T2 Racquets have finally arrived in Canada ... those that pre-ordered will be hearing from me shortly. If anyone else in Canada is looking for the T2 or Ultra 1/2, pls email me at mjstrings@yahoo.com. Free Canada Wide shipping. Tks.
Panda Power racquets have arrived Vancouver BC since Dec 31st 2009. There are 5 T2 and 2 U2 left. Get it before it's gone. e-mail : takamsda@gmail.com
Short T2 Review Here goes my first review ever... I had the privilege to demo and purchase a T2 from Takamsda a couple days ago, and played with it for ~8 hrs now. Initially demo'ed the T2 with swing weight 88g (?), BP 288mm, with Zymax 67 at 23/24. The strings were too tight for me and I had little power, however the racket felt REALLY good so I bought one. My racket history: Ti 7 gen 1 (3 years), AT 800 OFF (2 years), NS 9000 S (2 years) Rackets usually strung with BG 80 or 85 at 22-24...not a high tension user Purchased T2 Specs: swing weight 84.9g, BP 286mm, Zymax 67 at 20/21, with string and added overgrip the BP is about 285mm now (kept the stock grip on) Physical appearance: The racket colours are beautiful! Quality wise, it is close to Yonex, not on par. On my racket there is a spot where a piece of dirt was painted on and fell off, leaving a very small "paint chip". Additionally, some paint is missing around a few of my grommets. I never had these problems with my Yonex rackets, so this is just my honest opinion (being the nick-picky person I am). ** For the points below, I will compare the T2 with my NS 9000 S as that was my most recent racket ** Swing: The T2 definitely swings faster and lighter. At first, I had a little problem adjusting the timings for my drives and net kills (or anything that requires short wrist movements). It might just be the Zymax strings, but I think the T2 gives me a bit more repulsion power in clears and defensive lifts. Offence: It gave me just as much power, if not more, for smashing even with the relatively lower BP. I grip the bottom of handle when smashing, and just like krisyay mentioned, it feels real good! (don't know why, maybe less vibration?) For reference, my NS BP is 287mm and AT is 292mm. Defence: The T2 is easier to defend with due to it being lighter. Still getting used to doing better low/drive returns. It feels easier to lift to back court. Stiffness: The T2 is a bit stiffer then my type-S and less than the type-X. It is also noticeably less stiff than the T1 which I tried for a bit. Overall: Lots of power for a light racket. It gives me a bit more confidence in my defensive shots because of the better agility (might be just in my head ). My feeling is that the T2 has more control/accuracy. IMHO, I would describe it as feeling like a NS 9000 S and playing better than one. I really like it, and it's currently my "go-to" racket. If I had the $$ I would get another one asap Afterthoughts: Now that I think about it, maybe I should have tried a T2 with BP 290mm, don't think the extra 4mm would make much of a difference though. Can't believe my NS is now a backup... Hope this helps anyone in their decision making. I would definitely recommend the T2 for anyone looking for an even balanced racket. And certainly try it if you can! Well, I'm off to hit some more ...I'll add anything else that I can think of later.
sir dink,the T2 is recommended for doubles....will you make a racq that is for singles and all around playing style???
Can't wait to try mine out tomorrow night!:crying: Just out of curiosity, did you manage to try out his demo U2? If so, what did you think of it compared to T2 and your previous rackets?
You can use the T2 for singles, no problem. It's optimized for doubles but it's just fine for singles. This Panda has been playing an occasional 2 on 1 (Panda being the one) and the T2 works just fine. The T2 is now Panda's go to racket.
TimBitz: WOW!!! For a "first" review, you hit a bullseye. All the attributes you stated were what we set out to do when creating the T2. Panda feels he can retire from doing the racket reviews and you can take over. No way, this Panda doesn't believe it. Excellent disclosure. Currently, the most used Yonex racket by pros and advanced players is the NS9000-S. It makes sense, it's a great racket. So Panda aimed to try and make something comparable...T2. Though the T1 was fast, Panda wanted something faster...T2. In general, the T1 was a bit too stiff to get that instant "snap" power. So Panda tried to make the next generation more snap friendly. So, the goal, more power, faster swing, lighter weight...T2. Yes, that was the goal with the...T2. Panda won't say it's better than an NS9000-S, the current benchmark doubles racket, but he feels it's comparable. Thanks!
