Nanoray Z-Speed review Well, here it is. Get comfortable. Nanoray Z-Speed 3UG4 JP, specced @ 301/88.6, 300/87.5 Li Ning NS30 @ 29/31 10% p/s, RKEP Ultimate. Impressions – 9/10 My first thought on seeing George’s Koo picture was “clowngasm”. But I like black-and-orange, and it’s won me over. It’s a bit busy (new techs mean lots of Hot Wheels stickers) but it works. For me. Fit and finish is generally good, with excellent paint and lacquer, but a few of the grommets weren’t pushed in all the way at the factory and this will cause problems with sharp string angles in the 2/10 area. I have to say, though – and I’m probably going to say this a few times – that 300+ mm is not a Nanoray. But let’s see what happens. Stringing – 8/10 This hoop is very strong. Took 29/31 as well as anything I’ve ever strung, and I think it could have gone a lot further. No decal problems (but then I modded my machine to avoid it). Didn't seem know it was being strung, to be honest. However, while I love the 2+4 pattern, it’s inconsistent on this racket; the middle mains are too far apart and the outer mains are too close together (and there is some uneven spacing of crosses). I know exactly why it’s been done - more on that later - but it still looks odd. Also, the 2/10 area presents a lot of string outside the frame. Power – 9/10... but... This is the racket’s selling point, so it has to be good. If you catch the sweet spot properly there is a lot of power. There’s a satisfying “blast” to it – reminded me of the ZF a bit – and the SBZ is like having an extra kick-point. The smash is excellent, and backhands… I’ve never hit better. The sound is great as well – really meaty when you catch one right. It even drives well, harder than the NR800, but not as hard as the x-stiff headlights. In all honesty, I think this one could have done with being an x-stiff itself; the high balance combined with the SBZ make it lose a bit of stiffness in the swing and on impact. This sweet spot is unusual, though – it’s not only higher than you’d expect, it doesn’t seem to “blend” into the rest of the string bed. Like a frying pan compared to a wok – very steep sides. Why? The bunched up mains – Yonex has used the HAC to extend the sweet spot vertically, but the only way they were ever going to do it horizontally while shrinking the racket head was to squeeze the outer mains together, and if the shuttle lands on these the bed has very little give (and you don't get that cannon-bang, either). In short, the SBZ and HAC do seem to work… but the extra reward for accuracy comes with a commensurate penalty for inaccuracy. Real Jekyll-and-Hyde stuff. Defence – 7/10 for the balance, 6/10 overall With this kind of balance comes a wildness when trying to defend… usually. I don’t know quite what’s happening here, but this thing defends at least 5-10 mm shorter than the numbers, and is much more “point and shoot” than the equivalent Voltric. But while the head is as fast as, if not faster than, the Z-Slash, the racket as a whole still feels sluggish on occasion… it seems to swing heavier than the numbers. Strange. Why did I mark it down so hard? Sweet spot again. Miss it, and you’ll lose length on lifts and spray blocks everywhere. Control – 7/10 A small head will usually offer good control, especially with a denser pattern. The SBZ could have been a mistake if it caused torque, but it doesn’t; it manages to bend back and forth with little or no twist so the frame stays in line pretty much every shot. I had almost no issues timing it as far as frame hits (and after the Z-Slash this was very welcome) but nailing that "binary switch" sweet spot takes a fair bit of practise; missing it will make your “shot cone” a lot wider. Feel – 5/10 The auguries were so good: tiny head, 2+4 pattern, thin profile… but I was very disappointed. The new grommet arrangement is definitely reducing string contact with the frame, and there are no MP bumps (which would have helped). The sensation isn't just damped; it's muted, even with the hardest string I could find. Yonex seem to have gone from one extreme to the other: the NR800 had a definite resonance/ring to it, and the ZF has a very appealing "punch", but this one is dead. Feel (rather, lack of it) is one of my “deal breakers” in a racket, so this was such a let-down. Value for Money – Import (SP/IP) 7/10; UK 5/10 This is a Yonex racket with two brand-new techs and every exotic material they can throw at it – of course it was going to be expensive. Having said this, $200 for the SP version isn’t that unreasonable. But £190 for the UK version!? I don’t know what planet Yonex are living on sometimes… Conclusion To be honest, I’m pretty angry with Yonex about this – what’s the point of having a headlight series and sticking a head heavy racket at the top of it? The NS9900 was/is an outstanding racket and fully deserves a sequel. The NR800 isn’t quite it… but the NR-ZS is far more not it. There is, in fact, nothing “Nanoray-ish” about it whatsoever. As soon as Good Will Hunting told us on the promo video that “… winning is all about who can deliver the fastest smash”, I think I knew I’d had it. This would have made a very good Voltric, but it’s a sh*t Nanoray, and “Nanoray” is what’s written on it. If you want a car, you don’t buy the top-of-the-range speedboat; you buy a car. The NR-ZS is a very good hard hitter if your technique is consistent (and you don’t care about feel), but I didn’t want a hard hitter; I wanted a Nanoray. I’ve been trying to find something to compare it to, but it’s almost impossible – it’s got too many idiosyncrasies to match it to anything else out there. Closest I can get is a “ZF/Z-Slash/SW35 mashup”. If its quirks line up with your quirks, you’ll like it. If not… you won’t. Simple as that. + Looks (YMMV) Smash power, backhand power… power all round, in fact Defends shorter than the numbers – very fast head Excellent frame strength and stability The new tech actually seems to do something! - Not a Nanoray – does exactly the opposite of what it says on the tin Slight fit-and-finish issues out of the box. Plays heavier than the numbers Very disappointing feel Weird-looking (and possibly illegal) string pattern Miss that sweet spot, and you’ve pretty much had it (no matter what kind of shot you’re attempting)
If I ever gave a toss what Yonex liked, I don't now - Nanorays are head light. I might as well sell our Vauxhall Astra under the "private jet" category on eBay.
