Finally .. i love the RSL shuttle especially it feel during contact with racket.. but the feather not durable for a hard hitter match..
Initial thoughts lol its all in the fingers Since my last post, I've managed to finish reading up till page 112 and managed to have a couple of games with it. For the record, I play at an upper intermediate level. String tension - 25lbs (strong on an ES 5 pro - according to the stringer, its suppose to be equivalent to something higher compared to manual stringing - I'll have to check up the forum for that, but I just treat it as 25). String - BG80. Initial thoughts Getting the VT80(3U5G) was like coming home. To provide context, my experience with head heavy rackets starts and ends with a Ti-10 1st gen 3U5G - which was the racket that I learnt to play badminton with. Right before this VT80, I've been using an MP99. I've adapted alot of my shots to a the Ti-10 so the VT80 feels very familiar, but certain areas where the Ti-10 use to feel slightly sluggish the VT80 is much faster and more efficient. Grip I've been playing with the original grip at the moment - I dont have a problem playing with it until it starts to get abit oily - not sure why -, then I strip it off and will be using a Karakal PU on wood. Smashing I am struggling with bicep tendinitis at the moment, so I havent managed to execute any all out full powered smashes. But so far the half smashes/normal smashes have been very satisfying. Good power transfer so half smashes can be made quite efficiently without expending too much energy or recovery time. As stated by alot of reviews prior to this, the head moves in a forward motion very quickly - and from the MP99 this is an improvement - so getting a relatively sharp angle for your straightforward smashes is not too difficult. Apart from moving quickly in a forward motion, the VT80 feels very nimble so it allows me the option of tilting/rotating the head for a sharper angle without compromising on the power too much. My comparison here is against a Ti-10 which while having a heavy head allowed for the power to keep coming, seemed to lose abit of power. So these half smash/chops became abit slow [Before I get into trouble - I am not saying that it cant be done with power, its just that I've not mastered it, and it is my personal opinion that the shot is just much simpler with a VT80]. Clears Erm, forehand, backhand no problems to the back of the court. Just position, wind up, bang - very efficient power transfer. Especially for backhand clears - even mistimed clears go pretty far lol. The deep forehand clear *when the ball has gone behind into the corner, yeah those* become easier. Since this shot really requires the right position it's easier than the Ti-10 cos of its more nimble, and compared to the MP99, which I feel is easy to get into position - allows me to just cannon shots back to the other end. Very happy with this aspect of it. [Again, the same caveat applies - not impossible with MP99, just my personal opinion that its quite easy to do with the VT80]. Drops This'll have to wait for another time cos to make a good comparison it'll really require me to change my grip. Defence I didnt find much problem here. Seems like I am not in a position to comment because the debate on this part of the racket's performance seems to be between the 3U and 4U versions. I've only got the 3U version. Personally, I feel that I just have to make contact at the right angle, and the 3U is nimble enough for me to do that. After that its just a matter of whether I wanna 'let it rip' (for a high clear) - which seems to be the default mode on this racket - or place it. Again, compared to the Ti-10, I am able to adjust it much better. The MP99 for me seemed to have a default mode to place the shuttle and I had to expend alot more energy to drive it back up. Drives Erm, with this racket drives feel very fun. Dont have to put that much effort and since the point here is to 'let it rip' (see above), this racket performs this function very well. At the net This is more of a general comment than one of the VT80 in particular. As stated above, I trained with a Ti-10. When I switched to other rackets, which I have been using for the last 2-3 years, I find it a struggle to adjust my netshots. So my performance varies from game to game. But upon picking up the VT80, very little adjustment needed - net shots were back up to standard - and I was able to weigh them up nicely. I suppose muscle memory just kicked in? For review purposes, I could 'feel' the shuttle alot more than I could on my MP99. So somuch for my initial thoughts. At the moment, I'm in the right mind to walk right back to the shop and pick up another one Will post up more after I get more game time with it (or more VT80s )
I'm going to give my thoughts on a 4U Yonex VT80 (Japan). I bought it used from a member here (tinshuttle). I'm no pro player though I'm not a beginner anymore and haven't played for years. The raquet I had was a Carlton Powerblade Superlite (bought around 2005), even balanced, dunno the tension after 6 years. The vt80 is obviously head heavy, it came strung with bg66 ultramax @ 25lbs and the grip was replaced by PU supergrip. From the moment I picked I liked it, there's just a certain feel when you move it like you can feel it more. Since it's the 4U, it feels really light in the hands. 25lb tension seems to be fine for me, there's a crisp sound when i hit the shuttlecock. I also feel hitting it more, dunno if that'd due to strings/tension/raquet but feedback is good. I find it easier to generate power, I didn't have to hit it as hard to make it go further/faster for clears/smashes. A few times I surprised myself by getting a better angle than I thought I would from it. I didn't find anything amiss in defense, it's just feels really light. Anyway, i really love it and there was no adaptation whatsoever, it just felt natural from when i picked it up.
Hey Guys I need some help on buying a racket... I am an intimmidiate player, i am quiet big and love to smash, but because i am big i dont have fast arm swing speed like others but i have strong smash, I would like to get voltric 80 but after a chat to MBS person, he siad that vt80 hard to use, becuase it is stiff? is that right? Also Any other racket good for me? Thanks for the help =P
If you are big and strong i think you may like the VT80 even though it probably isnt the most suitable racket for you.. But better is probably to choose a racket that is head heavy/heavy and rather flexible for you to maximise your power output (based on the slower swingspeed). Armortec 700, 150/250, SOTX Woven 11, Wilson KFactor Kblade, Li-Ning Rocks 500 or 520 etc..
