash, Nanoray 700RP, Arcsaber Flashboost, Nanoray 500 and Nanoray 800. I've tried a friends Voltric 80 and really liked it for a few strokes but know it is not my style of racquet in the long run. I'm 42 and a recreational player and my biggest need is to stay free of strain or injury as I am a surgeon needing to stay functional. I can't afford to get a shoulder or wrist injury through use of heavy racquets etc so my choices have been guided by lightweight, even or head light balance racquets. I like all of the racquets I have and probably like the flash boost most for longer sessions of play but the Nanoray 800 is the best of the ones I have. I say this because of its overall weight, handling, and amazing sweet spot and sound! The sound is very very nice and I can tap into the sweetspot very easily with this racquet with beautiful control. One exercise I do a lot is play against a wall and the Nanoray 800 is like a surgical scalpel in this respect. Every shot is placed wonderfully and rebounds precisely where I expect on forehand andnbackhand and alternating shot exercises. I can play for almost indefinite rallies against the wall and hearing that beautiful sound from the NR800. The sweetspot is so so nice. No mistiming like I was struggling with on the I slash. I don't feel a lack of power at all compared to the other racquets and I get a good feel of this by how far away from the wall I can play from and the control of the 800 is truly excellent. But the sound is what hooks me to this more than the other racquets. Very very addictive. Doesnt fatigue me, and I haven't felt any strain whatsoever even after more than an hour of playing. So from a beginner player who has tried out a few other quality offerings from Yonex, the Nanoray 800 gets a huge thumbs up from me.
Just read coach Pauls review of the NR800. if it scrapes a 4 then the flash boost review will be a 3.
Here it goes... Background of my style : I play 100% double and can be both staying in front to intercept or hit my heart out from the rear court. I would says I'm an intermediate player, not advance yet (Inside my bag : Arc10/3U, VTZF/4U & now NR800/3U). I have played with NR800 for the first time for about 2 hrs yest yesterday. Front / mid court : One word, it's "addictive" . I can retrieve or intercept the shuttle faster from difficult angle with minimal swing (but this required 80% of the wrist's strength). I don't really press all the shots instead I always drive it flat to empty space (2/3 side or cross court). Deceptive shots is more efficient now compared with my VTZF. Net play is more precise & faster as well. Rear court : Smash is definitely not as powerful as the Voltric series, but not slow either. Personally I would rate the power loss from my VTZF @ approx. 25%. Don't get me wrong, this NR800 can be still threatening if you know where to place those smashes (angles variation). It's much more easier to control the smashes compared to even balance head heavy racket. Blocking smashes / defending is even more addictive. I can return my smashes now with deposit some more . One point to take note is that I create a lot of moving forward window to switch attacking position with my partner. Summary : I love it very much, this racket will be in my bag all the time. There were mistiming for the first 20-30 mins of my game play yesterday, need some time to get used to it. This is definitely the racket to make my friend's life difficult (ok I'm talking about badminton). I think playing double is not all about heavy attacking / smashes. You need to create the opportunities. How good is a hard hitter if he was not allow to smash? To end my review, I would recommend this NR800 to all double players, especially those with very fast, responsive speed & like to anticipate the next shot of your opponent. Above input / review is solely based on my personal experience and have nothing to do with Yonex. You may disagree with what I think
LOL [MENTION=20359]ycw77[/MENTION] : Above input / review is solely based on my personal experience and have nothing to do with Yonex. You may disagree with what I think oh yeah it can make your friend's life difficult?? that interesting bro.. of course spec wise it's supposed to excel at drive, defending heavy smash and clip down those half hearted smash to the ground instantly