One more thing, its an Arcsaber - the "jack of all trades and master of none" racket. You have to "balance" your skills when using an Arcsaber, and its quite tough at 3U already (using PG 10).
I've used 5U racquets before. The Black Knight Superlight series, Photon PCV, 75 grams. Strung it with BG80 at just 21/23 back then and it could still pack a punch; I even played singles with it! I knew of better guys than me who would string this racquet at 26 lbs and never touch another racquet. The frame was by no means delicate, either - I can vouch for that! Theoretically, a 6U is just 1 gram away from this Photon... or maybe, the Photon IS a 6U...
the racquet lost abt 20% mass i.e. 73 grams vs probably 88 grams of another racquet, but is there a simple linear correlation between weight and power in this scenario? (i.e. a 4U VT80 may give more crunch than a 3U VT60).. in terms of collision, force translates to a change in momentum over the shuttle contact time.. so if the racquet can be swung at a higher velocity, the momentum generated by the racquet can be larger.. as opposed to swinging something very heavy but at a slower speed for the same momentum.. (i.e. M xV)
This exactly. The Photon racket is one of the racket's that has given me the most powers in the ones I've used (I'm a very power oriented player...). I still use it, still love it. So while the lower weight usually results in a loss in power, something in this racket compensates for it. The Black Knight Photon racket has been the most popular BK racket for a long time, so we can hope the Flash Boost could be similar in terms of power..
So true, I've played with the photon for so long and power had never been an issue. My extended use of this racquet probably is the reason why I get more out of 4U and low3U racquets than 3U in general
To be fair, they've been recommending 24 lb for 4U rackets for as long as I can remember, so I doubt it's to do with the reduced weight; I'm testing the Victor Lightfighters (5U) and their "limit" is 12 kg/26 lb.
Sounds a little extreme. Using that same logic, then that mean everyone should use a 2U racket then right? Shouldn't we be using something that will help us maximize our swing speed and power?
That's why I said "unless there is something up in the sleeve". The 4Us I used before are the VT80 and AT700P - and they feel just like my 3U Arc10PG.... so imagine a 6U Arc?
Ya but I'm not sure a persons swing will stay faster. I find with lighter rackets my swing is faster while I adjust to it but eventually my swing goes back to normal. Maybe that's just me though.
just based on how it feels, nothing scientific, when i use a relatively lighter racket, my swing speed immediately goes a tad bit faster. however, that doesn't mean that the increase in my swing speed will compensate for the lost of mass to have the same power at the end. and unfortunately for me, my swing does goes back to normal as well, just so that the timing is the same, which causes me to lose power, somewhat. again this is not scientific and i'm not trying to prove anything, but just my experience switching from what i normally use to a lighter racket. i am very curious as to how this racket will perform. i have used light rackets and i have not gotten anywhere with them. light racket as in the nanospeed 9000 or nanospeed 9900 or nanoray 700 rp/fx. so knowing how i play, i'm sure that my wrist action will be really fast, but it will not be able to generate any power off of a 6u racket. it is good to see that yonex finally made a racket in the superlight weight category to satify this niche!
Faster racket doesn't mean more power. Kinetic energy of the racket is completely irrelevant - what matters is the momentum. When two moving bodies connect, they can transfer (part of) their momentum to each other. With M=v*m, a faster swing speed will not factor in more than the mass (this is a very popular error amongst Wing Chun/Jeet Kune Do practicioners who also claim that the kinetic energy matters and thus hitting speed is more important than body mass). The whole momentum debate has occurred several times already so I'm not really up to making the whole argument again...just research momentum and mechanics (more specifically, kinetics) if you're interested in this. Otherwise, take my word (as an engineering student who passed the kinetic mechanics test) that only the momentum matters, not the kinetic energy. On a more personal note, I don't believe a 6U racket will satisfy a real need - it's just too light to be useful, really. No one has THAT quick a swing!
Good point - while the kinetic energy varies with the square of the swing speed, this doesn't address what happens to the racket when the shuttle is hit. It doesn't just plow through; there's deformation and "bounce-back".
Faster racket will increase chances for injuries, since we might think that the faster our swing, the more powerful the shot will be. However, i have to agree with j4ckie, it is the body mass that really matters.
kinetic energy is related to momentum by the relation of energy is not created nor destroyed, its just transferred or converted upon impact. otherwise, take my word (as a non-engineering biologist whom did not take anything in close resemblance kinetic mechanics in both undergrad/gradschool), that momentum and kinetic energy... have an intimate relation in the bedroom...
Whether you use momentum or kinetic energy to explain the shuttle impact, the best combination would still be to have more mass moving at a faster velocity. From my experience with various frame designs, this is best achieved with a solid aerodynamic frame, for example, MX series, or Panda Precision Pro / Revelation. And finally, match the shaft flex to your swinging / whipping action and you'll have a fast powerful racket.
My take on this FB racket is that Yonex manages to shave wt (mass) mostly from the shaft and the handle in order to bring it down to 73g. Perhaps they shaved some from the frame too, but too much from there would compromise durability and also transfer of momentum / KE at impact.
yup...the ultimate combi is big mass at max velocity (with max velocity obtained through strong acceleration).. chinese kungfu analogy.. its how people use bamboo poles, or flexible wooden sticks but yet able to smash tiles or even bricks, although i might need a huge sledgehammer for the same job..
I should receive this racket very soon to test it. I'll make sure to review it, and of course compare it to Black Knight's Photon racket