The T2 has arrived Malaysian Shores.. I got 4 left .. Please email me at adriankpk@gmaill.com Kindly do not PM me Thank you.
Trinity 2: another review Just finished playing 2 solid hrs of MD with my Trinity 2, which I picked up from Takamsda last week. My T2 specs: unstrung 87g, bp 288mm; becoming 286mm when strung with BG65 @ 22lbs and overgripped with Yonex 102EX. Because I play mostly plastic Mavis 300 birds (which tend to hit harder than feathers), I chose the heaviest and head heaviest T2 out of the 8 that was available. Racket history: Yonex Ti Swing Power Type SS past 6 years, likely heavy 3U or light 2U weight, bp 295mm similarly strung and overgripped. Paint: Beautiful and shiny, but I can already see some scratches after picking up birds from the floor. Oh well, it's how it plays that is more important... and yowzers! Does it play well! Power: Compared to my Ti SP, this lighter T2 racket has absolutely no right to have so much more power! It was amazingly effortless to clear forehand and backhand from rear court to rear court! So easy to accelerate and snap the wrist at the right moment and transfer power to the bird. I would have preferred just a smidgen more shaft stiffness, or maybe I'm not used to the flexier feel. (Hmmm...maybe I'll try the Ultra 2 also.) Smashes are bombs when connected properly, but I'm still having a little bit of trouble adjusting to the timing because of the... Swing speed: The T2 swings so much faster that I was frequently just a bit too early in hitting the bird when smashing. I had to mentally tell myself to hesistate and wait a bit before starting my swing. Very advantageous as it gives me more time to think of placement and even time to fake a deadly drop shot here and there! Because the racket is so maneuverable and powerful, it is also very easy to wait for my opponent to commit themselves in a certain direction before I decide to hit it in the other direction with just a simple flick of the wrist. I scored many points doing just this! I noticed the faster swing speed made me play more aggressively and faster. I was able to get on top of the bird faster (well, limited by my footwork!) than before and I found that I had a much better choice of attacking shots than before. Defence: Being so highly maneuverable, I've never appreciated defending from drives, smashes etc until now. I just think of getting my racket there and it's there! And a quick flick of the wrist is all that separates a block to the net from a lift to the back. Frame feel and stability: Excellent. Somehow the frame resists twisting and the bird just goes where it's pointed, even when hit way off the sweet spot. There doesn't seem to be any dead spots by the edge of the string bed, unlike my Ti SP. Shot feel is beautiful. Very easy to gauge how much to hit the bird, especially for tight drop shots. One line summary: Stop reading the forums and just get it! Afterthoughts: + I'm still adjusting to the faster swing speed, especially smashes. + To mitigate the new found power and provide even more control, I may consider upping the tension 2-3 lbs. + I so wanted to share about my new racket with my playing group, but this "secret weapon" would be my new found advantage over them, so I think I'll wait a bit longer. + Car analogy: if the T2 were a car, it would be a BMW M3. PS. And oh, BTW, Panda should be given full props for bringing these rackets to fruition! Can't wait for the Revelation!!
Are Panda Power considered serious racquets where they are used in tournament play or are they racquets for the casual player to be played in backyards and gyms with friends or family?
I was thinking to get 86g @ 286 BP. Currently I play great with Carlton VTT racket which is middle balance and cca. 86g. I was not confortable with AT900T racket for example. To stiff I guess and head heavy for me. This was Mark A explanation for racket: To be fair, a "head heavy" racket from Yonex is in the 300 mm region, so none of the Panda rackets could really be called "head heavy". I think you will be fine with either 286 or 287, but I would choose 286 if I were you. You can have either weight, 86 or 87 grams.
be nice ! I think he was only asking a question, look like he is new to the site , so give him a chance bro !
