Hi. I would like to know what is the best Victor Brave Sword that is not head heavy and is medium stiff/flex. And how would you compare it with the Yonex Voltric 80.(if you have it) Thanks!
I currently use a BS12 and also owned a VT80 and agree with Visor. You're going to find it difficult finding a BS that will perform similar to a VT80 even if the BS is head heavy and stiff. I sold my VT80 after realising the BS12 is more suitable to my style. Maybe the properties of the new BS15 might be to your liking. Shaft Stiffness：S○●○○○F Balance：HH○●○○○HL
Would it be a good match of rackets if I use the VT80 for singles and the BS12 for doubles OR VT80 at start and BS12 when I'm all tired?
vt80 is the stiffest and head heaviest power box frame racket from yonex (until the z force that is), while bs is flexy and head light thin frame in comparison bs 15 is 4/5 and 4/5 for balance and stiffness, while bs 12 is 3/5 and 3/5
Funny you ask that because when I still did own my VT80, I used it at the start while warming up due to it's weight and swinging action (expensive warm-up racket I know...). After switching to the BS12, I felt my swing speed was much faster being used to the VT80 for 15 minutes. But I sold it anyway as near new because it wasn't used much at all except to warm up. I really don't think you should switch between a VT80 and a BS12 as others may also advise because they are totally different rackets. Your timing is going to change a lot switching between the two. The swinging speed between the two is different. Everything is different and too many variables. Find one racket you like, either BS or VT80 and stick with it to notice if you're improving. Unless you're experimenting with what racket properties that suit you, it's not very good to keep changing all the time. I use a BS12 95% of the time and the other 5% is spent experimenting with a Lethal 90, Tantrum 200, MX80, MX60, and Arcsaber 9FL just to keep things interesting. The person I sold my VT80 to is a good player and it improved his singles game because he could utilise it. I couldn't and so I performed better with a BS12. It's only as good as the person using it.
I currently have the Voltric 80, it is a new racket for me so I still need some getting used to it as it is a tiny bit heavy for me still.
Oh and I would like to ask. Since you guys say the VT80 is one of the heaviest head rackets and stiffest. I think my current VT80 4U is a bit on the heavy side for me, so if I want to try out the Brave Sword 12, since it is a "light" racket, would the 3U version be lighter or heavier than the VT80 4U? (if I want it to be lighter than the VT80, should I go for 3U or 4U BS12?) Thanks.
The BS12 is best used for doubles and the faster you can swing it, the more results you're going to get from it so I chose a 4U. A VT80 that overall weighs less than a BS12 will still feel heavier than a BS12 when you swing it. My 4U BS12 weighs 87g so you can use that to compare to your 4U VT80.
funny that i've also recently started using a 4u vt80... dry wt 82.9g, bp310mm(!) prior, i was using a 3u (barely) mx80... dry wt 85.1g, bp 295mm also happened to acquire via a trade a 3u bs12... dry 86.7g, bp 290mm long story short: despite the vt80 being lightest by a mile, it tired my arm the most the first few times i used it. however it had the best offensive power, giving up a bit of defence in return. the mx80 had been my go to for the past half a year, great defence but was looking for more offensive sting, hence the vt80. the bs12 i'm not sure how i feel about it... it's too soft and flexy for my style, i just couldn't get any power out of it and defence was worse than my mx80!
So are you saying I should go with the 4U instead of 3U if I want the racket to be lighter than my 4U VT80? @visor - is the BS12 really that flexible? For those who has tried the BS11 and BS12, which would be better do you think?
Depends on you. Eg. For Visor, he doesn't like it because of his style. For me, it's a great racket. The VT80 wasn't great for me and I just got tired, but it's a superb racket to the person I sold it to who was able to use it allowing for easy clears and smashes that looked effortless.
Would you recommend me to get the BS 4U or 3U version if I thought the 4U VT80 was a little too heavy?
yes, bs12 is really soft... if you can handle your 4u vt80 for a few games without feeling sore, then don't get bs12...the shaft can be too easily overcome if you have good power but, let's start over... what are you looking to improve upon by changing rackets from your 4u vt80? ie. what do and don't you like about your vt80... this will help us go thru the decision process in selecting the right racket for you, instead of you fixating on the bs series
I used to use this "fake" racket which was supper light. It was effortless to move around. Then a week ago i switched to the 4U VT80 and I found that it was much heavier therefore for the first time even my shoulder got sore rather than just my forearm. Also I just want a racket that is a little bit less stiff than the VT80 And my swing speed is much slower than my old "fake" racket. I really like to try out the BS series so I wanted to find a BS that best suits what I need.
i see... the vt80 is a pretty demanding racket even in 4u, due more to its head heaviness (bp 310!) what's your playing level like? intermediate, beginner? singles, doubles?
I think I might be playing doubles this year but I will also play some singles. I think I am intermediate or "advanced" beginner" btw. what does bp mean?
bp=balance point in mm... its a measure of head heaviness. you want more for singles and less for doubles, generally speaking in that case, you can consider the 3u bs11 or 10... not the bs15 because its semi oval frame shape with smaller sweet spot if you feel you have good arm strength, you can also consider the mx60 or mx70 meanwhile, save the vt80 for singles... it is excellent for that
