Yonex ArcSaber Flash Boost ( ARC FB )

Discussion in 'Badminton Rackets / Equipment' started by yan.v, Jan 13, 2013.

  1. yan.v

    yan.v Regular Member

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    Only got the 6U version of the FB since 5U isn't available in Canada.

    I'd say the Photon is more accessible than the FB. It is more flexible and the frame is slightly bigger (despite being a little more oval) than the FB, so the sweet spot is easier to hit and the power comes more naturally. So the Photon seems to generally require less effort than the FB, but FB is more rewarding when playing good.

    On most nights, the FB seems wonderful, but when you're not "in it" for the night, you can find that it is very unforgiving for mis-hits (expectably so).
     
  2. Sgt_Strider

    Sgt_Strider Regular Member

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    As I have said earlier, I was busy reviewing my Adidas Duoforce. I will post my 5U FB impressions at a later point in time. If you want a quicker answer, then the fastest way for you to find out is to buy your own racket.
     
  3. Sgt_Strider

    Sgt_Strider Regular Member

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    I will post my impressions of the 5U racket later tonight. It's too difficult typing out my thoughts from my iPhone. Bottom Line = I like it.
     
  4. SuperAustinChu

    SuperAustinChu Regular Member

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    n0m5ky, I do agree with what Visor and Sgt_Strider said. The different weight (as minor as it seems) has to be felt by that particular individual seeking to know the difference. E.g. one might find that there isn't an upgrade from Arc10 to Arc11, but to another it might seem like night and day. So it would be very hard for you to make a judgement solely on other's review on the rackets. Esp if they are of the same base model, it might be easier to get a clearer idea on the difference of the racket if they are comparing Yonex to Victor or even Volt vs NanoRay.

    Here is a little background to tell you where I am coming from. Recently I've been bugging a few people, trying to get as much information about Arc FB (and Duoforce) as possible as I was considering getting a FB too. And similar to you I've waited for someone to do a review on the difference between the 5U and F. One of the unfortunate people whom I've probably irritated is Sgt_Strider. I had "interrogated" him for about 3 day continuously digging out "intel" on the FB/5U FB. But I realised that no matter how good his replies were, that would only be one's opinion. But it hit me the most when he said that "You have to be very weak not to be able to hit the birdie with the FB from one end of the court to the other and that's with the 6U version of the FB. I'm not even a big guy". I mean thats as much information as one needs on the FB without trying how the racket him/herself.

    Despite reading on badmintoncentral and the Chinese badminton forum that it is quite fragile, I decided to get one for myself and test it out. And I am quite glad I got it =D

    Yes the smashes might be less powerful, yes a misshit might cost a point or two. But I get so much reward for turning defence into offence in a way that one will be able to catch other's smashes easier and giving the opportunity to hook it. However I have tried a way to work around the weight and getting smashes be as hard as my Arc10.

    Conclusion, my short and brief review of my ArcFB might be not of value to you as this is MY perspective on the FB. It might or might not suit your play style thus I would really recommend just getting a cheaper/used version of the FB and try it out yourself. But if you're one whom like to keep smashing hard consecutively, instead of driving/ net play/ deceptive shots, then I'd recommend you look for something else. Cuz FB ain't gonna let you smash like a Volt. If it's any useful info to you, I'm in my twenties, had a shoulder surgery about 2 year ago, still at 75% of my arm strength though I doubt I can heal back to more than 80% compared to before. Play-style was forced to change due to surgery, from a hard smasher (but not much of others eg netplay and drives) to a more all-rounded player. Height about 170cm and 75kg.
     
  5. paroxysmal

    paroxysmal Regular Member

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    I had similar experience with Karakal BN60. I was struggling to send the shuttle beyond midcourt of the opposite court. It is an acquired tact. Took me 6 months to master it. But the end result is very rewarding.
     
  6. Sgt_Strider

    Sgt_Strider Regular Member

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    Haha, I tried my best to answer your questions, but I don't have the time to answer them all. :(

    I didn't realized that you're at around my height. I'm slightly taller than you, but you're quite a bit heavier than me. lol!
     
  7. Sgt_Strider

    Sgt_Strider Regular Member

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    I played about 1.5 hours during the weekend with the 5U Arc FB. The short answer here is that I love the racket.

    I'm not going to post a detail review because the 5U is more or less identical to the 6U version of the racket except that it's heavier. Is it a lot heavier? No, I don't think so and I'm a pretty small guy so I would be quite sensitive to any weight differences.

    Is the 5U version more powerful than the 6U version? Without a doubt, it's more powerful, but I can't say that my smashes are a lot faster with the 5U than the 6U. I'm going to need a bit more time to acclimate to the new racket. I've spent about 10 hours using the Adidas Duoforce so one of the things that I've noticed were timing problems. It took me about 2-4 hours to get use the 6U so it doesn't surprise me that I'm going to need more time to get use to the 5U. The difference between the Duoforce and the 5U Arc FB is night and day so it just wasn't realistic for me to be playing at my best during the initial 1.5 hours.

    In theory, this racket should be less maneuverable than the 6U FB. I say in theory because it's heavier. However, I didn't really notice anything wrong with the 5U FB. My defence seems to be as good as it was before with the 6U FB. I suppose this is a good thing.

    I can also confirm that the 5U FB is just as strain free as the 6U FB. I am definitely not as tired using the 5U Arc FB than with my Duoforce. My shoulders felt quite good at the end of my session.

    As for the fragility of the racket, I wouldn't avoid this racket just because it's more fragile than other Yonex racket. If you can take advantage of this racket, I think you'll be impressed with what it can do on the court.