Thanks Mark! That was extremely helpful since I only had 2 mins with the racquet with no net. Certainly couldn't test out the defense side of things. I'm surprised it was *that* bad though.
so what is the best all around yonex racquet (with similar 9/10 power) available now? since nrzs is ruled out.
It's ruled out for me; it might not be for you. If you do want a tall "power" racket, though, the ZF gets my vote.
Hmm. Didn't quite know how to phrase it before but Mark has got it right. I played around for 20 minutes with a 3U Z Speed few weeks ago. Unfortunately strung with bg 65 @27lbs. Higher tension and different string than I'm used to. In short, swings head heavy, noticeably smaller sweet spot. Not too much issue with mistiming. Not sure its noticeably quicker around mid or front court compared to my 3u voltric 80. Smash wise, reasonably powerful but doesn't give the same direct hammer feeling / "bang" I got with my voltric 80. Didn't think the smash itself was any quicker. Most importantly, as Mark said, it just felt dull and muted. Another friend tried it and simply said it didn't feel like anything special.
Nice review Mark, but I think we should just treat any Yonex racquet with a "Z" in its name as completely different from the rest, almost like a different line - regardless of whether it is called a Voltric, ArcSaber or NanoRay. Just as any VXR's are completely different to other Vauxhalls! lol I can see your frustration as I sense you feel cheated having waited so long for a NS9900 replacement. But I strongly believe there will be a NS9900 eventually, but this is not it.
I agree! Held off buying a replacement backup 9900 for a while. Maybe it's time for me to stock up on a few more until it's true replacement comes out!
There have been post-Z Arcsabers, so there's no reason to think this will be the last Nanoray. I can't think Yonex won't get wind of the (mostly) negative feedback on this thing... maybe they'll remember what NR's are supposed to be about and make an NR900...
Yep, Mark. You put it very well. That's how I felt when I tried it out 3 wks ago. A heavy swinging smash machine that has absolutely garbage feel. Forget about trying to do any accurate touch shots with it. And the FS listings on the Buy/Sell forum is a good indication of how disappointing it is... yours included.
Yeah I pretty much agree with what you've posted there Mark. Nice review. However, I find all of the Z series rackets quirky. In a way, they're not even the top-of-the-line of their prospective lines - they're kind of weird niche-beasts. I think of all the Z rackets though, this is the most accessible for a greater number of players though, despite its quirks. However, if you want a 300mm fast, light, zingy racket....just get an Mx70. If you want a quirky smash beast, get this.
I'm wondering with racket head frame design (coz I'm busy designing my own for future use), that once you change the profile dramatically to induce some kind of flex, or movement...or if you change the shape of the head dramatically....you're adding so many new variables that you actually can't control them. Or worse, as with the NRZS, you get this (as Mark nicely puts it) 'jekyll and hyde personality' where the racket works in one way, and one way only, and if you deviate from that it feels like a different racket, or dosen't work as it should.
^ In a way, the bend zone thing is nothing new. There have been discussions in the past that a bit of frame flexibility is needed to amplify the rebound effect on the shuttle, just like a bit of flex in the shaft also helps in the same manner. Anyone who has played with a racket with super stiff frame and shaft will know what I mean. Thus those rackets that use frame strengtheners like Ti or Kevlar at the 2,4,8,10 o'clock positions create such bend zones at the 12,3,9 o'clock positions by making those areas flexier relative to the strengthened areas.