If you have the funds, then you can't go wrong with Armortec 900 P or T, and the VT80 is almost the same except head heavier, but both have the stiff flex. Hard hitting and smashing needs stiffer shaft. I sell Yonex racquets and there are many other racquets to choose from, but then it starts becoming quite confusing and technical.
Nope slow swing speed should be more flex! YY is becoming like the "Apple" of badminton-gear.. Mostly design and look&feel, great at design marketing, low on tech, for value/performance the new kids on the block seems to do a better job (the "Samsungs" of badminton)
Ooooh!!!! SJ already turning over in his grave... Fact is, YY can afford to churn out models with marginal differences, and keep upgrading their flagship lines with new packaging and freshly-coined materials/composites. This has become standard practise in almost all competitive manufacturing industries now. Introduce a new line, keep the prices at premium level, drop prices after exactly 3 months. In fact, YY isn't even waiting that long. The Nanoflexes are selling for the same price (or sometimes less) than their parents... (the NS9900 is still wayyy more expensive than the NF-whatever) while the VT80 is selling for the same price as an AT900P/T out here. More democratic choices for the customer (or more confusion )
hey today i just bought a 4ug5 by accident so i would like to ask if 4ug5 vs 3u g5 does it affect the balance a lot? thanks
My story: I bought my VT80 3UG5 about six months ago and used it for two weeks on up to a tournament. After that, my elbow and arm were in tremendous amount of pain. I did therapy treatment at home myself, used a lot of Salonpas and ointment, then stop using the VT80 until this past month. During this time, I practiced hard on correcting my techniques and building up my arm strength while using my more flexible and head lighter racket. Then finally for this past month, I am now able to use my VT80 effectively without much pain. This is basically playing 3-5 sessions a week at 2.5-5 hours each. Now, I really love this racket and starting to take advantage of what this racket can offer. I completely agreed that for beginners, this is definitely not the racket to start with. But with proper strength and technique, this is a great racket. Note, I am not comparing this to other racket, as my experience with other rackets are limited to none. I also tried my friend’s LTD 4U thinking I may like it better because it is faster and easier on the arm, but after some hours of playing with it, I highly prefer my 3U more. So now, since I broke my other flexible spare racket and a friend is in China anyway, I am getting my second VT80 3UG5. Oddly, for a guy with bigger hands, I like the G5 with an overgrip so that I can play with more finger controls and with a loose and relax grip. Let's go play, learn, improve, and have fun! Cheers --Hugh
My story: I bought my VT80 3UG5 about six months ago and used it for two weeks on up to a tournament. After that, my elbow and arm were in tremendous amount of pain. I did therapy treatment at home myself, used a lot of Salonpas and ointment, then stop using the VT80 until this past month. During this time, I practiced hard on correcting my techniques and building up my arm strength while using my more flexible and head lighter racket. Then finally for this past month, I am now able to use my VT80 effectively without much pain. This is basically playing 3-5 sessions a week at 2.5-5 hours each. Now, I really love this racket and starting to take advantage of what this racket can offer. I completely agreed that for beginners, this is definitely not the racket to start with. But with proper strength and technique, this is a great racket. Note, I am not comparing this to other racket, as my experience with other rackets are limited to none. I also tried my friend’s LTD 4U thinking I may like it better because it is faster and easier on the arm, but after some hours of playing with it, I highly prefer my 3U more as the 4U feels too light. So now, since I broke my other flexible spare racket and a friend is in China anyway, I am getting my second VT80 3UG5. Oddly, for a guy with bigger hands, I like the G5 with an overgrip so that I can play with more finger controls and with a loose and relax grip. Let's go play, learn, improve, and have fun! Cheers --Hugh
Your story is almost similar with me, the only difference is the " tremendous amount of pain" part. Bought VT80 3UG5 few days after the racket launch, tested it for few games and feel a slight pain on my arm. Upon realizing that my hand is not ready (yet) for this racket, I trained my hand (using a qiaofali) for few months. Now I just realize that VT80 is a very good racket, power is better than SOTX woven 7, racket feedback is good (compared to victor spira 21), and defence is on par with SOTX woven 7.
Played singles again last night. This time with my brand new VT80LTD 3UG5 (thanks visor!!!). Strung with yellow BG66UM @ 27lbs w/ red RKEP grips. Looks sweet!!! And the wet weight is the same as my VT80 at 97g. How cool is that? My friend forgot his Arc10 racket. I offered him to use my VT80 but he hates the Voltric series (bad experience with his VT70) so I lent him my MX80. He really really liked it. Other than a bit of timing issue...he handled it well from the get go. He was so impressed with it that he wanted to use it again next time. But since it is a different racket and different tension than he is used to...I won all the games. But it was still close. As for my play...I love the VT80. I think I have a better touch at the net with the BG66UM than with the BG80. So I will be alternating my Voltric rackets (VT80 has BG80 @ 27lbs and VT80LTD has BG66UM @ 27lbs) to see which strings I like better. My experiment of keeping the plastic on the handle is over. The overgrips keeps sliding out of position...leaving small gaps. So it will come off and I'll re-grip with new RKEP grips. White for my VT80, red for my VT80LTD, and black (which I need to order) for my MX80. Finished the RSL Classic Tourneys. They only lasted 1 shuttle per game. Not bad...but not great at $24/tube. Next tube up is the HangYu. I was introduced to this brand during my doubles game with Tedski and Distanc3. Hope it performs well as it did back then. I'll try some other brands/shuttles to get a bigger comparision sample.
^^ Glad you enjoyed your new racket! BTW, black G09's are the worst of all colours in terms of tackiness. Even if you wanted to order them, I won't let you. They're that bad. *Stick* with white, red, pink, light blue, green. Pun intended.
Thanks for the tip. Man...I'm such a noob around you. Just want a matching color for my MX80. Maybe I'll "stick" with white for my MX80.