    Does the 5U FB address the power issue? I can't say for sure because we're all different. It's certainly not as powerful as my Duoforce. If you go from an offensively oriented racket to the Arc FB (5U/6U), you're going to lose a bit of power no matter what. I don't think the loss in power is as dramatic as what some people have said, but I can only speak for myself. As I said before, I am more than willing to give us a bit of power if it improved my defence and make me a more rounded player. I still believe that I am a better play today with the Arc FB than with any other racket. Having said that, I think the gap between the Arc FB and the Duoforce is narrowing; at least for me. The more I use the Duoforce, the more it grows on me. I've been spending a bit of time working on my defence while playing with the Duoforce. As of now I still think I'm playing my best badminton with the Arc FB. This is applicable to the 6U, but there's no doubt that once I acclimate to the 5U FB, I think I will be as good as I was before with a harder smash.

    The bottom line here is that the 5U Arc FB is my favourite racket for doubles.

    I will post some more updated impressions later this week. I'm just getting started with the 5U Arc FB. :)
     
    #627 Sgt_Strider, May 28, 2013
    Last edited: May 28, 2013
  8. Sgt_Strider

    Sgt_Strider Regular Member

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    I forgot to mention that I like the Arc FB so much that I'm going to buy a backup racket. I wouldn't be buying a backup Arc FB if I don't like it.
     
  9. n0m5ky

    n0m5ky Regular Member

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    Sgt_Strider,

    Thanks for the brief comparison as well as your thoughts on the 5U FB. I do appreciate it.

    I`ve been thinking on getting a 5U FB or a 4U ZF, but finally decided to go for the FB. Even though one of my friends had a bad experience with the "fragile" 6U FB (actually he said he was satisfied with how the racket delivered, but not the durability of the frame) as I have mentioned in this forum, I`m ready to try my luck with the 5U version. Actually the racket will be coming into my apartment in a hour as now I`m waiting for Kuroneko Yamato (クロネコヤマト) Transport to knock my door.

    I`m not quite sure whether the racket will suit my playing style as I come from a 3U Z-Slash, but after reading reviews in this forum I`m confident enough that it will deliver and improve my game. Really looking forward to playing with the racket tomorrow night.

    Is there anyone here who came from a 3U Z-Slash to a 6U/5U FB and felt satisfied?
     
  10. varsis

    varsis Regular Member

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    My racquet before using the 6U (F) FB was a Z-Slash, however I only played a couple of games with the Z-Slash and then didn't play for a few years, so the break between is too large to give a proper comparison. From what I remember, the Z-Slash had me doing a lot of miss-hits due to the head shape, but when you hit that sweet spot it was lots of fun.

    The FB was all-round easier to use, however requires finer technique to obtain powerful shots from the base of the court.
     
  11. vajrasattva

    vajrasattva Regular Member

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    i've had several z-slashes before.. and currently still have two FBs and a couple of arc 11s.. i'm still very pleased with the FB, many shots could be caught and it can still be possible to generate decent power from a bad positioning or location with its quick response. the z-slash was a bit finicky, there often was bouts of mis-cuing although it had the most potent smash..
     
  12. Sgt_Strider

    Sgt_Strider Regular Member

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    Rackets break all the time. It's a bad reason not to go for the FB. You really can't go wrong with either the 5U or the 6U.

    I think the FB is the easiest racket to use. Once you get use to the faster swing speed, you're going to have a lot of fun. I wouldn't recommend the FB for singles though. I would definitely use my Duoforce for that scenario b
     
  13. n0m5ky

    n0m5ky Regular Member

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    Just received the racket a few hours ago. Man, this racket feels so light! Tried to swing it a few times and compared with my 3U Z-Slash, I could feel the difference: this little fella swung faster than Z-Slash. I don't know maybe bacause it was not yet strung. The weight was 79gr unstrung and no plastic cover in the handgrip. I put an overgrip and the total weight became 83gr unstrung. I will get it strung today with a yellow NBG95. I choose this string because its durability and another reason is that the cost for stringer's service is very expensive here, around US$12-15.

    I always string my Z-Slash at 24lbs. Do you guys have any suggestion on the recommended tension for this racket? Do I need to keep it at 24lbs?
     
  14. Shinichi

    Shinichi Regular Member

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    usually if Im using a light racket, I always lower the tension. Using the VZF at 27lbs and apacs feather weight 300 which is 75g at 22X24 lbs
     
  15. bakulaw

    bakulaw Regular Member

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    humbly disagree on this.
    racket durability is quite important.

    not all people have bucket loads of money to buy multiple rackets.

    while rackets may break due to clash/mishits, I'd go for a design with higher probability of survival. (given it plays reasonably well)
     
  16. Sgt_Strider

    Sgt_Strider Regular Member

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    I can't imagine the Arc FB breaking unless there's a racket clash. Racket clashes are inevitable and there are no guarantees that any rackets would survive any better than the Arc FB.
     
  17. vajrasattva

    vajrasattva Regular Member

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    since the arcFB allows most people to swing faster.. clashes are more disastrous than if it was unwieldy..
     
  18. Sgt_Strider

    Sgt_Strider Regular Member

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    If we're going to be that afraid of racket clashes, then let's avoid playing doubles altogether.
     
  19. paroxysmal

    paroxysmal Regular Member

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    By the way, I have ordered mine and hopefully will receive it by monday/tuesday. Will post my experience. I don't expect it to be much different than Karakal BN60 and Karakal MTec70. I am a big fan of both. I call them Politics Racquets and can swear by them :)
     
  20. bazzaman

    bazzaman Regular Member

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    The FB being as quick as it is, should make it easier to withdraw quickly from an expected crash. I've done this a few times but the times I have clashed is because my partner was behind me.

    I still love this racquet but haven't been able to generate much pace from the back tramlines, can only clear and drop.
     

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