Hmm this thing sounds a little lighter than the N90 if it's faster than the VT80! I had feared that they made a Li Ning version of the VT80 which was too light for my liking. I might have to stick with the N90I They should make a NZF just for kicks, but I'm happy that Li Ning is going head heavy class and not YY's light, headlight supersonic speedy XYZZ slash sabers.
Optiblue : I agree, LN makes some pretty heavy class killers. So then comparatively, the N80 would have less power but faster, so somewhat like the N90II?
Oh it's still head heavy, it's hard to explain... But I remember using my N90 before and the strain wasn't as high as this N80 on my elbow/shoulder... The power is definitely there just it isn't sluggish... They did use a different frame shape compared to the previous LN's... It's not fast like a BS/Nanospeed/Ray but in terms of a head heavy racket it's got decent speed. In terms of power and speed it is definitely better than that of the N90-II as I still have two of those guys around... You know what Optiblue, if you play at the friday night drop in's at ace I'd let you take a few swings with it
Wow, better in both power and speed? Will reconsider on getting an N90-II and look at N80 more instead..
This racket sounds like it has some unique properties. That soreness might be the result of a stiffer shaft, but yeah I definately want to give it a go! Come to smash on Saturday morning dropin! You can try out you old friend N90 and its new buddy ZF!
It seems like a win to win solution here ... Could we expect, VTZF & N80 comparison from you after you have tried N80 ?
What is the smash morning drop in, is it the old yumo? But Ace has all you can hit feathers I don't know how it compares to the ZF, I know the bending of the shaft is not very accurate in stiffness testing, but I did play around with that a little at a local store and I believe by purely bending the shaft the ZF is stiffer than the N80...
Then, our final conclusion right now should be Head Heaviness: N90>VT-ZF>N80>N50II>VT80>N90II Overall Stiffness should be somewhat akin to: VT-ZF=N90>N80>VT80>N50II=N90II Would I be correct in summarizing that? Moomoo, yea the chinese are really fearless. I doubt they asked Lambo to use their name in the description. Im not quite sure how the angular body of a car translates into angular cross section of the racket... Pretty strange So if i want something like the N90, I should go straight to the N50II?
I have not been able to test the ZF, so I have no idea how it compares to the N90, same for the N80. The rest looks right, though - the N90 is the heaviest LN, followed by the N50II and N90II. The N70 is pretty similar to the N90II (a bit slower because of the softer shaft), with the N50 just a tad below them. The N90II is stiffer than the N50II, which is stiffer than the N50 and N70 which I find to be pretty similar. They're strung at 29 (N50, N50II, N90) and 31lbs (N70) with the BG80, so the comparison is pretty direct. The N90 is somehow the best singles racket, and feels more alive than the N50 - which is better in the drive department, but feels terribly soft on smashes sometimes and can be a bitch to time correctly (if you play fast drives/have to take the shuttle behind your body). The N90 is wonderfully consistent - a bit slow on defense and very much so on everything flat, but just beautiful overhead. Power and control are outstanding. If you want something like the N90, take the N90. The N50II is very different. Powerful in it's own right, but very heavy (mine are declared G3/3U, but must be very close to 2U territory) and a bit soft. The N90 and N90II are much more controlled. I'm still waiting to get my hands on the N55II, which I'll get at the same time as the ZF and BS LYD to test Next week should be fun
could you describe the n50II a little bit more? It sounds like a extremely heavy version of the Arc10 if im getting the message correctly. In that case, based on specs only, if i wanted something perhaps a bit lighter then the n90 i should be looking for the n80?
No idea about the N80. The N50II is about as heavy as the 2U Arc10, but still a bit head heavier and softer.
Haven't tried the N50II or the N80, but in terms of stiffness, I would put ZF at the stiffest and N90 more to the opposite end of the scale. It's definately not as stiff as the N90II. If you want something like the N90, get the N90. If you want a little lighter, the rest are solid choices Smash = old Yumo and dropin starts at 9am
Optiblue : wasn't it that it felt more flex because of the insane head-heaviness? There was a thread explaining that i think...
Had the VT ZF over for testing, it's definitely stiffer than the N90. It's also slightly quicker overhead, but felt sluggish on defense and drives. Depending on the physical levels and technique, it can be more powerful than the N90 (although great technique and strength are required for that), and will almost surely be more controlled as it is noticeably stiffer. Net play was amazing. However, this should be about the N80 - sadly, it doesn't come out until June/July here, so I was unable to test it.
I had the opportunity to try out the N80 a few weeks ago and in a nutshell it feels like the VT80. It's not as head heavy as the N90 but is definately stiffer. String and tension was not at my ideal settings, but they definately beefed up the T-joint and it feels quite stable on a smash. The racket will have potential to someone who doesn't want to go to the extreme head-heavy. Any VT80 or MX80 user/lover should definately add this competitor to their list of weapons. For the head heaviest users of the AT700, VTZF, or N90 users, you might struggle with this one as the balance point is not as high up and power won't come out as easily. Bottom line: this is not the "N100" that had to be named the N80 because they couldn't call such a crazy racket higher than Lin Dan's racket. The name N80 is perfectly in line with the VT80 and MX80.